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author | Simon Marshall <simon@gnu.org> |
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date | Thu, 07 Mar 1996 10:38:29 +0000 |
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@c -*-texinfo-*- @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @setfilename ../info/internals @node GNU Emacs Internals, Standard Errors, Tips, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @appendix GNU Emacs Internals This chapter describes how the runnable Emacs executable is dumped with the preloaded Lisp libraries in it, how storage is allocated, and some internal aspects of GNU Emacs that may be of interest to C programmers. @menu * Building Emacs:: How to preload Lisp libraries into Emacs. * Pure Storage:: A kludge to make preloaded Lisp functions sharable. * Garbage Collection:: Reclaiming space for Lisp objects no longer used. * Writing Emacs Primitives:: Writing C code for Emacs. * Object Internals:: Data formats of buffers, windows, processes. @end menu @node Building Emacs, Pure Storage, GNU Emacs Internals, GNU Emacs Internals @appendixsec Building Emacs @cindex building Emacs @pindex temacs This section explains the steps involved in building the Emacs executable. You don't have to know this material to build and install Emacs, since the makefiles do all these things automatically. This information is pertinent to Emacs maintenance. Compilation of the C source files in the @file{src} directory produces an executable file called @file{temacs}, also called a @dfn{bare impure Emacs}. It contains the Emacs Lisp interpreter and I/O routines, but not the editing commands. @cindex @file{loadup.el} The command @w{@samp{temacs -l loadup}} uses @file{temacs} to create the real runnable Emacs executable. These arguments direct @file{temacs} to evaluate the Lisp files specified in the file @file{loadup.el}. These files set up the normal Emacs editing environment, resulting in an Emacs that is still impure but no longer bare. It takes a substantial time to load the standard Lisp files. Luckily, you don't have to do this each time you run Emacs; @file{temacs} can dump out an executable program called @file{emacs} that has these files preloaded. @file{emacs} starts more quickly because it does not need to load the files. This is the Emacs executable that is normally installed. To create @file{emacs}, use the command @samp{temacs -batch -l loadup dump}. The purpose of @samp{-batch} here is to prevent @file{temacs} from trying to initialize any of its data on the terminal; this ensures that the tables of terminal information are empty in the dumped Emacs. The argument @samp{dump} tells @file{loadup.el} to dump a new executable named @file{emacs}. Some operating systems don't support dumping. On those systems, you must start Emacs with the @samp{temacs -l loadup} command each time you use it. This takes a substantial time, but since you need to start Emacs once a day at most---or once a week if you never log out---the extra time is not too severe a problem. @cindex @file{site-load.el} You can specify additional files to preload by writing a library named @file{site-load.el} that loads them. You may need to increase the value of @code{PURESIZE}, in @file{src/puresize.h}, to make room for the additional data. (Try adding increments of 20000 until it is big enough.) However, the advantage of preloading additional files decreases as machines get faster. On modern machines, it is usually not advisable. After @file{loadup.el} reads @file{site-load.el}, it finds the documentation strings for primitive and preloaded functions (and variables) in the file @file{etc/DOC} where they are stored, by calling @code{Snarf-documentation} (@pxref{Accessing Documentation}). @cindex @file{site-init.el} You can specify other Lisp expressions to execute just before dumping by putting them in a library named @file{site-init.el}. This file is executed after the documentation strings are found. If you want to preload function or variable definitions, there are three ways you can do this and make their documentation strings accessible when you subsequently run Emacs: @itemize @bullet @item Arrange to scan these files when producing the @file{etc/DOC} file, and load them with @file{site-load.el}. @item Load the files with @file{site-init.el}, then copy the files into the installation directory for Lisp files when you install Emacs. @item Specify a non-@code{nil} value for @code{byte-compile-dynamic-docstrings} as a local variable in each these files, and load them with either @file{site-load.el} or @file{site-init.el}. (This method has the drawback that the documentation strings take up space in Emacs all the time.) @end itemize It is not advisable to put anything in @file{site-load.el} or @file{site-init.el} that would alter any of the features that users expect in an ordinary unmodified Emacs. If you feel you must override normal features for your site, do it with @file{default.el}, so that users can override your changes if they wish. @xref{Start-up Summary}. @defun dump-emacs to-file from-file @cindex unexec This function dumps the current state of Emacs into an executable file @var{to-file}. It takes symbols from @var{from-file} (this is normally the executable file @file{temacs}). If you use this function in an Emacs that was already dumped, you must set @code{command-line-processed} to @code{nil} first for good results. @xref{Command Line Arguments}. @end defun @deffn Command emacs-version This function returns a string describing the version of Emacs that is running. It is useful to include this string in bug reports. @example @group (emacs-version) @result{} "GNU Emacs 19.29.1 (i386-debian-linux) \ of Tue Jun 6 1995 on balloon" @end group @end example Called interactively, the function prints the same information in the echo area. @end deffn @defvar emacs-build-time The value of this variable is the time at which Emacs was built at the local site. @example @group emacs-build-time @result{} "Tue Jun 6 14:55:57 1995" @end group @end example @end defvar @defvar emacs-version The value of this variable is the version of Emacs being run. It is a string such as @code{"19.29.1"}. @end defvar The following two variables did not exist before Emacs version 19.23, which reduces their usefulness at present, but we hope they will be convenient in the future. @defvar emacs-major-version The major version number of Emacs, as an integer. For Emacs version 19.29, the value is 19. @end defvar @defvar emacs-minor-version The minor version number of Emacs, as an integer. For Emacs version 19.29, the value is 29. @end defvar @node Pure Storage, Garbage Collection, Building Emacs, GNU Emacs Internals @appendixsec Pure Storage @cindex pure storage Emacs Lisp uses two kinds of storage for user-created Lisp objects: @dfn{normal storage} and @dfn{pure storage}. Normal storage is where all the new data created during an Emacs session is kept; see the following section for information on normal storage. Pure storage is used for certain data in the preloaded standard Lisp files---data that should never change during actual use of Emacs. Pure storage is allocated only while @file{temacs} is loading the standard preloaded Lisp libraries. In the file @file{emacs}, it is marked as read-only (on operating systems that permit this), so that the memory space can be shared by all the Emacs jobs running on the machine at once. Pure storage is not expandable; a fixed amount is allocated when Emacs is compiled, and if that is not sufficient for the preloaded libraries, @file{temacs} crashes. If that happens, you must increase the compilation parameter @code{PURESIZE} in the file @file{src/puresize.h}. This normally won't happen unless you try to preload additional libraries or add features to the standard ones. @defun purecopy object This function makes a copy of @var{object} in pure storage and returns it. It copies strings by simply making a new string with the same characters in pure storage. It recursively copies the contents of vectors and cons cells. It does not make copies of other objects such as symbols, but just returns them unchanged. It signals an error if asked to copy markers. This function is a no-op except while Emacs is being built and dumped; it is usually called only in the file @file{emacs/lisp/loaddefs.el}, but a few packages call it just in case you decide to preload them. @end defun @defvar pure-bytes-used The value of this variable is the number of bytes of pure storage allocated so far. Typically, in a dumped Emacs, this number is very close to the total amount of pure storage available---if it were not, we would preallocate less. @end defvar @defvar purify-flag This variable determines whether @code{defun} should make a copy of the function definition in pure storage. If it is non-@code{nil}, then the function definition is copied into pure storage. This flag is @code{t} while loading all of the basic functions for building Emacs initially (allowing those functions to be sharable and non-collectible). Dumping Emacs as an executable always writes @code{nil} in this variable, regardless of the value it actually has before and after dumping. You should not change this flag in a running Emacs. @end defvar @node Garbage Collection, Writing Emacs Primitives, Pure Storage, GNU Emacs Internals @appendixsec Garbage Collection @cindex garbage collector @cindex memory allocation When a program creates a list or the user defines a new function (such as by loading a library), that data is placed in normal storage. If normal storage runs low, then Emacs asks the operating system to allocate more memory in blocks of 1k bytes. Each block is used for one type of Lisp object, so symbols, cons cells, markers, etc., are segregated in distinct blocks in memory. (Vectors, long strings, buffers and certain other editing types, which are fairly large, are allocated in individual blocks, one per object, while small strings are packed into blocks of 8k bytes.) It is quite common to use some storage for a while, then release it by (for example) killing a buffer or deleting the last pointer to an object. Emacs provides a @dfn{garbage collector} to reclaim this abandoned storage. (This name is traditional, but ``garbage recycler'' might be a more intuitive metaphor for this facility.) The garbage collector operates by finding and marking all Lisp objects that are still accessible to Lisp programs. To begin with, it assumes all the symbols, their values and associated function definitions, and any data presently on the stack, are accessible. Any objects that can be reached indirectly through other accessible objects are also accessible. When marking is finished, all objects still unmarked are garbage. No matter what the Lisp program or the user does, it is impossible to refer to them, since there is no longer a way to reach them. Their space might as well be reused, since no one will miss them. The second (``sweep'') phase of the garbage collector arranges to reuse them. @cindex free list The sweep phase puts unused cons cells onto a @dfn{free list} for future allocation; likewise for symbols and markers. It compacts the accessible strings so they occupy fewer 8k blocks; then it frees the other 8k blocks. Vectors, buffers, windows, and other large objects are individually allocated and freed using @code{malloc} and @code{free}. @cindex CL note---allocate more storage @quotation @b{Common Lisp note:} Unlike other Lisps, GNU Emacs Lisp does not call the garbage collector when the free list is empty. Instead, it simply requests the operating system to allocate more storage, and processing continues until @code{gc-cons-threshold} bytes have been used. This means that you can make sure that the garbage collector will not run during a certain portion of a Lisp program by calling the garbage collector explicitly just before it (provided that portion of the program does not use so much space as to force a second garbage collection). @end quotation @deffn Command garbage-collect This command runs a garbage collection, and returns information on the amount of space in use. (Garbage collection can also occur spontaneously if you use more than @code{gc-cons-threshold} bytes of Lisp data since the previous garbage collection.) @code{garbage-collect} returns a list containing the following information: @example @group ((@var{used-conses} . @var{free-conses}) (@var{used-syms} . @var{free-syms}) @end group (@var{used-markers} . @var{free-markers}) @var{used-string-chars} @var{used-vector-slots} (@var{used-floats} . @var{free-floats})) @group (garbage-collect) @result{} ((3435 . 2332) (1688 . 0) (57 . 417) 24510 3839 (4 . 1)) @end group @end example Here is a table explaining each element: @table @var @item used-conses The number of cons cells in use. @item free-conses The number of cons cells for which space has been obtained from the operating system, but that are not currently being used. @item used-syms The number of symbols in use. @item free-syms The number of symbols for which space has been obtained from the operating system, but that are not currently being used. @item used-markers The number of markers in use. @item free-markers The number of markers for which space has been obtained from the operating system, but that are not currently being used. @item used-string-chars The total size of all strings, in characters. @item used-vector-slots The total number of elements of existing vectors. @item used-floats @c Emacs 19 feature The number of floats in use. @item free-floats @c Emacs 19 feature The number of floats for which space has been obtained from the operating system, but that are not currently being used. @end table @end deffn @defopt gc-cons-threshold The value of this variable is the number of bytes of storage that must be allocated for Lisp objects after one garbage collection in order to trigger another garbage collection. A cons cell counts as eight bytes, a string as one byte per character plus a few bytes of overhead, and so on; space allocated to the contents of buffers does not count. Note that the subsequent garbage collection does not happen immediately when the threshold is exhausted, but only the next time the Lisp evaluator is called. The initial threshold value is 300,000. If you specify a larger value, garbage collection will happen less often. This reduces the amount of time spent garbage collecting, but increases total memory use. You may want to do this when running a program that creates lots of Lisp data. You can make collections more frequent by specifying a smaller value, down to 10,000. A value less than 10,000 will remain in effect only until the subsequent garbage collection, at which time @code{garbage-collect} will set the threshold back to 10,000. @end defopt @c Emacs 19 feature @defun memory-limit This function returns the address of the last byte Emacs has allocated, divided by 1024. We divide the value by 1024 to make sure it fits in a Lisp integer. You can use this to get a general idea of how your actions affect the memory usage. @end defun @node Writing Emacs Primitives, Object Internals, Garbage Collection, GNU Emacs Internals @appendixsec Writing Emacs Primitives @cindex primitive function internals Lisp primitives are Lisp functions implemented in C. The details of interfacing the C function so that Lisp can call it are handled by a few C macros. The only way to really understand how to write new C code is to read the source, but we can explain some things here. An example of a special form is the definition of @code{or}, from @file{eval.c}. (An ordinary function would have the same general appearance.) @cindex garbage collection protection @smallexample @group DEFUN ("or", For, Sor, 0, UNEVALLED, 0, "Eval args until one of them yields non-nil, then return that value.\n\ The remaining args are not evalled at all.\n\ @end group @group If all args return nil, return nil.") (args) Lisp_Object args; @{ register Lisp_Object val; Lisp_Object args_left; struct gcpro gcpro1; @end group @group if (NULL (args)) return Qnil; args_left = args; GCPRO1 (args_left); @end group @group do @{ val = Feval (Fcar (args_left)); if (!NULL (val)) break; args_left = Fcdr (args_left); @} while (!NULL (args_left)); @end group @group UNGCPRO; return val; @} @end group @end smallexample Let's start with a precise explanation of the arguments to the @code{DEFUN} macro. Here is a template for them: @example DEFUN (@var{lname}, @var{fname}, @var{sname}, @var{min}, @var{max}, @var{interactive}, @var{doc}) @end example @table @var @item lname This is the name of the Lisp symbol to define as the function name; in the example above, it is @code{or}. @item fname This is the C function name for this function. This is the name that is used in C code for calling the function. The name is, by convention, @samp{F} prepended to the Lisp name, with all dashes (@samp{-}) in the Lisp name changed to underscores. Thus, to call this function from C code, call @code{For}. Remember that the arguments must be of type @code{Lisp_Object}; various macros and functions for creating values of type @code{Lisp_Object} are declared in the file @file{lisp.h}. @item sname This is a C variable name to use for a structure that holds the data for the subr object that represents the function in Lisp. This structure conveys the Lisp symbol name to the initialization routine that will create the symbol and store the subr object as its definition. By convention, this name is always @var{fname} with @samp{F} replaced with @samp{S}. @item min This is the minimum number of arguments that the function requires. The function @code{or} allows a minimum of zero arguments. @item max This is the maximum number of arguments that the function accepts, if there is a fixed maximum. Alternatively, it can be @code{UNEVALLED}, indicating a special form that receives unevaluated arguments, or @code{MANY}, indicating an unlimited number of evaluated arguments (the equivalent of @code{&rest}). Both @code{UNEVALLED} and @code{MANY} are macros. If @var{max} is a number, it may not be less than @var{min} and it may not be greater than seven. @item interactive This is an interactive specification, a string such as might be used as the argument of @code{interactive} in a Lisp function. In the case of @code{or}, it is 0 (a null pointer), indicating that @code{or} cannot be called interactively. A value of @code{""} indicates a function that should receive no arguments when called interactively. @item doc This is the documentation string. It is written just like a documentation string for a function defined in Lisp, except you must write @samp{\n\} at the end of each line. In particular, the first line should be a single sentence. @end table After the call to the @code{DEFUN} macro, you must write the argument name list that every C function must have, followed by ordinary C declarations for the arguments. For a function with a fixed maximum number of arguments, declare a C argument for each Lisp argument, and give them all type @code{Lisp_Object}. When a Lisp function has no upper limit on the number of arguments, its implementation in C actually receives exactly two arguments: the first is the number of Lisp arguments, and the second is the address of a block containing their values. They have types @code{int} and @w{@code{Lisp_Object *}}. Within the function @code{For} itself, note the use of the macros @code{GCPRO1} and @code{UNGCPRO}. @code{GCPRO1} is used to ``protect'' a variable from garbage collection---to inform the garbage collector that it must look in that variable and regard its contents as an accessible object. This is necessary whenever you call @code{Feval} or anything that can directly or indirectly call @code{Feval}. At such a time, any Lisp object that you intend to refer to again must be protected somehow. @code{UNGCPRO} cancels the protection of the variables that are protected in the current function. It is necessary to do this explicitly. For most data types, it suffices to protect at least one pointer to the object; as long as the object is not recycled, all pointers to it remain valid. This is not so for strings, because the garbage collector can move them. When the garbage collector moves a string, it relocates all the pointers it knows about; any other pointers become invalid. Therefore, you must protect all pointers to strings across any point where garbage collection may be possible. The macro @code{GCPRO1} protects just one local variable. If you want to protect two, use @code{GCPRO2} instead; repeating @code{GCPRO1} will not work. Macros @code{GCPRO3} and @code{GCPRO4} also exist. These macros implicitly use local variables such as @code{gcpro1}; you must declare these explicitly, with type @code{struct gcpro}. Thus, if you use @code{GCPRO2}, you must declare @code{gcpro1} and @code{gcpro2}. Alas, we can't explain all the tricky details here. You must not use C initializers for static or global variables unless they are never written once Emacs is dumped. These variables with initializers are allocated in an area of memory that becomes read-only (on certain operating systems) as a result of dumping Emacs. @xref{Pure Storage}. Do not use static variables within functions---place all static variables at top level in the file. This is necessary because Emacs on some operating systems defines the keyword @code{static} as a null macro. (This definition is used because those systems put all variables declared static in a place that becomes read-only after dumping, whether they have initializers or not.) Defining the C function is not enough to make a Lisp primitive available; you must also create the Lisp symbol for the primitive and store a suitable subr object in its function cell. The code looks like this: @example defsubr (&@var{subr-structure-name}); @end example @noindent Here @var{subr-structure-name} is the name you used as the third argument to @code{DEFUN}. If you add a new primitive to a file that already has Lisp primitives defined in it, find the function (near the end of the file) named @code{syms_of_@var{something}}, and add the call to @code{defsubr} there. If the file doesn't have this function, or if you create a new file, add to it a @code{syms_of_@var{filename}} (e.g., @code{syms_of_myfile}). Then find the spot in @file{emacs.c} where all of these functions are called, and add a call to @code{syms_of_@var{filename}} there. The function @code{syms_of_@var{filename}} is also the place to define any C variables that are to be visible as Lisp variables. @code{DEFVAR_LISP} makes a C variable of type @code{Lisp_Object} visible in Lisp. @code{DEFVAR_INT} makes a C variable of type @code{int} visible in Lisp with a value that is always an integer. @code{DEFVAR_BOOL} makes a C variable of type @code{int} visible in Lisp with a value that is either @code{t} or @code{nil}. Here is another example function, with more complicated arguments. This comes from the code for the X Window System, and it demonstrates the use of macros and functions to manipulate Lisp objects. @smallexample @group DEFUN ("coordinates-in-window-p", Fcoordinates_in_window_p, Scoordinates_in_window_p, 2, 2, "xSpecify coordinate pair: \nXExpression which evals to window: ", "Return non-nil if POSITIONS is in WINDOW.\n\ \(POSITIONS is a list, (SCREEN-X SCREEN-Y)\)\n\ @end group @group Returned value is list of positions expressed\n\ relative to window upper left corner.") (coordinate, window) register Lisp_Object coordinate, window; @{ register Lisp_Object xcoord, ycoord; @end group @group if (!CONSP (coordinate)) wrong_type_argument (Qlistp, coordinate); CHECK_WINDOW (window, 2); xcoord = Fcar (coordinate); ycoord = Fcar (Fcdr (coordinate)); CHECK_NUMBER (xcoord, 0); CHECK_NUMBER (ycoord, 1); @end group @group if ((XINT (xcoord) < XINT (XWINDOW (window)->left)) || (XINT (xcoord) >= (XINT (XWINDOW (window)->left) + XINT (XWINDOW (window)->width)))) return Qnil; XFASTINT (xcoord) -= XFASTINT (XWINDOW (window)->left); @end group @group if (XINT (ycoord) == (screen_height - 1)) return Qnil; @end group @group if ((XINT (ycoord) < XINT (XWINDOW (window)->top)) || (XINT (ycoord) >= (XINT (XWINDOW (window)->top) + XINT (XWINDOW (window)->height)) - 1)) return Qnil; @end group @group XFASTINT (ycoord) -= XFASTINT (XWINDOW (window)->top); return (Fcons (xcoord, Fcons (ycoord, Qnil))); @} @end group @end smallexample Note that C code cannot call functions by name unless they are defined in C. The way to call a function written in Lisp is to use @code{Ffuncall}, which embodies the Lisp function @code{funcall}. Since the Lisp function @code{funcall} accepts an unlimited number of arguments, in C it takes two: the number of Lisp-level arguments, and a one-dimensional array containing their values. The first Lisp-level argument is the Lisp function to call, and the rest are the arguments to pass to it. Since @code{Ffuncall} can call the evaluator, you must protect pointers from garbage collection around the call to @code{Ffuncall}. The C functions @code{call0}, @code{call1}, @code{call2}, and so on, provide handy ways to call a Lisp function conveniently with a fixed number of arguments. They work by calling @code{Ffuncall}. @file{eval.c} is a very good file to look through for examples; @file{lisp.h} contains the definitions for some important macros and functions. @node Object Internals, , Writing Emacs Primitives, GNU Emacs Internals @appendixsec Object Internals @cindex object internals GNU Emacs Lisp manipulates many different types of data. The actual data are stored in a heap and the only access that programs have to it is through pointers. Pointers are thirty-two bits wide in most implementations. Depending on the operating system and type of machine for which you compile Emacs, twenty-four to twenty-six bits are used to address the object, and the remaining six to eight bits are used for a tag that identifies the object's type. Because Lisp objects are represented as tagged pointers, it is always possible to determine the Lisp data type of any object. The C data type @code{Lisp_Object} can hold any Lisp object of any data type. Ordinary variables have type @code{Lisp_Object}, which means they can hold any type of Lisp value; you can determine the actual data type only at run time. The same is true for function arguments; if you want a function to accept only a certain type of argument, you must check the type explicitly using a suitable predicate (@pxref{Type Predicates}). @cindex type checking internals @menu * Buffer Internals:: Components of a buffer structure. * Window Internals:: Components of a window structure. * Process Internals:: Components of a process structure. @end menu @node Buffer Internals, Window Internals, Object Internals, Object Internals @appendixsubsec Buffer Internals @cindex internals, of buffer @cindex buffer internals Buffers contain fields not directly accessible by the Lisp programmer. We describe them here, naming them by the names used in the C code. Many are accessible indirectly in Lisp programs via Lisp primitives. @table @code @item name The buffer name is a string that names the buffer. It is guaranteed to be unique. @xref{Buffer Names}. @item save_modified This field contains the time when the buffer was last saved, as an integer. @xref{Buffer Modification}. @item modtime This field contains the modification time of the visited file. It is set when the file is written or read. Every time the buffer is written to the file, this field is compared to the modification time of the file. @xref{Buffer Modification}. @item auto_save_modified This field contains the time when the buffer was last auto-saved. @item last_window_start This field contains the @code{window-start} position in the buffer as of the last time the buffer was displayed in a window. @item undo_list This field points to the buffer's undo list. @xref{Undo}. @item syntax_table_v This field contains the syntax table for the buffer. @xref{Syntax Tables}. @item downcase_table This field contains the conversion table for converting text to lower case. @xref{Case Table}. @item upcase_table This field contains the conversion table for converting text to upper case. @xref{Case Table}. @item case_canon_table This field contains the conversion table for canonicalizing text for case-folding search. @xref{Case Table}. @item case_eqv_table This field contains the equivalence table for case-folding search. @xref{Case Table}. @item display_table This field contains the buffer's display table, or @code{nil} if it doesn't have one. @xref{Display Tables}. @item markers This field contains the chain of all markers that currently point into the buffer. Deletion of text in the buffer, and motion of the buffer's gap, must check each of these markers and perhaps update it. @xref{Markers}. @item backed_up This field is a flag that tells whether a backup file has been made for the visited file of this buffer. @item mark This field contains the mark for the buffer. The mark is a marker, hence it is also included on the list @code{markers}. @xref{The Mark}. @item mark_active This field is non-@code{nil} if the buffer's mark is active. @item local_var_alist This field contains the association list describing the variables local in this buffer, and their values, with the exception of local variables that have special slots in the buffer object. (Those slots are omitted from this table.) @xref{Buffer-Local Variables}. @item base_buffer This field holds the buffer's base buffer (if it is an indirect buffer), or @code{nil}. @item keymap This field holds the buffer's local keymap. @xref{Keymaps}. @item overlay_center This field holds the current overlay center position. @xref{Overlays}. @item overlays_before This field holds a list of the overlays in this buffer that end at or before the current overlay center position. They are sorted in order of decreasing end position. @item overlays_after This field holds a list of the overlays in this buffer that end after the current overlay center position. They are sorted in order of increasing beginning position. @end table @node Window Internals, Process Internals, Buffer Internals, Object Internals @appendixsubsec Window Internals @cindex internals, of window @cindex window internals Windows have the following accessible fields: @table @code @item frame The frame that this window is on. @item mini_p Non-@code{nil} if this window is a minibuffer window. @item buffer The buffer that the window is displaying. This may change often during the life of the window. @item dedicated Non-@code{nil} if this window is dedicated to its buffer. @item pointm @cindex window point internals This is the value of point in the current buffer when this window is selected; when it is not selected, it retains its previous value. @item start The position in the buffer that is the first character to be displayed in the window. @item force_start If this flag is non-@code{nil}, it says that the window has been scrolled explicitly by the Lisp program. This affects what the next redisplay does if point is off the screen: instead of scrolling the window to show the text around point, it moves point to a location that is on the screen. @item last_modified The @code{modified} field of the window's buffer, as of the last time a redisplay completed in this window. @item last_point The buffer's value of point, as of the last time a redisplay completed in this window. @item left This is the left-hand edge of the window, measured in columns. (The leftmost column on the screen is @w{column 0}.) @item top This is the top edge of the window, measured in lines. (The top line on the screen is @w{line 0}.) @item height The height of the window, measured in lines. @item width The width of the window, measured in columns. @item next This is the window that is the next in the chain of siblings. It is @code{nil} in a window that is the rightmost or bottommost of a group of siblings. @item prev This is the window that is the previous in the chain of siblings. It is @code{nil} in a window that is the leftmost or topmost of a group of siblings. @item parent Internally, Emacs arranges windows in a tree; each group of siblings has a parent window whose area includes all the siblings. This field points to a window's parent. Parent windows do not display buffers, and play little role in display except to shape their child windows. Emacs Lisp programs usually have no access to the parent windows; they operate on the windows at the leaves of the tree, which actually display buffers. @item hscroll This is the number of columns that the display in the window is scrolled horizontally to the left. Normally, this is 0. @item use_time This is the last time that the window was selected. The function @code{get-lru-window} uses this field. @item display_table The window's display table, or @code{nil} if none is specified for it. @item update_mode_line Non-@code{nil} means this window's mode line needs to be updated. @item base_line_number The line number of a certain position in the buffer, or @code{nil}. This is used for displaying the line number of point in the mode line. @item base_line_pos The position in the buffer for which the line number is known, or @code{nil} meaning none is known. @item region_showing If the region (or part of it) is highlighted in this window, this field holds the mark position that made one end of that region. Otherwise, this field is @code{nil}. @end table @node Process Internals, , Window Internals, Object Internals @appendixsubsec Process Internals @cindex internals, of process @cindex process internals The fields of a process are: @table @code @item name A string, the name of the process. @item command A list containing the command arguments that were used to start this process. @item filter A function used to accept output from the process instead of a buffer, or @code{nil}. @item sentinel A function called whenever the process receives a signal, or @code{nil}. @item buffer The associated buffer of the process. @item pid An integer, the Unix process @sc{id}. @item childp A flag, non-@code{nil} if this is really a child process. It is @code{nil} for a network connection. @item mark A marker indicating the position of the end of the last output from this process inserted into the buffer. This is often but not always the end of the buffer. @item kill_without_query If this is non-@code{nil}, killing Emacs while this process is still running does not ask for confirmation about killing the process. @item raw_status_low @itemx raw_status_high These two fields record 16 bits each of the process status returned by the @code{wait} system call. @item status The process status, as @code{process-status} should return it. @item tick @itemx update_tick If these two fields are not equal, a change in the status of the process needs to be reported, either by running the sentinel or by inserting a message in the process buffer. @item pty_flag Non-@code{nil} if communication with the subprocess uses a @sc{pty}; @code{nil} if it uses a pipe. @item infd The file descriptor for input from the process. @item outfd The file descriptor for output to the process. @item subtty The file descriptor for the terminal that the subprocess is using. (On some systems, there is no need to record this, so the value is @code{nil}.) @item tty_name The name of the terminal that the subprocess is using, or @code{nil} if it is using pipes. @end table