1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003,
3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top
6 @appendix X Options and Resources
8 You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X
9 resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you
10 can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry.
11 @xref{MS-Windows Registry}. Likewise, Emacs on MacOS Carbon emulates X
12 resources using the Preferences system. @xref{Mac Environment Variables}.
14 When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or
15 LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of
16 the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes.
17 This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for
18 customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of
20 ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe.
23 ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used
24 resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online
27 @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources.
32 * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general).
33 * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs.
34 * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces.
35 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
36 * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus.
37 * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets.
41 @appendixsec X Resources
44 @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file
45 @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file
47 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user
48 options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify
49 default values for these options in your X resources file, usually
50 named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}.
51 If changes in @file{~/.Xdefaults} do not
52 take effect, it is because your X server stores its own list of
53 resources; to update them, use the shell command @command{xrdb}---for
54 instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}.
56 Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a
57 collection of related options, for one program or for several programs
58 (optionally even for all programs).
60 @cindex Registry (MS-Windows)
61 MS-Windows systems don't support @file{~/.Xdefaults} files, but
62 Emacs compiled for Windows looks for X resources in the Windows
63 Registry, under the key @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}
64 and then under the key @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}.
65 The menu and scrollbars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are
66 only customizable via the system-wide settings in the Display Control
67 Panel. You can also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line
71 Applications such as Emacs look for resources with specific names
72 and their particular meanings. Case distinctions are significant in
73 these names. Each resource specification in @file{~/.Xdefaults}
74 states the name of the program and the name of the resource. For
75 Emacs, the program name is @samp{Emacs}. It looks like this:
82 Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also
83 define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in
84 Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the
85 internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width
86 of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the
87 @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these
90 Every resource definition is associated with a specific program
91 name---the name of the executable file that you ran. For Emacs, that
92 is normally @samp{emacs}. To specify a definition for all instances
93 of Emacs, regardless of their names, use @samp{Emacs}.
95 In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource
96 on one line, like this:
103 Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources
104 in that class. Here's an example:
110 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
111 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
112 resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular
113 resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all
114 borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border:
122 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
123 Also, command-line options always override the X resources file.
126 Here is a list of X command-line options and their corresponding
130 @item -name @var{name}
132 @itemx --name=@var{name}
133 @cindex resource name, command-line argument
134 Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial
135 Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp
136 programs can specify frame names when they create frames.
138 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
139 executable's name as the resource name.
141 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
143 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
144 @cindex resource values, command-line argument
145 Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below).
148 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for
149 other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
151 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its
152 name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
153 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
154 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable
155 file. Here is an example:
162 You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to
163 use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text
164 @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file
165 of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in
166 @var{resources}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file.
167 You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full
168 of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm}
169 take precedence over all other resource specifications.
171 One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings
172 is to use the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
175 You can experiment with the effect of different resource settings
176 with the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the
178 @samp{Commands} menu, then click on an Emacs frame. This will display
179 a tree showing the structure of X toolkit widgets used in an Emacs
180 frame. Select one of them, such as @samp{menubar}, then select
181 @samp{Show Resource Box} from the @samp{Commands} menu. This displays
182 a list of all the meaningful X resources for that widget, and allows
183 you to edit them. Changes take effect when you click on the
184 @samp{Apply} button. (See the @code{editres} man page for more
187 @node Table of Resources
188 @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs
190 This table lists the resource names that designate options for
191 Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each
192 with the class that it belongs to:
195 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
196 Background color name.
199 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
200 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
201 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
204 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
205 Color name for the external border.
208 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
209 Width in pixels of the external border.
212 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
213 Color name for text cursor (point).
216 @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink})
217 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use
218 @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off.
221 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
222 Font name (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}) for @code{default} font.
224 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
227 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
228 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
229 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
230 as the Emacs frame itself.
232 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
233 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
234 name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to
238 @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen})
239 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth},
240 @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to
241 the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh}
242 (@pxref{Window Size X}).
244 Note that this applies to the initial frame only.
247 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
248 Name to display in the icon.
250 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
251 Width in pixels of the internal border.
253 @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing})
256 Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels.
258 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
260 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
262 @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources},
265 @xref{Lucid Resources},
267 for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one.
270 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
271 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
272 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
274 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
275 @cindex font for menus
276 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
279 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
280 Color of the mouse cursor.
283 @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap})
284 If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default
285 visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it.
287 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
288 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
289 specified if @samp{off}.
292 @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma})
293 @cindex gamma correction
294 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter
298 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont})
299 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
300 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif
303 @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout})
304 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply.
305 If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up.
306 A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
308 @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous})
309 @cindex debugging X problems
310 @cindex synchronous X mode
311 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is
312 useful for debugging X problems.
315 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
316 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
318 @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar})
320 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses
321 the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and
322 @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size
323 will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible.
324 If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only},
325 the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically.
326 To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}.
328 @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM})
330 @cindex X input methods
331 @cindex input methods, X
332 Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}.
333 This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM
334 support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency,
335 especially slow X client/server links.
337 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
338 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
342 @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass})
343 Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle
346 The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor},
347 @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor},
348 @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by
349 @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes.
350 Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo}
351 program outputs information saying which ones.
356 @appendixsec X Resources for Faces
358 You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular
359 faces (@pxref{Faces}):
362 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
363 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
364 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
365 Background color for face @var{face}.
366 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
367 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
369 @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough
370 @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline
371 @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox
372 @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse
373 Likewise, for other boolean font attributes.
374 @item @var{face}.attributeStipple
375 The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or
376 @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}.
377 @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap
378 The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a
379 pixmap file or @code{false}.
380 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
381 Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}.
382 Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes.
385 Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can
386 select a font through these separate attributes:
389 @item @var{face}.attributeFamily
390 Font family for face @var{face}.
391 @item @var{face}.attributeHeight
392 Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer
393 specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point
394 number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's
395 default font, or a function to be called with the default height which
396 will return a new height.
397 @item @var{face}.attributeWidth
398 @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight
399 @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant
400 Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute,
401 and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use
402 for the font attribute value.
403 @item @var{face}.attributeBold
404 Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
406 @item @var{face}.attributeItalic
407 Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}.
410 @node Lucid Resources
411 @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources
412 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
413 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
416 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
417 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
418 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
419 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs},
420 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
423 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
427 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
431 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
432 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget
433 and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with
434 @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font
435 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
439 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
443 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
444 @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify
445 the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
448 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
452 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}:
455 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
459 The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For
460 more information about fontsets see the man page for
461 @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a
462 @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both
463 @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the
464 @code{fontSet} resource is used.
466 Thus, to specify @samp{-*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*}
467 for both the popup and menu bar menus, write this:
470 Emacs*menu*fontSet: -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*
474 The @samp{*menu*} as a wildcard matches @samp{pane.menubar} and
477 Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add
478 @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On
479 some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. The generic wildcard
480 approach should work on both kinds of systems.
482 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
486 Font for menu item text.
488 Fontset for menu item text.
490 Color of the foreground.
492 Color of the background.
493 @item buttonForeground
494 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
496 @item horizontalSpacing
497 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
498 @item verticalSpacing
499 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2.
501 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
502 the associated text. Default is 10.
503 @item shadowThickness
504 Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1.
506 Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects,
507 for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that
508 the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the
509 difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set
510 this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default
511 probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect
515 The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1.
519 @node LessTif Resources
520 @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources
521 @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets)
522 @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources
524 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
525 with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog
526 boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate
527 widgets and have their own resources.
529 The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar}
530 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or
531 @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them
535 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
538 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
539 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
540 @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
541 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the
542 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
543 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
544 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
547 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
551 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
553 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
554 resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named
555 @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu
556 item looks like this:
559 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
563 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current
567 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16
571 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word}
572 under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this
576 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
583 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value}
587 (This should be one long line.)
589 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
590 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
591 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
592 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
593 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
596 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
597 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
601 For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
602 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
603 the pop-up menu items, write this:
606 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
610 For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
613 Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16
614 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink
617 To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use
618 @samp{fsb*}, like this:
621 Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16
627 Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and
632 The color to show in an armed button.
641 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
643 The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides.
644 @item shadowThickness
645 The width of the border shadow.
646 @item bottomShadowColor
647 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
649 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
655 @appendixsec GTK resources
657 The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs
658 tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example
659 with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization
660 by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK
661 themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything
662 works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use
663 the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of
664 customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual
666 The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets
667 to courier with size 12:
670 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
673 The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, like
674 -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*, but a Pango font name. A Pango
675 font name is basically of the format "family style size", where the style
676 is optional as in the case above. A name with a style could be for example:
679 gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10"
682 To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to
683 the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not
687 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
690 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
693 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
694 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
697 The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be
698 applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are
699 named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget.
700 So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for
701 the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use:
704 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
705 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
708 But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*}
709 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*"
712 Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem).
713 You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the
719 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
722 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
726 The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are:
728 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
729 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
730 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
731 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
732 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
734 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
739 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
740 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
741 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
742 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
744 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
745 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
746 @tab anything in menus
749 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
750 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
751 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
752 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
755 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
756 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
757 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
760 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
761 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
762 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
763 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
764 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
765 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
766 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
767 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
770 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
773 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
779 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
780 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
781 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
782 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
785 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
790 @cindex GTK resources and customization
791 @cindex resource files for GTK
792 @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file
793 @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file
795 If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar,
796 scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK
797 customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific
798 file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use
799 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}
800 seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply
801 only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background,
802 faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
804 Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using
805 these mechanisms will not work to customize them.
807 In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then
808 you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK
809 widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for
813 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
816 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
819 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
820 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
823 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
829 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
830 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
831 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
832 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
835 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
838 There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example,
839 the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You
840 must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file
841 that just sets a default font looks like this:
844 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
847 The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document.
849 @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html},
850 where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were
851 installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also
852 find the document online, at
853 @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}.
856 * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general.
857 * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs.
858 * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget.
861 @node GTK widget names
862 @appendixsubsec GTK widget names
863 @cindex GTK widget names
865 A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and
866 @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for
867 example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a
868 specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a
871 @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget
872 classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within
873 other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top}
874 contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains
875 a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name
876 of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and
877 its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}.
879 When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class
880 name or the absolute widget name.
882 There are two commands to specify changes for widgets:
885 @item @code{widget_class}
886 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name.
889 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name,
894 You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put
895 these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like
901 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
904 widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont"
905 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
908 Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*}
909 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character.
910 This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets:
913 widget "*" style "base_style"
916 Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}
917 and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all
918 these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar:
921 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
922 widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
923 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
924 widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style"
925 widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style"
926 widget "*menubar" style "my_style"
927 widget "*menu*" style "my_style"
930 @node GTK Names in Emacs
931 @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs
932 @cindex GTK widget names
933 @cindex GTK widget classes
935 In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow}
936 that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the
937 @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll
938 bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed}
939 widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed}
942 Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a
943 @code{GtkFileSelection} widget.
946 To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use:
949 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
953 For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is:
957 "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar"
962 The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are:
964 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
965 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
966 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
967 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
968 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
970 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
975 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
976 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
977 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
978 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
980 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
981 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
982 @tab anything in menus
986 Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as:
989 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
990 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
993 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
994 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
995 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
996 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
999 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
1000 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
1001 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
1004 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
1005 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
1006 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
1007 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
1008 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
1009 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
1010 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
1011 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
1014 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
1018 @appendixsubsec GTK styles
1021 In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You
1022 can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and
1023 font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK
1024 widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no
1025 effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with
1026 Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground,
1027 background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources;
1028 @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations,
1029 @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}:
1032 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1036 font_name = "helvetica 12"
1038 bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @}
1039 bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1040 bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @}
1041 bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1042 bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1044 fg[NORMAL] = "black"
1045 fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1046 fg[ACTIVE] = "black"
1047 fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1049 base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766"
1050 text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @}
1052 bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm"
1053 bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm"
1054 bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm"
1055 bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "<none>"
1059 style "ruler" = "default"
1061 font_name = "helvetica 8"
1066 The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build
1067 on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below.
1069 As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for
1070 foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The
1071 possible states are:
1075 This is the default state for widgets.
1077 This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is
1078 also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"}
1079 sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but
1080 not released yet (``armed'') are in this state.
1082 This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse
1083 pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in
1084 the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button
1085 that is not pressed, the button is in this state.
1087 This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can
1088 be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used
1091 This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be
1092 manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be
1093 pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in
1094 yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}.
1097 Here are the things that can go in a style declaration:
1100 @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1101 This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that
1102 editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead.
1104 @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1105 This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this
1106 color is used for the background of the text fields in the file
1109 @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}"
1110 This specifies an image background (instead of a background color).
1111 @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of
1112 image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you
1113 want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use
1114 @samp{<parent>}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{<none>}.
1115 @samp{<none>} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a
1118 You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for
1119 the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}.
1120 @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within
1121 double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file
1122 (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above):
1125 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1128 @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1129 This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the
1130 color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in
1131 the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}.
1133 @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1134 This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the
1135 text fields in the file dialog.
1137 @item font_name = "@var{font}"
1138 This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a
1139 Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica
1140 Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact
1141 syntax. The names are case insensitive.
1144 There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal
1145 form, and with an RGB triplet.
1148 A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}.
1151 Hexadecimal form is the same as in X:
1152 @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs
1153 must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4).
1156 An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}},
1157 where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range
1158 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0.
1160 Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options}
1162 @cindex Pango font name
1164 @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally
1165 terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the
1166 first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in
1167 an X font name, for example in
1170 -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1
1174 the family name is @samp{times}.
1177 @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word
1178 is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of
1179 these is @code{normal}.
1182 A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font
1183 names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango
1184 font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic},
1188 A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}.
1189 Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by
1190 smaller variants of the capital characters.
1193 Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third
1194 part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light},
1195 @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}.
1198 Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a
1199 family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of
1200 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
1201 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
1202 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
1205 @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points.
1209 arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f