]> code.delx.au - gnu-emacs/blob - man/display.texi
(Faces): isearch-lazy-highlight-face renamed to lazy-highlight.
[gnu-emacs] / man / display.texi
1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Display, Search, Registers, Top
6 @chapter Controlling the Display
7
8 Since only part of a large buffer fits in the window, Emacs tries to
9 show a part that is likely to be interesting. Display-control commands
10 allow you to specify which part of the text you want to see, and how to
11 display it.
12
13 @menu
14 * Faces:: How to change the display style using faces.
15 * Font Lock:: Minor mode for syntactic highlighting using faces.
16 * Highlight Changes:: Using colors to show where you changed the buffer.
17 * Highlight Interactively:: Tell Emacs what text to highlight.
18 * Scrolling:: Moving text up and down in a window.
19 * Horizontal Scrolling:: Moving text left and right in a window.
20 * Fringes:: Enabling or disabling window fringes.
21 * Useless Whitespace:: Showing possibly-spurious trailing whitespace.
22 * Follow Mode:: Follow mode lets two windows scroll as one.
23 * Selective Display:: Hiding lines with lots of indentation.
24 * Optional Mode Line:: Optional mode line display features.
25 * Text Display:: How text characters are normally displayed.
26 * Display Custom:: Information on variables for customizing display.
27 * Cursor Display:: Features for displaying the cursor.
28 @end menu
29
30 @node Faces
31 @section Using Multiple Typefaces
32 @cindex faces
33
34 Emacs supports using multiple styles of displaying characters. Each
35 style is called a @dfn{face}. Each face can specify various @dfn{face
36 attributes}, such as the font family, the height, weight and slant of
37 the characters, the foreground and background color, and underlining
38 or overlining. A face does not have to specify all of these
39 attributes; often it inherits many of them from another face.
40
41 On a window system, all the Emacs face attributes are meaningful.
42 On a character terminal, only some of them work. Some character
43 terminals support inverse video, bold, and underline attributes; some
44 support colors. Character terminals generally do not support changing
45 the height and width or the font family.
46
47 Features which rely on text in multiple faces (such as Font Lock mode)
48 will also work on non-windowed terminals that can display more than one
49 face, whether by colors or underlining and emboldening. This includes
50 the console on GNU/Linux, an @code{xterm} which supports colors, the
51 MS-DOS display (@pxref{MS-DOS}), and the MS-Windows version invoked with
52 the @option{-nw} option. Emacs determines automatically whether the
53 terminal has this capability.
54
55 You control the appearance of a part of the text in the buffer by
56 specifying the face or faces to use for it. The style of display used
57 for any given character is determined by combining the attributes of
58 all the applicable faces specified for that character. Any attribute
59 that isn't specified by these faces is taken from the @code{default} face,
60 whose attributes reflect the default settings of the frame itself.
61
62 Enriched mode, the mode for editing formatted text, includes several
63 commands and menus for specifying faces for text in the buffer.
64 @xref{Format Faces}, for how to specify the font for text in the
65 buffer. @xref{Format Colors}, for how to specify the foreground and
66 background color.
67
68 @cindex face colors, setting
69 @findex set-face-foreground
70 @findex set-face-background
71 To alter the appearance of a face, use the customization buffer.
72 @xref{Face Customization}. You can also use X resources to specify
73 attributes of particular faces (@pxref{Resources}). Alternatively,
74 you can change the foreground and background colors of a specific face
75 with @kbd{M-x set-face-foreground} and @kbd{M-x set-face-background}.
76 These commands prompt in the minibuffer for a face name and a color
77 name, with completion, and then set that face to use the specified
78 color. Changing the colors of the @code{default} face also changes
79 the foreground and background colors on all frames, both existing and
80 those to be created in the future. (You can also set foreground and
81 background colors for the current frame only; see @ref{Frame
82 Parameters}.)
83
84 Emacs 21 can correctly display variable-width fonts, but Emacs
85 commands that calculate width and indentation do not know how to
86 calculate variable widths. This can sometimes lead to incorrect
87 results when you use variable-width fonts. In particular, indentation
88 commands can give inconsistent results, so we recommend you avoid
89 variable-width fonts for editing program source code. Filling will
90 sometimes make lines too long or too short. We plan to address these
91 issues in future Emacs versions.
92
93 @findex list-faces-display
94 To see what faces are currently defined, and what they look like, type
95 @kbd{M-x list-faces-display}. It's possible for a given face to look
96 different in different frames; this command shows the appearance in the
97 frame in which you type it. Here's a list of the standard defined
98 faces:
99
100 @table @code
101 @item default
102 This face is used for ordinary text that doesn't specify any other face.
103 @item mode-line
104 This face is used for the mode line of the currently selected window.
105 By default, it's drawn with shadows for a ``raised'' effect on window
106 systems, and drawn as the inverse of the default face on non-windowed
107 terminals. @xref{Display Custom}.
108 @item mode-line-inactive
109 Like @code{mode-line}, but used for mode lines of the windows other
110 than the selected one (if @code{mode-line-in-non-selected-windows} is
111 non-@code{nil}). This face inherits from @code{mode-line}, so changes
112 in that face affect mode lines in all windows.
113 @item header-line
114 Similar to @code{mode-line} for a window's header line. Most modes
115 don't use the header line, but the Info mode does.
116 @item minibuffer-prompt
117 This face is used for the prompt strings displayed in the minibuffer.
118 @item highlight
119 This face is used for highlighting portions of text, in various modes.
120 For example, mouse-sensitive text is highlighted using this face.
121 @item isearch
122 This face is used for highlighting Isearch matches.
123 @item lazy-highlight
124 This face is used for lazy highlighting of Isearch and Query Replace
125 matches other than the current one.
126 @item region
127 This face is used for displaying a selected region (when Transient Mark
128 mode is enabled---see below).
129 @item secondary-selection
130 This face is used for displaying a secondary X selection (@pxref{Secondary
131 Selection}).
132 @item bold
133 This face uses a bold variant of the default font, if it has one.
134 @item italic
135 This face uses an italic variant of the default font, if it has one.
136 @item bold-italic
137 This face uses a bold italic variant of the default font, if it has one.
138 @item underline
139 This face underlines text.
140 @item fixed-pitch
141 The basic fixed-pitch face.
142 @item fringe
143 @cindex fringe
144 The face for the fringes to the left and right of windows on graphic
145 displays. (The fringes are the narrow portions of the Emacs frame
146 between the text area and the window's right and left borders.)
147 @item scroll-bar
148 This face determines the visual appearance of the scroll bar.
149 @item border
150 This face determines the color of the frame border.
151 @item cursor
152 This face determines the color of the cursor.
153 @item mouse
154 This face determines the color of the mouse pointer.
155 @item tool-bar
156 This is the basic tool-bar face. No text appears in the tool bar, but the
157 colors of this face affect the appearance of tool bar icons.
158 @item tooltip
159 This face is used for tooltips.
160 @item menu
161 This face determines the colors and font of Emacs's menus. Setting the
162 font of LessTif/Motif menus is currently not supported; attempts to set
163 the font are ignored in this case.
164 @item trailing-whitespace
165 The face for highlighting trailing whitespace when
166 @code{show-trailing-whitespace} is non-@code{nil}; see @ref{Useless
167 Whitespace}.
168 @item variable-pitch
169 The basic variable-pitch face.
170 @end table
171
172 @cindex @code{region} face
173 When Transient Mark mode is enabled, the text of the region is
174 highlighted when the mark is active. This uses the face named
175 @code{region}; you can control the style of highlighting by changing the
176 style of this face (@pxref{Face Customization}). @xref{Transient Mark},
177 for more information about Transient Mark mode and activation and
178 deactivation of the mark.
179
180 One easy way to use faces is to turn on Font Lock mode. This minor
181 mode, which is always local to a particular buffer, arranges to
182 choose faces according to the syntax of the text you are editing. It
183 can recognize comments and strings in most languages; in several
184 languages, it can also recognize and properly highlight various other
185 important constructs. @xref{Font Lock}, for more information about
186 Font Lock mode and syntactic highlighting.
187
188 You can print out the buffer with the highlighting that appears
189 on your screen using the command @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces}.
190 @xref{PostScript}.
191
192 @node Font Lock
193 @section Font Lock mode
194 @cindex Font Lock mode
195 @cindex mode, Font Lock
196 @cindex syntax highlighting and coloring
197
198 Font Lock mode is a minor mode, always local to a particular buffer,
199 which highlights (or ``fontifies'') using various faces according to
200 the syntax of the text you are editing. It can recognize comments and
201 strings in most languages; in several languages, it can also recognize
202 and properly highlight various other important constructs---for
203 example, names of functions being defined or reserved keywords.
204 Some special modes, such as Occur mode and Info mode, have completely
205 specialized ways of assigning fonts for Font Lock mode.
206
207 @findex font-lock-mode
208 @findex turn-on-font-lock
209 The command @kbd{M-x font-lock-mode} turns Font Lock mode on or off
210 according to the argument, and toggles the mode when it has no argument.
211 The function @code{turn-on-font-lock} unconditionally enables Font Lock
212 mode. This is useful in mode-hook functions. For example, to enable
213 Font Lock mode whenever you edit a C file, you can do this:
214
215 @example
216 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock)
217 @end example
218
219 @findex global-font-lock-mode
220 @vindex global-font-lock-mode
221 To turn on Font Lock mode automatically in all modes which support
222 it, customize the user option @code{global-font-lock-mode} or use the
223 function @code{global-font-lock-mode} in your @file{.emacs} file, like
224 this:
225
226 @example
227 (global-font-lock-mode 1)
228 @end example
229
230 Font Lock mode uses several specifically named faces to do its job,
231 including @code{font-lock-string-face}, @code{font-lock-comment-face},
232 and others. The easiest way to find them all is to use completion
233 on the face name in @code{set-face-foreground}.
234
235 To change the colors or the fonts used by Font Lock mode to fontify
236 different parts of text, just change these faces. There are
237 two ways to do it:
238
239 @itemize @bullet
240 @item
241 Invoke @kbd{M-x set-face-foreground} or @kbd{M-x set-face-background}
242 to change the colors of a particular face used by Font Lock.
243 @xref{Faces}. The command @kbd{M-x list-faces-display} displays all
244 the faces currently known to Emacs, including those used by Font Lock.
245
246 @item
247 Customize the faces interactively with @kbd{M-x customize-face}, as
248 described in @ref{Face Customization}.
249 @end itemize
250
251 To get the full benefit of Font Lock mode, you need to choose a
252 default font which has bold, italic, and bold-italic variants; or else
253 you need to have a color or gray-scale screen.
254
255 @vindex font-lock-maximum-decoration
256 The variable @code{font-lock-maximum-decoration} specifies the
257 preferred level of fontification, for modes that provide multiple
258 levels. Level 1 is the least amount of fontification; some modes
259 support levels as high as 3. The normal default is ``as high as
260 possible.'' You can specify an integer, which applies to all modes, or
261 you can specify different numbers for particular major modes; for
262 example, to use level 1 for C/C++ modes, and the default level
263 otherwise, use this:
264
265 @example
266 (setq font-lock-maximum-decoration
267 '((c-mode . 1) (c++-mode . 1)))
268 @end example
269
270 @vindex font-lock-maximum-size
271 Fontification can be too slow for large buffers, so you can suppress
272 it. The variable @code{font-lock-maximum-size} specifies a buffer size,
273 beyond which buffer fontification is suppressed.
274
275 @c @w is used below to prevent a bad page-break.
276 @vindex font-lock-beginning-of-syntax-function
277 @cindex incorrect fontification
278 @cindex parenthesis in column zero and fontification
279 @cindex brace in column zero and fontification
280 Comment and string fontification (or ``syntactic'' fontification)
281 relies on analysis of the syntactic structure of the buffer text. For
282 the sake of speed, some modes, including C mode and Lisp mode,
283 rely on a special convention: an open-parenthesis or open-brace in the
284 leftmost column always defines the @w{beginning} of a defun, and is
285 thus always outside any string or comment. (@xref{Left Margin
286 Paren}.) If you don't follow this convention, Font Lock mode can
287 misfontify the text that follows an open-parenthesis or open-brace in
288 the leftmost column that is inside a string or comment.
289
290 @cindex slow display during scrolling
291 The variable @code{font-lock-beginning-of-syntax-function} (always
292 buffer-local) specifies how Font Lock mode can find a position
293 guaranteed to be outside any comment or string. In modes which use the
294 leftmost column parenthesis convention, the default value of the variable
295 is @code{beginning-of-defun}---that tells Font Lock mode to use the
296 convention. If you set this variable to @code{nil}, Font Lock no longer
297 relies on the convention. This avoids incorrect results, but the price
298 is that, in some cases, fontification for a changed text must rescan
299 buffer text from the beginning of the buffer. This can considerably
300 slow down redisplay while scrolling, particularly if you are close to
301 the end of a large buffer.
302
303 @findex font-lock-add-keywords
304 Font Lock highlighting patterns already exist for many modes, but you
305 may want to fontify additional patterns. You can use the function
306 @code{font-lock-add-keywords}, to add your own highlighting patterns for
307 a particular mode. For example, to highlight @samp{FIXME:} words in C
308 comments, use this:
309
310 @example
311 (font-lock-add-keywords
312 'c-mode
313 '(("\\<\\(FIXME\\):" 1 font-lock-warning-face t)))
314 @end example
315
316 @findex font-lock-remove-keywords
317 To remove keywords from the font-lock highlighting patterns, use the
318 function @code{font-lock-remove-keywords}. @xref{Search-based
319 Fontification,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for
320 documentation of the format of this list.
321
322 @cindex just-in-time (JIT) font-lock
323 @cindex background syntax highlighting
324 Fontifying large buffers can take a long time. To avoid large
325 delays when a file is visited, Emacs fontifies only the visible
326 portion of a buffer. As you scroll through the buffer, each portion
327 that becomes visible is fontified as soon as it is displayed. The
328 parts of the buffer that are not displayed are fontified
329 ``stealthily'', in the background, i.e.@: when Emacs is idle. You can
330 control this background fontification, called @dfn{Just-In-Time}, or
331 @dfn{JIT} Font Lock, by customizing various options in the
332 customization group @samp{jit-lock}. @xref{Specific Customization}.
333
334 @node Highlight Changes
335 @section Highlight Changes Mode
336
337 @findex highlight-changes-mode
338 Use @kbd{M-x highlight-changes-mode} to enable a minor mode
339 that uses faces (colors, typically) to indicate which parts of
340 the buffer were changed most recently.
341
342 @node Highlight Interactively
343 @section Interactive Highlighting by Matching
344 @cindex highlighting by matching
345 @cindex interactive highlighting
346
347 It is sometimes useful to highlight the strings that match a certain
348 regular expression. For example, you might wish to see all the
349 references to a certain variable in a program source file, or highlight
350 certain parts in a voluminous output of some program, or make certain
351 cliches stand out in an article.
352
353 @findex hi-lock-mode
354 Use the @kbd{M-x hi-lock-mode} command to turn on a minor mode that
355 allows you to specify regular expressions of the text to be
356 highlighted. Hi-lock mode works like Font Lock (@pxref{Font Lock}),
357 except that it lets you specify explicitly what parts of text to
358 highlight. You control Hi-lock mode with these commands:
359
360 @table @kbd
361 @item C-x w h @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}
362 @kindex C-x w h
363 @findex highlight-regexp
364 Highlight text that matches
365 @var{regexp} using face @var{face} (@code{highlight-regexp}).
366 By using this command more than once, you can highlight various
367 parts of the text in different ways.
368
369 @item C-x w r @var{regexp} @key{RET}
370 @kindex C-x w r
371 @findex unhighlight-regexp
372 Unhighlight @var{regexp} (@code{unhighlight-regexp}). You must enter
373 one of the regular expressions currently specified for highlighting.
374 (You can use completion, or choose from a menu, to enter one of them
375 conveniently.)
376
377 @item C-x w l @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}
378 @kindex C-x w l
379 @findex highlight-lines-matching-regexp
380 @cindex lines, highlighting
381 @cindex highlighting lines of text
382 Highlight entire lines containing a match for @var{regexp}, using face
383 @var{face} (@code{highlight-lines-matching-regexp}).
384
385 @item C-x w b
386 @kindex C-x w b
387 @findex hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns
388 Insert all the current highlighting regexp/face pairs into the buffer
389 at point, with comment delimiters to prevent them from changing your
390 program. This key binding runs the
391 @code{hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns} command.
392
393 These patterns will be read the next time you visit the file while
394 Hi-lock mode is enabled, or whenever you use the @kbd{M-x
395 hi-lock-find-patterns} command.
396
397 @item C-x w i
398 @kindex C-x w i
399 @findex hi-lock-find-patterns
400 @vindex hi-lock-exclude-modes
401 Re-read regexp/face pairs in the current buffer
402 (@code{hi-lock-write-interactive-patterns}). The list of pairs is
403 found no matter where in the buffer it may be.
404
405 This command does nothing if the major mode is a member of the list
406 @code{hi-lock-exclude-modes}.
407 @end table
408
409 @node Scrolling
410 @section Scrolling
411
412 If a buffer contains text that is too large to fit entirely within a
413 window that is displaying the buffer, Emacs shows a contiguous portion of
414 the text. The portion shown always contains point.
415
416 @cindex scrolling
417 @dfn{Scrolling} means moving text up or down in the window so that
418 different parts of the text are visible. Scrolling forward means that text
419 moves up, and new text appears at the bottom. Scrolling backward moves
420 text down and new text appears at the top.
421
422 Scrolling happens automatically if you move point past the bottom or top
423 of the window. You can also explicitly request scrolling with the commands
424 in this section.
425
426 @table @kbd
427 @item C-l
428 Clear screen and redisplay, scrolling the selected window to center
429 point vertically within it (@code{recenter}).
430 @item C-v
431 Scroll forward (a windowful or a specified number of lines) (@code{scroll-up}).
432 @item @key{NEXT}
433 @itemx @key{PAGEDOWN}
434 Likewise, scroll forward.
435 @item M-v
436 Scroll backward (@code{scroll-down}).
437 @item @key{PRIOR}
438 @itemx @key{PAGEUP}
439 Likewise, scroll backward.
440 @item @var{arg} C-l
441 Scroll so point is on line @var{arg} (@code{recenter}).
442 @item C-M-l
443 Scroll heuristically to bring useful information onto the screen
444 (@code{reposition-window}).
445 @end table
446
447 @kindex C-l
448 @findex recenter
449 The most basic scrolling command is @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter}) with
450 no argument. It clears the entire screen and redisplays all windows.
451 In addition, it scrolls the selected window so that point is halfway
452 down from the top of the window.
453
454 @kindex C-v
455 @kindex M-v
456 @kindex NEXT
457 @kindex PRIOR
458 @kindex PAGEDOWN
459 @kindex PAGEUP
460 @findex scroll-up
461 @findex scroll-down
462 @vindex next-screen-context-lines
463 To read the buffer a windowful at a time, use @kbd{C-v}
464 (@code{scroll-up}) with no argument. This scrolls forward by nearly
465 the whole window height. The effect is to take the two lines at the
466 bottom of the window and put them at the top, followed by nearly a
467 whole windowful of lines that were not previously visible. If point
468 was in the text that scrolled off the top, it ends up at the new top
469 of the window.
470
471 @kbd{M-v} (@code{scroll-down}) with no argument scrolls backward in
472 a similar way, also with overlap. The number of lines of overlap
473 across a @kbd{C-v} or @kbd{M-v} is controlled by the variable
474 @code{next-screen-context-lines}; by default, it is 2. The function
475 keys @key{NEXT} and @key{PRIOR}, or @key{PAGEDOWN} and @key{PAGEUP},
476 are equivalent to @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v}.
477
478 The commands @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v} with a numeric argument scroll
479 the text in the selected window up or down a few lines. @kbd{C-v}
480 with an argument moves the text and point up, together, that many
481 lines; it brings the same number of new lines into view at the bottom
482 of the window. @kbd{M-v} with numeric argument scrolls the text
483 downward, bringing that many new lines into view at the top of the
484 window. @kbd{C-v} with a negative argument is like @kbd{M-v} and vice
485 versa.
486
487 The names of scroll commands are based on the direction that the
488 text moves in the window. Thus, the command to scroll forward is
489 called @code{scroll-up} because it moves the text upward on the
490 screen. The keys @key{PAGEDOWN} and @key{PAGEUP} derive their names
491 and customary meanings from a different convention that developed
492 elsewhere; hence the strange result that @key{PAGEDOWN} runs
493 @code{scroll-up}.
494
495 @vindex scroll-preserve-screen-position
496 Some users like the full-screen scroll commands to keep point at the
497 same screen line. To enable this behavior, set the variable
498 @code{scroll-preserve-screen-position} to a non-@code{nil} value. In
499 this mode, when scrolling shifts point off the screen, or into the
500 scrolling margins, Emacs moves point to keep the same vertical
501 position within the window. This mode is convenient for browsing
502 through a file by scrolling by screenfuls; if you come back to the
503 screen where you started, point goes back to the line where it
504 started. However, this mode is inconvenient when you move to the next
505 screen in order to move point to the text there.
506
507 Another way to do scrolling is with @kbd{C-l} with a numeric argument.
508 @kbd{C-l} does not clear the screen when given an argument; it only scrolls
509 the selected window. With a positive argument @var{n}, it repositions text
510 to put point @var{n} lines down from the top. An argument of zero puts
511 point on the very top line. Point does not move with respect to the text;
512 rather, the text and point move rigidly on the screen. @kbd{C-l} with a
513 negative argument puts point that many lines from the bottom of the window.
514 For example, @kbd{C-u - 1 C-l} puts point on the bottom line, and @kbd{C-u
515 - 5 C-l} puts it five lines from the bottom. @kbd{C-u C-l} scrolls to put
516 point at the center (vertically) of the selected window.
517
518 @kindex C-M-l
519 @findex reposition-window
520 The @kbd{C-M-l} command (@code{reposition-window}) scrolls the current
521 window heuristically in a way designed to get useful information onto
522 the screen. For example, in a Lisp file, this command tries to get the
523 entire current defun onto the screen if possible.
524
525 @vindex scroll-conservatively
526 Scrolling happens automatically when point moves out of the visible
527 portion of the text. Normally, automatic scrolling centers point
528 vertically within the window. However, if you set
529 @code{scroll-conservatively} to a small number @var{n}, then if you
530 move point just a little off the screen---less than @var{n}
531 lines---then Emacs scrolls the text just far enough to bring point
532 back on screen. By default, @code{scroll-conservatively} is 0.
533
534 @cindex aggressive scrolling
535 @vindex scroll-up-aggressively
536 @vindex scroll-down-aggressively
537 When the window does scroll by a longer distance, you can control
538 how aggressively it scrolls, by setting the variables
539 @code{scroll-up-aggressively} and @code{scroll-down-aggressively}.
540 The value of @code{scroll-up-aggressively} should be either
541 @code{nil}, or a fraction @var{f} between 0 and 1. A fraction
542 specifies where on the screen to put point when scrolling upward.
543 More precisely, when a window scrolls up because point is above the
544 window start, the new start position is chosen to put point @var{f}
545 part of the window height from the top. The larger @var{f}, the more
546 aggressive the scrolling.
547
548 @code{nil}, which is the default, scrolls to put point at the center.
549 So it is equivalent to .5.
550
551 Likewise, @code{scroll-down-aggressively} is used for scrolling
552 down. The value, @var{f}, specifies how far point should be placed
553 from the bottom of the window; thus, as with
554 @code{scroll-up-aggressively}, a larger value is more aggressive.
555
556 @vindex scroll-margin
557 The variable @code{scroll-margin} restricts how close point can come
558 to the top or bottom of a window. Its value is a number of screen
559 lines; if point comes within that many lines of the top or bottom of the
560 window, Emacs recenters the window. By default, @code{scroll-margin} is
561 0.
562
563 @node Horizontal Scrolling
564 @section Horizontal Scrolling
565 @cindex horizontal scrolling
566
567 @dfn{Horizontal scrolling} means shifting all the lines sideways
568 within a window---so that some of the text near the left margin is not
569 displayed at all. Emacs does this automatically in any window that
570 uses line truncation rather than continuation: whenever point moves
571 off the left or right edge of the screen, Emacs scrolls the buffer
572 horizontally to make point visible.
573
574 When a window has been scrolled horizontally, text lines are truncated
575 rather than continued (@pxref{Continuation Lines}), with a @samp{$}
576 appearing in the first column when there is text truncated to the left,
577 and in the last column when there is text truncated to the right.
578
579 You can use these commands to do explicit horizontal scrolling.
580
581 @table @kbd
582 @item C-x <
583 Scroll text in current window to the left (@code{scroll-left}).
584 @item C-x >
585 Scroll to the right (@code{scroll-right}).
586 @end table
587
588 @kindex C-x <
589 @kindex C-x >
590 @findex scroll-left
591 @findex scroll-right
592 The command @kbd{C-x <} (@code{scroll-left}) scrolls the selected
593 window to the left by @var{n} columns with argument @var{n}. This moves
594 part of the beginning of each line off the left edge of the window.
595 With no argument, it scrolls by almost the full width of the window (two
596 columns less, to be precise).
597
598 @kbd{C-x >} (@code{scroll-right}) scrolls similarly to the right. The
599 window cannot be scrolled any farther to the right once it is displayed
600 normally (with each line starting at the window's left margin);
601 attempting to do so has no effect. This means that you don't have to
602 calculate the argument precisely for @w{@kbd{C-x >}}; any sufficiently large
603 argument will restore the normal display.
604
605 If you scroll a window horizontally by hand, that sets a lower bound
606 for automatic horizontal scrolling. Automatic scrolling will continue
607 to scroll the window, but never farther to the right than the amount
608 you previously set by @code{scroll-left}.
609
610 @vindex hscroll-margin
611 The value of the variable @code{hscroll-margin} controls how close
612 to the window's edges point is allowed to get before the window will
613 be automatically scrolled. It is measured in columns. If the value
614 is 5, then moving point within 5 columns of the edge causes horizontal
615 scrolling away from that edge.
616
617 @vindex hscroll-step
618 The variable @code{hscroll-step} determines how many columns to
619 scroll the window when point gets too close to the edge. If it's
620 zero, horizontal scrolling centers point horizontally within the
621 window. If it's a positive integer, it specifies the number of
622 columns to scroll by. If it's a floating-point number, it specifies
623 the fraction of the window's width to scroll by. The default is zero.
624
625 @vindex auto-hscroll-mode
626 To disable automatic horizontal scrolling, set the variable
627 @code{auto-hscroll-mode} to @code{nil}.
628
629 @node Fringes
630 @section Window Fringes
631 @cindex fringes
632
633 On a graphical display, each Emacs window normally has narrow
634 @dfn{fringes} on the left and right edges. The fringes display
635 indications about the text in the window.
636
637 The most common use of the fringes is to indicate a continuation
638 line, when one line of text is split into multiple lines on the
639 screen. The left fringe shows a curving arrow for each screen line
640 except the first, indicating that ``this is not the real beginning.''
641 The right fringe shows a curving arrow for each screen line except the
642 last, indicating that ``this is not the real end.''
643
644 The fringes indicate line truncation with short horizontal arrows
645 meaning ``there's more text on this line which is scrolled
646 horizontally out of view;'' clicking the mouse on one of the arrows
647 scrolls the display horizontally in the direction of the arrow. The
648 fringes also indicate other things such as empty lines, or where a
649 program you are debugging is executing (@pxref{Debuggers}).
650
651 @findex set-fringe-style
652 @findex fringe-mode
653 You can enable and disable the fringes for all frames using
654 @kbd{M-x fringe-mode}. To enable and disable the fringes
655 for the selected frame, use @kbd{M-x set-fringe-style}.
656
657 @node Useless Whitespace
658 @section Useless Whitespace
659
660 @cindex trailing whitespace
661 @cindex whitespace, trailing
662 @vindex show-trailing-whitespace
663 It is easy to leave unnecessary spaces at the end of a line, or
664 empty lines at the end of a file, without realizing it. In most
665 cases, this @dfn{trailing whitespace} has no effect, but there are
666 special circumstances where it matters.
667
668 You can make trailing whitespace at the end of a line visible on the
669 screen by setting the buffer-local variable
670 @code{show-trailing-whitespace} to @code{t}. Then Emacs displays
671 trailing whitespace in the face @code{trailing-whitespace}.
672
673 This feature does not apply when point is at the end of the line
674 containing the whitespace. Strictly speaking, that is ``trailing
675 whitespace'' nonetheless, but displaying it specially in that case
676 looks ugly while you are typing in new text. In this special case,
677 the location of point is enough to show you that the spaces are
678 present.
679
680 @findex delete-trailing-whitespace
681 To delete all trailing whitespace within the current buffer's
682 accessible portion (@pxref{Narrowing}), type @kbd{M-x
683 delete-trailing-whitespace @key{RET}}. (This command does not remove
684 the form-feed characters.)
685
686 @vindex indicate-unused-lines
687 @vindex default-indicate-empty-lines
688 @cindex unused lines
689 @cindex fringes, and unused line indication
690 Emacs can indicate unused lines at the end of the window with a
691 small image in the left fringe (@pxref{Fringes}). The image appears
692 for window lines that do not correspond to any buffer text. Blank
693 lines at the end of the buffer then stand out because they do not have
694 this image in the fringe.
695
696 To enable this feature, set the buffer-local variable
697 @code{indicate-unused-lines} to a non-@code{nil} value. The default
698 value of this variable is controlled by the variable
699 @code{default-indicate-unused-lines}; by setting that variable, you
700 can enable or disable this feature for all new buffers. (This feature
701 currently doesn't work on character terminals.)
702
703 @node Follow Mode
704 @section Follow Mode
705 @cindex Follow mode
706 @cindex mode, Follow
707 @findex follow-mode
708 @cindex windows, synchronizing
709 @cindex synchronizing windows
710
711 @dfn{Follow mode} is a minor mode that makes two windows showing the
712 same buffer scroll as one tall ``virtual window.'' To use Follow mode,
713 go to a frame with just one window, split it into two side-by-side
714 windows using @kbd{C-x 3}, and then type @kbd{M-x follow-mode}. From
715 then on, you can edit the buffer in either of the two windows, or scroll
716 either one; the other window follows it.
717
718 In Follow mode, if you move point outside the portion visible in one
719 window and into the portion visible in the other window, that selects
720 the other window---again, treating the two as if they were parts of
721 one large window.
722
723 To turn off Follow mode, type @kbd{M-x follow-mode} a second time.
724
725 @node Selective Display
726 @section Selective Display
727 @cindex selective display
728 @findex set-selective-display
729 @kindex C-x $
730
731 Emacs has the ability to hide lines indented more than a certain number
732 of columns (you specify how many columns). You can use this to get an
733 overview of a part of a program.
734
735 To hide lines, type @kbd{C-x $} (@code{set-selective-display}) with a
736 numeric argument @var{n}. Then lines with at least @var{n} columns of
737 indentation disappear from the screen. The only indication of their
738 presence is that three dots (@samp{@dots{}}) appear at the end of each
739 visible line that is followed by one or more hidden ones.
740
741 The commands @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} move across the hidden lines as
742 if they were not there.
743
744 The hidden lines are still present in the buffer, and most editing
745 commands see them as usual, so you may find point in the middle of the
746 hidden text. When this happens, the cursor appears at the end of the
747 previous line, after the three dots. If point is at the end of the
748 visible line, before the newline that ends it, the cursor appears before
749 the three dots.
750
751 To make all lines visible again, type @kbd{C-x $} with no argument.
752
753 @vindex selective-display-ellipses
754 If you set the variable @code{selective-display-ellipses} to
755 @code{nil}, the three dots do not appear at the end of a line that
756 precedes hidden lines. Then there is no visible indication of the
757 hidden lines. This variable becomes local automatically when set.
758
759 @node Optional Mode Line
760 @section Optional Mode Line Features
761
762 @cindex buffer size display
763 @cindex display of buffer size
764 @findex size-indication-mode
765 The buffer percentage @var{pos} indicates the percentage of the
766 buffer above the top of the window. You can additionally display the
767 size of the buffer by typing @kbd{M-x size-indication-mode} to turn on
768 Size Indication mode. The size will be displayed immediately
769 following the buffer percentage like this:
770
771 @example
772 @var{POS} of @var{SIZE}
773 @end example
774
775 @noindent
776 Here @var{SIZE} is the human readable representation of the number of
777 characters in the buffer, which means that @samp{k} for 10^3, @samp{M}
778 for 10^6, @samp{G} for 10^9, etc., are used to abbreviate.
779
780 @cindex narrowing, and buffer size display
781 If you have narrowed the buffer (@pxref{Narrowing}), the size of the
782 accessible part of the buffer is shown.
783
784 @cindex line number display
785 @cindex display of line number
786 @findex line-number-mode
787 The current line number of point appears in the mode line when Line
788 Number mode is enabled. Use the command @kbd{M-x line-number-mode} to
789 turn this mode on and off; normally it is on. The line number appears
790 after the buffer percentage @var{pos}, with the letter @samp{L} to
791 indicate what it is. @xref{Minor Modes}, for more information about
792 minor modes and about how to use this command.
793
794 @cindex narrowing, and line number display
795 If you have narrowed the buffer (@pxref{Narrowing}), the displayed
796 line number is relative to the accessible portion of the buffer.
797
798 @vindex line-number-display-limit
799 If the buffer is very large (larger than the value of
800 @code{line-number-display-limit}), then the line number doesn't appear.
801 Emacs doesn't compute the line number when the buffer is large, because
802 that would be too slow. Set it to @code{nil} to remove the limit.
803
804 @vindex line-number-display-limit-width
805 Line-number computation can also be slow if the lines in the buffer
806 are too long. For this reason, Emacs normally doesn't display line
807 numbers if the average width, in characters, of lines near point is
808 larger than the value of the variable
809 @code{line-number-display-limit-width}. The default value is 200
810 characters.
811
812 @cindex Column Number mode
813 @cindex mode, Column Number
814 @findex column-number-mode
815 You can also display the current column number by turning on Column
816 Number mode. It displays the current column number preceded by the
817 letter @samp{C}. Type @kbd{M-x column-number-mode} to toggle this mode.
818
819 @findex display-time
820 @cindex time (on mode line)
821 Emacs can optionally display the time and system load in all mode
822 lines. To enable this feature, type @kbd{M-x display-time} or customize
823 the option @code{display-time-mode}. The information added to the mode
824 line usually appears after the buffer name, before the mode names and
825 their parentheses. It looks like this:
826
827 @example
828 @var{hh}:@var{mm}pm @var{l.ll}
829 @end example
830
831 @noindent
832 @vindex display-time-24hr-format
833 Here @var{hh} and @var{mm} are the hour and minute, followed always by
834 @samp{am} or @samp{pm}. @var{l.ll} is the average number of running
835 processes in the whole system recently. (Some fields may be missing if
836 your operating system cannot support them.) If you prefer time display
837 in 24-hour format, set the variable @code{display-time-24hr-format}
838 to @code{t}.
839
840 @cindex mail (on mode line)
841 @vindex display-time-use-mail-icon
842 @vindex display-time-mail-face
843 @vindex display-time-mail-file
844 @vindex display-time-mail-directory
845 The word @samp{Mail} appears after the load level if there is mail
846 for you that you have not read yet. On a graphical display you can use
847 an icon instead of @samp{Mail} by customizing
848 @code{display-time-use-mail-icon}; this may save some space on the mode
849 line. You can customize @code{display-time-mail-face} to make the mail
850 indicator prominent. Use @code{display-time-mail-file} to specify
851 the mail file to check, or set @code{display-time-mail-directory}
852 to specify the directory to check for incoming mail (any nonempty regular
853 file in the directory is considered as ``newly arrived mail'').
854
855 @cindex mode line, 3D appearance
856 @cindex attributes of mode line, changing
857 @cindex non-integral number of lines in a window
858 By default, the mode line is drawn on graphics displays with
859 3D-style highlighting, like that of a button when it is not being
860 pressed. If you don't like this effect, you can disable the 3D
861 highlighting of the mode line, by customizing the attributes of the
862 @code{mode-line} face in your @file{.emacs} init file, like this:
863
864 @example
865 (set-face-attribute 'mode-line nil :box nil)
866 @end example
867
868 @noindent
869 Alternatively, you can turn off the box attribute in your
870 @file{.Xdefaults} file:
871
872 @example
873 Emacs.mode-line.AttributeBox: off
874 @end example
875
876 @cindex non-selected windows, mode line appearance
877 By default, the mode line of nonselected windows is displayed in a
878 different face, called @code{mode-line-inactive}. Only the selected
879 window is displayed in the @code{mode-line} face. This helps show
880 which window is selected. When the minibuffer is selected, since
881 it has no mode line, the window from which you activated the minibuffer
882 has its mode line displayed using @code{mode-line}; as a result,
883 ordinary entry to the minibuffer does not change any mode lines.
884
885 @vindex mode-line-in-non-selected-windows
886 You can disable use of @code{mode-line-inactive} by setting variable
887 @code{mode-line-in-non-selected-windows} to @code{nil}; then all mode
888 lines are displayed in the @code{mode-line} face.
889
890 @node Text Display
891 @section How Text Is Displayed
892 @cindex characters (in text)
893
894 @acronym{ASCII} printing characters (octal codes 040 through 0176) in Emacs
895 buffers are displayed with their graphics, as are non-ASCII multibyte
896 printing characters (octal codes above 0400).
897
898 Some @acronym{ASCII} control characters are displayed in special ways. The
899 newline character (octal code 012) is displayed by starting a new line.
900 The tab character (octal code 011) is displayed by moving to the next
901 tab stop column (normally every 8 columns).
902
903 Other @acronym{ASCII} control characters are normally displayed as a caret
904 (@samp{^}) followed by the non-control version of the character; thus,
905 control-A is displayed as @samp{^A}.
906
907 Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters 0200 through 0237 (octal) are displayed with
908 octal escape sequences; thus, character code 0230 (octal) is displayed
909 as @samp{\230}. The display of character codes 0240 through 0377
910 (octal) may be either as escape sequences or as graphics. They do not
911 normally occur in multibyte buffers, but if they do, they are displayed
912 as Latin-1 graphics. In unibyte mode, if you enable European display
913 they are displayed using their graphics (assuming your terminal supports
914 them), otherwise as escape sequences. @xref{Single-Byte Character
915 Support}.
916
917 @node Display Custom
918 @section Customization of Display
919
920 This section contains information for customization only. Beginning
921 users should skip it.
922
923 @vindex mode-line-inverse-video
924 The variable @code{mode-line-inverse-video} is an obsolete way of
925 controlling whether the mode line is displayed in inverse video; the
926 preferred way of doing this is to change the @code{mode-line} face.
927 @xref{Mode Line}. However, if @code{mode-line-inverse-video} has a
928 value of @code{nil}, then the @code{mode-line} face will be ignored,
929 and mode-lines will be drawn using the default text face.
930 @xref{Faces}.
931
932 @vindex inverse-video
933 If the variable @code{inverse-video} is non-@code{nil}, Emacs attempts
934 to invert all the lines of the display from what they normally are.
935
936 @vindex visible-bell
937 If the variable @code{visible-bell} is non-@code{nil}, Emacs attempts
938 to make the whole screen blink when it would normally make an audible bell
939 sound. This variable has no effect if your terminal does not have a way
940 to make the screen blink.@refill
941
942 @vindex no-redraw-on-reenter
943 When you reenter Emacs after suspending, Emacs normally clears the
944 screen and redraws the entire display. On some terminals with more than
945 one page of memory, it is possible to arrange the termcap entry so that
946 the @samp{ti} and @samp{te} strings (output to the terminal when Emacs
947 is entered and exited, respectively) switch between pages of memory so
948 as to use one page for Emacs and another page for other output. Then
949 you might want to set the variable @code{no-redraw-on-reenter}
950 non-@code{nil}; this tells Emacs to assume, when resumed, that the
951 screen page it is using still contains what Emacs last wrote there.
952
953 @vindex echo-keystrokes
954 The variable @code{echo-keystrokes} controls the echoing of multi-character
955 keys; its value is the number of seconds of pause required to cause echoing
956 to start, or zero meaning don't echo at all. @xref{Echo Area}.
957
958 @vindex ctl-arrow
959 If the variable @code{ctl-arrow} is @code{nil}, all control characters in
960 the buffer are displayed with octal escape sequences, except for newline
961 and tab. Altering the value of @code{ctl-arrow} makes it local to the
962 current buffer; until that time, the default value is in effect. The
963 default is initially @code{t}. @xref{Display Tables,, Display Tables,
964 elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
965
966 @vindex tab-width
967 Normally, a tab character in the buffer is displayed as whitespace which
968 extends to the next display tab stop position, and display tab stops come
969 at intervals equal to eight spaces. The number of spaces per tab is
970 controlled by the variable @code{tab-width}, which is made local by
971 changing it, just like @code{ctl-arrow}. Note that how the tab character
972 in the buffer is displayed has nothing to do with the definition of
973 @key{TAB} as a command. The variable @code{tab-width} must have an
974 integer value between 1 and 1000, inclusive.
975
976 @c @vindex truncate-lines @c No index entry here, because we have one
977 @c in the continuation section.
978 If the variable @code{truncate-lines} is non-@code{nil}, then each
979 line of text gets just one screen line for display; if the text line is
980 too long, display shows only the part that fits. If
981 @code{truncate-lines} is @code{nil}, then long text lines display as
982 more than one screen line, enough to show the whole text of the line.
983 @xref{Continuation Lines}. Altering the value of @code{truncate-lines}
984 makes it local to the current buffer; until that time, the default value
985 is in effect. The default is initially @code{nil}.
986
987 @c @vindex truncate-partial-width-windows @c Idx entry is in Split Windows.
988 If the variable @code{truncate-partial-width-windows} is
989 non-@code{nil}, it forces truncation rather than continuation in any
990 window less than the full width of the screen or frame, regardless of
991 the value of @code{truncate-lines}. For information about side-by-side
992 windows, see @ref{Split Window}. See also @ref{Display,, Display,
993 elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
994
995 @vindex overflow-newline-into-fringe
996 If the variable @code{overflow-newline-into-fringe} is
997 non-@code{nil} on a window system, it specifies that lines which are
998 exactly as wide as the window (not counting the final newline
999 character) shall not be broken into two lines on the display (with
1000 just the newline on the second line). Instead, the newline
1001 overflows into the right fringe, and the cursor will be displayed in
1002 the fringe when positioned on that newline.
1003
1004 @vindex indicate-buffer-boundaries
1005 On a window system, Emacs may indicate the buffer boundaries in the
1006 fringes. The buffer boundaries, i.e. first and last line in the
1007 buffer, can be marked with angle bitmaps in the left or right fringe.
1008 This can be combined with up and down arrow bitmaps shown at the top
1009 and bottom of the left or right fringe if the window can be scrolled
1010 in either direction.
1011
1012 The buffer-local variable @code{indicate-buffer-boundaries} controls
1013 how the buffer boundaries and window scrolling is indicated in the
1014 fringes.
1015
1016 If the value is @code{left} or @code{right}, both angle and arrow
1017 bitmaps are displayed in the left or right fringe, respectively.
1018
1019 If value is an alist, each element @code{(@var{indicator} .
1020 @var{position})} specifies the position of one of the indicators.
1021 The @var{indicator} must be one of @code{top}, @code{bottom},
1022 @code{up}, @code{down}, or @code{t} which specifies the default
1023 position for the indicators not present in the alist.
1024 The @var{position} is one of @code{left}, @code{right}, or @code{ni}
1025 which specifies not to show this indicator.
1026
1027 For example, @code{((top . left) (t . right))} places the top angle
1028 bitmap in left fringe, the bottom angle bitmap in right fringe, and
1029 both arrow bitmaps in right fringe. To show just the angle bitmaps in
1030 the left fringe, but no arrow bitmaps, use @code{((top . left)
1031 (bottom . left))}.
1032
1033 @vindex default-indicate-buffer-boundaries
1034 The value of the variable @code{default-indicate-buffer-boundaries}
1035 is the default value for @code{indicate-buffer-boundaries} in buffers
1036 that do not override it.
1037
1038 @vindex baud-rate
1039 The variable @code{baud-rate} holds the output speed of the
1040 terminal, as far as Emacs knows. Setting this variable does not
1041 change the speed of actual data transmission, but the value is used
1042 for calculations. On terminals, it affects padding, and decisions
1043 about whether to scroll part of the screen or redraw it instead.
1044 It also affects the behavior of incremental search.
1045
1046 On window-systems, @code{baud-rate} is only used to determine how
1047 frequently to look for pending input during display updating. A
1048 higher value of @code{baud-rate} means that check for pending input
1049 will be done less frequently.
1050
1051 You can customize the way any particular character code is displayed
1052 by means of a display table. @xref{Display Tables,, Display Tables,
1053 elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
1054
1055 @cindex hourglass pointer display
1056 @vindex hourglass-delay
1057 On a window system, Emacs can optionally display the mouse pointer
1058 in a special shape to say that Emacs is busy. To turn this feature on
1059 or off, customize the group @code{cursor}. You can also control the
1060 amount of time Emacs must remain busy before the busy indicator is
1061 displayed, by setting the variable @code{hourglass-delay}.
1062
1063 @findex tty-suppress-bold-inverse-default-colors
1064 On some text-only terminals, bold face and inverse video together
1065 result in text that is hard to read. Call the function
1066 @code{tty-suppress-bold-inverse-default-colors} with a non-@code{nil}
1067 argument to suppress the effect of bold-face in this case.
1068
1069 @node Cursor Display
1070 @section Displaying the Cursor
1071
1072 @findex blink-cursor-mode
1073 @vindex blink-cursor-alist
1074 @cindex cursor, locating visually
1075 @cindex cursor, blinking
1076 You can customize the cursor's color, and whether it blinks, using
1077 the @code{cursor} Custom group (@pxref{Easy Customization}). On
1078 graphical terminals, the command @kbd{M-x blink-cursor-mode} enables
1079 or disables the blinking of the cursor. (On text terminals, the
1080 terminal itself blinks the cursor, and Emacs has no control over it.)
1081 You can control how the cursor appears when it blinks off by setting
1082 the variable @code{blink-cursor-alist}.
1083
1084 @cindex cursor in non-selected windows
1085 @vindex cursor-in-non-selected-windows
1086 Normally, the cursor appears in non-selected windows in the ``off''
1087 state, with the same appearance as when the blinking cursor blinks
1088 ``off''. For a box cursor, this is a hollow box; for a bar cursor,
1089 this is a thinner bar. To turn off cursors in non-selected windows,
1090 customize the option @code{cursor-in-non-selected-windows} and assign
1091 it a @code{nil} value.
1092
1093 @vindex x-stretch-cursor
1094 @cindex wide block cursor
1095 On graphical terminals, Emacs can optionally draw the block cursor
1096 as wide as the character under the cursor---for example, if the cursor
1097 is on a tab character, it would cover the full width occupied by that
1098 tab character. To enable this feature, set the variable
1099 @code{x-stretch-cursor} to a non-@code{nil} value.
1100
1101 @findex hl-line-mode
1102 @findex global-hl-line-mode
1103 @cindex highlight current line
1104 If you find it hard to see the cursor, you might like HL Line mode,
1105 a minor mode that highlights the line containing point. Use @kbd{M-x
1106 hl-line-mode} to enable or disable it in the current buffer. @kbd{M-x
1107 global-hl-line-mode} enables or disables the same mode globally.
1108
1109 @ignore
1110 arch-tag: 2219f910-2ff0-4521-b059-1bd231a536c4
1111 @end ignore