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1 @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003,
4 @c 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
6 @setfilename ../info/frames
7 @node Frames, Positions, Windows, Top
8 @chapter Frames
9 @cindex frame
10
11 A @dfn{frame} is a rectangle on the screen that contains one or more
12 Emacs windows. A frame initially contains a single main window (plus
13 perhaps a minibuffer window), which you can subdivide vertically or
14 horizontally into smaller windows.
15
16 @cindex terminal frame
17 When Emacs runs on a text-only terminal, it starts with one
18 @dfn{terminal frame}. If you create additional ones, Emacs displays
19 one and only one at any given time---on the terminal screen, of course.
20
21 @cindex window frame
22 When Emacs communicates directly with a supported window system, such
23 as X, it does not have a terminal frame; instead, it starts with
24 a single @dfn{window frame}, but you can create more, and Emacs can
25 display several such frames at once as is usual for window systems.
26
27 @defun framep object
28 This predicate returns a non-@code{nil} value if @var{object} is a
29 frame, and @code{nil} otherwise. For a frame, the value indicates which
30 kind of display the frame uses:
31
32 @table @code
33 @item x
34 The frame is displayed in an X window.
35 @item t
36 A terminal frame on a character display.
37 @item mac
38 The frame is displayed on a Macintosh.
39 @item w32
40 The frame is displayed on MS-Windows 9X/NT.
41 @item pc
42 The frame is displayed on an MS-DOS terminal.
43 @end table
44 @end defun
45
46 @menu
47 * Creating Frames:: Creating additional frames.
48 * Multiple Displays:: Creating frames on other displays.
49 * Frame Parameters:: Controlling frame size, position, font, etc.
50 * Frame Titles:: Automatic updating of frame titles.
51 * Deleting Frames:: Frames last until explicitly deleted.
52 * Finding All Frames:: How to examine all existing frames.
53 * Frames and Windows:: A frame contains windows;
54 display of text always works through windows.
55 * Minibuffers and Frames:: How a frame finds the minibuffer to use.
56 * Input Focus:: Specifying the selected frame.
57 * Visibility of Frames:: Frames may be visible or invisible, or icons.
58 * Raising and Lowering:: Raising a frame makes it hide other windows;
59 lowering it makes the others hide it.
60 * Frame Configurations:: Saving the state of all frames.
61 * Mouse Tracking:: Getting events that say when the mouse moves.
62 * Mouse Position:: Asking where the mouse is, or moving it.
63 * Pop-Up Menus:: Displaying a menu for the user to select from.
64 * Dialog Boxes:: Displaying a box to ask yes or no.
65 * Pointer Shapes:: Specifying the shape of the mouse pointer.
66 * Window System Selections:: Transferring text to and from other X clients.
67 * Drag and Drop:: Internals of Drag-and-Drop implementation.
68 * Color Names:: Getting the definitions of color names.
69 * Text Terminal Colors:: Defining colors for text-only terminals.
70 * Resources:: Getting resource values from the server.
71 * Display Feature Testing:: Determining the features of a terminal.
72 @end menu
73
74 @xref{Display}, for information about the related topic of
75 controlling Emacs redisplay.
76
77 @node Creating Frames
78 @section Creating Frames
79
80 To create a new frame, call the function @code{make-frame}.
81
82 @defun make-frame &optional alist
83 This function creates and returns a new frame, displaying the current
84 buffer. If you are using a supported window system, it makes a window
85 frame; otherwise, it makes a terminal frame.
86
87 The argument is an alist specifying frame parameters. Any parameters
88 not mentioned in @var{alist} default according to the value of the
89 variable @code{default-frame-alist}; parameters not specified even there
90 default from the standard X resources or whatever is used instead on
91 your system.
92
93 The set of possible parameters depends in principle on what kind of
94 window system Emacs uses to display its frames. @xref{Window Frame
95 Parameters}, for documentation of individual parameters you can specify.
96
97 This function itself does not make the new frame the selected frame.
98 @xref{Input Focus}. The previously selected frame remains selected.
99 However, the window system may select the new frame for its own reasons,
100 for instance if the frame appears under the mouse pointer and your
101 setup is for focus to follow the pointer.
102 @end defun
103
104 @defvar before-make-frame-hook
105 A normal hook run by @code{make-frame} before it actually creates the
106 frame.
107 @end defvar
108
109 @defvar after-make-frame-functions
110 @tindex after-make-frame-functions
111 An abnormal hook run by @code{make-frame} after it creates the frame.
112 Each function in @code{after-make-frame-functions} receives one argument, the
113 frame just created.
114 @end defvar
115
116 @node Multiple Displays
117 @section Multiple Displays
118 @cindex multiple X displays
119 @cindex displays, multiple
120
121 A single Emacs can talk to more than one X display.
122 Initially, Emacs uses just one display---the one chosen with the
123 @code{DISPLAY} environment variable or with the @samp{--display} option
124 (@pxref{Initial Options,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}). To connect to
125 another display, use the command @code{make-frame-on-display} or specify
126 the @code{display} frame parameter when you create the frame.
127
128 Emacs treats each X server as a separate terminal, giving each one its
129 own selected frame and its own minibuffer windows. However, only one of
130 those frames is ``@emph{the} selected frame'' at any given moment, see
131 @ref{Input Focus}.
132
133 A few Lisp variables are @dfn{terminal-local}; that is, they have a
134 separate binding for each terminal. The binding in effect at any time
135 is the one for the terminal that the currently selected frame belongs
136 to. These variables include @code{default-minibuffer-frame},
137 @code{defining-kbd-macro}, @code{last-kbd-macro}, and
138 @code{system-key-alist}. They are always terminal-local, and can never
139 be buffer-local (@pxref{Buffer-Local Variables}) or frame-local.
140
141 A single X server can handle more than one screen. A display name
142 @samp{@var{host}:@var{server}.@var{screen}} has three parts; the last
143 part specifies the screen number for a given server. When you use two
144 screens belonging to one server, Emacs knows by the similarity in their
145 names that they share a single keyboard, and it treats them as a single
146 terminal.
147
148 @deffn Command make-frame-on-display display &optional parameters
149 This creates and returns a new frame on display @var{display}, taking
150 the other frame parameters from @var{parameters}. Aside from the
151 @var{display} argument, it is like @code{make-frame} (@pxref{Creating
152 Frames}).
153 @end deffn
154
155 @defun x-display-list
156 This returns a list that indicates which X displays Emacs has a
157 connection to. The elements of the list are strings, and each one is
158 a display name.
159 @end defun
160
161 @defun x-open-connection display &optional xrm-string must-succeed
162 This function opens a connection to the X display @var{display}. It
163 does not create a frame on that display, but it permits you to check
164 that communication can be established with that display.
165
166 The optional argument @var{xrm-string}, if not @code{nil}, is a
167 string of resource names and values, in the same format used in the
168 @file{.Xresources} file. The values you specify override the resource
169 values recorded in the X server itself; they apply to all Emacs frames
170 created on this display. Here's an example of what this string might
171 look like:
172
173 @example
174 "*BorderWidth: 3\n*InternalBorder: 2\n"
175 @end example
176
177 @xref{X Resources,, X Resources, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
178
179 If @var{must-succeed} is non-@code{nil}, failure to open the connection
180 terminates Emacs. Otherwise, it is an ordinary Lisp error.
181 @end defun
182
183 @defun x-close-connection display
184 This function closes the connection to display @var{display}. Before
185 you can do this, you must first delete all the frames that were open on
186 that display (@pxref{Deleting Frames}).
187 @end defun
188
189 @node Frame Parameters
190 @section Frame Parameters
191
192 A frame has many parameters that control its appearance and behavior.
193 Just what parameters a frame has depends on what display mechanism it
194 uses.
195
196 Frame parameters exist mostly for the sake of window systems. A
197 terminal frame has a few parameters, mostly for compatibility's sake;
198 only the @code{height}, @code{width}, @code{name}, @code{title},
199 @code{menu-bar-lines}, @code{buffer-list} and @code{buffer-predicate}
200 parameters do something special. If the terminal supports colors, the
201 parameters @code{foreground-color}, @code{background-color},
202 @code{background-mode} and @code{display-type} are also meaningful.
203
204 @menu
205 * Parameter Access:: How to change a frame's parameters.
206 * Initial Parameters:: Specifying frame parameters when you make a frame.
207 * Window Frame Parameters:: List of frame parameters for window systems.
208 * Size and Position:: Changing the size and position of a frame.
209 * Geometry:: Parsing geometry specifications.
210 @end menu
211
212 @node Parameter Access
213 @subsection Access to Frame Parameters
214
215 These functions let you read and change the parameter values of a
216 frame.
217
218 @defun frame-parameter frame parameter
219 @tindex frame-parameter
220 This function returns the value of the parameter @var{parameter} (a
221 symbol) of @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is @code{nil}, it returns the
222 selected frame's parameter. If @var{frame} has no setting for
223 @var{parameter}, this function returns @code{nil}.
224 @end defun
225
226 @defun frame-parameters &optional frame
227 The function @code{frame-parameters} returns an alist listing all the
228 parameters of @var{frame} and their values. If @var{frame} is
229 @code{nil} or omitted, this returns the selected frame's parameters
230 @end defun
231
232 @defun modify-frame-parameters frame alist
233 This function alters the parameters of frame @var{frame} based on the
234 elements of @var{alist}. Each element of @var{alist} has the form
235 @code{(@var{parm} . @var{value})}, where @var{parm} is a symbol naming a
236 parameter. If you don't mention a parameter in @var{alist}, its value
237 doesn't change. If @var{frame} is @code{nil}, it defaults to the selected
238 frame.
239 @end defun
240
241 @defun modify-all-frames-parameters alist
242 This function alters the frame parameters of all existing frames
243 according to @var{alist}, then modifies @code{default-frame-alist}
244 (and, if necessary, @code{initial-frame-alist}) to apply the same
245 parameter values to frames that will be created henceforth.
246 @end defun
247
248 @node Initial Parameters
249 @subsection Initial Frame Parameters
250
251 You can specify the parameters for the initial startup frame
252 by setting @code{initial-frame-alist} in your init file (@pxref{Init File}).
253
254 @defvar initial-frame-alist
255 This variable's value is an alist of parameter values used when creating
256 the initial window frame. You can set this variable to specify the
257 appearance of the initial frame without altering subsequent frames.
258 Each element has the form:
259
260 @example
261 (@var{parameter} . @var{value})
262 @end example
263
264 Emacs creates the initial frame before it reads your init
265 file. After reading that file, Emacs checks @code{initial-frame-alist},
266 and applies the parameter settings in the altered value to the already
267 created initial frame.
268
269 If these settings affect the frame geometry and appearance, you'll see
270 the frame appear with the wrong ones and then change to the specified
271 ones. If that bothers you, you can specify the same geometry and
272 appearance with X resources; those do take effect before the frame is
273 created. @xref{X Resources,, X Resources, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
274
275 X resource settings typically apply to all frames. If you want to
276 specify some X resources solely for the sake of the initial frame, and
277 you don't want them to apply to subsequent frames, here's how to achieve
278 this. Specify parameters in @code{default-frame-alist} to override the
279 X resources for subsequent frames; then, to prevent these from affecting
280 the initial frame, specify the same parameters in
281 @code{initial-frame-alist} with values that match the X resources.
282 @end defvar
283
284 If these parameters specify a separate minibuffer-only frame with
285 @code{(minibuffer . nil)}, and you have not created one, Emacs creates
286 one for you.
287
288 @defvar minibuffer-frame-alist
289 This variable's value is an alist of parameter values used when creating
290 an initial minibuffer-only frame---if such a frame is needed, according
291 to the parameters for the main initial frame.
292 @end defvar
293
294 @defvar default-frame-alist
295 This is an alist specifying default values of frame parameters for all
296 Emacs frames---the first frame, and subsequent frames. When using the X
297 Window System, you can get the same results by means of X resources
298 in many cases.
299
300 Setting this variable does not affect existing frames.
301 @end defvar
302
303 See also @code{special-display-frame-alist}. @xref{Definition of
304 special-display-frame-alist}.
305
306 If you use options that specify window appearance when you invoke Emacs,
307 they take effect by adding elements to @code{default-frame-alist}. One
308 exception is @samp{-geometry}, which adds the specified position to
309 @code{initial-frame-alist} instead. @xref{Emacs Invocation,, Command
310 Line Arguments for Emacs Invocation, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
311
312 @node Window Frame Parameters
313 @subsection Window Frame Parameters
314
315 Just what parameters a frame has depends on what display mechanism
316 it uses. This section describes the parameters that have special
317 meanings on some or all kinds of terminals. Of these, @code{name},
318 @code{title}, @code{height}, @code{width}, @code{buffer-list} and
319 @code{buffer-predicate} provide meaningful information in terminal
320 frames, and @code{tty-color-mode} is meaningful @emph{only} in
321 terminal frames.
322
323 @menu
324 * Basic Parameters:: Parameters that are fundamental.
325 * Position Parameters:: The position of the frame on the screen.
326 * Size Parameters:: Frame's size.
327 * Layout Parameters:: Size of parts of the frame, and
328 enabling or disabling some parts.
329 * Buffer Parameters:: Which buffers have been or should be shown.
330 * Management Parameters:: Communicating with the window manager.
331 * Cursor Parameters:: Controlling the cursor appearance.
332 * Color Parameters:: Colors of various parts of the frame.
333 @end menu
334
335 @node Basic Parameters
336 @subsubsection Basic Parameters
337
338 These frame parameters give the most basic information about the
339 frame. @code{title} and @code{name} are meaningful on all terminals.
340
341 @table @code
342 @item display
343 The display on which to open this frame. It should be a string of the
344 form @code{"@var{host}:@var{dpy}.@var{screen}"}, just like the
345 @code{DISPLAY} environment variable.
346
347 @item display-type
348 This parameter describes the range of possible colors that can be used
349 in this frame. Its value is @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
350 @code{mono}.
351
352 @item title
353 If a frame has a non-@code{nil} title, it appears in the window system's
354 border for the frame, and also in the mode line of windows in that frame
355 if @code{mode-line-frame-identification} uses @samp{%F}
356 (@pxref{%-Constructs}). This is normally the case when Emacs is not
357 using a window system, and can only display one frame at a time.
358 @xref{Frame Titles}.
359
360 @item name
361 The name of the frame. The frame name serves as a default for the frame
362 title, if the @code{title} parameter is unspecified or @code{nil}. If
363 you don't specify a name, Emacs sets the frame name automatically
364 (@pxref{Frame Titles}).
365
366 If you specify the frame name explicitly when you create the frame, the
367 name is also used (instead of the name of the Emacs executable) when
368 looking up X resources for the frame.
369 @end table
370
371 @node Position Parameters
372 @subsubsection Position Parameters
373
374 Position parameters' values are normally measured in pixels, but on
375 text-only terminals they count characters or lines instead.
376
377 @table @code
378 @item left
379 The screen position of the left edge, in pixels, with respect to the
380 left edge of the screen. The value may be a positive number @var{pos},
381 or a list of the form @code{(+ @var{pos})} which permits specifying a
382 negative @var{pos} value.
383
384 A negative number @minus{}@var{pos}, or a list of the form @code{(-
385 @var{pos})}, actually specifies the position of the right edge of the
386 window with respect to the right edge of the screen. A positive value
387 of @var{pos} counts toward the left. @strong{Reminder:} if the
388 parameter is a negative integer @minus{}@var{pos}, then @var{pos} is
389 positive.
390
391 Some window managers ignore program-specified positions. If you want to
392 be sure the position you specify is not ignored, specify a
393 non-@code{nil} value for the @code{user-position} parameter as well.
394
395 @item top
396 The screen position of the top edge, in pixels, with respect to the
397 top edge of the screen. It works just like @code{left}, except vertically
398 instead of horizontally.
399
400 @item icon-left
401 The screen position of the left edge @emph{of the frame's icon}, in
402 pixels, counting from the left edge of the screen. This takes effect if
403 and when the frame is iconified.
404
405 If you specify a value for this parameter, then you must also specify
406 a value for @code{icon-top} and vice versa. The window manager may
407 ignore these two parameters.
408
409 @item icon-top
410 The screen position of the top edge @emph{of the frame's icon}, in
411 pixels, counting from the top edge of the screen. This takes effect if
412 and when the frame is iconified.
413
414 @item user-position
415 When you create a frame and specify its screen position with the
416 @code{left} and @code{top} parameters, use this parameter to say whether
417 the specified position was user-specified (explicitly requested in some
418 way by a human user) or merely program-specified (chosen by a program).
419 A non-@code{nil} value says the position was user-specified.
420
421 Window managers generally heed user-specified positions, and some heed
422 program-specified positions too. But many ignore program-specified
423 positions, placing the window in a default fashion or letting the user
424 place it with the mouse. Some window managers, including @code{twm},
425 let the user specify whether to obey program-specified positions or
426 ignore them.
427
428 When you call @code{make-frame}, you should specify a non-@code{nil}
429 value for this parameter if the values of the @code{left} and @code{top}
430 parameters represent the user's stated preference; otherwise, use
431 @code{nil}.
432 @end table
433
434 @node Size Parameters
435 @subsubsection Size Parameters
436
437 Size parameters' values are normally measured in pixels, but on
438 text-only terminals they count characters or lines instead.
439
440 @table @code
441 @item height
442 The height of the frame contents, in characters. (To get the height in
443 pixels, call @code{frame-pixel-height}; see @ref{Size and Position}.)
444
445 @item width
446 The width of the frame contents, in characters. (To get the height in
447 pixels, call @code{frame-pixel-width}; see @ref{Size and Position}.)
448
449 @item user-size
450 This does for the size parameters @code{height} and @code{width} what
451 the @code{user-position} parameter (see above) does for the position
452 parameters @code{top} and @code{left}.
453
454 @item fullscreen
455 Specify that width, height or both shall be set to the size of the screen.
456 The value @code{fullwidth} specifies that width shall be the size of the
457 screen. The value @code{fullheight} specifies that height shall be the
458 size of the screen. The value @code{fullboth} specifies that both the
459 width and the height shall be set to the size of the screen.
460 @end table
461
462 @node Layout Parameters
463 @subsubsection Layout Parameters
464
465 These frame parameters enable or disable various parts of the
466 frame, or control their sizes.
467
468 @table @code
469 @item border-width
470 The width in pixels of the frame's border.
471
472 @item internal-border-width
473 The distance in pixels between text (or fringe) and the frame's border.
474
475 @item vertical-scroll-bars
476 Whether the frame has scroll bars for vertical scrolling, and which side
477 of the frame they should be on. The possible values are @code{left},
478 @code{right}, and @code{nil} for no scroll bars.
479
480 @ignore
481 @item horizontal-scroll-bars
482 Whether the frame has scroll bars for horizontal scrolling
483 (non-@code{nil} means yes). Horizontal scroll bars are not currently
484 implemented.
485 @end ignore
486
487 @item scroll-bar-width
488 The width of vertical scroll bars, in pixels, or @code{nil} meaning to
489 use the default width.
490
491 @item left-fringe
492 @itemx right-fringe
493 The default width of the left and right fringes of windows in this
494 frame (@pxref{Fringes}). If either of these is zero, that effectively
495 removes the corresponding fringe. A value of @code{nil} stands for
496 the standard fringe width, which is the width needed to display the
497 fringe bitmaps.
498
499 The combined fringe widths must add up to an integral number of
500 columns, so the actual default fringe widths for the frame may be
501 larger than the specified values. The extra width needed to reach an
502 acceptable total is distributed evenly between the left and right
503 fringe. However, you can force one fringe or the other to a precise
504 width by specifying that width as a negative integer. If both widths are
505 negative, only the left fringe gets the specified width.
506
507 @item menu-bar-lines
508 The number of lines to allocate at the top of the frame for a menu
509 bar. The default is 1. A value of @code{nil} means don't display a
510 menu bar. @xref{Menu Bar}. (The X toolkit and GTK allow at most one
511 menu bar line; they treat larger values as 1.)
512
513 @item tool-bar-lines
514 The number of lines to use for the tool bar. A value of @code{nil}
515 means don't display a tool bar. (GTK allows at most one tool bar line;
516 it treats larger values as 1.)
517
518 @item line-spacing
519 Additional space to leave below each text line, in pixels (a positive
520 integer). @xref{Line Height}, for more information.
521 @end table
522
523 @node Buffer Parameters
524 @subsubsection Buffer Parameters
525
526 These frame parameters, meaningful on all kinds of terminals, deal
527 with which buffers have been, or should, be displayed in the frame.
528
529 @table @code
530 @item minibuffer
531 Whether this frame has its own minibuffer. The value @code{t} means
532 yes, @code{nil} means no, @code{only} means this frame is just a
533 minibuffer. If the value is a minibuffer window (in some other frame),
534 the new frame uses that minibuffer.
535
536 @item buffer-predicate
537 The buffer-predicate function for this frame. The function
538 @code{other-buffer} uses this predicate (from the selected frame) to
539 decide which buffers it should consider, if the predicate is not
540 @code{nil}. It calls the predicate with one argument, a buffer, once for
541 each buffer; if the predicate returns a non-@code{nil} value, it
542 considers that buffer.
543
544 @item buffer-list
545 A list of buffers that have been selected in this frame,
546 ordered most-recently-selected first.
547
548 @item unsplittable
549 If non-@code{nil}, this frame's window is never split automatically.
550 @end table
551
552 @node Management Parameters
553 @subsubsection Window Management Parameters
554
555 These frame parameters, meaningful only on window system displays,
556 interact with the window manager.
557
558 @table @code
559 @item visibility
560 The state of visibility of the frame. There are three possibilities:
561 @code{nil} for invisible, @code{t} for visible, and @code{icon} for
562 iconified. @xref{Visibility of Frames}.
563
564 @item auto-raise
565 Whether selecting the frame raises it (non-@code{nil} means yes).
566
567 @item auto-lower
568 Whether deselecting the frame lowers it (non-@code{nil} means yes).
569
570 @item icon-type
571 The type of icon to use for this frame when it is iconified. If the
572 value is a string, that specifies a file containing a bitmap to use.
573 Any other non-@code{nil} value specifies the default bitmap icon (a
574 picture of a gnu); @code{nil} specifies a text icon.
575
576 @item icon-name
577 The name to use in the icon for this frame, when and if the icon
578 appears. If this is @code{nil}, the frame's title is used.
579
580 @item window-id
581 The number of the window-system window used by the frame
582 to contain the actual Emacs windows.
583
584 @item outer-window-id
585 The number of the outermost window-system window used for the whole frame.
586
587 @item wait-for-wm
588 If non-@code{nil}, tell Xt to wait for the window manager to confirm
589 geometry changes. Some window managers, including versions of Fvwm2
590 and KDE, fail to confirm, so Xt hangs. Set this to @code{nil} to
591 prevent hanging with those window managers.
592
593 @ignore
594 @item parent-id
595 @c ??? Not yet working.
596 The X window number of the window that should be the parent of this one.
597 Specifying this lets you create an Emacs window inside some other
598 application's window. (It is not certain this will be implemented; try
599 it and see if it works.)
600 @end ignore
601 @end table
602
603 @node Cursor Parameters
604 @subsubsection Cursor Parameters
605
606 This frame parameter controls the way the cursor looks.
607
608 @table @code
609 @item cursor-type
610 How to display the cursor. Legitimate values are:
611
612 @table @code
613 @item box
614 Display a filled box. (This is the default.)
615 @item hollow
616 Display a hollow box.
617 @item nil
618 Don't display a cursor.
619 @item bar
620 Display a vertical bar between characters.
621 @item (bar . @var{width})
622 Display a vertical bar @var{width} pixels wide between characters.
623 @item hbar
624 Display a horizontal bar.
625 @item (hbar . @var{height})
626 Display a horizontal bar @var{height} pixels high.
627 @end table
628 @end table
629
630 @vindex cursor-type
631 The buffer-local variable @code{cursor-type} overrides the value of
632 the @code{cursor-type} frame parameter, but if it is @code{t}, that
633 means to use the cursor specified for the frame.
634
635 @defvar blink-cursor-alist
636 This variable specifies how to blink the cursor. Each element has the
637 form @code{(@var{on-state} . @var{off-state})}. Whenever the cursor
638 type equals @var{on-state} (comparing using @code{equal}), the
639 corresponding @var{off-state} specifies what the cursor looks like
640 when it blinks ``off''. Both @var{on-state} and @var{off-state}
641 should be suitable values for the @code{cursor-type} frame parameter.
642
643 There are various defaults for how to blink each type of cursor, if
644 the type is not mentioned as an @var{on-state} here. Changes in this
645 variable do not take effect immediately, because the variable is
646 examined only when you specify the @code{cursor-type} parameter.
647 @end defvar
648
649 @node Color Parameters
650 @subsubsection Color Parameters
651
652 These frame parameters control the use of colors.
653
654 @table @code
655 @item background-mode
656 This parameter is either @code{dark} or @code{light}, according
657 to whether the background color is a light one or a dark one.
658
659 @item tty-color-mode
660 @cindex standard colors for character terminals
661 This parameter overrides the terminal's color support as given by the
662 system's terminal capabilities database in that this parameter's value
663 specifies the color mode to use in terminal frames. The value can be
664 either a symbol or a number. A number specifies the number of colors
665 to use (and, indirectly, what commands to issue to produce each
666 color). For example, @code{(tty-color-mode . 8)} specifies use of the
667 ANSI escape sequences for 8 standard text colors. A value of -1 turns
668 off color support.
669
670 If the parameter's value is a symbol, it specifies a number through
671 the value of @code{tty-color-mode-alist}, and the associated number is
672 used instead.
673
674 @item screen-gamma
675 @cindex gamma correction
676 If this is a number, Emacs performs ``gamma correction'' which adjusts
677 the brightness of all colors. The value should be the screen gamma of
678 your display, a floating point number.
679
680 Usual PC monitors have a screen gamma of 2.2, so color values in
681 Emacs, and in X windows generally, are calibrated to display properly
682 on a monitor with that gamma value. If you specify 2.2 for
683 @code{screen-gamma}, that means no correction is needed. Other values
684 request correction, designed to make the corrected colors appear on
685 your screen the way they would have appeared without correction on an
686 ordinary monitor with a gamma value of 2.2.
687
688 If your monitor displays colors too light, you should specify a
689 @code{screen-gamma} value smaller than 2.2. This requests correction
690 that makes colors darker. A screen gamma value of 1.5 may give good
691 results for LCD color displays.
692 @end table
693
694 These frame parameters are semi-obsolete in that they are automatically
695 equivalent to particular face attributes of particular faces.
696
697 @table @code
698 @item font
699 The name of the font for displaying text in the frame. This is a
700 string, either a valid font name for your system or the name of an Emacs
701 fontset (@pxref{Fontsets}). It is equivalent to the @code{font}
702 attribute of the @code{default} face.
703
704 @item foreground-color
705 The color to use for the image of a character. It is equivalent to
706 the @code{:foreground} attribute of the @code{default} face.
707
708 @item background-color
709 The color to use for the background of characters. It is equivalent to
710 the @code{:background} attribute of the @code{default} face.
711
712 @item mouse-color
713 The color for the mouse pointer. It is equivalent to the @code{:background}
714 attribute of the @code{mouse} face.
715
716 @item cursor-color
717 The color for the cursor that shows point. It is equivalent to the
718 @code{:background} attribute of the @code{cursor} face.
719
720 @item border-color
721 The color for the border of the frame. It is equivalent to the
722 @code{:background} attribute of the @code{border} face.
723
724 @item scroll-bar-foreground
725 If non-@code{nil}, the color for the foreground of scroll bars. It is
726 equivalent to the @code{:foreground} attribute of the
727 @code{scroll-bar} face.
728
729 @item scroll-bar-background
730 If non-@code{nil}, the color for the background of scroll bars. It is
731 equivalent to the @code{:background} attribute of the
732 @code{scroll-bar} face.
733 @end table
734
735 @node Size and Position
736 @subsection Frame Size And Position
737 @cindex size of frame
738 @cindex screen size
739 @cindex frame size
740 @cindex resize frame
741
742 You can read or change the size and position of a frame using the
743 frame parameters @code{left}, @code{top}, @code{height}, and
744 @code{width}. Whatever geometry parameters you don't specify are chosen
745 by the window manager in its usual fashion.
746
747 Here are some special features for working with sizes and positions.
748 (For the precise meaning of ``selected frame'' used by these functions,
749 see @ref{Input Focus}.)
750
751 @defun set-frame-position frame left top
752 This function sets the position of the top left corner of @var{frame} to
753 @var{left} and @var{top}. These arguments are measured in pixels, and
754 normally count from the top left corner of the screen.
755
756 Negative parameter values position the bottom edge of the window up from
757 the bottom edge of the screen, or the right window edge to the left of
758 the right edge of the screen. It would probably be better if the values
759 were always counted from the left and top, so that negative arguments
760 would position the frame partly off the top or left edge of the screen,
761 but it seems inadvisable to change that now.
762 @end defun
763
764 @defun frame-height &optional frame
765 @defunx frame-width &optional frame
766 These functions return the height and width of @var{frame}, measured in
767 lines and columns. If you don't supply @var{frame}, they use the
768 selected frame.
769 @end defun
770
771 @defun screen-height
772 @defunx screen-width
773 These functions are old aliases for @code{frame-height} and
774 @code{frame-width}. When you are using a non-window terminal, the size
775 of the frame is normally the same as the size of the terminal screen.
776 @end defun
777
778 @defun frame-pixel-height &optional frame
779 @defunx frame-pixel-width &optional frame
780 These functions return the height and width of @var{frame}, measured in
781 pixels. If you don't supply @var{frame}, they use the selected frame.
782 @end defun
783
784 @defun frame-char-height &optional frame
785 @defunx frame-char-width &optional frame
786 These functions return the height and width of a character in
787 @var{frame}, measured in pixels. The values depend on the choice of
788 font. If you don't supply @var{frame}, these functions use the selected
789 frame.
790 @end defun
791
792 @defun set-frame-size frame cols rows
793 This function sets the size of @var{frame}, measured in characters;
794 @var{cols} and @var{rows} specify the new width and height.
795
796 To set the size based on values measured in pixels, use
797 @code{frame-char-height} and @code{frame-char-width} to convert
798 them to units of characters.
799 @end defun
800
801 @defun set-frame-height frame lines &optional pretend
802 This function resizes @var{frame} to a height of @var{lines} lines. The
803 sizes of existing windows in @var{frame} are altered proportionally to
804 fit.
805
806 If @var{pretend} is non-@code{nil}, then Emacs displays @var{lines}
807 lines of output in @var{frame}, but does not change its value for the
808 actual height of the frame. This is only useful for a terminal frame.
809 Using a smaller height than the terminal actually implements may be
810 useful to reproduce behavior observed on a smaller screen, or if the
811 terminal malfunctions when using its whole screen. Setting the frame
812 height ``for real'' does not always work, because knowing the correct
813 actual size may be necessary for correct cursor positioning on a
814 terminal frame.
815 @end defun
816
817 @defun set-frame-width frame width &optional pretend
818 This function sets the width of @var{frame}, measured in characters.
819 The argument @var{pretend} has the same meaning as in
820 @code{set-frame-height}.
821 @end defun
822
823 @findex set-screen-height
824 @findex set-screen-width
825 The older functions @code{set-screen-height} and
826 @code{set-screen-width} were used to specify the height and width of the
827 screen, in Emacs versions that did not support multiple frames. They
828 are semi-obsolete, but still work; they apply to the selected frame.
829
830 @node Geometry
831 @subsection Geometry
832
833 Here's how to examine the data in an X-style window geometry
834 specification:
835
836 @defun x-parse-geometry geom
837 @cindex geometry specification
838 The function @code{x-parse-geometry} converts a standard X window
839 geometry string to an alist that you can use as part of the argument to
840 @code{make-frame}.
841
842 The alist describes which parameters were specified in @var{geom}, and
843 gives the values specified for them. Each element looks like
844 @code{(@var{parameter} . @var{value})}. The possible @var{parameter}
845 values are @code{left}, @code{top}, @code{width}, and @code{height}.
846
847 For the size parameters, the value must be an integer. The position
848 parameter names @code{left} and @code{top} are not totally accurate,
849 because some values indicate the position of the right or bottom edges
850 instead. These are the @var{value} possibilities for the position
851 parameters:
852
853 @table @asis
854 @item an integer
855 A positive integer relates the left edge or top edge of the window to
856 the left or top edge of the screen. A negative integer relates the
857 right or bottom edge of the window to the right or bottom edge of the
858 screen.
859
860 @item @code{(+ @var{position})}
861 This specifies the position of the left or top edge of the window
862 relative to the left or top edge of the screen. The integer
863 @var{position} may be positive or negative; a negative value specifies a
864 position outside the screen.
865
866 @item @code{(- @var{position})}
867 This specifies the position of the right or bottom edge of the window
868 relative to the right or bottom edge of the screen. The integer
869 @var{position} may be positive or negative; a negative value specifies a
870 position outside the screen.
871 @end table
872
873 Here is an example:
874
875 @example
876 (x-parse-geometry "35x70+0-0")
877 @result{} ((height . 70) (width . 35)
878 (top - 0) (left . 0))
879 @end example
880 @end defun
881
882 @node Frame Titles
883 @section Frame Titles
884
885 Every frame has a @code{name} parameter; this serves as the default
886 for the frame title which window systems typically display at the top of
887 the frame. You can specify a name explicitly by setting the @code{name}
888 frame property.
889
890 Normally you don't specify the name explicitly, and Emacs computes the
891 frame name automatically based on a template stored in the variable
892 @code{frame-title-format}. Emacs recomputes the name each time the
893 frame is redisplayed.
894
895 @defvar frame-title-format
896 This variable specifies how to compute a name for a frame when you have
897 not explicitly specified one. The variable's value is actually a mode
898 line construct, just like @code{mode-line-format}. @xref{Mode Line
899 Data}.
900 @end defvar
901
902 @defvar icon-title-format
903 This variable specifies how to compute the name for an iconified frame,
904 when you have not explicitly specified the frame title. This title
905 appears in the icon itself.
906 @end defvar
907
908 @defvar multiple-frames
909 This variable is set automatically by Emacs. Its value is @code{t} when
910 there are two or more frames (not counting minibuffer-only frames or
911 invisible frames). The default value of @code{frame-title-format} uses
912 @code{multiple-frames} so as to put the buffer name in the frame title
913 only when there is more than one frame.
914
915 The value of this variable is not guaranteed to be accurate except
916 while processing @code{frame-title-format} or
917 @code{icon-title-format}.
918 @end defvar
919
920 @node Deleting Frames
921 @section Deleting Frames
922 @cindex deletion of frames
923
924 Frames remain potentially visible until you explicitly @dfn{delete}
925 them. A deleted frame cannot appear on the screen, but continues to
926 exist as a Lisp object until there are no references to it.
927
928 @deffn Command delete-frame &optional frame force
929 @vindex delete-frame-functions
930 This function deletes the frame @var{frame}. Unless @var{frame} is a
931 tooltip, it first runs the hook @code{delete-frame-functions} (each
932 function gets one argument, @var{frame}). By default, @var{frame} is
933 the selected frame.
934
935 A frame cannot be deleted if its minibuffer is used by other frames.
936 Normally, you cannot delete a frame if all other frames are invisible,
937 but if the @var{force} is non-@code{nil}, then you are allowed to do so.
938 @end deffn
939
940 @defun frame-live-p frame
941 The function @code{frame-live-p} returns non-@code{nil} if the frame
942 @var{frame} has not been deleted. The possible non-@code{nil} return
943 values are like those of @code{framep}. @xref{Frames}.
944 @end defun
945
946 Some window managers provide a command to delete a window. These work
947 by sending a special message to the program that operates the window.
948 When Emacs gets one of these commands, it generates a
949 @code{delete-frame} event, whose normal definition is a command that
950 calls the function @code{delete-frame}. @xref{Misc Events}.
951
952 @node Finding All Frames
953 @section Finding All Frames
954
955 @defun frame-list
956 The function @code{frame-list} returns a list of all the frames that
957 have not been deleted. It is analogous to @code{buffer-list} for
958 buffers, and includes frames on all terminals. The list that you get is
959 newly created, so modifying the list doesn't have any effect on the
960 internals of Emacs.
961 @end defun
962
963 @defun visible-frame-list
964 This function returns a list of just the currently visible frames.
965 @xref{Visibility of Frames}. (Terminal frames always count as
966 ``visible'', even though only the selected one is actually displayed.)
967 @end defun
968
969 @defun next-frame &optional frame minibuf
970 The function @code{next-frame} lets you cycle conveniently through all
971 the frames on the current display from an arbitrary starting point. It
972 returns the ``next'' frame after @var{frame} in the cycle. If
973 @var{frame} is omitted or @code{nil}, it defaults to the selected frame
974 (@pxref{Input Focus}).
975
976 The second argument, @var{minibuf}, says which frames to consider:
977
978 @table @asis
979 @item @code{nil}
980 Exclude minibuffer-only frames.
981 @item @code{visible}
982 Consider all visible frames.
983 @item 0
984 Consider all visible or iconified frames.
985 @item a window
986 Consider only the frames using that particular window as their
987 minibuffer.
988 @item anything else
989 Consider all frames.
990 @end table
991 @end defun
992
993 @defun previous-frame &optional frame minibuf
994 Like @code{next-frame}, but cycles through all frames in the opposite
995 direction.
996 @end defun
997
998 See also @code{next-window} and @code{previous-window}, in @ref{Cyclic
999 Window Ordering}.
1000
1001 @node Frames and Windows
1002 @section Frames and Windows
1003
1004 Each window is part of one and only one frame; you can get the frame
1005 with @code{window-frame}.
1006
1007 @defun window-frame window
1008 This function returns the frame that @var{window} is on.
1009 @end defun
1010
1011 All the non-minibuffer windows in a frame are arranged in a cyclic
1012 order. The order runs from the frame's top window, which is at the
1013 upper left corner, down and to the right, until it reaches the window at
1014 the lower right corner (always the minibuffer window, if the frame has
1015 one), and then it moves back to the top. @xref{Cyclic Window Ordering}.
1016
1017 @defun frame-first-window &optional frame
1018 This returns the topmost, leftmost window of frame @var{frame}.
1019 If omitted or @code{nil}, @var{frame} defaults to the selected frame.
1020 @end defun
1021
1022 At any time, exactly one window on any frame is @dfn{selected within the
1023 frame}. The significance of this designation is that selecting the
1024 frame also selects this window. You can get the frame's current
1025 selected window with @code{frame-selected-window}.
1026
1027 @defun frame-selected-window &optional frame
1028 This function returns the window on @var{frame} that is selected
1029 within @var{frame}. If omitted or @code{nil}, @var{frame} defaults to
1030 the selected frame.
1031 @end defun
1032
1033 @defun set-frame-selected-window frame window
1034 This sets the selected window of frame @var{frame} to @var{window}.
1035 If @var{frame} is @code{nil}, it operates on the selected frame. If
1036 @var{frame} is the selected frame, this makes @var{window} the
1037 selected window. This function returns @var{window}.
1038 @end defun
1039
1040 Conversely, selecting a window for Emacs with @code{select-window} also
1041 makes that window selected within its frame. @xref{Selecting Windows}.
1042
1043 Another function that (usually) returns one of the windows in a given
1044 frame is @code{minibuffer-window}. @xref{Definition of minibuffer-window}.
1045
1046 @node Minibuffers and Frames
1047 @section Minibuffers and Frames
1048
1049 Normally, each frame has its own minibuffer window at the bottom, which
1050 is used whenever that frame is selected. If the frame has a minibuffer,
1051 you can get it with @code{minibuffer-window} (@pxref{Definition of
1052 minibuffer-window}).
1053
1054 However, you can also create a frame with no minibuffer. Such a frame
1055 must use the minibuffer window of some other frame. When you create the
1056 frame, you can specify explicitly the minibuffer window to use (in some
1057 other frame). If you don't, then the minibuffer is found in the frame
1058 which is the value of the variable @code{default-minibuffer-frame}. Its
1059 value should be a frame that does have a minibuffer.
1060
1061 If you use a minibuffer-only frame, you might want that frame to raise
1062 when you enter the minibuffer. If so, set the variable
1063 @code{minibuffer-auto-raise} to @code{t}. @xref{Raising and Lowering}.
1064
1065 @defvar default-minibuffer-frame
1066 This variable specifies the frame to use for the minibuffer window, by
1067 default. It does not affect existing frames. It is always local to
1068 the current terminal and cannot be buffer-local. @xref{Multiple
1069 Displays}.
1070 @end defvar
1071
1072 @node Input Focus
1073 @section Input Focus
1074 @cindex input focus
1075 @cindex selected frame
1076
1077 At any time, one frame in Emacs is the @dfn{selected frame}. The selected
1078 window always resides on the selected frame.
1079
1080 When Emacs displays its frames on several terminals (@pxref{Multiple
1081 Displays}), each terminal has its own selected frame. But only one of
1082 these is ``@emph{the} selected frame'': it's the frame that belongs to
1083 the terminal from which the most recent input came. That is, when Emacs
1084 runs a command that came from a certain terminal, the selected frame is
1085 the one of that terminal. Since Emacs runs only a single command at any
1086 given time, it needs to consider only one selected frame at a time; this
1087 frame is what we call @dfn{the selected frame} in this manual. The
1088 display on which the selected frame is displayed is the @dfn{selected
1089 frame's display}.
1090
1091 @defun selected-frame
1092 This function returns the selected frame.
1093 @end defun
1094
1095 Some window systems and window managers direct keyboard input to the
1096 window object that the mouse is in; others require explicit clicks or
1097 commands to @dfn{shift the focus} to various window objects. Either
1098 way, Emacs automatically keeps track of which frame has the focus. To
1099 switch to a different frame from a Lisp function, call
1100 @code{select-frame-set-input-focus}.
1101
1102 Lisp programs can also switch frames ``temporarily'' by calling the
1103 function @code{select-frame}. This does not alter the window system's
1104 concept of focus; rather, it escapes from the window manager's control
1105 until that control is somehow reasserted.
1106
1107 When using a text-only terminal, only one frame can be displayed at a
1108 time on the terminal, so after a call to @code{select-frame}, the next
1109 redisplay actually displays the newly selected frame. This frame
1110 remains selected until a subsequent call to @code{select-frame} or
1111 @code{select-frame-set-input-focus}. Each terminal frame has a number
1112 which appears in the mode line before the buffer name (@pxref{Mode
1113 Line Variables}).
1114
1115 @defun select-frame-set-input-focus frame
1116 This function makes @var{frame} the selected frame, raises it (should
1117 it happen to be obscured by other frames) and tries to give it the X
1118 server's focus. On a text-only terminal, the next redisplay displays
1119 the new frame on the entire terminal screen. The return value of this
1120 function is not significant.
1121 @end defun
1122
1123 @c ??? This is not yet implemented properly.
1124 @defun select-frame frame
1125 This function selects frame @var{frame}, temporarily disregarding the
1126 focus of the X server if any. The selection of @var{frame} lasts until
1127 the next time the user does something to select a different frame, or
1128 until the next time this function is called. (If you are using a
1129 window system, the previously selected frame may be restored as the
1130 selected frame after return to the command loop, because it still may
1131 have the window system's input focus.) The specified @var{frame}
1132 becomes the selected frame, as explained above, and the terminal that
1133 @var{frame} is on becomes the selected terminal. This function
1134 returns @var{frame}, or @code{nil} if @var{frame} has been deleted.
1135
1136 In general, you should never use @code{select-frame} in a way that could
1137 switch to a different terminal without switching back when you're done.
1138 @end defun
1139
1140 Emacs cooperates with the window system by arranging to select frames as
1141 the server and window manager request. It does so by generating a
1142 special kind of input event, called a @dfn{focus} event, when
1143 appropriate. The command loop handles a focus event by calling
1144 @code{handle-switch-frame}. @xref{Focus Events}.
1145
1146 @deffn Command handle-switch-frame frame
1147 This function handles a focus event by selecting frame @var{frame}.
1148
1149 Focus events normally do their job by invoking this command.
1150 Don't call it for any other reason.
1151 @end deffn
1152
1153 @defun redirect-frame-focus frame &optional focus-frame
1154 This function redirects focus from @var{frame} to @var{focus-frame}.
1155 This means that @var{focus-frame} will receive subsequent keystrokes and
1156 events intended for @var{frame}. After such an event, the value of
1157 @code{last-event-frame} will be @var{focus-frame}. Also, switch-frame
1158 events specifying @var{frame} will instead select @var{focus-frame}.
1159
1160 If @var{focus-frame} is omitted or @code{nil}, that cancels any existing
1161 redirection for @var{frame}, which therefore once again receives its own
1162 events.
1163
1164 One use of focus redirection is for frames that don't have minibuffers.
1165 These frames use minibuffers on other frames. Activating a minibuffer
1166 on another frame redirects focus to that frame. This puts the focus on
1167 the minibuffer's frame, where it belongs, even though the mouse remains
1168 in the frame that activated the minibuffer.
1169
1170 Selecting a frame can also change focus redirections. Selecting frame
1171 @code{bar}, when @code{foo} had been selected, changes any redirections
1172 pointing to @code{foo} so that they point to @code{bar} instead. This
1173 allows focus redirection to work properly when the user switches from
1174 one frame to another using @code{select-window}.
1175
1176 This means that a frame whose focus is redirected to itself is treated
1177 differently from a frame whose focus is not redirected.
1178 @code{select-frame} affects the former but not the latter.
1179
1180 The redirection lasts until @code{redirect-frame-focus} is called to
1181 change it.
1182 @end defun
1183
1184 @defopt focus-follows-mouse
1185 This option is how you inform Emacs whether the window manager transfers
1186 focus when the user moves the mouse. Non-@code{nil} says that it does.
1187 When this is so, the command @code{other-frame} moves the mouse to a
1188 position consistent with the new selected frame.
1189 @end defopt
1190
1191 @node Visibility of Frames
1192 @section Visibility of Frames
1193 @cindex visible frame
1194 @cindex invisible frame
1195 @cindex iconified frame
1196 @cindex frame visibility
1197
1198 A window frame may be @dfn{visible}, @dfn{invisible}, or
1199 @dfn{iconified}. If it is visible, you can see its contents. If it is
1200 iconified, the frame's contents do not appear on the screen, but an icon
1201 does. If the frame is invisible, it doesn't show on the screen, not
1202 even as an icon.
1203
1204 Visibility is meaningless for terminal frames, since only the selected
1205 one is actually displayed in any case.
1206
1207 @deffn Command make-frame-visible &optional frame
1208 This function makes frame @var{frame} visible. If you omit @var{frame},
1209 it makes the selected frame visible.
1210 @end deffn
1211
1212 @deffn Command make-frame-invisible &optional frame force
1213 This function makes frame @var{frame} invisible. If you omit
1214 @var{frame}, it makes the selected frame invisible.
1215
1216 Unless @var{force} is non-@code{nil}, this function refuses to make
1217 @var{frame} invisible if all other frames are invisible..
1218 @end deffn
1219
1220 @deffn Command iconify-frame &optional frame
1221 This function iconifies frame @var{frame}. If you omit @var{frame}, it
1222 iconifies the selected frame.
1223 @end deffn
1224
1225 @defun frame-visible-p frame
1226 This returns the visibility status of frame @var{frame}. The value is
1227 @code{t} if @var{frame} is visible, @code{nil} if it is invisible, and
1228 @code{icon} if it is iconified.
1229
1230 On a text-only terminal, all frames are considered visible, whether
1231 they are currently being displayed or not, and this function returns
1232 @code{t} for all frames.
1233 @end defun
1234
1235 The visibility status of a frame is also available as a frame
1236 parameter. You can read or change it as such. @xref{Management
1237 Parameters}.
1238
1239 The user can iconify and deiconify frames with the window manager.
1240 This happens below the level at which Emacs can exert any control, but
1241 Emacs does provide events that you can use to keep track of such
1242 changes. @xref{Misc Events}.
1243
1244 @node Raising and Lowering
1245 @section Raising and Lowering Frames
1246
1247 Most window systems use a desktop metaphor. Part of this metaphor is
1248 the idea that windows are stacked in a notional third dimension
1249 perpendicular to the screen surface, and thus ordered from ``highest''
1250 to ``lowest''. Where two windows overlap, the one higher up covers
1251 the one underneath. Even a window at the bottom of the stack can be
1252 seen if no other window overlaps it.
1253
1254 @cindex raising a frame
1255 @cindex lowering a frame
1256 A window's place in this ordering is not fixed; in fact, users tend
1257 to change the order frequently. @dfn{Raising} a window means moving
1258 it ``up'', to the top of the stack. @dfn{Lowering} a window means
1259 moving it to the bottom of the stack. This motion is in the notional
1260 third dimension only, and does not change the position of the window
1261 on the screen.
1262
1263 You can raise and lower Emacs frame Windows with these functions:
1264
1265 @deffn Command raise-frame &optional frame
1266 This function raises frame @var{frame} (default, the selected frame).
1267 If @var{frame} is invisible or iconified, this makes it visible.
1268 @end deffn
1269
1270 @deffn Command lower-frame &optional frame
1271 This function lowers frame @var{frame} (default, the selected frame).
1272 @end deffn
1273
1274 @defopt minibuffer-auto-raise
1275 If this is non-@code{nil}, activation of the minibuffer raises the frame
1276 that the minibuffer window is in.
1277 @end defopt
1278
1279 You can also enable auto-raise (raising automatically when a frame is
1280 selected) or auto-lower (lowering automatically when it is deselected)
1281 for any frame using frame parameters. @xref{Management Parameters}.
1282
1283 @node Frame Configurations
1284 @section Frame Configurations
1285 @cindex frame configuration
1286
1287 A @dfn{frame configuration} records the current arrangement of frames,
1288 all their properties, and the window configuration of each one.
1289 (@xref{Window Configurations}.)
1290
1291 @defun current-frame-configuration
1292 This function returns a frame configuration list that describes
1293 the current arrangement of frames and their contents.
1294 @end defun
1295
1296 @defun set-frame-configuration configuration &optional nodelete
1297 This function restores the state of frames described in
1298 @var{configuration}. However, this function does not restore deleted
1299 frames.
1300
1301 Ordinarily, this function deletes all existing frames not listed in
1302 @var{configuration}. But if @var{nodelete} is non-@code{nil}, the
1303 unwanted frames are iconified instead.
1304 @end defun
1305
1306 @node Mouse Tracking
1307 @section Mouse Tracking
1308 @cindex mouse tracking
1309 @cindex tracking the mouse
1310
1311 Sometimes it is useful to @dfn{track} the mouse, which means to display
1312 something to indicate where the mouse is and move the indicator as the
1313 mouse moves. For efficient mouse tracking, you need a way to wait until
1314 the mouse actually moves.
1315
1316 The convenient way to track the mouse is to ask for events to represent
1317 mouse motion. Then you can wait for motion by waiting for an event. In
1318 addition, you can easily handle any other sorts of events that may
1319 occur. That is useful, because normally you don't want to track the
1320 mouse forever---only until some other event, such as the release of a
1321 button.
1322
1323 @defspec track-mouse body@dots{}
1324 This special form executes @var{body}, with generation of mouse motion
1325 events enabled. Typically @var{body} would use @code{read-event} to
1326 read the motion events and modify the display accordingly. @xref{Motion
1327 Events}, for the format of mouse motion events.
1328
1329 The value of @code{track-mouse} is that of the last form in @var{body}.
1330 You should design @var{body} to return when it sees the up-event that
1331 indicates the release of the button, or whatever kind of event means
1332 it is time to stop tracking.
1333 @end defspec
1334
1335 The usual purpose of tracking mouse motion is to indicate on the screen
1336 the consequences of pushing or releasing a button at the current
1337 position.
1338
1339 In many cases, you can avoid the need to track the mouse by using
1340 the @code{mouse-face} text property (@pxref{Special Properties}).
1341 That works at a much lower level and runs more smoothly than
1342 Lisp-level mouse tracking.
1343
1344 @ignore
1345 @c These are not implemented yet.
1346
1347 These functions change the screen appearance instantaneously. The
1348 effect is transient, only until the next ordinary Emacs redisplay. That
1349 is OK for mouse tracking, since it doesn't make sense for mouse tracking
1350 to change the text, and the body of @code{track-mouse} normally reads
1351 the events itself and does not do redisplay.
1352
1353 @defun x-contour-region window beg end
1354 This function draws lines to make a box around the text from @var{beg}
1355 to @var{end}, in window @var{window}.
1356 @end defun
1357
1358 @defun x-uncontour-region window beg end
1359 This function erases the lines that would make a box around the text
1360 from @var{beg} to @var{end}, in window @var{window}. Use it to remove
1361 a contour that you previously made by calling @code{x-contour-region}.
1362 @end defun
1363
1364 @defun x-draw-rectangle frame left top right bottom
1365 This function draws a hollow rectangle on frame @var{frame} with the
1366 specified edge coordinates, all measured in pixels from the inside top
1367 left corner. It uses the cursor color, the one used for indicating the
1368 location of point.
1369 @end defun
1370
1371 @defun x-erase-rectangle frame left top right bottom
1372 This function erases a hollow rectangle on frame @var{frame} with the
1373 specified edge coordinates, all measured in pixels from the inside top
1374 left corner. Erasure means redrawing the text and background that
1375 normally belong in the specified rectangle.
1376 @end defun
1377 @end ignore
1378
1379 @node Mouse Position
1380 @section Mouse Position
1381 @cindex mouse position
1382 @cindex position of mouse
1383
1384 The functions @code{mouse-position} and @code{set-mouse-position}
1385 give access to the current position of the mouse.
1386
1387 @defun mouse-position
1388 This function returns a description of the position of the mouse. The
1389 value looks like @code{(@var{frame} @var{x} . @var{y})}, where @var{x}
1390 and @var{y} are integers giving the position in characters relative to
1391 the top left corner of the inside of @var{frame}.
1392 @end defun
1393
1394 @defvar mouse-position-function
1395 If non-@code{nil}, the value of this variable is a function for
1396 @code{mouse-position} to call. @code{mouse-position} calls this
1397 function just before returning, with its normal return value as the
1398 sole argument, and it returns whatever this function returns to it.
1399
1400 This abnormal hook exists for the benefit of packages like
1401 @file{xt-mouse.el} that need to do mouse handling at the Lisp level.
1402 @end defvar
1403
1404 @defun set-mouse-position frame x y
1405 This function @dfn{warps the mouse} to position @var{x}, @var{y} in
1406 frame @var{frame}. The arguments @var{x} and @var{y} are integers,
1407 giving the position in characters relative to the top left corner of the
1408 inside of @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is not visible, this function
1409 does nothing. The return value is not significant.
1410 @end defun
1411
1412 @defun mouse-pixel-position
1413 This function is like @code{mouse-position} except that it returns
1414 coordinates in units of pixels rather than units of characters.
1415 @end defun
1416
1417 @defun set-mouse-pixel-position frame x y
1418 This function warps the mouse like @code{set-mouse-position} except that
1419 @var{x} and @var{y} are in units of pixels rather than units of
1420 characters. These coordinates are not required to be within the frame.
1421
1422 If @var{frame} is not visible, this function does nothing. The return
1423 value is not significant.
1424 @end defun
1425
1426 @need 3000
1427
1428 @node Pop-Up Menus
1429 @section Pop-Up Menus
1430
1431 When using a window system, a Lisp program can pop up a menu so that
1432 the user can choose an alternative with the mouse.
1433
1434 @defun x-popup-menu position menu
1435 This function displays a pop-up menu and returns an indication of
1436 what selection the user makes.
1437
1438 The argument @var{position} specifies where on the screen to put the
1439 top left corner of the menu. It can be either a mouse button event
1440 (which says to put the menu where the user actuated the button) or a
1441 list of this form:
1442
1443 @example
1444 ((@var{xoffset} @var{yoffset}) @var{window})
1445 @end example
1446
1447 @noindent
1448 where @var{xoffset} and @var{yoffset} are coordinates, measured in
1449 pixels, counting from the top left corner of @var{window}. @var{window}
1450 may be a window or a frame.
1451
1452 If @var{position} is @code{t}, it means to use the current mouse
1453 position. If @var{position} is @code{nil}, it means to precompute the
1454 key binding equivalents for the keymaps specified in @var{menu},
1455 without actually displaying or popping up the menu.
1456
1457 The argument @var{menu} says what to display in the menu. It can be a
1458 keymap or a list of keymaps (@pxref{Menu Keymaps}). In this case, the
1459 return value is the list of events corresponding to the user's choice.
1460 (This list has more than one element if the choice occurred in a
1461 submenu.) Note that @code{x-popup-menu} does not actually execute the
1462 command bound to that sequence of events.
1463
1464 Alternatively, @var{menu} can have the following form:
1465
1466 @example
1467 (@var{title} @var{pane1} @var{pane2}...)
1468 @end example
1469
1470 @noindent
1471 where each pane is a list of form
1472
1473 @example
1474 (@var{title} @var{item1} @var{item2}...)
1475 @end example
1476
1477 Each item should normally be a cons cell @code{(@var{line} . @var{value})},
1478 where @var{line} is a string, and @var{value} is the value to return if
1479 that @var{line} is chosen. An item can also be a string; this makes a
1480 non-selectable line in the menu.
1481
1482 If the user gets rid of the menu without making a valid choice, for
1483 instance by clicking the mouse away from a valid choice or by typing
1484 keyboard input, then this normally results in a quit and
1485 @code{x-popup-menu} does not return. But if @var{position} is a mouse
1486 button event (indicating that the user invoked the menu with the
1487 mouse) then no quit occurs and @code{x-popup-menu} returns @code{nil}.
1488 @end defun
1489
1490 @strong{Usage note:} Don't use @code{x-popup-menu} to display a menu
1491 if you could do the job with a prefix key defined with a menu keymap.
1492 If you use a menu keymap to implement a menu, @kbd{C-h c} and @kbd{C-h
1493 a} can see the individual items in that menu and provide help for them.
1494 If instead you implement the menu by defining a command that calls
1495 @code{x-popup-menu}, the help facilities cannot know what happens inside
1496 that command, so they cannot give any help for the menu's items.
1497
1498 The menu bar mechanism, which lets you switch between submenus by
1499 moving the mouse, cannot look within the definition of a command to see
1500 that it calls @code{x-popup-menu}. Therefore, if you try to implement a
1501 submenu using @code{x-popup-menu}, it cannot work with the menu bar in
1502 an integrated fashion. This is why all menu bar submenus are
1503 implemented with menu keymaps within the parent menu, and never with
1504 @code{x-popup-menu}. @xref{Menu Bar}.
1505
1506 If you want a menu bar submenu to have contents that vary, you should
1507 still use a menu keymap to implement it. To make the contents vary, add
1508 a hook function to @code{menu-bar-update-hook} to update the contents of
1509 the menu keymap as necessary.
1510
1511 @node Dialog Boxes
1512 @section Dialog Boxes
1513 @cindex dialog boxes
1514
1515 A dialog box is a variant of a pop-up menu---it looks a little
1516 different, it always appears in the center of a frame, and it has just
1517 one level and one or more buttons. The main use of dialog boxes is
1518 for asking questions that the user can answer with ``yes'', ``no'',
1519 and a few other alternatives. With a single button, they can also
1520 force the user to acknowledge important information. The functions
1521 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{yes-or-no-p} use dialog boxes instead of the
1522 keyboard, when called from commands invoked by mouse clicks.
1523
1524 @defun x-popup-dialog position contents &optional header
1525 This function displays a pop-up dialog box and returns an indication of
1526 what selection the user makes. The argument @var{contents} specifies
1527 the alternatives to offer; it has this format:
1528
1529 @example
1530 (@var{title} (@var{string} . @var{value})@dots{})
1531 @end example
1532
1533 @noindent
1534 which looks like the list that specifies a single pane for
1535 @code{x-popup-menu}.
1536
1537 The return value is @var{value} from the chosen alternative.
1538
1539 As for @code{x-popup-menu}, an element of the list may be just a
1540 string instead of a cons cell @code{(@var{string} . @var{value})}.
1541 That makes a box that cannot be selected.
1542
1543 If @code{nil} appears in the list, it separates the left-hand items from
1544 the right-hand items; items that precede the @code{nil} appear on the
1545 left, and items that follow the @code{nil} appear on the right. If you
1546 don't include a @code{nil} in the list, then approximately half the
1547 items appear on each side.
1548
1549 Dialog boxes always appear in the center of a frame; the argument
1550 @var{position} specifies which frame. The possible values are as in
1551 @code{x-popup-menu}, but the precise coordinates or the individual
1552 window don't matter; only the frame matters.
1553
1554 If @var{header} is non-@code{nil}, the frame title for the box is
1555 @samp{Information}, otherwise it is @samp{Question}. The former is used
1556 for @code{message-box} (@pxref{The Echo Area}).
1557
1558 In some configurations, Emacs cannot display a real dialog box; so
1559 instead it displays the same items in a pop-up menu in the center of the
1560 frame.
1561
1562 If the user gets rid of the dialog box without making a valid choice,
1563 for instance using the window manager, then this produces a quit and
1564 @code{x-popup-dialog} does not return.
1565 @end defun
1566
1567 @node Pointer Shapes
1568 @section Pointer Shapes
1569 @cindex pointer shape
1570 @cindex mouse pointer shape
1571
1572 These variables specify which shape to use for the mouse pointer in
1573 various situations, when using the X Window System:
1574
1575 @table @code
1576 @item x-pointer-shape
1577 @vindex x-pointer-shape
1578 This variable specifies the pointer shape to use ordinarily in the Emacs
1579 frame.
1580
1581 @item x-sensitive-text-pointer-shape
1582 @vindex x-sensitive-text-pointer-shape
1583 This variable specifies the pointer shape to use when the mouse
1584 is over mouse-sensitive text.
1585 @end table
1586
1587 These variables affect newly created frames. They do not normally
1588 affect existing frames; however, if you set the mouse color of a frame,
1589 that also updates its pointer shapes based on the current values of
1590 these variables. @xref{Color Parameters}.
1591
1592 The values you can use, to specify either of these pointer shapes, are
1593 defined in the file @file{lisp/term/x-win.el}. Use @kbd{M-x apropos
1594 @key{RET} x-pointer @key{RET}} to see a list of them.
1595
1596 @node Window System Selections
1597 @section Window System Selections
1598 @cindex selection (for window systems)
1599
1600 The X server records a set of @dfn{selections} which permit transfer of
1601 data between application programs. The various selections are
1602 distinguished by @dfn{selection types}, represented in Emacs by
1603 symbols. X clients including Emacs can read or set the selection for
1604 any given type.
1605
1606 @deffn Command x-set-selection type data
1607 This function sets a ``selection'' in the X server. It takes two
1608 arguments: a selection type @var{type}, and the value to assign to it,
1609 @var{data}. If @var{data} is @code{nil}, it means to clear out the
1610 selection. Otherwise, @var{data} may be a string, a symbol, an integer
1611 (or a cons of two integers or list of two integers), an overlay, or a
1612 cons of two markers pointing to the same buffer. An overlay or a pair
1613 of markers stands for text in the overlay or between the markers.
1614
1615 The argument @var{data} may also be a vector of valid non-vector
1616 selection values.
1617
1618 Each possible @var{type} has its own selection value, which changes
1619 independently. The usual values of @var{type} are @code{PRIMARY},
1620 @code{SECONDARY} and @code{CLIPBOARD}; these are symbols with upper-case
1621 names, in accord with X Window System conventions. If @var{type} is
1622 @code{nil}, that stands for @code{PRIMARY}.
1623
1624 This function returns @var{data}.
1625 @end deffn
1626
1627 @defun x-get-selection &optional type data-type
1628 This function accesses selections set up by Emacs or by other X
1629 clients. It takes two optional arguments, @var{type} and
1630 @var{data-type}. The default for @var{type}, the selection type, is
1631 @code{PRIMARY}.
1632
1633 The @var{data-type} argument specifies the form of data conversion to
1634 use, to convert the raw data obtained from another X client into Lisp
1635 data. Meaningful values include @code{TEXT}, @code{STRING},
1636 @code{UTF8_STRING}, @code{TARGETS}, @code{LENGTH}, @code{DELETE},
1637 @code{FILE_NAME}, @code{CHARACTER_POSITION}, @code{NAME},
1638 @code{LINE_NUMBER}, @code{COLUMN_NUMBER}, @code{OWNER_OS},
1639 @code{HOST_NAME}, @code{USER}, @code{CLASS}, @code{ATOM}, and
1640 @code{INTEGER}. (These are symbols with upper-case names in accord
1641 with X conventions.) The default for @var{data-type} is
1642 @code{STRING}.
1643 @end defun
1644
1645 @cindex cut buffer
1646 The X server also has a set of eight numbered @dfn{cut buffers} which can
1647 store text or other data being moved between applications. Cut buffers
1648 are considered obsolete, but Emacs supports them for the sake of X
1649 clients that still use them. Cut buffers are numbered from 0 to 7.
1650
1651 @defun x-get-cut-buffer &optional n
1652 This function returns the contents of cut buffer number @var{n}.
1653 If omitted @var{n} defaults to 0.
1654 @end defun
1655
1656 @defun x-set-cut-buffer string &optional push
1657 @anchor{Definition of x-set-cut-buffer}
1658 This function stores @var{string} into the first cut buffer (cut buffer
1659 0). If @var{push} is @code{nil}, only the first cut buffer is changed.
1660 If @var{push} is non-@code{nil}, that says to move the values down
1661 through the series of cut buffers, much like the way successive kills in
1662 Emacs move down the kill ring. In other words, the previous value of
1663 the first cut buffer moves into the second cut buffer, and the second to
1664 the third, and so on through all eight cut buffers.
1665 @end defun
1666
1667 @defvar selection-coding-system
1668 This variable specifies the coding system to use when reading and
1669 writing selections, the clipboard, or a cut buffer. @xref{Coding
1670 Systems}. The default is @code{compound-text-with-extensions}, which
1671 converts to the text representation that X11 normally uses.
1672 @end defvar
1673
1674 @cindex clipboard support (for MS-Windows)
1675 When Emacs runs on MS-Windows, it does not implement X selections in
1676 general, but it does support the clipboard. @code{x-get-selection}
1677 and @code{x-set-selection} on MS-Windows support the text data type
1678 only; if the clipboard holds other types of data, Emacs treats the
1679 clipboard as empty.
1680
1681 @defopt x-select-enable-clipboard
1682 If this is non-@code{nil}, the Emacs yank functions consult the
1683 clipboard before the primary selection, and the kill functions store in
1684 the clipboard as well as the primary selection. Otherwise they do not
1685 access the clipboard at all. The default is @code{nil} on most systems,
1686 but @code{t} on MS-Windows.
1687 @end defopt
1688
1689 @node Drag and Drop
1690 @section Drag and Drop
1691
1692 @vindex x-dnd-test-function
1693 @vindex x-dnd-known-types
1694 When a user drags something from another application over Emacs, that other
1695 application expects Emacs to tell it if Emacs can handle the data that is
1696 dragged. The variable @code{x-dnd-test-function} is used by Emacs to determine
1697 what to reply. The default value is @code{x-dnd-default-test-function}
1698 which accepts drops if the type of the data to be dropped is present in
1699 @code{x-dnd-known-types}. You can customize @code{x-dnd-test-function} and/or
1700 @code{x-dnd-known-types} if you want Emacs to accept or reject drops based
1701 on some other criteria.
1702
1703 @vindex x-dnd-types-alist
1704 If you want to change the way Emacs handles drop of different types
1705 or add a new type, customize @code{x-dnd-types-alist}. This requires
1706 detailed knowledge of what types other applications use for drag and
1707 drop.
1708
1709 @vindex dnd-protocol-alist
1710 When an URL is dropped on Emacs it may be a file, but it may also be
1711 another URL type (ftp, http, etc.). Emacs first checks
1712 @code{dnd-protocol-alist} to determine what to do with the URL. If
1713 there is no match there and if @code{browse-url-browser-function} is
1714 an alist, Emacs looks for a match there. If no match is found the
1715 text for the URL is inserted. If you want to alter Emacs behavior,
1716 you can customize these variables.
1717
1718 @node Color Names
1719 @section Color Names
1720
1721 @cindex color names
1722 @cindex specify color
1723 @cindex numerical RGB color specification
1724 A color name is text (usually in a string) that specifies a color.
1725 Symbolic names such as @samp{black}, @samp{white}, @samp{red}, etc.,
1726 are allowed; use @kbd{M-x list-colors-display} to see a list of
1727 defined names. You can also specify colors numerically in forms such
1728 as @samp{#@var{rgb}} and @samp{RGB:@var{r}/@var{g}/@var{b}}, where
1729 @var{r} specifies the red level, @var{g} specifies the green level,
1730 and @var{b} specifies the blue level. You can use either one, two,
1731 three, or four hex digits for @var{r}; then you must use the same
1732 number of hex digits for all @var{g} and @var{b} as well, making
1733 either 3, 6, 9 or 12 hex digits in all. (See the documentation of the
1734 X Window System for more details about numerical RGB specification of
1735 colors.)
1736
1737 These functions provide a way to determine which color names are
1738 valid, and what they look like. In some cases, the value depends on the
1739 @dfn{selected frame}, as described below; see @ref{Input Focus}, for the
1740 meaning of the term ``selected frame''.
1741
1742 @defun color-defined-p color &optional frame
1743 @tindex color-defined-p
1744 This function reports whether a color name is meaningful. It returns
1745 @code{t} if so; otherwise, @code{nil}. The argument @var{frame} says
1746 which frame's display to ask about; if @var{frame} is omitted or
1747 @code{nil}, the selected frame is used.
1748
1749 Note that this does not tell you whether the display you are using
1750 really supports that color. When using X, you can ask for any defined
1751 color on any kind of display, and you will get some result---typically,
1752 the closest it can do. To determine whether a frame can really display
1753 a certain color, use @code{color-supported-p} (see below).
1754
1755 @findex x-color-defined-p
1756 This function used to be called @code{x-color-defined-p},
1757 and that name is still supported as an alias.
1758 @end defun
1759
1760 @defun defined-colors &optional frame
1761 @tindex defined-colors
1762 This function returns a list of the color names that are defined
1763 and supported on frame @var{frame} (default, the selected frame).
1764 If @var{frame} does not support colors, the value is @code{nil}.
1765
1766 @findex x-defined-colors
1767 This function used to be called @code{x-defined-colors},
1768 and that name is still supported as an alias.
1769 @end defun
1770
1771 @defun color-supported-p color &optional frame background-p
1772 @tindex color-supported-p
1773 This returns @code{t} if @var{frame} can really display the color
1774 @var{color} (or at least something close to it). If @var{frame} is
1775 omitted or @code{nil}, the question applies to the selected frame.
1776
1777 Some terminals support a different set of colors for foreground and
1778 background. If @var{background-p} is non-@code{nil}, that means you are
1779 asking whether @var{color} can be used as a background; otherwise you
1780 are asking whether it can be used as a foreground.
1781
1782 The argument @var{color} must be a valid color name.
1783 @end defun
1784
1785 @defun color-gray-p color &optional frame
1786 @tindex color-gray-p
1787 This returns @code{t} if @var{color} is a shade of gray, as defined on
1788 @var{frame}'s display. If @var{frame} is omitted or @code{nil}, the
1789 question applies to the selected frame. If @var{color} is not a valid
1790 color name, this function returns @code{nil}.
1791 @end defun
1792
1793 @defun color-values color &optional frame
1794 @tindex color-values
1795 @cindex rgb value
1796 This function returns a value that describes what @var{color} should
1797 ideally look like on @var{frame}. If @var{color} is defined, the
1798 value is a list of three integers, which give the amount of red, the
1799 amount of green, and the amount of blue. Each integer ranges in
1800 principle from 0 to 65535, but some displays may not use the full
1801 range. This three-element list is called the @dfn{rgb values} of the
1802 color.
1803
1804 If @var{color} is not defined, the value is @code{nil}.
1805
1806 @example
1807 (color-values "black")
1808 @result{} (0 0 0)
1809 (color-values "white")
1810 @result{} (65280 65280 65280)
1811 (color-values "red")
1812 @result{} (65280 0 0)
1813 (color-values "pink")
1814 @result{} (65280 49152 51968)
1815 (color-values "hungry")
1816 @result{} nil
1817 @end example
1818
1819 The color values are returned for @var{frame}'s display. If
1820 @var{frame} is omitted or @code{nil}, the information is returned for
1821 the selected frame's display. If the frame cannot display colors, the
1822 value is @code{nil}.
1823
1824 @findex x-color-values
1825 This function used to be called @code{x-color-values},
1826 and that name is still supported as an alias.
1827 @end defun
1828
1829 @node Text Terminal Colors
1830 @section Text Terminal Colors
1831 @cindex colors on text-only terminals
1832
1833 Text-only terminals usually support only a small number of colors,
1834 and the computer uses small integers to select colors on the terminal.
1835 This means that the computer cannot reliably tell what the selected
1836 color looks like; instead, you have to inform your application which
1837 small integers correspond to which colors. However, Emacs does know
1838 the standard set of colors and will try to use them automatically.
1839
1840 The functions described in this section control how terminal colors
1841 are used by Emacs.
1842
1843 Several of these functions use or return @dfn{rgb values}, described
1844 in @ref{Color Names}.
1845
1846 These functions accept a display (either a frame or the name of a
1847 terminal) as an optional argument. We hope in the future to make Emacs
1848 support more than one text-only terminal at one time; then this argument
1849 will specify which terminal to operate on (the default being the
1850 selected frame's terminal; @pxref{Input Focus}). At present, though,
1851 the @var{frame} argument has no effect.
1852
1853 @defun tty-color-define name number &optional rgb frame
1854 @tindex tty-color-define
1855 This function associates the color name @var{name} with
1856 color number @var{number} on the terminal.
1857
1858 The optional argument @var{rgb}, if specified, is an rgb value, a list
1859 of three numbers that specify what the color actually looks like.
1860 If you do not specify @var{rgb}, then this color cannot be used by
1861 @code{tty-color-approximate} to approximate other colors, because
1862 Emacs will not know what it looks like.
1863 @end defun
1864
1865 @defun tty-color-clear &optional frame
1866 @tindex tty-color-clear
1867 This function clears the table of defined colors for a text-only terminal.
1868 @end defun
1869
1870 @defun tty-color-alist &optional frame
1871 @tindex tty-color-alist
1872 This function returns an alist recording the known colors supported by a
1873 text-only terminal.
1874
1875 Each element has the form @code{(@var{name} @var{number} . @var{rgb})}
1876 or @code{(@var{name} @var{number})}. Here, @var{name} is the color
1877 name, @var{number} is the number used to specify it to the terminal.
1878 If present, @var{rgb} is a list of three color values (for red, green,
1879 and blue) that says what the color actually looks like.
1880 @end defun
1881
1882 @defun tty-color-approximate rgb &optional frame
1883 @tindex tty-color-approximate
1884 This function finds the closest color, among the known colors
1885 supported for @var{display}, to that described by the rgb value
1886 @var{rgb} (a list of color values). The return value is an element of
1887 @code{tty-color-alist}.
1888 @end defun
1889
1890 @defun tty-color-translate color &optional frame
1891 @tindex tty-color-translate
1892 This function finds the closest color to @var{color} among the known
1893 colors supported for @var{display} and returns its index (an integer).
1894 If the name @var{color} is not defined, the value is @code{nil}.
1895 @end defun
1896
1897 @node Resources
1898 @section X Resources
1899
1900 @defun x-get-resource attribute class &optional component subclass
1901 The function @code{x-get-resource} retrieves a resource value from the X
1902 Window defaults database.
1903
1904 Resources are indexed by a combination of a @dfn{key} and a @dfn{class}.
1905 This function searches using a key of the form
1906 @samp{@var{instance}.@var{attribute}} (where @var{instance} is the name
1907 under which Emacs was invoked), and using @samp{Emacs.@var{class}} as
1908 the class.
1909
1910 The optional arguments @var{component} and @var{subclass} add to the key
1911 and the class, respectively. You must specify both of them or neither.
1912 If you specify them, the key is
1913 @samp{@var{instance}.@var{component}.@var{attribute}}, and the class is
1914 @samp{Emacs.@var{class}.@var{subclass}}.
1915 @end defun
1916
1917 @defvar x-resource-class
1918 This variable specifies the application name that @code{x-get-resource}
1919 should look up. The default value is @code{"Emacs"}. You can examine X
1920 resources for application names other than ``Emacs'' by binding this
1921 variable to some other string, around a call to @code{x-get-resource}.
1922 @end defvar
1923
1924 @defvar x-resource-name
1925 This variable specifies the instance name that @code{x-get-resource}
1926 should look up. The default value is the name Emacs was invoked with,
1927 or the value specified with the @samp{-name} or @samp{-rn} switches.
1928 @end defvar
1929
1930 To illustrate some of the above, suppose that you have the line:
1931
1932 @example
1933 xterm.vt100.background: yellow
1934 @end example
1935
1936 @noindent
1937 in your X resources file (whose name is usually @file{~/.Xdefaults}
1938 or @file{~/.Xresources}). Then:
1939
1940 @example
1941 @group
1942 (let ((x-resource-class "XTerm") (x-resource-name "xterm"))
1943 (x-get-resource "vt100.background" "VT100.Background"))
1944 @result{} "yellow"
1945 @end group
1946 @group
1947 (let ((x-resource-class "XTerm") (x-resource-name "xterm"))
1948 (x-get-resource "background" "VT100" "vt100" "Background"))
1949 @result{} "yellow"
1950 @end group
1951 @end example
1952
1953 @xref{X Resources,, X Resources, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
1954
1955 @node Display Feature Testing
1956 @section Display Feature Testing
1957 @cindex display feature testing
1958
1959 The functions in this section describe the basic capabilities of a
1960 particular display. Lisp programs can use them to adapt their behavior
1961 to what the display can do. For example, a program that ordinarily uses
1962 a popup menu could use the minibuffer if popup menus are not supported.
1963
1964 The optional argument @var{display} in these functions specifies which
1965 display to ask the question about. It can be a display name, a frame
1966 (which designates the display that frame is on), or @code{nil} (which
1967 refers to the selected frame's display, @pxref{Input Focus}).
1968
1969 @xref{Color Names}, @ref{Text Terminal Colors}, for other functions to
1970 obtain information about displays.
1971
1972 @defun display-popup-menus-p &optional display
1973 @tindex display-popup-menus-p
1974 This function returns @code{t} if popup menus are supported on
1975 @var{display}, @code{nil} if not. Support for popup menus requires that
1976 the mouse be available, since the user cannot choose menu items without
1977 a mouse.
1978 @end defun
1979
1980 @defun display-graphic-p &optional display
1981 @tindex display-graphic-p
1982 @cindex frames, more than one on display
1983 @cindex fonts, more than one on display
1984 This function returns @code{t} if @var{display} is a graphic display
1985 capable of displaying several frames and several different fonts at
1986 once. This is true for displays that use a window system such as X, and
1987 false for text-only terminals.
1988 @end defun
1989
1990 @defun display-mouse-p &optional display
1991 @tindex display-mouse-p
1992 @cindex mouse, availability
1993 This function returns @code{t} if @var{display} has a mouse available,
1994 @code{nil} if not.
1995 @end defun
1996
1997 @defun display-color-p &optional display
1998 @tindex display-color-p
1999 @findex x-display-color-p
2000 This function returns @code{t} if the screen is a color screen.
2001 It used to be called @code{x-display-color-p}, and that name
2002 is still supported as an alias.
2003 @end defun
2004
2005 @defun display-grayscale-p &optional display
2006 @tindex display-grayscale-p
2007 This function returns @code{t} if the screen can display shades of gray.
2008 (All color displays can do this.)
2009 @end defun
2010
2011 @defun display-supports-face-attributes-p attributes &optional display
2012 @anchor{Display Face Attribute Testing}
2013 @tindex display-supports-face-attributes-p
2014 This function returns non-@code{nil} if all the face attributes in
2015 @var{attributes} are supported (@pxref{Face Attributes}).
2016
2017 The definition of `supported' is somewhat heuristic, but basically
2018 means that a face containing all the attributes in @var{attributes},
2019 when merged with the default face for display, can be represented in a
2020 way that's
2021
2022 @enumerate
2023 @item
2024 different in appearance than the default face, and
2025
2026 @item
2027 `close in spirit' to what the attributes specify, if not exact.
2028 @end enumerate
2029
2030 Point (2) implies that a @code{:weight black} attribute will be
2031 satisfied by any display that can display bold, as will
2032 @code{:foreground "yellow"} as long as some yellowish color can be
2033 displayed, but @code{:slant italic} will @emph{not} be satisfied by
2034 the tty display code's automatic substitution of a `dim' face for
2035 italic.
2036 @end defun
2037
2038 @defun display-selections-p &optional display
2039 @tindex display-selections-p
2040 This function returns @code{t} if @var{display} supports selections.
2041 Windowed displays normally support selections, but they may also be
2042 supported in some other cases.
2043 @end defun
2044
2045 @defun display-images-p &optional display
2046 This function returns @code{t} if @var{display} can display images.
2047 Windowed displays ought in principle to handle images, but some
2048 systems lack the support for that. On a display that does not support
2049 images, Emacs cannot display a tool bar.
2050 @end defun
2051
2052 @defun display-screens &optional display
2053 @tindex display-screens
2054 This function returns the number of screens associated with the display.
2055 @end defun
2056
2057 @defun display-pixel-height &optional display
2058 @tindex display-pixel-height
2059 This function returns the height of the screen in pixels.
2060 On a character terminal, it gives the height in characters.
2061 @end defun
2062
2063 @defun display-mm-height &optional display
2064 @tindex display-mm-height
2065 This function returns the height of the screen in millimeters,
2066 or @code{nil} if Emacs cannot get that information.
2067 @end defun
2068
2069 @defun display-pixel-width &optional display
2070 @tindex display-pixel-width
2071 This function returns the width of the screen in pixels.
2072 On a character terminal, it gives the width in characters.
2073 @end defun
2074
2075 @defun display-mm-width &optional display
2076 @tindex display-mm-width
2077 This function returns the width of the screen in millimeters,
2078 or @code{nil} if Emacs cannot get that information.
2079 @end defun
2080
2081 @defun display-backing-store &optional display
2082 @tindex display-backing-store
2083 This function returns the backing store capability of the display.
2084 Backing store means recording the pixels of windows (and parts of
2085 windows) that are not exposed, so that when exposed they can be
2086 displayed very quickly.
2087
2088 Values can be the symbols @code{always}, @code{when-mapped}, or
2089 @code{not-useful}. The function can also return @code{nil}
2090 when the question is inapplicable to a certain kind of display.
2091 @end defun
2092
2093 @defun display-save-under &optional display
2094 @tindex display-save-under
2095 This function returns non-@code{nil} if the display supports the
2096 SaveUnder feature. That feature is used by pop-up windows
2097 to save the pixels they obscure, so that they can pop down
2098 quickly.
2099 @end defun
2100
2101 @defun display-planes &optional display
2102 @tindex display-planes
2103 This function returns the number of planes the display supports.
2104 This is typically the number of bits per pixel.
2105 For a tty display, it is log to base two of the number of colors supported.
2106 @end defun
2107
2108 @defun display-visual-class &optional display
2109 @tindex display-visual-class
2110 This function returns the visual class for the screen. The value is one
2111 of the symbols @code{static-gray}, @code{gray-scale},
2112 @code{static-color}, @code{pseudo-color}, @code{true-color}, and
2113 @code{direct-color}.
2114 @end defun
2115
2116 @defun display-color-cells &optional display
2117 @tindex display-color-cells
2118 This function returns the number of color cells the screen supports.
2119 @end defun
2120
2121 These functions obtain additional information specifically
2122 about X displays.
2123
2124 @defun x-server-version &optional display
2125 This function returns the list of version numbers of the X server
2126 running the display. The value is a list of three integers: the major
2127 and minor version numbers of the X protocol, and the
2128 distributor-specific release number of the X server software itself.
2129 @end defun
2130
2131 @defun x-server-vendor &optional display
2132 This function returns the ``vendor'' that provided the X server
2133 software (as a string). Really this means whoever distributes the X
2134 server.
2135
2136 When the developers of X labelled software distributors as
2137 ``vendors'', they showed their false assumption that no system could
2138 ever be developed and distributed noncommercially.
2139 @end defun
2140
2141 @ignore
2142 @defvar x-no-window-manager
2143 This variable's value is @code{t} if no X window manager is in use.
2144 @end defvar
2145 @end ignore
2146
2147 @ignore
2148 @item
2149 The functions @code{x-pixel-width} and @code{x-pixel-height} return the
2150 width and height of an X Window frame, measured in pixels.
2151 @end ignore
2152
2153 @ignore
2154 arch-tag: 94977df6-3dca-4730-b57b-c6329e9282ba
2155 @end ignore