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1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 97, 99, 2000, 2001
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Frames, International, Windows, Top
6 @chapter Frames and X Windows
7 @cindex frames
8
9 When using the X Window System, you can create multiple windows at the
10 X level in a single Emacs session. Each X window that belongs to Emacs
11 displays a @dfn{frame} which can contain one or several Emacs windows.
12 A frame initially contains a single general-purpose Emacs window which
13 you can subdivide vertically or horizontally into smaller windows. A
14 frame normally contains its own echo area and minibuffer, but you can
15 make frames that don't have these---they use the echo area and
16 minibuffer of another frame.
17
18 Editing you do in one frame also affects the other frames. For
19 instance, if you put text in the kill ring in one frame, you can yank it
20 in another frame. If you exit Emacs through @kbd{C-x C-c} in one frame,
21 it terminates all the frames. To delete just one frame, use @kbd{C-x 5
22 0} (that is zero, not @kbd{o}).
23
24 To avoid confusion, we reserve the word ``window'' for the
25 subdivisions that Emacs implements, and never use it to refer to a
26 frame.
27
28 Emacs compiled for MS-DOS emulates some aspects of the window system
29 so that you can use many of the features described in this chapter.
30 @xref{MS-DOS Input}, for more information.
31
32 @cindex MS Windows
33 Emacs compiled for MS Windows mostly supports the same features as
34 under X. However, images and tool bars are not yet available in Emacs
35 version 21.3 on MS-Windows.
36
37 @menu
38 * Mouse Commands:: Moving, cutting, and pasting, with the mouse.
39 * Secondary Selection:: Cutting without altering point and mark.
40 * Clipboard:: Using the clipboard for selections.
41 * Mouse References:: Using the mouse to select an item from a list.
42 * Menu Mouse Clicks:: Mouse clicks that bring up menus.
43 * Mode Line Mouse:: Mouse clicks on the mode line.
44 * Creating Frames:: Creating additional Emacs frames with various contents.
45 * Frame Commands:: Iconifying, deleting, and switching frames.
46 * Speedbar:: How to make and use a speedbar frame.
47 * Multiple Displays:: How one Emacs job can talk to several displays.
48 * Special Buffer Frames:: You can make certain buffers have their own frames.
49 * Frame Parameters:: Changing the colors and other modes of frames.
50 * Scroll Bars:: How to enable and disable scroll bars; how to use them.
51 * Wheeled Mice:: Using mouse wheels for scrolling.
52 * Menu Bars:: Enabling and disabling the menu bar.
53 * Tool Bars:: Enabling and disabling the tool bar.
54 * Dialog Boxes:: Controlling use of dialog boxes.
55 * Tooltips:: Showing "tooltips", AKA "balloon help" for active text.
56 * Mouse Avoidance:: Moving the mouse pointer out of the way.
57 * Non-Window Terminals:: Multiple frames on terminals that show only one.
58 * XTerm Mouse:: Using the mouse in an XTerm terminal emulator.
59 @end menu
60
61 @node Mouse Commands
62 @section Mouse Commands for Editing
63 @cindex mouse buttons (what they do)
64
65 The mouse commands for selecting and copying a region are mostly
66 compatible with the @code{xterm} program. You can use the same mouse
67 commands for copying between Emacs and other X client programs.
68
69 @kindex DELETE @r{(and mouse selection)}
70 If you select a region with any of these mouse commands, and then
71 immediately afterward type the @key{DELETE} function key, it deletes the
72 region that you selected. The @key{BACKSPACE} function key and the
73 ASCII character @key{DEL} do not do this; if you type any other key
74 in between the mouse command and @key{DELETE}, it does not do this.
75
76 @findex mouse-set-region
77 @findex mouse-set-point
78 @findex mouse-yank-at-click
79 @findex mouse-save-then-click
80 @kindex Mouse-1
81 @kindex Mouse-2
82 @kindex Mouse-3
83 @table @kbd
84 @item Mouse-1
85 Move point to where you click (@code{mouse-set-point}).
86 This is normally the left button.
87
88 @item Drag-Mouse-1
89 Set the region to the text you select by dragging, and copy it to the
90 kill ring (@code{mouse-set-region}). You can specify both ends of the
91 region with this single command.
92
93 @vindex mouse-scroll-min-lines
94 If you move the mouse off the top or bottom of the window while
95 dragging, the window scrolls at a steady rate until you move the mouse
96 back into the window. This way, you can select regions that don't fit
97 entirely on the screen. The number of lines scrolled per step depends
98 on how far away from the window edge the mouse has gone; the variable
99 @code{mouse-scroll-min-lines} specifies a minimum step size.
100
101 @item Mouse-2
102 Yank the last killed text, where you click (@code{mouse-yank-at-click}).
103 This is normally the middle button.
104
105 @item Mouse-3
106 This command, @code{mouse-save-then-kill}, has several functions
107 depending on where you click and the status of the region.
108
109 The most basic case is when you click @kbd{Mouse-1} in one place and
110 then @kbd{Mouse-3} in another. This selects the text between those two
111 positions as the region. It also copies the new region to the kill
112 ring, so that you can copy it to someplace else.
113
114 If you click @kbd{Mouse-1} in the text, scroll with the scroll bar, and
115 then click @kbd{Mouse-3}, it remembers where point was before scrolling
116 (where you put it with @kbd{Mouse-1}), and uses that position as the
117 other end of the region. This is so that you can select a region that
118 doesn't fit entirely on the screen.
119
120 More generally, if you do not have a highlighted region, @kbd{Mouse-3}
121 selects the text between point and the click position as the region. It
122 does this by setting the mark where point was, and moving point to where
123 you click.
124
125 If you have a highlighted region, or if the region was set just before
126 by dragging button 1, @kbd{Mouse-3} adjusts the nearer end of the region
127 by moving it to where you click. The adjusted region's text also
128 replaces the old region's text in the kill ring.
129
130 If you originally specified the region using a double or triple
131 @kbd{Mouse-1}, so that the region is defined to consist of entire words
132 or lines, then adjusting the region with @kbd{Mouse-3} also proceeds by
133 entire words or lines.
134
135 If you use @kbd{Mouse-3} a second time consecutively, at the same place,
136 that kills the region already selected.
137
138 @item Double-Mouse-1
139 This key sets the region around the word which you click on. If you
140 click on a character with ``symbol'' syntax (such as underscore, in C
141 mode), it sets the region around the symbol surrounding that character.
142
143 If you click on a character with open-parenthesis or close-parenthesis
144 syntax, it sets the region around the parenthetical grouping
145 which that character starts or ends. If you click on a character with
146 string-delimiter syntax (such as a singlequote or doublequote in C), it
147 sets the region around the string constant (using heuristics to figure
148 out whether that character is the beginning or the end of it).
149
150 @item Double-Drag-Mouse-1
151 This key selects a region made up of the words you drag across.
152
153 @item Triple-Mouse-1
154 This key sets the region around the line you click on.
155
156 @item Triple-Drag-Mouse-1
157 This key selects a region made up of the lines you drag across.
158 @end table
159
160 The simplest way to kill text with the mouse is to press @kbd{Mouse-1}
161 at one end, then press @kbd{Mouse-3} twice at the other end.
162 @xref{Killing}. To copy the text into the kill ring without deleting it
163 from the buffer, press @kbd{Mouse-3} just once---or just drag across the
164 text with @kbd{Mouse-1}. Then you can copy it elsewhere by yanking it.
165
166 @vindex mouse-yank-at-point
167 To yank the killed or copied text somewhere else, move the mouse there
168 and press @kbd{Mouse-2}. @xref{Yanking}. However, if
169 @code{mouse-yank-at-point} is non-@code{nil}, @kbd{Mouse-2} yanks at
170 point. Then it does not matter where you click, or even which of the
171 frame's windows you click on. The default value is @code{nil}. This
172 variable also affects yanking the secondary selection.
173
174 @cindex cutting and X
175 @cindex pasting and X
176 @cindex X cutting and pasting
177 To copy text to another X window, kill it or save it in the kill ring.
178 Under X, this also sets the @dfn{primary selection}. Then use the
179 ``paste'' or ``yank'' command of the program operating the other window
180 to insert the text from the selection.
181
182 To copy text from another X window, use the ``cut'' or ``copy''
183 command of the program operating the other window, to select the text
184 you want. Then yank it in Emacs with @kbd{C-y} or @kbd{Mouse-2}.
185
186 The standard coding system for X selections is
187 @code{compound-text-with-extensions}. To specify another coding
188 system for X selections, use @kbd{C-x @key{RET} x} or @kbd{C-x
189 @key{RET} X}. @xref{Specify Coding}.
190
191 These cutting and pasting commands also work on MS-Windows.
192
193 @cindex primary selection
194 @cindex cut buffer
195 @cindex selection, primary
196 @vindex x-cut-buffer-max
197 When Emacs puts text into the kill ring, or rotates text to the front
198 of the kill ring, it sets the @dfn{primary selection} in the X server.
199 This is how other X clients can access the text. Emacs also stores the
200 text in the cut buffer, but only if the text is short enough
201 (the value of @code{x-cut-buffer-max} specifies the maximum number of
202 characters); putting long strings in the cut buffer can be slow.
203
204 The commands to yank the first entry in the kill ring actually check
205 first for a primary selection in another program; after that, they check
206 for text in the cut buffer. If neither of those sources provides text
207 to yank, the kill ring contents are used.
208
209 @node Secondary Selection
210 @section Secondary Selection
211 @cindex secondary selection
212
213 The @dfn{secondary selection} is another way of selecting text using
214 X. It does not use point or the mark, so you can use it to kill text
215 without setting point or the mark.
216
217 @table @kbd
218 @findex mouse-set-secondary
219 @kindex M-Drag-Mouse-1
220 @item M-Drag-Mouse-1
221 Set the secondary selection, with one end at the place where you press
222 down the button, and the other end at the place where you release it
223 (@code{mouse-set-secondary}). The highlighting appears and changes as
224 you drag. You can control the appearance of the highlighting by
225 customizing the @code{secondary-selection} face (@pxref{Face
226 Customization}).
227
228 If you move the mouse off the top or bottom of the window while
229 dragging, the window scrolls at a steady rate until you move the mouse
230 back into the window. This way, you can mark regions that don't fit
231 entirely on the screen.
232
233 @findex mouse-start-secondary
234 @kindex M-Mouse-1
235 @item M-Mouse-1
236 Set one endpoint for the @dfn{secondary selection}
237 (@code{mouse-start-secondary}).
238
239 @findex mouse-secondary-save-then-kill
240 @kindex M-Mouse-3
241 @item M-Mouse-3
242 Make a secondary selection, using the place specified with @kbd{M-Mouse-1}
243 as the other end (@code{mouse-secondary-save-then-kill}). A second click
244 at the same place kills the secondary selection just made.
245
246 @findex mouse-yank-secondary
247 @kindex M-Mouse-2
248 @item M-Mouse-2
249 Insert the secondary selection where you click
250 (@code{mouse-yank-secondary}). This places point at the end of the
251 yanked text.
252 @end table
253
254 Double or triple clicking of @kbd{M-Mouse-1} operates on words and
255 lines, much like @kbd{Mouse-1}.
256
257 If @code{mouse-yank-at-point} is non-@code{nil}, @kbd{M-Mouse-2}
258 yanks at point. Then it does not matter precisely where you click; all
259 that matters is which window you click on. @xref{Mouse Commands}.
260
261 @node Clipboard
262 @section Using the Clipboard
263 @cindex X clipboard
264 @cindex clipboard
265 @vindex x-select-enable-clipboard
266 @findex menu-bar-enable-clipboard
267 @cindex OpenWindows
268 @cindex Gnome
269
270 As well as the primary and secondary selection types, X supports a
271 @dfn{clipboard} selection type which is used by some applications,
272 particularly under OpenWindows and Gnome.
273
274 The command @kbd{M-x menu-bar-enable-clipboard} makes the @code{Cut},
275 @code{Paste} and @code{Copy} menu items, as well as the keys of the same
276 names, all use the clipboard.
277
278 You can customize the option @code{x-select-enable-clipboard} to make
279 the Emacs yank functions consult the clipboard before the primary
280 selection, and to make the kill functions to store in the clipboard as
281 well as the primary selection. Otherwise they do not access the
282 clipboard at all. Using the clipboard is the default on MS-Windows,
283 unlike most systems.
284
285 @node Mouse References
286 @section Following References with the Mouse
287 @kindex Mouse-2 @r{(selection)}
288
289 Some Emacs buffers display lists of various sorts. These include
290 lists of files, of buffers, of possible completions, of matches for
291 a pattern, and so on.
292
293 Since yanking text into these buffers is not very useful, most of them
294 define @kbd{Mouse-2} specially, as a command to use or view the item you
295 click on.
296
297 For example, if you click @kbd{Mouse-2} on a file name in a Dired
298 buffer, you visit that file. If you click @kbd{Mouse-2} on an error
299 message in the @samp{*Compilation*} buffer, you go to the source code
300 for that error message. If you click @kbd{Mouse-2} on a completion in
301 the @samp{*Completions*} buffer, you choose that completion.
302
303 @vindex mouse-highlight
304 You can usually tell when @kbd{Mouse-2} has this special sort of
305 meaning because the sensitive text highlights when you move the mouse
306 over it. The variable @code{mouse-highlight} controls whether to do
307 this highlighting always (even when such text appears where the mouse
308 already is), never, or only immediately after you move the mouse.
309
310 @node Menu Mouse Clicks
311 @section Mouse Clicks for Menus
312
313 Mouse clicks modified with the @key{CTRL} and @key{SHIFT} keys
314 bring up menus.
315
316 @table @kbd
317 @item C-Mouse-1
318 @kindex C-Mouse-1
319 This menu is for selecting a buffer.
320
321 The MSB (``mouse select buffer'') global minor mode makes this
322 menu smarter and more customizable. @xref{Buffer Menus}.
323
324 @item C-Mouse-2
325 @kindex C-Mouse-2
326 This menu is for specifying faces and other text properties
327 for editing formatted text. @xref{Formatted Text}.
328
329 @item C-Mouse-3
330 @kindex C-Mouse-3
331 This menu is mode-specific. For most modes if Menu-bar mode is on, this
332 menu has the same items as all the mode-specific menu-bar menus put
333 together. Some modes may specify a different menu for this
334 button.@footnote{Some systems use @kbd{Mouse-3} for a mode-specific
335 menu. We took a survey of users, and found they preferred to keep
336 @kbd{Mouse-3} for selecting and killing regions. Hence the decision to
337 use @kbd{C-Mouse-3} for this menu.} If Menu-bar mode is off, this menu
338 contains all the items which would be present in the menu bar---not just
339 the mode-specific ones---so that you can access them without having to
340 display the menu bar.
341
342 @item S-Mouse-1
343 This menu is for specifying the frame's principal font.
344 @end table
345
346 @node Mode Line Mouse
347 @section Mode Line Mouse Commands
348 @cindex mode line, mouse
349 @cindex mouse on mode line
350
351 You can use mouse clicks on window mode lines to select and manipulate
352 windows.
353
354 @table @kbd
355 @item Mouse-1
356 @kindex Mouse-1 @r{(mode line)}
357 @kbd{Mouse-1} on a mode line selects the window above. By dragging
358 @kbd{Mouse-1} on the mode line, you can move it, thus changing the
359 height of the windows above and below.
360
361 @item Mouse-2
362 @kindex Mouse-2 @r{(mode line)}
363 @kbd{Mouse-2} on a mode line expands that window to fill its frame.
364
365 @item Mouse-3
366 @kindex Mouse-3 @r{(mode line)}
367 @kbd{Mouse-3} on a mode line deletes the window above. If the frame has
368 only one window, it buries the current buffer instead and switches to
369 another buffer.
370
371 @item C-Mouse-2
372 @kindex C-mouse-2 @r{(mode line)}
373 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} on a mode line splits the window above
374 horizontally, above the place in the mode line where you click.
375 @end table
376
377 @kindex C-Mouse-2 @r{(scroll bar)}
378 @kbd{C-Mouse-2} on a scroll bar splits the corresponding window
379 vertically, unless you are using an X toolkit's implementation of
380 scroll bars. @xref{Split Window}.
381
382 The commands above apply to areas of the mode line which do not have
383 special mouse bindings of their own. Some areas, such as the buffer
384 name and the major mode name, have their own special mouse bindings.
385 Emacs displays information about these bindings when you hold the
386 mouse over such a place (@pxref{Tooltips}).
387
388 @node Creating Frames
389 @section Creating Frames
390 @cindex creating frames
391
392 @kindex C-x 5
393 The prefix key @kbd{C-x 5} is analogous to @kbd{C-x 4}, with parallel
394 subcommands. The difference is that @kbd{C-x 5} commands create a new
395 frame rather than just a new window in the selected frame (@pxref{Pop
396 Up Window}). If an existing visible or iconified frame already displays
397 the requested material, these commands use the existing frame, after
398 raising or deiconifying as necessary.
399
400 The various @kbd{C-x 5} commands differ in how they find or create the
401 buffer to select:
402
403 @table @kbd
404 @item C-x 5 2
405 @kindex C-x 5 2
406 @findex make-frame-command
407 Create a new frame (@code{make-frame-command}).
408 @item C-x 5 b @var{bufname} @key{RET}
409 Select buffer @var{bufname} in another frame. This runs
410 @code{switch-to-buffer-other-frame}.
411 @item C-x 5 f @var{filename} @key{RET}
412 Visit file @var{filename} and select its buffer in another frame. This
413 runs @code{find-file-other-frame}. @xref{Visiting}.
414 @item C-x 5 d @var{directory} @key{RET}
415 Select a Dired buffer for directory @var{directory} in another frame.
416 This runs @code{dired-other-frame}. @xref{Dired}.
417 @item C-x 5 m
418 Start composing a mail message in another frame. This runs
419 @code{mail-other-frame}. It is the other-frame variant of @kbd{C-x m}.
420 @xref{Sending Mail}.
421 @item C-x 5 .
422 Find a tag in the current tag table in another frame. This runs
423 @code{find-tag-other-frame}, the multiple-frame variant of @kbd{M-.}.
424 @xref{Tags}.
425 @item C-x 5 r @var{filename} @key{RET}
426 @kindex C-x 5 r
427 @findex find-file-read-only-other-frame
428 Visit file @var{filename} read-only, and select its buffer in another
429 frame. This runs @code{find-file-read-only-other-frame}.
430 @xref{Visiting}.
431 @end table
432
433 @cindex default-frame-alist
434 @cindex initial-frame-alist
435 You can control the appearance of new frames you create by setting the
436 frame parameters in @code{default-frame-alist}. You can use the
437 variable @code{initial-frame-alist} to specify parameters that affect
438 only the initial frame. @xref{Initial Parameters,,, elisp, The Emacs
439 Lisp Reference Manual}, for more information.
440
441 @cindex font (default)
442 The easiest way to specify the principal font for all your Emacs
443 frames is with an X resource (@pxref{Font X}), but you can also do it by
444 modifying @code{default-frame-alist} to specify the @code{font}
445 parameter, as shown here:
446
447 @example
448 (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "10x20"))
449 @end example
450
451 @noindent
452 Here's a similar example for specifying a foreground color:
453
454 @example
455 (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(background-color . "blue"))
456 @end example
457
458
459 @node Frame Commands
460 @section Frame Commands
461
462 The following commands let you create, delete and operate on frames:
463
464 @table @kbd
465 @item C-z
466 @kindex C-z @r{(X windows)}
467 @findex iconify-or-deiconify-frame
468 Iconify the selected Emacs frame (@code{iconify-or-deiconify-frame}).
469 The normal meaning of @kbd{C-z}, to suspend Emacs, is not useful under a
470 window system, so it has a different binding in that case.
471
472 If you type this command on an Emacs frame's icon, it deiconifies the frame.
473
474 @item C-x 5 0
475 @kindex C-x 5 0
476 @findex delete-frame
477 Delete the selected frame (@code{delete-frame}). This is not allowed if
478 there is only one frame.
479
480 @item C-x 5 o
481 @kindex C-x 5 o
482 @findex other-frame
483 Select another frame, raise it, and warp the mouse to it so that it
484 stays selected. If you repeat this command, it cycles through all the
485 frames on your terminal.
486
487 @item C-x 5 1
488 @kindex C-x 5 1
489 @findex delete-other-frames
490 Delete all frames except the selected one.
491 @end table
492
493 @vindex focus-follows-mouse
494 To make the command @kbd{C-x 5 o} work properly, you must tell Emacs
495 how the system (or the window manager) generally handles
496 focus-switching between windows. There are two possibilities: either
497 simply moving the mouse onto a window selects it (gives it focus), or
498 you have to click on it in a suitable way to do so. Unfortunately
499 there is no way Emacs can find out automatically which way the system
500 handles this, so you have to explicitly say, by setting the variable
501 @code{focus-follows-mouse}. If just moving the mouse onto a window
502 selects it, that variable should be @code{t}; if a click is necessary,
503 the variable should be @code{nil}.
504
505 @node Speedbar
506 @section Making and Using a Speedbar Frame
507 @cindex speedbar
508
509 An Emacs frame can have a @dfn{speedbar}, which is a vertical window
510 that serves as a scrollable menu of files you could visit and tags
511 within those files. To create a speedbar, type @kbd{M-x speedbar}; this
512 creates a speedbar window for the selected frame. From then on, you can
513 click on a file name in the speedbar to visit that file in the
514 corresponding Emacs frame, or click on a tag name to jump to that tag in
515 the Emacs frame.
516
517 Initially the speedbar lists the immediate contents of the current
518 directory, one file per line. Each line also has a box, @samp{[+]} or
519 @samp{<+>}, that you can click on with @kbd{Mouse-2} to ``open up'' the
520 contents of that item. If the line names a directory, opening it adds
521 the contents of that directory to the speedbar display, underneath the
522 directory's own line. If the line lists an ordinary file, opening it up
523 adds a list of the tags in that file to the speedbar display. When a
524 file is opened up, the @samp{[+]} changes to @samp{[-]}; you can click
525 on that box to ``close up'' that file (hide its contents).
526
527 Some major modes, including Rmail mode, Info, and GUD, have
528 specialized ways of putting useful items into the speedbar for you to
529 select. For example, in Rmail mode, the speedbar shows a list of Rmail
530 files, and lets you move the current message to another Rmail file by
531 clicking on its @samp{<M>} box.
532
533 A speedbar belongs to one Emacs frame, and always operates on that
534 frame. If you use multiple frames, you can make a speedbar for some or
535 all of the frames; type @kbd{M-x speedbar} in any given frame to make a
536 speedbar for it.
537
538 @node Multiple Displays
539 @section Multiple Displays
540 @cindex multiple displays
541
542 A single Emacs can talk to more than one X display. Initially, Emacs
543 uses just one display---the one specified with the @env{DISPLAY}
544 environment variable or with the @samp{--display} option (@pxref{Initial
545 Options}). To connect to another display, use the command
546 @code{make-frame-on-display}:
547
548 @findex make-frame-on-display
549 @table @kbd
550 @item M-x make-frame-on-display @key{RET} @var{display} @key{RET}
551 Create a new frame on display @var{display}.
552 @end table
553
554 A single X server can handle more than one screen. When you open
555 frames on two screens belonging to one server, Emacs knows they share a
556 single keyboard, and it treats all the commands arriving from these
557 screens as a single stream of input.
558
559 When you open frames on different X servers, Emacs makes a separate
560 input stream for each server. This way, two users can type
561 simultaneously on the two displays, and Emacs will not garble their
562 input. Each server also has its own selected frame. The commands you
563 enter with a particular X server apply to that server's selected frame.
564
565 Despite these features, people using the same Emacs job from different
566 displays can still interfere with each other if they are not careful.
567 For example, if any one types @kbd{C-x C-c}, that exits the Emacs job
568 for all of them!
569
570 @node Special Buffer Frames
571 @section Special Buffer Frames
572
573 @vindex special-display-buffer-names
574 You can make certain chosen buffers, for which Emacs normally creates
575 a second window when you have just one window, appear in special frames
576 of their own. To do this, set the variable
577 @code{special-display-buffer-names} to a list of buffer names; any
578 buffer whose name is in that list automatically gets a special frame,
579 when an Emacs command wants to display it ``in another window.''
580
581 For example, if you set the variable this way,
582
583 @example
584 (setq special-display-buffer-names
585 '("*Completions*" "*grep*" "*tex-shell*"))
586 @end example
587
588 @noindent
589 then completion lists, @code{grep} output and the @TeX{} mode shell
590 buffer get individual frames of their own. These frames, and the
591 windows in them, are never automatically split or reused for any other
592 buffers. They continue to show the buffers they were created for,
593 unless you alter them by hand. Killing the special buffer deletes its
594 frame automatically.
595
596 @vindex special-display-regexps
597 More generally, you can set @code{special-display-regexps} to a list
598 of regular expressions; then a buffer gets its own frame if its name
599 matches any of those regular expressions. (Once again, this applies only
600 to buffers that normally get displayed for you in a separate window.)
601
602 @vindex special-display-frame-alist
603 The variable @code{special-display-frame-alist} specifies the frame
604 parameters for these frames. It has a default value, so you don't need
605 to set it.
606
607 For those who know Lisp, an element of
608 @code{special-display-buffer-names} or @code{special-display-regexps}
609 can also be a list. Then the first element is the buffer name or
610 regular expression; the rest of the list specifies how to create the
611 frame. It can be an association list specifying frame parameter values;
612 these values take precedence over parameter values specified in
613 @code{special-display-frame-alist}. Alternatively, it can have this
614 form:
615
616 @example
617 (@var{function} @var{args}...)
618 @end example
619
620 @noindent
621 where @var{function} is a symbol. Then the frame is constructed by
622 calling @var{function}; its first argument is the buffer, and its
623 remaining arguments are @var{args}.
624
625 An analogous feature lets you specify buffers which should be
626 displayed in the selected window. @xref{Force Same Window}. The
627 same-window feature takes precedence over the special-frame feature;
628 therefore, if you add a buffer name to
629 @code{special-display-buffer-names} and it has no effect, check to see
630 whether that feature is also in use for the same buffer name.
631
632 @node Frame Parameters
633 @section Setting Frame Parameters
634 @cindex colors
635 @cindex Auto-Raise mode
636 @cindex Auto-Lower mode
637
638 This section describes commands for altering the display style and
639 window management behavior of the selected frame.
640
641 @findex set-foreground-color
642 @findex set-background-color
643 @findex set-cursor-color
644 @findex set-mouse-color
645 @findex set-border-color
646 @findex auto-raise-mode
647 @findex auto-lower-mode
648 @table @kbd
649 @item M-x set-foreground-color @key{RET} @var{color} @key{RET}
650 Specify color @var{color} for the foreground of the selected frame.
651 (This also changes the foreground color of the default face.)
652
653 @item M-x set-background-color @key{RET} @var{color} @key{RET}
654 Specify color @var{color} for the background of the selected frame.
655 (This also changes the background color of the default face.)
656
657 @item M-x set-cursor-color @key{RET} @var{color} @key{RET}
658 Specify color @var{color} for the cursor of the selected frame.
659
660 @item M-x set-mouse-color @key{RET} @var{color} @key{RET}
661 Specify color @var{color} for the mouse cursor when it is over the
662 selected frame.
663
664 @item M-x set-border-color @key{RET} @var{color} @key{RET}
665 Specify color @var{color} for the border of the selected frame.
666
667 @item M-x list-colors-display
668 Display the defined color names and show what the colors look like.
669 This command is somewhat slow.
670
671 @item M-x auto-raise-mode
672 Toggle whether or not the selected frame should auto-raise. Auto-raise
673 means that every time you move the mouse onto the frame, it raises the
674 frame.
675
676 Note that this auto-raise feature is implemented by Emacs itself. Some
677 window managers also implement auto-raise. If you enable auto-raise for
678 Emacs frames in your X window manager, it should work, but it is beyond
679 Emacs's control and therefore @code{auto-raise-mode} has no effect on
680 it.
681
682 @item M-x auto-lower-mode
683 Toggle whether or not the selected frame should auto-lower.
684 Auto-lower means that every time you move the mouse off the frame,
685 the frame moves to the bottom of the stack of X windows.
686
687 The command @code{auto-lower-mode} has no effect on auto-lower
688 implemented by the X window manager. To control that, you must use
689 the appropriate window manager features.
690
691 @findex set-frame-font
692 @item M-x set-frame-font @key{RET} @var{font} @key{RET}
693 @cindex font (principal)
694 Specify font @var{font} as the principal font for the selected frame.
695 The principal font controls several face attributes of the
696 @code{default} face (@pxref{Faces}). For example, if the principal font
697 has a height of 12 pt, all text will be drawn in 12 pt fonts, unless you
698 use another face that specifies a different height. @xref{Font X}, for
699 ways to list the available fonts on your system.
700
701 @kindex S-Mouse-1
702 You can also set a frame's principal font through a pop-up menu.
703 Press @kbd{S-Mouse-1} to activate this menu.
704 @end table
705
706 In Emacs versions that use an X toolkit, the color-setting and
707 font-setting functions don't affect menus and the menu bar, since they
708 are displayed by their own widget classes. To change the appearance of
709 the menus and menu bar, you must use X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
710 @xref{Colors}, regarding colors. @xref{Font X}, regarding choice of
711 font.
712
713 Colors, fonts, and other attributes of the frame's display can also
714 be customized by setting frame parameters in the variable
715 @code{default-frame-alist} (@pxref{Creating Frames}). For a detailed
716 description of frame parameters and customization, see @ref{Frame
717 Parameters,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
718
719 @node Scroll Bars
720 @section Scroll Bars
721 @cindex Scroll Bar mode
722 @cindex mode, Scroll Bar
723
724 When using X, Emacs normally makes a @dfn{scroll bar} at the left of
725 each Emacs window.@footnote{Placing it at the left is usually more
726 useful with overlapping frames with text starting at the left margin.}
727 The scroll bar runs the height of the window, and shows a moving
728 rectangular inner box which represents the portion of the buffer
729 currently displayed. The entire height of the scroll bar represents the
730 entire length of the buffer.
731
732 You can use @kbd{Mouse-2} (normally, the middle button) in the scroll
733 bar to move or drag the inner box up and down. If you move it to the
734 top of the scroll bar, you see the top of the buffer. If you move it to
735 the bottom of the scroll bar, you see the bottom of the buffer.
736
737 The left and right buttons in the scroll bar scroll by controlled
738 increments. @kbd{Mouse-1} (normally, the left button) moves the line at
739 the level where you click up to the top of the window. @kbd{Mouse-3}
740 (normally, the right button) moves the line at the top of the window
741 down to the level where you click. By clicking repeatedly in the same
742 place, you can scroll by the same distance over and over.
743
744 If you are using Emacs's own implementation of scroll bars, as opposed
745 to scroll bars from an X toolkit, you can also click @kbd{C-Mouse-2} in
746 the scroll bar to split a window vertically. The split occurs on the
747 line where you click.
748
749 @findex scroll-bar-mode
750 @vindex scroll-bar-mode
751 You can enable or disable Scroll Bar mode with the command @kbd{M-x
752 scroll-bar-mode}. With no argument, it toggles the use of scroll bars.
753 With an argument, it turns use of scroll bars on if and only if the
754 argument is positive. This command applies to all frames, including
755 frames yet to be created. Customize the option @code{scroll-bar-mode}
756 to control the use of scroll bars at startup. You can use it to specify
757 that they are placed at the right of windows if you prefer that. You
758 can use the X resource @samp{verticalScrollBars} to control the initial
759 setting of Scroll Bar mode similarly. @xref{Resources}.
760
761 @findex toggle-scroll-bar
762 To enable or disable scroll bars for just the selected frame, use the
763 command @kbd{M-x toggle-scroll-bar}.
764
765 @vindex scroll-bar-width
766 @cindex width of the scroll bar
767 You can control the scroll bar width by changing the value of the
768 @code{scroll-bar-width} frame parameter.
769
770 @node Wheeled Mice
771 @section Scrolling With ``Wheeled'' Mice
772
773 @cindex mouse wheel
774 @cindex wheel, mouse
775 @findex mouse-wheel-mode
776 @cindex Mouse Wheel minor mode
777 @cindex mode, Mouse Wheel
778 Some mice have a ``wheel'' instead of a third button. You can
779 usually click the wheel to act as either @kbd{Mouse-2} or
780 @kbd{Mouse-3}, depending on the setup. You can also use the wheel to
781 scroll windows instead of using the scroll bar or keyboard commands.
782 To do so, turn on Mouse Wheel global minor mode with the command
783 @kbd{M-x mouse-wheel-mode} or by customizing the option
784 @code{mouse-wheel-mode}. Support for the wheel depends on the system
785 generating appropriate events for Emacs.
786
787 @vindex mouse-wheel-follow-mouse
788 @vindex mouse-wheel-scroll-amount
789 The variables @code{mouse-wheel-follow-mouse} and
790 @code{mouse-wheel-scroll-amount} determine where and by how much
791 buffers are scrolled.
792
793 @node Menu Bars
794 @section Menu Bars
795 @cindex Menu Bar mode
796 @cindex mode, Menu Bar
797
798 You can turn display of menu bars on or off with @kbd{M-x
799 menu-bar-mode} or by customizing the option @code{menu-bar-mode}.
800 With no argument, this command toggles Menu Bar mode, a
801 minor mode. With an argument, the command turns Menu Bar mode on if the
802 argument is positive, off if the argument is not positive. You can use
803 the X resource @samp{menuBarLines} to control the initial setting of
804 Menu Bar mode. @xref{Resources}.
805
806 @kindex C-Mouse-3 @r{(when menu bar is disabled)}
807 Expert users often turn off the menu bar, especially on text-only
808 terminals, where this makes one additional line available for text.
809 If the menu bar is off, you can still pop up a menu of its contents
810 with @kbd{C-Mouse-3} on a display which supports pop-up menus.
811 @xref{Menu Mouse Clicks}.
812
813 @xref{Menu Bar}, for information on how to invoke commands with the
814 menu bar. @xref{X Resources}, for how to customize the menu bar
815 menus.
816
817 @node Tool Bars
818 @section Tool Bars
819 @cindex Tool Bar mode
820 @cindex mode, Tool Bar
821 @cindex icons, tool bar
822
823 The @dfn{tool bar} is a line (or multiple lines) of icons at the top
824 of the Emacs window. You can click on these icons with the mouse
825 to do various jobs.
826
827 The global tool bar contains general commands. Some major modes
828 define their own tool bars to replace it. A few ``special'' modes
829 that are not designed for ordinary editing remove some items from the
830 global tool bar.
831
832 Tool bars work only on a graphical display. The tool bar uses colored
833 XPM icons if Emacs was built with XPM support. Otherwise, the tool
834 bar uses monochrome icons (PBM or XBM format).
835
836 You can turn display of tool bars on or off with @kbd{M-x
837 tool-bar-mode}.
838
839 @node Dialog Boxes
840 @section Using Dialog Boxes
841 @cindex dialog boxes
842
843 @vindex use-dialog-box
844 A dialog box is a special kind of menu for asking you a yes-or-no
845 question or some other special question. Many Emacs commands use a
846 dialog box to ask a yes-or-no question, if you used the mouse to
847 invoke the command to begin with.
848
849 You can customize the option @code{use-dialog-box} to suppress the
850 use of dialog boxes. This also controls whether to use file selection
851 windows (but those are not supported on all platforms).
852
853 @node Tooltips
854 @section Tooltips (or ``Balloon Help'')
855
856 @cindex balloon help
857 Tooltips are small X windows displaying a help string at the current
858 mouse position, typically over text---including the mode line---which
859 can be activated with the mouse or other keys. (This facility is
860 sometimes known as @dfn{balloon help}.) Help text may be available for
861 menu items too.
862
863 @findex tooltip-mode
864 To use tooltips, enable Tooltip mode with the command @kbd{M-x
865 tooltip-mode}. The customization group @code{tooltip} controls
866 various aspects of how tooltips work. When Tooltip mode is disabled,
867 the help text is displayed in the echo area instead.
868
869 @xref{X Resources}, for information on customizing the windows
870 that display tooltips.
871
872 @node Mouse Avoidance
873 @section Mouse Avoidance
874 @cindex avoiding mouse in the way of your typing
875 @cindex mouse avoidance
876
877 @vindex mouse-avoidance-mode
878 Mouse Avoidance mode keeps the window system mouse pointer away from
879 point, to avoid obscuring text. Whenever it moves the mouse, it also
880 raises the frame. To use Mouse Avoidance mode, customize the option
881 @code{mouse-avoidance-mode}. You can set this to various values to
882 move the mouse in several ways:
883
884 @table @code
885 @item banish
886 Move the mouse to the upper-right corner on any key-press;
887 @item exile
888 Move the mouse to the corner only if the cursor gets too close,
889 and allow it to return once the cursor is out of the way;
890 @item jump
891 If the cursor gets too close to the mouse, displace the mouse
892 a random distance & direction;
893 @item animate
894 As @code{jump}, but shows steps along the way for illusion of motion;
895 @item cat-and-mouse
896 The same as @code{animate};
897 @item proteus
898 As @code{animate}, but changes the shape of the mouse pointer too.
899 @end table
900
901 @findex mouse-avoidance-mode
902 You can also use the command @kbd{M-x mouse-avoidance-mode} to enable
903 the mode.
904
905 @node Non-Window Terminals
906 @section Non-Window Terminals
907 @cindex non-window terminals
908 @cindex single-frame terminals
909
910 If your terminal does not have a window system that Emacs supports,
911 then it can display only one Emacs frame at a time. However, you can
912 still create multiple Emacs frames, and switch between them. Switching
913 frames on these terminals is much like switching between different
914 window configurations.
915
916 Use @kbd{C-x 5 2} to create a new frame and switch to it; use @kbd{C-x
917 5 o} to cycle through the existing frames; use @kbd{C-x 5 0} to delete
918 the current frame.
919
920 Each frame has a number to distinguish it. If your terminal can
921 display only one frame at a time, the selected frame's number @var{n}
922 appears near the beginning of the mode line, in the form
923 @samp{F@var{n}}.
924
925 @findex set-frame-name
926 @findex select-frame-by-name
927 @samp{F@var{n}} is actually the frame's name. You can also specify a
928 different name if you wish, and you can select a frame by its name. Use
929 the command @kbd{M-x set-frame-name @key{RET} @var{name} @key{RET}} to
930 specify a new name for the selected frame, and use @kbd{M-x
931 select-frame-by-name @key{RET} @var{name} @key{RET}} to select a frame
932 according to its name. The name you specify appears in the mode line
933 when the frame is selected.
934
935 @node XTerm Mouse
936 @section Using a Mouse in Terminal Emulators
937 @cindex xterm, mouse support
938 @cindex terminal emulators, mouse support
939
940 Some terminal emulators under X support mouse clicks in the terminal
941 window. In a terminal emulator which is compatible with @code{xterm},
942 you can use @kbd{M-x xterm-mouse-mode} to enable simple use of the
943 mouse---only single clicks are supported. The normal @code{xterm} mouse
944 functionality is still available by holding down the @kbd{SHIFT} key
945 when you press the mouse button. The Linux console supports this
946 mode if it has support for the mouse enabled, e.g.@: using the
947 @command{gpm} daemon.