# HG changeset patch # User Glenn Morris # Date 1189052537 0 # Node ID e7e0d9a379c72c694f2761fce09e0b30d4fd0841 # Parent b9cb597718e5e61935950eabef947bebafa853fc Move here from ../../lispref diff -r b9cb597718e5 -r e7e0d9a379c7 doc/lispref/nonascii.texi --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/doc/lispref/nonascii.texi Thu Sep 06 04:22:17 2007 +0000 @@ -0,0 +1,1504 @@ +@c -*-texinfo-*- +@c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. +@c Copyright (C) 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, +@c 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. +@c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. +@setfilename ../info/characters +@node Non-ASCII Characters, Searching and Matching, Text, Top +@chapter Non-@acronym{ASCII} Characters +@cindex multibyte characters +@cindex characters, multi-byte +@cindex non-@acronym{ASCII} characters + + This chapter covers the special issues relating to non-@acronym{ASCII} +characters and how they are stored in strings and buffers. + +@menu +* Text Representations:: Unibyte and multibyte representations +* Converting Representations:: Converting unibyte to multibyte and vice versa. +* Selecting a Representation:: Treating a byte sequence as unibyte or multi. +* Character Codes:: How unibyte and multibyte relate to + codes of individual characters. +* Character Sets:: The space of possible character codes + is divided into various character sets. +* Chars and Bytes:: More information about multibyte encodings. +* Splitting Characters:: Converting a character to its byte sequence. +* Scanning Charsets:: Which character sets are used in a buffer? +* Translation of Characters:: Translation tables are used for conversion. +* Coding Systems:: Coding systems are conversions for saving files. +* Input Methods:: Input methods allow users to enter various + non-ASCII characters without special keyboards. +* Locales:: Interacting with the POSIX locale. +@end menu + +@node Text Representations +@section Text Representations +@cindex text representations + + Emacs has two @dfn{text representations}---two ways to represent text +in a string or buffer. These are called @dfn{unibyte} and +@dfn{multibyte}. Each string, and each buffer, uses one of these two +representations. For most purposes, you can ignore the issue of +representations, because Emacs converts text between them as +appropriate. Occasionally in Lisp programming you will need to pay +attention to the difference. + +@cindex unibyte text + In unibyte representation, each character occupies one byte and +therefore the possible character codes range from 0 to 255. Codes 0 +through 127 are @acronym{ASCII} characters; the codes from 128 through 255 +are used for one non-@acronym{ASCII} character set (you can choose which +character set by setting the variable @code{nonascii-insert-offset}). + +@cindex leading code +@cindex multibyte text +@cindex trailing codes + In multibyte representation, a character may occupy more than one +byte, and as a result, the full range of Emacs character codes can be +stored. The first byte of a multibyte character is always in the range +128 through 159 (octal 0200 through 0237). These values are called +@dfn{leading codes}. The second and subsequent bytes of a multibyte +character are always in the range 160 through 255 (octal 0240 through +0377); these values are @dfn{trailing codes}. + + Some sequences of bytes are not valid in multibyte text: for example, +a single isolated byte in the range 128 through 159 is not allowed. But +character codes 128 through 159 can appear in multibyte text, +represented as two-byte sequences. All the character codes 128 through +255 are possible (though slightly abnormal) in multibyte text; they +appear in multibyte buffers and strings when you do explicit encoding +and decoding (@pxref{Explicit Encoding}). + + In a buffer, the buffer-local value of the variable +@code{enable-multibyte-characters} specifies the representation used. +The representation for a string is determined and recorded in the string +when the string is constructed. + +@defvar enable-multibyte-characters +This variable specifies the current buffer's text representation. +If it is non-@code{nil}, the buffer contains multibyte text; otherwise, +it contains unibyte text. + +You cannot set this variable directly; instead, use the function +@code{set-buffer-multibyte} to change a buffer's representation. +@end defvar + +@defvar default-enable-multibyte-characters +This variable's value is entirely equivalent to @code{(default-value +'enable-multibyte-characters)}, and setting this variable changes that +default value. Setting the local binding of +@code{enable-multibyte-characters} in a specific buffer is not allowed, +but changing the default value is supported, and it is a reasonable +thing to do, because it has no effect on existing buffers. + +The @samp{--unibyte} command line option does its job by setting the +default value to @code{nil} early in startup. +@end defvar + +@defun position-bytes position +Return the byte-position corresponding to buffer position +@var{position} in the current buffer. This is 1 at the start of the +buffer, and counts upward in bytes. If @var{position} is out of +range, the value is @code{nil}. +@end defun + +@defun byte-to-position byte-position +Return the buffer position corresponding to byte-position +@var{byte-position} in the current buffer. If @var{byte-position} is +out of range, the value is @code{nil}. +@end defun + +@defun multibyte-string-p string +Return @code{t} if @var{string} is a multibyte string. +@end defun + +@defun string-bytes string +@cindex string, number of bytes +This function returns the number of bytes in @var{string}. +If @var{string} is a multibyte string, this can be greater than +@code{(length @var{string})}. +@end defun + +@node Converting Representations +@section Converting Text Representations + + Emacs can convert unibyte text to multibyte; it can also convert +multibyte text to unibyte, though this conversion loses information. In +general these conversions happen when inserting text into a buffer, or +when putting text from several strings together in one string. You can +also explicitly convert a string's contents to either representation. + + Emacs chooses the representation for a string based on the text that +it is constructed from. The general rule is to convert unibyte text to +multibyte text when combining it with other multibyte text, because the +multibyte representation is more general and can hold whatever +characters the unibyte text has. + + When inserting text into a buffer, Emacs converts the text to the +buffer's representation, as specified by +@code{enable-multibyte-characters} in that buffer. In particular, when +you insert multibyte text into a unibyte buffer, Emacs converts the text +to unibyte, even though this conversion cannot in general preserve all +the characters that might be in the multibyte text. The other natural +alternative, to convert the buffer contents to multibyte, is not +acceptable because the buffer's representation is a choice made by the +user that cannot be overridden automatically. + + Converting unibyte text to multibyte text leaves @acronym{ASCII} characters +unchanged, and likewise character codes 128 through 159. It converts +the non-@acronym{ASCII} codes 160 through 255 by adding the value +@code{nonascii-insert-offset} to each character code. By setting this +variable, you specify which character set the unibyte characters +correspond to (@pxref{Character Sets}). For example, if +@code{nonascii-insert-offset} is 2048, which is @code{(- (make-char +'latin-iso8859-1) 128)}, then the unibyte non-@acronym{ASCII} characters +correspond to Latin 1. If it is 2688, which is @code{(- (make-char +'greek-iso8859-7) 128)}, then they correspond to Greek letters. + + Converting multibyte text to unibyte is simpler: it discards all but +the low 8 bits of each character code. If @code{nonascii-insert-offset} +has a reasonable value, corresponding to the beginning of some character +set, this conversion is the inverse of the other: converting unibyte +text to multibyte and back to unibyte reproduces the original unibyte +text. + +@defvar nonascii-insert-offset +This variable specifies the amount to add to a non-@acronym{ASCII} character +when converting unibyte text to multibyte. It also applies when +@code{self-insert-command} inserts a character in the unibyte +non-@acronym{ASCII} range, 128 through 255. However, the functions +@code{insert} and @code{insert-char} do not perform this conversion. + +The right value to use to select character set @var{cs} is @code{(- +(make-char @var{cs}) 128)}. If the value of +@code{nonascii-insert-offset} is zero, then conversion actually uses the +value for the Latin 1 character set, rather than zero. +@end defvar + +@defvar nonascii-translation-table +This variable provides a more general alternative to +@code{nonascii-insert-offset}. You can use it to specify independently +how to translate each code in the range of 128 through 255 into a +multibyte character. The value should be a char-table, or @code{nil}. +If this is non-@code{nil}, it overrides @code{nonascii-insert-offset}. +@end defvar + +The next three functions either return the argument @var{string}, or a +newly created string with no text properties. + +@defun string-make-unibyte string +This function converts the text of @var{string} to unibyte +representation, if it isn't already, and returns the result. If +@var{string} is a unibyte string, it is returned unchanged. Multibyte +character codes are converted to unibyte according to +@code{nonascii-translation-table} or, if that is @code{nil}, using +@code{nonascii-insert-offset}. If the lookup in the translation table +fails, this function takes just the low 8 bits of each character. +@end defun + +@defun string-make-multibyte string +This function converts the text of @var{string} to multibyte +representation, if it isn't already, and returns the result. If +@var{string} is a multibyte string or consists entirely of +@acronym{ASCII} characters, it is returned unchanged. In particular, +if @var{string} is unibyte and entirely @acronym{ASCII}, the returned +string is unibyte. (When the characters are all @acronym{ASCII}, +Emacs primitives will treat the string the same way whether it is +unibyte or multibyte.) If @var{string} is unibyte and contains +non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, the function +@code{unibyte-char-to-multibyte} is used to convert each unibyte +character to a multibyte character. +@end defun + +@defun string-to-multibyte string +This function returns a multibyte string containing the same sequence +of character codes as @var{string}. Unlike +@code{string-make-multibyte}, this function unconditionally returns a +multibyte string. If @var{string} is a multibyte string, it is +returned unchanged. +@end defun + +@defun multibyte-char-to-unibyte char +This convert the multibyte character @var{char} to a unibyte +character, based on @code{nonascii-translation-table} and +@code{nonascii-insert-offset}. +@end defun + +@defun unibyte-char-to-multibyte char +This convert the unibyte character @var{char} to a multibyte +character, based on @code{nonascii-translation-table} and +@code{nonascii-insert-offset}. +@end defun + +@node Selecting a Representation +@section Selecting a Representation + + Sometimes it is useful to examine an existing buffer or string as +multibyte when it was unibyte, or vice versa. + +@defun set-buffer-multibyte multibyte +Set the representation type of the current buffer. If @var{multibyte} +is non-@code{nil}, the buffer becomes multibyte. If @var{multibyte} +is @code{nil}, the buffer becomes unibyte. + +This function leaves the buffer contents unchanged when viewed as a +sequence of bytes. As a consequence, it can change the contents viewed +as characters; a sequence of two bytes which is treated as one character +in multibyte representation will count as two characters in unibyte +representation. Character codes 128 through 159 are an exception. They +are represented by one byte in a unibyte buffer, but when the buffer is +set to multibyte, they are converted to two-byte sequences, and vice +versa. + +This function sets @code{enable-multibyte-characters} to record which +representation is in use. It also adjusts various data in the buffer +(including overlays, text properties and markers) so that they cover the +same text as they did before. + +You cannot use @code{set-buffer-multibyte} on an indirect buffer, +because indirect buffers always inherit the representation of the +base buffer. +@end defun + +@defun string-as-unibyte string +This function returns a string with the same bytes as @var{string} but +treating each byte as a character. This means that the value may have +more characters than @var{string} has. + +If @var{string} is already a unibyte string, then the value is +@var{string} itself. Otherwise it is a newly created string, with no +text properties. If @var{string} is multibyte, any characters it +contains of charset @code{eight-bit-control} or @code{eight-bit-graphic} +are converted to the corresponding single byte. +@end defun + +@defun string-as-multibyte string +This function returns a string with the same bytes as @var{string} but +treating each multibyte sequence as one character. This means that the +value may have fewer characters than @var{string} has. + +If @var{string} is already a multibyte string, then the value is +@var{string} itself. Otherwise it is a newly created string, with no +text properties. If @var{string} is unibyte and contains any individual +8-bit bytes (i.e.@: not part of a multibyte form), they are converted to +the corresponding multibyte character of charset @code{eight-bit-control} +or @code{eight-bit-graphic}. +@end defun + +@node Character Codes +@section Character Codes +@cindex character codes + + The unibyte and multibyte text representations use different character +codes. The valid character codes for unibyte representation range from +0 to 255---the values that can fit in one byte. The valid character +codes for multibyte representation range from 0 to 524287, but not all +values in that range are valid. The values 128 through 255 are not +entirely proper in multibyte text, but they can occur if you do explicit +encoding and decoding (@pxref{Explicit Encoding}). Some other character +codes cannot occur at all in multibyte text. Only the @acronym{ASCII} codes +0 through 127 are completely legitimate in both representations. + +@defun char-valid-p charcode &optional genericp +This returns @code{t} if @var{charcode} is valid (either for unibyte +text or for multibyte text). + +@example +(char-valid-p 65) + @result{} t +(char-valid-p 256) + @result{} nil +(char-valid-p 2248) + @result{} t +@end example + +If the optional argument @var{genericp} is non-@code{nil}, this +function also returns @code{t} if @var{charcode} is a generic +character (@pxref{Splitting Characters}). +@end defun + +@node Character Sets +@section Character Sets +@cindex character sets + + Emacs classifies characters into various @dfn{character sets}, each of +which has a name which is a symbol. Each character belongs to one and +only one character set. + + In general, there is one character set for each distinct script. For +example, @code{latin-iso8859-1} is one character set, +@code{greek-iso8859-7} is another, and @code{ascii} is another. An +Emacs character set can hold at most 9025 characters; therefore, in some +cases, characters that would logically be grouped together are split +into several character sets. For example, one set of Chinese +characters, generally known as Big 5, is divided into two Emacs +character sets, @code{chinese-big5-1} and @code{chinese-big5-2}. + + @acronym{ASCII} characters are in character set @code{ascii}. The +non-@acronym{ASCII} characters 128 through 159 are in character set +@code{eight-bit-control}, and codes 160 through 255 are in character set +@code{eight-bit-graphic}. + +@defun charsetp object +Returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a symbol that names a character set, +@code{nil} otherwise. +@end defun + +@defvar charset-list +The value is a list of all defined character set names. +@end defvar + +@defun charset-list +This function returns the value of @code{charset-list}. It is only +provided for backward compatibility. +@end defun + +@defun char-charset character +This function returns the name of the character set that @var{character} +belongs to, or the symbol @code{unknown} if @var{character} is not a +valid character. +@end defun + +@defun charset-plist charset +This function returns the charset property list of the character set +@var{charset}. Although @var{charset} is a symbol, this is not the same +as the property list of that symbol. Charset properties are used for +special purposes within Emacs. +@end defun + +@deffn Command list-charset-chars charset +This command displays a list of characters in the character set +@var{charset}. +@end deffn + +@node Chars and Bytes +@section Characters and Bytes +@cindex bytes and characters + +@cindex introduction sequence (of character) +@cindex dimension (of character set) + In multibyte representation, each character occupies one or more +bytes. Each character set has an @dfn{introduction sequence}, which is +normally one or two bytes long. (Exception: the @code{ascii} character +set and the @code{eight-bit-graphic} character set have a zero-length +introduction sequence.) The introduction sequence is the beginning of +the byte sequence for any character in the character set. The rest of +the character's bytes distinguish it from the other characters in the +same character set. Depending on the character set, there are either +one or two distinguishing bytes; the number of such bytes is called the +@dfn{dimension} of the character set. + +@defun charset-dimension charset +This function returns the dimension of @var{charset}; at present, the +dimension is always 1 or 2. +@end defun + +@defun charset-bytes charset +This function returns the number of bytes used to represent a character +in character set @var{charset}. +@end defun + + This is the simplest way to determine the byte length of a character +set's introduction sequence: + +@example +(- (charset-bytes @var{charset}) + (charset-dimension @var{charset})) +@end example + +@node Splitting Characters +@section Splitting Characters +@cindex character as bytes + + The functions in this section convert between characters and the byte +values used to represent them. For most purposes, there is no need to +be concerned with the sequence of bytes used to represent a character, +because Emacs translates automatically when necessary. + +@defun split-char character +Return a list containing the name of the character set of +@var{character}, followed by one or two byte values (integers) which +identify @var{character} within that character set. The number of byte +values is the character set's dimension. + +If @var{character} is invalid as a character code, @code{split-char} +returns a list consisting of the symbol @code{unknown} and @var{character}. + +@example +(split-char 2248) + @result{} (latin-iso8859-1 72) +(split-char 65) + @result{} (ascii 65) +(split-char 128) + @result{} (eight-bit-control 128) +@end example +@end defun + +@cindex generate characters in charsets +@defun make-char charset &optional code1 code2 +This function returns the character in character set @var{charset} whose +position codes are @var{code1} and @var{code2}. This is roughly the +inverse of @code{split-char}. Normally, you should specify either one +or both of @var{code1} and @var{code2} according to the dimension of +@var{charset}. For example, + +@example +(make-char 'latin-iso8859-1 72) + @result{} 2248 +@end example + +Actually, the eighth bit of both @var{code1} and @var{code2} is zeroed +before they are used to index @var{charset}. Thus you may use, for +instance, an ISO 8859 character code rather than subtracting 128, as +is necessary to index the corresponding Emacs charset. +@end defun + +@cindex generic characters + If you call @code{make-char} with no @var{byte-values}, the result is +a @dfn{generic character} which stands for @var{charset}. A generic +character is an integer, but it is @emph{not} valid for insertion in the +buffer as a character. It can be used in @code{char-table-range} to +refer to the whole character set (@pxref{Char-Tables}). +@code{char-valid-p} returns @code{nil} for generic characters. +For example: + +@example +(make-char 'latin-iso8859-1) + @result{} 2176 +(char-valid-p 2176) + @result{} nil +(char-valid-p 2176 t) + @result{} t +(split-char 2176) + @result{} (latin-iso8859-1 0) +@end example + +The character sets @code{ascii}, @code{eight-bit-control}, and +@code{eight-bit-graphic} don't have corresponding generic characters. If +@var{charset} is one of them and you don't supply @var{code1}, +@code{make-char} returns the character code corresponding to the +smallest code in @var{charset}. + +@node Scanning Charsets +@section Scanning for Character Sets + + Sometimes it is useful to find out which character sets appear in a +part of a buffer or a string. One use for this is in determining which +coding systems (@pxref{Coding Systems}) are capable of representing all +of the text in question. + +@defun charset-after &optional pos +This function return the charset of a character in the current buffer +at position @var{pos}. If @var{pos} is omitted or @code{nil}, it +defaults to the current value of point. If @var{pos} is out of range, +the value is @code{nil}. +@end defun + +@defun find-charset-region beg end &optional translation +This function returns a list of the character sets that appear in the +current buffer between positions @var{beg} and @var{end}. + +The optional argument @var{translation} specifies a translation table to +be used in scanning the text (@pxref{Translation of Characters}). If it +is non-@code{nil}, then each character in the region is translated +through this table, and the value returned describes the translated +characters instead of the characters actually in the buffer. +@end defun + +@defun find-charset-string string &optional translation +This function returns a list of the character sets that appear in the +string @var{string}. It is just like @code{find-charset-region}, except +that it applies to the contents of @var{string} instead of part of the +current buffer. +@end defun + +@node Translation of Characters +@section Translation of Characters +@cindex character translation tables +@cindex translation tables + + A @dfn{translation table} is a char-table that specifies a mapping +of characters into characters. These tables are used in encoding and +decoding, and for other purposes. Some coding systems specify their +own particular translation tables; there are also default translation +tables which apply to all other coding systems. + + For instance, the coding-system @code{utf-8} has a translation table +that maps characters of various charsets (e.g., +@code{latin-iso8859-@var{x}}) into Unicode character sets. This way, +it can encode Latin-2 characters into UTF-8. Meanwhile, +@code{unify-8859-on-decoding-mode} operates by specifying +@code{standard-translation-table-for-decode} to translate +Latin-@var{x} characters into corresponding Unicode characters. + +@defun make-translation-table &rest translations +This function returns a translation table based on the argument +@var{translations}. Each element of @var{translations} should be a +list of elements of the form @code{(@var{from} . @var{to})}; this says +to translate the character @var{from} into @var{to}. + +The arguments and the forms in each argument are processed in order, +and if a previous form already translates @var{to} to some other +character, say @var{to-alt}, @var{from} is also translated to +@var{to-alt}. + +You can also map one whole character set into another character set with +the same dimension. To do this, you specify a generic character (which +designates a character set) for @var{from} (@pxref{Splitting Characters}). +In this case, if @var{to} is also a generic character, its character +set should have the same dimension as @var{from}'s. Then the +translation table translates each character of @var{from}'s character +set into the corresponding character of @var{to}'s character set. If +@var{from} is a generic character and @var{to} is an ordinary +character, then the translation table translates every character of +@var{from}'s character set into @var{to}. +@end defun + + In decoding, the translation table's translations are applied to the +characters that result from ordinary decoding. If a coding system has +property @code{translation-table-for-decode}, that specifies the +translation table to use. (This is a property of the coding system, +as returned by @code{coding-system-get}, not a property of the symbol +that is the coding system's name. @xref{Coding System Basics,, Basic +Concepts of Coding Systems}.) Otherwise, if +@code{standard-translation-table-for-decode} is non-@code{nil}, +decoding uses that table. + + In encoding, the translation table's translations are applied to the +characters in the buffer, and the result of translation is actually +encoded. If a coding system has property +@code{translation-table-for-encode}, that specifies the translation +table to use. Otherwise the variable +@code{standard-translation-table-for-encode} specifies the translation +table. + +@defvar standard-translation-table-for-decode +This is the default translation table for decoding, for +coding systems that don't specify any other translation table. +@end defvar + +@defvar standard-translation-table-for-encode +This is the default translation table for encoding, for +coding systems that don't specify any other translation table. +@end defvar + +@defvar translation-table-for-input +Self-inserting characters are translated through this translation +table before they are inserted. Search commands also translate their +input through this table, so they can compare more reliably with +what's in the buffer. + +@code{set-buffer-file-coding-system} sets this variable so that your +keyboard input gets translated into the character sets that the buffer +is likely to contain. This variable automatically becomes +buffer-local when set. +@end defvar + +@node Coding Systems +@section Coding Systems + +@cindex coding system + When Emacs reads or writes a file, and when Emacs sends text to a +subprocess or receives text from a subprocess, it normally performs +character code conversion and end-of-line conversion as specified +by a particular @dfn{coding system}. + + How to define a coding system is an arcane matter, and is not +documented here. + +@menu +* Coding System Basics:: Basic concepts. +* Encoding and I/O:: How file I/O functions handle coding systems. +* Lisp and Coding Systems:: Functions to operate on coding system names. +* User-Chosen Coding Systems:: Asking the user to choose a coding system. +* Default Coding Systems:: Controlling the default choices. +* Specifying Coding Systems:: Requesting a particular coding system + for a single file operation. +* Explicit Encoding:: Encoding or decoding text without doing I/O. +* Terminal I/O Encoding:: Use of encoding for terminal I/O. +* MS-DOS File Types:: How DOS "text" and "binary" files + relate to coding systems. +@end menu + +@node Coding System Basics +@subsection Basic Concepts of Coding Systems + +@cindex character code conversion + @dfn{Character code conversion} involves conversion between the encoding +used inside Emacs and some other encoding. Emacs supports many +different encodings, in that it can convert to and from them. For +example, it can convert text to or from encodings such as Latin 1, Latin +2, Latin 3, Latin 4, Latin 5, and several variants of ISO 2022. In some +cases, Emacs supports several alternative encodings for the same +characters; for example, there are three coding systems for the Cyrillic +(Russian) alphabet: ISO, Alternativnyj, and KOI8. + + Most coding systems specify a particular character code for +conversion, but some of them leave the choice unspecified---to be chosen +heuristically for each file, based on the data. + + In general, a coding system doesn't guarantee roundtrip identity: +decoding a byte sequence using coding system, then encoding the +resulting text in the same coding system, can produce a different byte +sequence. However, the following coding systems do guarantee that the +byte sequence will be the same as what you originally decoded: + +@quotation +chinese-big5 chinese-iso-8bit cyrillic-iso-8bit emacs-mule +greek-iso-8bit hebrew-iso-8bit iso-latin-1 iso-latin-2 iso-latin-3 +iso-latin-4 iso-latin-5 iso-latin-8 iso-latin-9 iso-safe +japanese-iso-8bit japanese-shift-jis korean-iso-8bit raw-text +@end quotation + + Encoding buffer text and then decoding the result can also fail to +reproduce the original text. For instance, if you encode Latin-2 +characters with @code{utf-8} and decode the result using the same +coding system, you'll get Unicode characters (of charset +@code{mule-unicode-0100-24ff}). If you encode Unicode characters with +@code{iso-latin-2} and decode the result with the same coding system, +you'll get Latin-2 characters. + +@cindex EOL conversion +@cindex end-of-line conversion +@cindex line end conversion + @dfn{End of line conversion} handles three different conventions used +on various systems for representing end of line in files. The Unix +convention is to use the linefeed character (also called newline). The +DOS convention is to use a carriage-return and a linefeed at the end of +a line. The Mac convention is to use just carriage-return. + +@cindex base coding system +@cindex variant coding system + @dfn{Base coding systems} such as @code{latin-1} leave the end-of-line +conversion unspecified, to be chosen based on the data. @dfn{Variant +coding systems} such as @code{latin-1-unix}, @code{latin-1-dos} and +@code{latin-1-mac} specify the end-of-line conversion explicitly as +well. Most base coding systems have three corresponding variants whose +names are formed by adding @samp{-unix}, @samp{-dos} and @samp{-mac}. + + The coding system @code{raw-text} is special in that it prevents +character code conversion, and causes the buffer visited with that +coding system to be a unibyte buffer. It does not specify the +end-of-line conversion, allowing that to be determined as usual by the +data, and has the usual three variants which specify the end-of-line +conversion. @code{no-conversion} is equivalent to @code{raw-text-unix}: +it specifies no conversion of either character codes or end-of-line. + + The coding system @code{emacs-mule} specifies that the data is +represented in the internal Emacs encoding. This is like +@code{raw-text} in that no code conversion happens, but different in +that the result is multibyte data. + +@defun coding-system-get coding-system property +This function returns the specified property of the coding system +@var{coding-system}. Most coding system properties exist for internal +purposes, but one that you might find useful is @code{mime-charset}. +That property's value is the name used in MIME for the character coding +which this coding system can read and write. Examples: + +@example +(coding-system-get 'iso-latin-1 'mime-charset) + @result{} iso-8859-1 +(coding-system-get 'iso-2022-cn 'mime-charset) + @result{} iso-2022-cn +(coding-system-get 'cyrillic-koi8 'mime-charset) + @result{} koi8-r +@end example + +The value of the @code{mime-charset} property is also defined +as an alias for the coding system. +@end defun + +@node Encoding and I/O +@subsection Encoding and I/O + + The principal purpose of coding systems is for use in reading and +writing files. The function @code{insert-file-contents} uses +a coding system for decoding the file data, and @code{write-region} +uses one to encode the buffer contents. + + You can specify the coding system to use either explicitly +(@pxref{Specifying Coding Systems}), or implicitly using a default +mechanism (@pxref{Default Coding Systems}). But these methods may not +completely specify what to do. For example, they may choose a coding +system such as @code{undefined} which leaves the character code +conversion to be determined from the data. In these cases, the I/O +operation finishes the job of choosing a coding system. Very often +you will want to find out afterwards which coding system was chosen. + +@defvar buffer-file-coding-system +This buffer-local variable records the coding system that was used to visit +the current buffer. It is used for saving the buffer, and for writing part +of the buffer with @code{write-region}. If the text to be written +cannot be safely encoded using the coding system specified by this +variable, these operations select an alternative encoding by calling +the function @code{select-safe-coding-system} (@pxref{User-Chosen +Coding Systems}). If selecting a different encoding requires to ask +the user to specify a coding system, @code{buffer-file-coding-system} +is updated to the newly selected coding system. + +@code{buffer-file-coding-system} does @emph{not} affect sending text +to a subprocess. +@end defvar + +@defvar save-buffer-coding-system +This variable specifies the coding system for saving the buffer (by +overriding @code{buffer-file-coding-system}). Note that it is not used +for @code{write-region}. + +When a command to save the buffer starts out to use +@code{buffer-file-coding-system} (or @code{save-buffer-coding-system}), +and that coding system cannot handle +the actual text in the buffer, the command asks the user to choose +another coding system (by calling @code{select-safe-coding-system}). +After that happens, the command also updates +@code{buffer-file-coding-system} to represent the coding system that +the user specified. +@end defvar + +@defvar last-coding-system-used +I/O operations for files and subprocesses set this variable to the +coding system name that was used. The explicit encoding and decoding +functions (@pxref{Explicit Encoding}) set it too. + +@strong{Warning:} Since receiving subprocess output sets this variable, +it can change whenever Emacs waits; therefore, you should copy the +value shortly after the function call that stores the value you are +interested in. +@end defvar + + The variable @code{selection-coding-system} specifies how to encode +selections for the window system. @xref{Window System Selections}. + +@defvar file-name-coding-system +The variable @code{file-name-coding-system} specifies the coding +system to use for encoding file names. Emacs encodes file names using +that coding system for all file operations. If +@code{file-name-coding-system} is @code{nil}, Emacs uses a default +coding system determined by the selected language environment. In the +default language environment, any non-@acronym{ASCII} characters in +file names are not encoded specially; they appear in the file system +using the internal Emacs representation. +@end defvar + + @strong{Warning:} if you change @code{file-name-coding-system} (or +the language environment) in the middle of an Emacs session, problems +can result if you have already visited files whose names were encoded +using the earlier coding system and are handled differently under the +new coding system. If you try to save one of these buffers under the +visited file name, saving may use the wrong file name, or it may get +an error. If such a problem happens, use @kbd{C-x C-w} to specify a +new file name for that buffer. + +@node Lisp and Coding Systems +@subsection Coding Systems in Lisp + + Here are the Lisp facilities for working with coding systems: + +@defun coding-system-list &optional base-only +This function returns a list of all coding system names (symbols). If +@var{base-only} is non-@code{nil}, the value includes only the +base coding systems. Otherwise, it includes alias and variant coding +systems as well. +@end defun + +@defun coding-system-p object +This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a coding system +name or @code{nil}. +@end defun + +@defun check-coding-system coding-system +This function checks the validity of @var{coding-system}. +If that is valid, it returns @var{coding-system}. +Otherwise it signals an error with condition @code{coding-system-error}. +@end defun + +@defun coding-system-eol-type coding-system +This function returns the type of end-of-line (a.k.a.@: @dfn{eol}) +conversion used by @var{coding-system}. If @var{coding-system} +specifies a certain eol conversion, the return value is an integer 0, +1, or 2, standing for @code{unix}, @code{dos}, and @code{mac}, +respectively. If @var{coding-system} doesn't specify eol conversion +explicitly, the return value is a vector of coding systems, each one +with one of the possible eol conversion types, like this: + +@lisp +(coding-system-eol-type 'latin-1) + @result{} [latin-1-unix latin-1-dos latin-1-mac] +@end lisp + +@noindent +If this function returns a vector, Emacs will decide, as part of the +text encoding or decoding process, what eol conversion to use. For +decoding, the end-of-line format of the text is auto-detected, and the +eol conversion is set to match it (e.g., DOS-style CRLF format will +imply @code{dos} eol conversion). For encoding, the eol conversion is +taken from the appropriate default coding system (e.g., +@code{default-buffer-file-coding-system} for +@code{buffer-file-coding-system}), or from the default eol conversion +appropriate for the underlying platform. +@end defun + +@defun coding-system-change-eol-conversion coding-system eol-type +This function returns a coding system which is like @var{coding-system} +except for its eol conversion, which is specified by @code{eol-type}. +@var{eol-type} should be @code{unix}, @code{dos}, @code{mac}, or +@code{nil}. If it is @code{nil}, the returned coding system determines +the end-of-line conversion from the data. + +@var{eol-type} may also be 0, 1 or 2, standing for @code{unix}, +@code{dos} and @code{mac}, respectively. +@end defun + +@defun coding-system-change-text-conversion eol-coding text-coding +This function returns a coding system which uses the end-of-line +conversion of @var{eol-coding}, and the text conversion of +@var{text-coding}. If @var{text-coding} is @code{nil}, it returns +@code{undecided}, or one of its variants according to @var{eol-coding}. +@end defun + +@defun find-coding-systems-region from to +This function returns a list of coding systems that could be used to +encode a text between @var{from} and @var{to}. All coding systems in +the list can safely encode any multibyte characters in that portion of +the text. + +If the text contains no multibyte characters, the function returns the +list @code{(undecided)}. +@end defun + +@defun find-coding-systems-string string +This function returns a list of coding systems that could be used to +encode the text of @var{string}. All coding systems in the list can +safely encode any multibyte characters in @var{string}. If the text +contains no multibyte characters, this returns the list +@code{(undecided)}. +@end defun + +@defun find-coding-systems-for-charsets charsets +This function returns a list of coding systems that could be used to +encode all the character sets in the list @var{charsets}. +@end defun + +@defun detect-coding-region start end &optional highest +This function chooses a plausible coding system for decoding the text +from @var{start} to @var{end}. This text should be a byte sequence +(@pxref{Explicit Encoding}). + +Normally this function returns a list of coding systems that could +handle decoding the text that was scanned. They are listed in order of +decreasing priority. But if @var{highest} is non-@code{nil}, then the +return value is just one coding system, the one that is highest in +priority. + +If the region contains only @acronym{ASCII} characters except for such +ISO-2022 control characters ISO-2022 as @code{ESC}, the value is +@code{undecided} or @code{(undecided)}, or a variant specifying +end-of-line conversion, if that can be deduced from the text. +@end defun + +@defun detect-coding-string string &optional highest +This function is like @code{detect-coding-region} except that it +operates on the contents of @var{string} instead of bytes in the buffer. +@end defun + + @xref{Coding systems for a subprocess,, Process Information}, in +particular the description of the functions +@code{process-coding-system} and @code{set-process-coding-system}, for +how to examine or set the coding systems used for I/O to a subprocess. + +@node User-Chosen Coding Systems +@subsection User-Chosen Coding Systems + +@cindex select safe coding system +@defun select-safe-coding-system from to &optional default-coding-system accept-default-p file +This function selects a coding system for encoding specified text, +asking the user to choose if necessary. Normally the specified text +is the text in the current buffer between @var{from} and @var{to}. If +@var{from} is a string, the string specifies the text to encode, and +@var{to} is ignored. + +If @var{default-coding-system} is non-@code{nil}, that is the first +coding system to try; if that can handle the text, +@code{select-safe-coding-system} returns that coding system. It can +also be a list of coding systems; then the function tries each of them +one by one. After trying all of them, it next tries the current +buffer's value of @code{buffer-file-coding-system} (if it is not +@code{undecided}), then the value of +@code{default-buffer-file-coding-system} and finally the user's most +preferred coding system, which the user can set using the command +@code{prefer-coding-system} (@pxref{Recognize Coding,, Recognizing +Coding Systems, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). + +If one of those coding systems can safely encode all the specified +text, @code{select-safe-coding-system} chooses it and returns it. +Otherwise, it asks the user to choose from a list of coding systems +which can encode all the text, and returns the user's choice. + +@var{default-coding-system} can also be a list whose first element is +t and whose other elements are coding systems. Then, if no coding +system in the list can handle the text, @code{select-safe-coding-system} +queries the user immediately, without trying any of the three +alternatives described above. + +The optional argument @var{accept-default-p}, if non-@code{nil}, +should be a function to determine whether a coding system selected +without user interaction is acceptable. @code{select-safe-coding-system} +calls this function with one argument, the base coding system of the +selected coding system. If @var{accept-default-p} returns @code{nil}, +@code{select-safe-coding-system} rejects the silently selected coding +system, and asks the user to select a coding system from a list of +possible candidates. + +@vindex select-safe-coding-system-accept-default-p +If the variable @code{select-safe-coding-system-accept-default-p} is +non-@code{nil}, its value overrides the value of +@var{accept-default-p}. + +As a final step, before returning the chosen coding system, +@code{select-safe-coding-system} checks whether that coding system is +consistent with what would be selected if the contents of the region +were read from a file. (If not, this could lead to data corruption in +a file subsequently re-visited and edited.) Normally, +@code{select-safe-coding-system} uses @code{buffer-file-name} as the +file for this purpose, but if @var{file} is non-@code{nil}, it uses +that file instead (this can be relevant for @code{write-region} and +similar functions). If it detects an apparent inconsistency, +@code{select-safe-coding-system} queries the user before selecting the +coding system. +@end defun + + Here are two functions you can use to let the user specify a coding +system, with completion. @xref{Completion}. + +@defun read-coding-system prompt &optional default +This function reads a coding system using the minibuffer, prompting with +string @var{prompt}, and returns the coding system name as a symbol. If +the user enters null input, @var{default} specifies which coding system +to return. It should be a symbol or a string. +@end defun + +@defun read-non-nil-coding-system prompt +This function reads a coding system using the minibuffer, prompting with +string @var{prompt}, and returns the coding system name as a symbol. If +the user tries to enter null input, it asks the user to try again. +@xref{Coding Systems}. +@end defun + +@node Default Coding Systems +@subsection Default Coding Systems + + This section describes variables that specify the default coding +system for certain files or when running certain subprograms, and the +function that I/O operations use to access them. + + The idea of these variables is that you set them once and for all to the +defaults you want, and then do not change them again. To specify a +particular coding system for a particular operation in a Lisp program, +don't change these variables; instead, override them using +@code{coding-system-for-read} and @code{coding-system-for-write} +(@pxref{Specifying Coding Systems}). + +@defvar auto-coding-regexp-alist +This variable is an alist of text patterns and corresponding coding +systems. Each element has the form @code{(@var{regexp} +. @var{coding-system})}; a file whose first few kilobytes match +@var{regexp} is decoded with @var{coding-system} when its contents are +read into a buffer. The settings in this alist take priority over +@code{coding:} tags in the files and the contents of +@code{file-coding-system-alist} (see below). The default value is set +so that Emacs automatically recognizes mail files in Babyl format and +reads them with no code conversions. +@end defvar + +@defvar file-coding-system-alist +This variable is an alist that specifies the coding systems to use for +reading and writing particular files. Each element has the form +@code{(@var{pattern} . @var{coding})}, where @var{pattern} is a regular +expression that matches certain file names. The element applies to file +names that match @var{pattern}. + +The @sc{cdr} of the element, @var{coding}, should be either a coding +system, a cons cell containing two coding systems, or a function name (a +symbol with a function definition). If @var{coding} is a coding system, +that coding system is used for both reading the file and writing it. If +@var{coding} is a cons cell containing two coding systems, its @sc{car} +specifies the coding system for decoding, and its @sc{cdr} specifies the +coding system for encoding. + +If @var{coding} is a function name, the function should take one +argument, a list of all arguments passed to +@code{find-operation-coding-system}. It must return a coding system +or a cons cell containing two coding systems. This value has the same +meaning as described above. + +If @var{coding} (or what returned by the above function) is +@code{undecided}, the normal code-detection is performed. +@end defvar + +@defvar process-coding-system-alist +This variable is an alist specifying which coding systems to use for a +subprocess, depending on which program is running in the subprocess. It +works like @code{file-coding-system-alist}, except that @var{pattern} is +matched against the program name used to start the subprocess. The coding +system or systems specified in this alist are used to initialize the +coding systems used for I/O to the subprocess, but you can specify +other coding systems later using @code{set-process-coding-system}. +@end defvar + + @strong{Warning:} Coding systems such as @code{undecided}, which +determine the coding system from the data, do not work entirely reliably +with asynchronous subprocess output. This is because Emacs handles +asynchronous subprocess output in batches, as it arrives. If the coding +system leaves the character code conversion unspecified, or leaves the +end-of-line conversion unspecified, Emacs must try to detect the proper +conversion from one batch at a time, and this does not always work. + + Therefore, with an asynchronous subprocess, if at all possible, use a +coding system which determines both the character code conversion and +the end of line conversion---that is, one like @code{latin-1-unix}, +rather than @code{undecided} or @code{latin-1}. + +@defvar network-coding-system-alist +This variable is an alist that specifies the coding system to use for +network streams. It works much like @code{file-coding-system-alist}, +with the difference that the @var{pattern} in an element may be either a +port number or a regular expression. If it is a regular expression, it +is matched against the network service name used to open the network +stream. +@end defvar + +@defvar default-process-coding-system +This variable specifies the coding systems to use for subprocess (and +network stream) input and output, when nothing else specifies what to +do. + +The value should be a cons cell of the form @code{(@var{input-coding} +. @var{output-coding})}. Here @var{input-coding} applies to input from +the subprocess, and @var{output-coding} applies to output to it. +@end defvar + +@defvar auto-coding-functions +This variable holds a list of functions that try to determine a +coding system for a file based on its undecoded contents. + +Each function in this list should be written to look at text in the +current buffer, but should not modify it in any way. The buffer will +contain undecoded text of parts of the file. Each function should +take one argument, @var{size}, which tells it how many characters to +look at, starting from point. If the function succeeds in determining +a coding system for the file, it should return that coding system. +Otherwise, it should return @code{nil}. + +If a file has a @samp{coding:} tag, that takes precedence, so these +functions won't be called. +@end defvar + +@defun find-operation-coding-system operation &rest arguments +This function returns the coding system to use (by default) for +performing @var{operation} with @var{arguments}. The value has this +form: + +@example +(@var{decoding-system} . @var{encoding-system}) +@end example + +The first element, @var{decoding-system}, is the coding system to use +for decoding (in case @var{operation} does decoding), and +@var{encoding-system} is the coding system for encoding (in case +@var{operation} does encoding). + +The argument @var{operation} is a symbol, one of @code{write-region}, +@code{start-process}, @code{call-process}, @code{call-process-region}, +@code{insert-file-contents}, or @code{open-network-stream}. These are +the names of the Emacs I/O primitives that can do character code and +eol conversion. + +The remaining arguments should be the same arguments that might be given +to the corresponding I/O primitive. Depending on the primitive, one +of those arguments is selected as the @dfn{target}. For example, if +@var{operation} does file I/O, whichever argument specifies the file +name is the target. For subprocess primitives, the process name is the +target. For @code{open-network-stream}, the target is the service name +or port number. + +Depending on @var{operation}, this function looks up the target in +@code{file-coding-system-alist}, @code{process-coding-system-alist}, +or @code{network-coding-system-alist}. If the target is found in the +alist, @code{find-operation-coding-system} returns its association in +the alist; otherwise it returns @code{nil}. + +If @var{operation} is @code{insert-file-contents}, the argument +corresponding to the target may be a cons cell of the form +@code{(@var{filename} . @var{buffer})}). In that case, @var{filename} +is a file name to look up in @code{file-coding-system-alist}, and +@var{buffer} is a buffer that contains the file's contents (not yet +decoded). If @code{file-coding-system-alist} specifies a function to +call for this file, and that function needs to examine the file's +contents (as it usually does), it should examine the contents of +@var{buffer} instead of reading the file. +@end defun + +@node Specifying Coding Systems +@subsection Specifying a Coding System for One Operation + + You can specify the coding system for a specific operation by binding +the variables @code{coding-system-for-read} and/or +@code{coding-system-for-write}. + +@defvar coding-system-for-read +If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it specifies the coding system to +use for reading a file, or for input from a synchronous subprocess. + +It also applies to any asynchronous subprocess or network stream, but in +a different way: the value of @code{coding-system-for-read} when you +start the subprocess or open the network stream specifies the input +decoding method for that subprocess or network stream. It remains in +use for that subprocess or network stream unless and until overridden. + +The right way to use this variable is to bind it with @code{let} for a +specific I/O operation. Its global value is normally @code{nil}, and +you should not globally set it to any other value. Here is an example +of the right way to use the variable: + +@example +;; @r{Read the file with no character code conversion.} +;; @r{Assume @acronym{crlf} represents end-of-line.} +(let ((coding-system-for-read 'emacs-mule-dos)) + (insert-file-contents filename)) +@end example + +When its value is non-@code{nil}, this variable takes precedence over +all other methods of specifying a coding system to use for input, +including @code{file-coding-system-alist}, +@code{process-coding-system-alist} and +@code{network-coding-system-alist}. +@end defvar + +@defvar coding-system-for-write +This works much like @code{coding-system-for-read}, except that it +applies to output rather than input. It affects writing to files, +as well as sending output to subprocesses and net connections. + +When a single operation does both input and output, as do +@code{call-process-region} and @code{start-process}, both +@code{coding-system-for-read} and @code{coding-system-for-write} +affect it. +@end defvar + +@defvar inhibit-eol-conversion +When this variable is non-@code{nil}, no end-of-line conversion is done, +no matter which coding system is specified. This applies to all the +Emacs I/O and subprocess primitives, and to the explicit encoding and +decoding functions (@pxref{Explicit Encoding}). +@end defvar + +@node Explicit Encoding +@subsection Explicit Encoding and Decoding +@cindex encoding in coding systems +@cindex decoding in coding systems + + All the operations that transfer text in and out of Emacs have the +ability to use a coding system to encode or decode the text. +You can also explicitly encode and decode text using the functions +in this section. + + The result of encoding, and the input to decoding, are not ordinary +text. They logically consist of a series of byte values; that is, a +series of characters whose codes are in the range 0 through 255. In a +multibyte buffer or string, character codes 128 through 159 are +represented by multibyte sequences, but this is invisible to Lisp +programs. + + The usual way to read a file into a buffer as a sequence of bytes, so +you can decode the contents explicitly, is with +@code{insert-file-contents-literally} (@pxref{Reading from Files}); +alternatively, specify a non-@code{nil} @var{rawfile} argument when +visiting a file with @code{find-file-noselect}. These methods result in +a unibyte buffer. + + The usual way to use the byte sequence that results from explicitly +encoding text is to copy it to a file or process---for example, to write +it with @code{write-region} (@pxref{Writing to Files}), and suppress +encoding by binding @code{coding-system-for-write} to +@code{no-conversion}. + + Here are the functions to perform explicit encoding or decoding. The +encoding functions produce sequences of bytes; the decoding functions +are meant to operate on sequences of bytes. All of these functions +discard text properties. + +@deffn Command encode-coding-region start end coding-system +This command encodes the text from @var{start} to @var{end} according +to coding system @var{coding-system}. The encoded text replaces the +original text in the buffer. The result of encoding is logically a +sequence of bytes, but the buffer remains multibyte if it was multibyte +before. + +This command returns the length of the encoded text. +@end deffn + +@defun encode-coding-string string coding-system &optional nocopy +This function encodes the text in @var{string} according to coding +system @var{coding-system}. It returns a new string containing the +encoded text, except when @var{nocopy} is non-@code{nil}, in which +case the function may return @var{string} itself if the encoding +operation is trivial. The result of encoding is a unibyte string. +@end defun + +@deffn Command decode-coding-region start end coding-system +This command decodes the text from @var{start} to @var{end} according +to coding system @var{coding-system}. The decoded text replaces the +original text in the buffer. To make explicit decoding useful, the text +before decoding ought to be a sequence of byte values, but both +multibyte and unibyte buffers are acceptable. + +This command returns the length of the decoded text. +@end deffn + +@defun decode-coding-string string coding-system &optional nocopy +This function decodes the text in @var{string} according to coding +system @var{coding-system}. It returns a new string containing the +decoded text, except when @var{nocopy} is non-@code{nil}, in which +case the function may return @var{string} itself if the decoding +operation is trivial. To make explicit decoding useful, the contents +of @var{string} ought to be a sequence of byte values, but a multibyte +string is acceptable. +@end defun + +@defun decode-coding-inserted-region from to filename &optional visit beg end replace +This function decodes the text from @var{from} to @var{to} as if +it were being read from file @var{filename} using @code{insert-file-contents} +using the rest of the arguments provided. + +The normal way to use this function is after reading text from a file +without decoding, if you decide you would rather have decoded it. +Instead of deleting the text and reading it again, this time with +decoding, you can call this function. +@end defun + +@node Terminal I/O Encoding +@subsection Terminal I/O Encoding + + Emacs can decode keyboard input using a coding system, and encode +terminal output. This is useful for terminals that transmit or display +text using a particular encoding such as Latin-1. Emacs does not set +@code{last-coding-system-used} for encoding or decoding for the +terminal. + +@defun keyboard-coding-system +This function returns the coding system that is in use for decoding +keyboard input---or @code{nil} if no coding system is to be used. +@end defun + +@deffn Command set-keyboard-coding-system coding-system +This command specifies @var{coding-system} as the coding system to +use for decoding keyboard input. If @var{coding-system} is @code{nil}, +that means do not decode keyboard input. +@end deffn + +@defun terminal-coding-system +This function returns the coding system that is in use for encoding +terminal output---or @code{nil} for no encoding. +@end defun + +@deffn Command set-terminal-coding-system coding-system +This command specifies @var{coding-system} as the coding system to use +for encoding terminal output. If @var{coding-system} is @code{nil}, +that means do not encode terminal output. +@end deffn + +@node MS-DOS File Types +@subsection MS-DOS File Types +@cindex DOS file types +@cindex MS-DOS file types +@cindex Windows file types +@cindex file types on MS-DOS and Windows +@cindex text files and binary files +@cindex binary files and text files + + On MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, Emacs guesses the appropriate +end-of-line conversion for a file by looking at the file's name. This +feature classifies files as @dfn{text files} and @dfn{binary files}. By +``binary file'' we mean a file of literal byte values that are not +necessarily meant to be characters; Emacs does no end-of-line conversion +and no character code conversion for them. On the other hand, the bytes +in a text file are intended to represent characters; when you create a +new file whose name implies that it is a text file, Emacs uses DOS +end-of-line conversion. + +@defvar buffer-file-type +This variable, automatically buffer-local in each buffer, records the +file type of the buffer's visited file. When a buffer does not specify +a coding system with @code{buffer-file-coding-system}, this variable is +used to determine which coding system to use when writing the contents +of the buffer. It should be @code{nil} for text, @code{t} for binary. +If it is @code{t}, the coding system is @code{no-conversion}. +Otherwise, @code{undecided-dos} is used. + +Normally this variable is set by visiting a file; it is set to +@code{nil} if the file was visited without any actual conversion. +@end defvar + +@defopt file-name-buffer-file-type-alist +This variable holds an alist for recognizing text and binary files. +Each element has the form (@var{regexp} . @var{type}), where +@var{regexp} is matched against the file name, and @var{type} may be +@code{nil} for text, @code{t} for binary, or a function to call to +compute which. If it is a function, then it is called with a single +argument (the file name) and should return @code{t} or @code{nil}. + +When running on MS-DOS or MS-Windows, Emacs checks this alist to decide +which coding system to use when reading a file. For a text file, +@code{undecided-dos} is used. For a binary file, @code{no-conversion} +is used. + +If no element in this alist matches a given file name, then +@code{default-buffer-file-type} says how to treat the file. +@end defopt + +@defopt default-buffer-file-type +This variable says how to handle files for which +@code{file-name-buffer-file-type-alist} says nothing about the type. + +If this variable is non-@code{nil}, then these files are treated as +binary: the coding system @code{no-conversion} is used. Otherwise, +nothing special is done for them---the coding system is deduced solely +from the file contents, in the usual Emacs fashion. +@end defopt + +@node Input Methods +@section Input Methods +@cindex input methods + + @dfn{Input methods} provide convenient ways of entering non-@acronym{ASCII} +characters from the keyboard. Unlike coding systems, which translate +non-@acronym{ASCII} characters to and from encodings meant to be read by +programs, input methods provide human-friendly commands. (@xref{Input +Methods,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for information on how users +use input methods to enter text.) How to define input methods is not +yet documented in this manual, but here we describe how to use them. + + Each input method has a name, which is currently a string; +in the future, symbols may also be usable as input method names. + +@defvar current-input-method +This variable holds the name of the input method now active in the +current buffer. (It automatically becomes local in each buffer when set +in any fashion.) It is @code{nil} if no input method is active in the +buffer now. +@end defvar + +@defopt default-input-method +This variable holds the default input method for commands that choose an +input method. Unlike @code{current-input-method}, this variable is +normally global. +@end defopt + +@deffn Command set-input-method input-method +This command activates input method @var{input-method} for the current +buffer. It also sets @code{default-input-method} to @var{input-method}. +If @var{input-method} is @code{nil}, this command deactivates any input +method for the current buffer. +@end deffn + +@defun read-input-method-name prompt &optional default inhibit-null +This function reads an input method name with the minibuffer, prompting +with @var{prompt}. If @var{default} is non-@code{nil}, that is returned +by default, if the user enters empty input. However, if +@var{inhibit-null} is non-@code{nil}, empty input signals an error. + +The returned value is a string. +@end defun + +@defvar input-method-alist +This variable defines all the supported input methods. +Each element defines one input method, and should have the form: + +@example +(@var{input-method} @var{language-env} @var{activate-func} + @var{title} @var{description} @var{args}...) +@end example + +Here @var{input-method} is the input method name, a string; +@var{language-env} is another string, the name of the language +environment this input method is recommended for. (That serves only for +documentation purposes.) + +@var{activate-func} is a function to call to activate this method. The +@var{args}, if any, are passed as arguments to @var{activate-func}. All +told, the arguments to @var{activate-func} are @var{input-method} and +the @var{args}. + +@var{title} is a string to display in the mode line while this method is +active. @var{description} is a string describing this method and what +it is good for. +@end defvar + + The fundamental interface to input methods is through the +variable @code{input-method-function}. @xref{Reading One Event}, +and @ref{Invoking the Input Method}. + +@node Locales +@section Locales +@cindex locale + + POSIX defines a concept of ``locales'' which control which language +to use in language-related features. These Emacs variables control +how Emacs interacts with these features. + +@defvar locale-coding-system +@cindex keyboard input decoding on X +This variable specifies the coding system to use for decoding system +error messages and---on X Window system only---keyboard input, for +encoding the format argument to @code{format-time-string}, and for +decoding the return value of @code{format-time-string}. +@end defvar + +@defvar system-messages-locale +This variable specifies the locale to use for generating system error +messages. Changing the locale can cause messages to come out in a +different language or in a different orthography. If the variable is +@code{nil}, the locale is specified by environment variables in the +usual POSIX fashion. +@end defvar + +@defvar system-time-locale +This variable specifies the locale to use for formatting time values. +Changing the locale can cause messages to appear according to the +conventions of a different language. If the variable is @code{nil}, the +locale is specified by environment variables in the usual POSIX fashion. +@end defvar + +@defun locale-info item +This function returns locale data @var{item} for the current POSIX +locale, if available. @var{item} should be one of these symbols: + +@table @code +@item codeset +Return the character set as a string (locale item @code{CODESET}). + +@item days +Return a 7-element vector of day names (locale items +@code{DAY_1} through @code{DAY_7}); + +@item months +Return a 12-element vector of month names (locale items @code{MON_1} +through @code{MON_12}). + +@item paper +Return a list @code{(@var{width} @var{height})} for the default paper +size measured in millimeters (locale items @code{PAPER_WIDTH} and +@code{PAPER_HEIGHT}). +@end table + +If the system can't provide the requested information, or if +@var{item} is not one of those symbols, the value is @code{nil}. All +strings in the return value are decoded using +@code{locale-coding-system}. @xref{Locales,,, libc, The GNU Libc Manual}, +for more information about locales and locale items. +@end defun + +@ignore + arch-tag: be705bf8-941b-4c35-84fc-ad7d20ddb7cb +@end ignore