1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003,
3 @c 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top
6 @appendix X Options and Resources
8 You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X
9 resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you
10 can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry.
11 @xref{MS-Windows Registry}.
13 When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or
14 LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of
15 the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes.
16 This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for
17 customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of
19 ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe.
22 ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used
23 resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online
26 @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources.
31 * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general).
32 * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs.
33 * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces.
34 * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus.
35 * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus.
36 * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets.
40 @appendixsec X Resources
43 @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file
44 @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file
46 Programs running under the X Window System organize their user
47 options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify
48 default values for these options in your @dfn{X resource file},
49 usually named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}. Changes in
50 this file do not take effect immediately, because the X server stores
51 its own list of resources; to update it, use the command
52 @command{xrdb}---for instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}.
54 @cindex Registry (MS-Windows)
55 (MS-Windows systems do not support X resource files; on Windows,
56 Emacs looks for X resources in the Windows Registry, first under the
57 key @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} and then under the key
58 @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. The menu and scroll
59 bars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are only customizable
60 via the system-wide settings in the Display Control Panel. You can
61 also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line option, as
64 Each line in the X resource file specifies a value for one option or
65 for a collection of related options. Each resource specification
66 consists of a @dfn{program name} and a @dfn{resource name}. Case
67 distinctions are significant in each of these names. Here is an
75 The program name is the name of the executable file to which the
76 resource applies. For Emacs, this is normally @samp{emacs}. To
77 specify a definition that applies to all instances of Emacs,
78 regardless of the name of the Emacs executable, use @samp{Emacs}.
80 The resource name is the name of a program setting. For instance,
81 Emacs recognizes a @samp{borderWidth} resource that controls the width
82 of the external border for graphical frames.
84 Resources are grouped into named classes. For instance, the
85 @samp{BorderWidth} class contains both the @samp{borderWidth} resource
86 (which we just described), as well as the @samp{internalBorder}
87 resource, which controls the width of the internal border for
88 graphical frames. Instead of using a resource name, you can use a
89 class name to specify the same value for all resources in that class.
96 If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all
97 resources in that class. You can specify values for individual
98 resources as well; these override the class value, for those
99 particular resources. The following example specifies 2 as the
100 default width for all borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the
109 The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter.
110 One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings
111 is to use the @code{editres} program. See the @code{editres} man page
114 Emacs does not process X resources at all if you set the variable
115 @code{inhibit-x-resources} to a non-@code{nil} value, or if you
116 specify the @samp{-Q} (or @samp{--quick}) command-line argument
117 (@pxref{Initial Options}). (The @samp{-Q} argument automatically sets
118 @code{inhibit-x-resources} to @code{t}.)
121 In addition, you can use the following command-line options to
122 override the X resources file:
125 @item -name @var{name}
127 @itemx --name=@var{name}
128 @cindex resource name, command-line argument
129 This option sets the program name of the initial Emacs frame to
130 @var{name}. It also sets the title of the initial frame to
131 @var{name}. This option does not affect subsequent frames.
133 If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs
134 executable's name as the program name.
136 For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for other
137 resource values that do not belong to any particular frame.
139 The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class,
140 named @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of
141 @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs,
142 regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the
145 @item -xrm @var{resource-values}
147 @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values}
148 @cindex resource values, command-line argument
149 This option specifies X resource values for the present Emacs job.
151 @var{resource-values} should have the same format that you would use
152 inside a file of X resources. To include multiple resource
153 specifications in @var{resource-values}, put a newline between them,
154 just as you would in a file. You can also use @samp{#include
155 "@var{filename}"} to include a file full of resource specifications.
156 Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm} take precedence over all
157 other resource specifications.
161 @node Table of Resources
162 @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs
164 This table lists the resource names that designate options for
165 Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each
166 with the class that it belongs to:
169 @item @code{background} (class @code{Background})
170 Background color name.
173 @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon})
174 Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window
175 manager choose an icon if @samp{off}.
178 @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor})
179 Color name for the external border.
182 @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth})
183 Width in pixels of the external border.
186 @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground})
187 Color name for text cursor (point).
190 @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink})
191 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use
192 @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off.
195 @item @code{font} (class @code{Font})
196 Font name for the @code{default} font. @xref{Fonts}. You can also
197 specify a fontset name (@pxref{Fontsets}).
199 @item @code{fontBackend} (class @code{FontBackend})
200 The backend(s) to use for drawing fonts; if multiple backends are
201 specified, they must be comma-delimited and given in order of
202 precedence. On X, for instance, the value @samp{x,xft} tells Emacs to
203 draw fonts using the X core font driver, falling back on the Xft font
204 driver if that fails. Normally, you can leave this resource unset, in
205 which case Emacs tries using all font backends available on your
208 @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground})
211 @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry})
212 Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as
213 @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well
214 as the Emacs frame itself.
216 If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the
217 initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame
218 name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to
222 @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen})
223 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth},
224 @code{maximized}, @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to
225 the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-mm}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh}
226 (@pxref{Window Size X}).
228 Note that this applies to the initial frame only.
231 @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title})
232 Name to display in the icon.
234 @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth})
235 Width in pixels of the internal border.
237 @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing})
240 Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels.
242 @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar})
244 Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}.
246 @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources},
249 @xref{Lucid Resources},
251 for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one.
254 @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer})
255 If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame.
256 It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
258 @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font})
259 @cindex font for menus
260 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs.
263 @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground})
264 Color of the mouse cursor.
267 @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap})
268 If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default
269 visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it.
271 @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo})
272 Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as
273 specified if @samp{off}.
276 @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma})
277 @cindex gamma correction
278 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter
281 @item @code{scrollBarWidth} (class @code{ScrollBarWidth})
282 @cindex scrollbar width
283 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame parameter
284 @code{scroll-bar-width}.
287 @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont})
288 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For
289 toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif
292 @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout})
293 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply.
294 If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up.
295 A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
297 @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous})
298 @cindex debugging X problems
299 @cindex synchronous X mode
300 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is
301 useful for debugging X problems.
304 @item @code{title} (class @code{Title})
305 Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame.
307 @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar})
309 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses
310 the tool bar. For the Emacs tool bar (i.e. not Gtk+), if the value is
311 non-zero and @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's
312 size will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible.
313 If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only},
314 the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically.
315 To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}.
316 For the Gtk+ tool bar, any non-zero value means on and
317 @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} has no effect.
319 @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM})
321 @cindex X input methods
322 @cindex input methods, X
323 Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}.
324 This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM
325 support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency,
326 especially slow X client/server links.
328 @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars})
329 Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if
333 @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass})
334 Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle
337 The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor},
338 @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor},
339 @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by
340 @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes.
341 Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo}
342 program outputs information saying which ones.
347 @appendixsec X Resources for Faces
349 You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular
350 faces (@pxref{Faces}):
353 @item @var{face}.attributeForeground
354 Foreground color for face @var{face}.
355 @item @var{face}.attributeBackground
356 Background color for face @var{face}.
357 @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline
358 Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
360 @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough
361 @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline
362 @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox
363 @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse
364 Likewise, for other boolean font attributes.
365 @item @var{face}.attributeStipple
366 The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or
367 @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}.
368 @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap
369 The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a
370 pixmap file or @code{false}.
371 @item @var{face}.attributeFont
372 Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}.
373 Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes.
376 Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can
377 select a font through these separate attributes:
380 @item @var{face}.attributeFamily
381 Font family for face @var{face}.
382 @item @var{face}.attributeHeight
383 Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer
384 specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point
385 number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's
386 default font, or a function to be called with the default height which
387 will return a new height.
388 @item @var{face}.attributeWidth
389 @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight
390 @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant
391 Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute,
392 and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use
393 for the font attribute value.
394 @item @var{face}.attributeBold
395 Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for
397 @item @var{face}.attributeItalic
398 Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}.
401 @node Lucid Resources
402 @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources
403 @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets)
404 @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources
407 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
408 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and
409 has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar}
410 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs},
411 which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this:
414 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value}
418 For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items,
422 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
423 with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget
424 and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with
425 @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font
426 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
430 Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16
434 Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have
435 @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify
436 the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this:
439 Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16
443 For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}:
446 Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16
450 The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For
451 more information about fontsets see the man page for
452 @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a
453 @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both
454 @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the
455 @code{fontSet} resource is used.
457 Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus:
461 Font for menu item text.
463 Fontset for menu item text.
465 Color of the foreground.
467 Color of the background.
468 @item buttonForeground
469 In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item.
471 @item horizontalSpacing
472 Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3.
473 @item verticalSpacing
474 Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2.
476 Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and
477 the associated text. Default is 10.
478 @item shadowThickness
479 Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1.
481 Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects,
482 for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that
483 the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the
484 difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set
485 this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default
486 probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect
490 The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1.
494 @node LessTif Resources
495 @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources
496 @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets)
497 @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources
499 If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit
500 with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog
501 boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate
502 widgets and have their own resources.
504 The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar}
505 (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or
506 @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them
510 Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
513 Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's
514 name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word
515 @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named
516 @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the
517 same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead
518 of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font
519 @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this:
522 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
526 This also specifies the resource value for submenus.
528 Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X
529 resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named
530 @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu
531 item looks like this:
534 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
538 For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current
542 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16
546 For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word}
547 under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this
551 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value}
558 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value}
562 (This should be one long line.)
564 It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items
565 without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the
566 submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask
567 for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them;
568 then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example:
571 Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16
572 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16
576 For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of
577 @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for
578 the pop-up menu items, write this:
581 Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16
585 For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}:
588 Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16
589 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink
592 To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use
593 @samp{fsb*}, like this:
596 Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16
602 Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and
607 The color to show in an armed button.
616 Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border.
618 The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides.
619 @item shadowThickness
620 The width of the border shadow.
621 @item bottomShadowColor
622 The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right.
624 The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left.
630 @appendixsec GTK resources
632 The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs
633 tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example
634 with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization
635 by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK
636 themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything
637 works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use
638 the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of
639 customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual
641 The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets
642 to courier with size 12:
645 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
648 The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, but a
649 Pango font name. A Pango font name is basically of the format "family
650 style size", where the style is optional as in the case above. A name
651 with a style could be for example:
654 gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10"
657 To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to
658 the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not
662 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
665 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
668 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
669 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
672 The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be
673 applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are
674 named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget.
675 So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for
676 the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use:
679 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
680 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
683 But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*}
684 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*"
687 Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem).
688 You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the
694 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
697 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
701 The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are:
703 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
704 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
705 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
706 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
707 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
709 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
714 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
715 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
716 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
717 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
719 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
720 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
721 @tab anything in menus
724 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
725 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
726 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
727 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
730 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
731 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
732 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
735 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
736 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
737 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
738 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
739 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
740 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
741 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
742 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
745 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
748 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
754 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
755 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
756 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
757 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
760 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
765 @cindex GTK resources and customization
766 @cindex resource files for GTK
767 @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file
768 @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file
770 If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar,
771 scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK
772 customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific
773 file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use
774 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}
775 seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply
776 only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background,
777 faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}).
779 Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using
780 these mechanisms will not work to customize them.
782 In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then
783 you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK
784 widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for
788 # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.}
791 font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name
794 # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.}
795 widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont"
798 Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of
804 fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.}
805 bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.}
806 bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.}
807 bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.}
810 widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll"
813 There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example,
814 the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You
815 must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file
816 that just sets a default font looks like this:
819 gtk-font-name = "courier 12"
822 The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document.
824 @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html},
825 where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were
826 installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also
827 find the document online, at
828 @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}.
831 * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general.
832 * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs.
833 * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget.
836 @node GTK widget names
837 @appendixsubsec GTK widget names
838 @cindex GTK widget names
840 A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and
841 @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for
842 example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a
843 specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a
846 @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget
847 classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within
848 other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top}
849 contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains
850 a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name
851 of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and
852 its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}.
854 When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class
855 name or the absolute widget name.
857 There are two commands to specify changes for widgets:
860 @item @code{widget_class}
861 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name.
864 specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name,
869 You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put
870 these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like
876 font_name = "helvetica bold 14"
879 widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont"
880 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont"
883 Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*}
884 matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character.
885 This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets:
888 widget "*" style "base_style"
891 Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}
892 and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all
893 these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar:
896 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
897 widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
898 widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
899 widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style"
900 widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style"
901 widget "*menubar" style "my_style"
902 widget "*menu*" style "my_style"
905 @node GTK Names in Emacs
906 @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs
907 @cindex GTK widget names
908 @cindex GTK widget classes
910 In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow}
911 that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the
912 @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll
913 bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed}
914 widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed}
917 Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a
918 @code{GtkFileSelection} widget.
921 To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use:
924 widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style"
928 For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is:
932 "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar"
937 The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are:
939 @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some}
940 @item @code{emacs-filedialog}
941 @tab @code{GtkFileSelection}
942 @item @code{emacs-dialog}
943 @tab @code{GtkDialog}
945 @tab @code{GtkWindow}
950 @item @code{verticalScrollBar}
951 @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar}
952 @item @code{emacs-toolbar}
953 @tab @code{GtkToolbar}
955 @tab @code{GtkMenuBar}
956 @item @code{emacs-menuitem}
957 @tab anything in menus
961 Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as:
964 widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style"
965 widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style"
968 GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus
969 and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are
970 free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the
971 Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this:
974 widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style"
975 widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style"
976 widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style"
979 If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it
980 automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read
981 that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not
982 be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class
983 name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not
984 have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To
985 have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in
986 @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}:
989 widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style"
993 @appendixsubsec GTK styles
996 In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You
997 can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and
998 font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK
999 widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no
1000 effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with
1001 Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground,
1002 background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources;
1003 @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations,
1004 @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}:
1007 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1011 font_name = "helvetica 12"
1013 bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @}
1014 bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1015 bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @}
1016 bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1017 bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @}
1019 fg[NORMAL] = "black"
1020 fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1021 fg[ACTIVE] = "black"
1022 fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @}
1024 base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766"
1025 text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @}
1027 bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm"
1028 bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm"
1029 bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm"
1030 bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "<none>"
1034 style "ruler" = "default"
1036 font_name = "helvetica 8"
1041 The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build
1042 on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below.
1044 As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for
1045 foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The
1046 possible states are:
1050 This is the default state for widgets.
1052 This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is
1053 also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"}
1054 sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but
1055 not released yet (``armed'') are in this state.
1057 This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse
1058 pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in
1059 the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button
1060 that is not pressed, the button is in this state.
1062 This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can
1063 be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used
1066 This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be
1067 manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be
1068 pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in
1069 yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}.
1072 Here are the things that can go in a style declaration:
1075 @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1076 This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that
1077 editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead.
1079 @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1080 This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this
1081 color is used for the background of the text fields in the file
1084 @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}"
1085 This specifies an image background (instead of a background color).
1086 @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of
1087 image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you
1088 want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use
1089 @samp{<parent>}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{<none>}.
1090 @samp{<none>} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a
1093 You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for
1094 the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}.
1095 @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within
1096 double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file
1097 (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above):
1100 pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps"
1103 @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1104 This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the
1105 color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in
1106 the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}.
1108 @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color}
1109 This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the
1110 text fields in the file dialog.
1112 @item font_name = "@var{font}"
1113 This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a
1114 Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica
1115 Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact
1116 syntax. The names are case insensitive.
1119 There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal
1120 form, and with an RGB triplet.
1123 A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}.
1126 Hexadecimal form is the same as in X:
1127 @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs
1128 must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4).
1131 An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}},
1132 where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range
1133 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0.
1135 Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options}
1137 @cindex Pango font name
1139 @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally
1140 terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the
1141 first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in
1142 an X font name, for example in
1145 -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1
1149 the family name is @samp{times}.
1152 @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word
1153 is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of
1154 these is @code{normal}.
1157 A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font
1158 names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango
1159 font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic},
1163 A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}.
1164 Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by
1165 smaller variants of the capital characters.
1168 Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third
1169 part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light},
1170 @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}.
1173 Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a
1174 family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of
1175 @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed},
1176 @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded},
1177 @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}.
1180 @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points.
1184 arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f