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