@c This is part of the Emacs manual. @c Copyright (C) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, @c 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. @node X Resources, Antinews, Emacs Invocation, Top @appendix X Options and Resources You can customize some X-related aspects of Emacs behavior using X resources, as is usual for programs that use X. On MS-Windows, you can customize some of the same aspects using the system registry. @xref{MS-Windows Registry}. Likewise, Emacs on MacOS Carbon emulates X resources using the Preferences system. @xref{Mac Environment Variables}. When Emacs is built using an ``X toolkit'', such as Lucid or LessTif, you need to use X resources to customize the appearance of the widgets, including the menu-bar, scroll-bar, and dialog boxes. This is because the libraries that implement these don't provide for customization through Emacs. GTK+ widgets use a separate system of @ifnottex ``GTK resources'', which we will also describe. @end ifnottex @iftex ``GTK resources.'' In this chapter we describe the most commonly used resource specifications. For full documentation, see the online manual. @c Add xref for LessTif/Motif menu resources. @end iftex @menu * Resources:: Using X resources with Emacs (in general). * Table of Resources:: Table of specific X resources that affect Emacs. * Face Resources:: X resources for customizing faces. * Lucid Resources:: X resources for Lucid menus. * LessTif Resources:: X resources for LessTif and Motif menus. * GTK resources:: Resources for GTK widgets. @end menu @node Resources @appendixsec X Resources @cindex resources @cindex X resources @cindex @file{~/.Xdefaults} file @cindex @file{~/.Xresources} file Programs running under the X Window System organize their user options under a hierarchy of classes and resources. You can specify default values for these options in your X resources file, usually named @file{~/.Xdefaults} or @file{~/.Xresources}. If changes in @file{~/.Xdefaults} do not take effect, it is because your X server stores its own list of resources; to update them, use the shell command @command{xrdb}---for instance, @samp{xrdb ~/.Xdefaults}. Each line in the file specifies a value for one option or for a collection of related options, for one program or for several programs (optionally even for all programs). @cindex Registry (MS-Windows) MS-Windows systems do not support @file{~/.Xdefaults} files, so instead Emacs compiled for Windows looks for X resources in the Windows Registry, first under the key @samp{HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs} and then under the key @samp{HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GNU\Emacs}. The menu and scroll bars are native widgets on MS-Windows, so they are only customizable via the system-wide settings in the Display Control Panel. You can also set resources using the @samp{-xrm} command line option (see below.) @iftex Applications such as Emacs look for resources with specific names and their particular meanings. Case distinctions are significant in these names. Each resource specification in @file{~/.Xdefaults} states the name of the program and the name of the resource. For Emacs, the program name is @samp{Emacs}. It looks like this: @example Emacs.borderWidth: 2 @end example @end iftex @ifnottex Programs define named resources with particular meanings. They also define how to group resources into named classes. For instance, in Emacs, the @samp{internalBorder} resource controls the width of the internal border, and the @samp{borderWidth} resource controls the width of the external border. Both of these resources are part of the @samp{BorderWidth} class. Case distinctions are significant in these names. Every resource definition is associated with a specific program name---the name of the executable file that you ran. For Emacs, that is normally @samp{emacs}. To specify a definition for all instances of Emacs, regardless of their names, use @samp{Emacs}. In @file{~/.Xdefaults}, you can specify a value for a single resource on one line, like this: @example emacs.borderWidth: 2 @end example @noindent Or you can use a class name to specify the same value for all resources in that class. Here's an example: @example emacs.BorderWidth: 2 @end example If you specify a value for a class, it becomes the default for all resources in that class. You can specify values for individual resources as well; these override the class value, for those particular resources. Thus, this example specifies 2 as the default width for all borders, but overrides this value with 4 for the external border: @example emacs.BorderWidth: 2 emacs.borderWidth: 4 @end example @end ifnottex The order in which the lines appear in the file does not matter. Also, command-line options always override the X resources file. @ifnottex Here is a list of X command-line options and their corresponding resource names. @table @samp @item -name @var{name} @opindex --name @itemx --name=@var{name} @cindex resource name, command-line argument Use @var{name} as the resource name (and the title) for the initial Emacs frame. This option does not affect subsequent frames, but Lisp programs can specify frame names when they create frames. If you don't specify this option, the default is to use the Emacs executable's name as the resource name. @item -xrm @var{resource-values} @opindex --xrm @itemx --xrm=@var{resource-values} @cindex resource values, command-line argument Specify X resource values for this Emacs job (see below). @end table For consistency, @samp{-name} also specifies the name to use for other resource values that do not belong to any particular frame. The resources that name Emacs invocations also belong to a class; its name is @samp{Emacs}. If you write @samp{Emacs} instead of @samp{emacs}, the resource applies to all frames in all Emacs jobs, regardless of frame titles and regardless of the name of the executable file. Here is an example: @example Emacs.BorderWidth: 2 Emacs.borderWidth: 4 @end example You can specify a string of additional resource values for Emacs to use with the command line option @samp{-xrm @var{resources}}. The text @var{resources} should have the same format that you would use inside a file of X resources. To include multiple resource specifications in @var{resources}, put a newline between them, just as you would in a file. You can also use @samp{#include "@var{filename}"} to include a file full of resource specifications. Resource values specified with @samp{-xrm} take precedence over all other resource specifications. One way to experiment with the effect of different resource settings is to use the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the @end ifnottex @iftex You can experiment with the effect of different resource settings with the @code{editres} program. Select @samp{Get Tree} from the @end iftex @samp{Commands} menu, then click on an Emacs frame. This will display a tree showing the structure of X toolkit widgets used in an Emacs frame. Select one of them, such as @samp{menubar}, then select @samp{Show Resource Box} from the @samp{Commands} menu. This displays a list of all the meaningful X resources for that widget, and allows you to edit them. Changes take effect when you click on the @samp{Apply} button. (See the @code{editres} man page for more details.) @node Table of Resources @appendixsec Table of X Resources for Emacs This table lists the resource names that designate options for Emacs, not counting those for the appearance of the menu bar, each with the class that it belongs to: @table @asis @item @code{background} (class @code{Background}) Background color name. @ifnottex @item @code{bitmapIcon} (class @code{BitmapIcon}) Use a bitmap icon (a picture of a gnu) if @samp{on}, let the window manager choose an icon if @samp{off}. @end ifnottex @item @code{borderColor} (class @code{BorderColor}) Color name for the external border. @ifnottex @item @code{borderWidth} (class @code{BorderWidth}) Width in pixels of the external border. @end ifnottex @item @code{cursorColor} (class @code{Foreground}) Color name for text cursor (point). @ifnottex @item @code{cursorBlink} (class @code{CursorBlink}) Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default is @samp{on}. Use @samp{off} or @samp{false} to turn cursor blinking off. @end ifnottex @item @code{font} (class @code{Font}) Font name (or fontset name, @pxref{Fontsets}) for @code{default} font. @item @code{foreground} (class @code{Foreground}) Color name for text. @item @code{geometry} (class @code{Geometry}) Window size and position. Be careful not to specify this resource as @samp{emacs*geometry}, because that may affect individual menus as well as the Emacs frame itself. If this resource specifies a position, that position applies only to the initial Emacs frame (or, in the case of a resource for a specific frame name, only that frame). However, the size, if specified here, applies to all frames. @ifnottex @item @code{fullscreen} (class @code{Fullscreen}) The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of @code{fullboth}, @code{fullwidth} or @code{fullheight}, which correspond to the command-line options @samp{-fs}, @samp{-fw}, and @samp{-fh} (@pxref{Window Size X}). Note that this applies to the initial frame only. @end ifnottex @item @code{iconName} (class @code{Title}) Name to display in the icon. @item @code{internalBorder} (class @code{BorderWidth}) Width in pixels of the internal border. @item @code{lineSpacing} (class @code{LineSpacing}) @cindex line spacing @cindex leading Additional space (@dfn{leading}) between lines, in pixels. @item @code{menuBar} (class @code{MenuBar}) @cindex menu bar Give frames menu bars if @samp{on}; don't have menu bars if @samp{off}. @ifnottex @xref{Lucid Resources}, and @ref{LessTif Resources}, @end ifnottex @iftex @xref{Lucid Resources}, @end iftex for how to control the appearance of the menu bar if you have one. @ifnottex @item @code{minibuffer} (class @code{Minibuffer}) If @samp{none}, don't make a minibuffer in this frame. It will use a separate minibuffer frame instead. @item @code{paneFont} (class @code{Font}) @cindex font for menus Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. @end ifnottex @item @code{pointerColor} (class @code{Foreground}) Color of the mouse cursor. @ifnottex @item @code{privateColormap} (class @code{PrivateColormap}) If @samp{on}, use a private color map, in the case where the ``default visual'' of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using it. @item @code{reverseVideo} (class @code{ReverseVideo}) Switch foreground and background default colors if @samp{on}, use colors as specified if @samp{off}. @end ifnottex @item @code{screenGamma} (class @code{ScreenGamma}) @cindex gamma correction Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame parameter @code{screen-gamma}. @item @code{scrollBarWidth} (class @code{ScrollBarWidth}) @cindex scrollbar width The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame parameter @code{scroll-bar-width}. @ifnottex @item @code{selectionFont} (class @code{SelectionFont}) Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions of Emacs. (For toolkit versions, see @ref{Lucid Resources}, also see @ref{LessTif Resources}.) @item @code{selectionTimeout} (class @code{SelectionTimeout}) Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply. If the selection owner doesn't reply in this time, we give up. A value of 0 means wait as long as necessary. @item @code{synchronous} (class @code{Synchronous}) @cindex debugging X problems @cindex synchronous X mode Run Emacs in synchronous mode if @samp{on}. Synchronous mode is useful for debugging X problems. @end ifnottex @item @code{title} (class @code{Title}) Name to display in the title bar of the initial Emacs frame. @item @code{toolBar} (class @code{ToolBar}) @cindex tool bar Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar. A zero value suppresses the tool bar. If the value is non-zero and @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is non-@code{nil}, the tool bar's size will be changed automatically so that all tool bar items are visible. If the value of @code{auto-resize-tool-bars} is @code{grow-only}, the tool bar expands automatically, but does not contract automatically. To contract the tool bar, you must redraw the frame by entering @kbd{C-l}. @item @code{useXIM} (class @code{UseXIM}) @cindex XIM @cindex X input methods @cindex input methods, X Turn off use of X input methods (XIM) if @samp{false} or @samp{off}. This is only relevant if your Emacs is actually built with XIM support. It is potentially useful to turn off XIM for efficiency, especially slow X client/server links. @item @code{verticalScrollBars} (class @code{ScrollBars}) Give frames scroll bars if @samp{on}; don't have scroll bars if @samp{off}. @ifnottex @item @code{visualClass} (class @code{VisualClass}) Specify the ``visual'' that X should use. This tells X how to handle colors. The value should start with one of @samp{TrueColor}, @samp{PseudoColor}, @samp{DirectColor}, @samp{StaticColor}, @samp{GrayScale}, and @samp{StaticGray}, followed by @samp{-@var{depth}}, where @var{depth} is the number of color planes. Most terminals only allow a few ``visuals,'' and the @samp{dpyinfo} program outputs information saying which ones. @end ifnottex @end table @node Face Resources @appendixsec X Resources for Faces You can use resources to customize the appearance of particular faces (@pxref{Faces}): @table @code @item @var{face}.attributeForeground Foreground color for face @var{face}. @item @var{face}.attributeBackground Background color for face @var{face}. @item @var{face}.attributeUnderline Underline flag for face @var{face}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for yes. @item @var{face}.attributeStrikeThrough @itemx @var{face}.attributeOverline @itemx @var{face}.attributeBox @itemx @var{face}.attributeInverse Likewise, for other boolean font attributes. @item @var{face}.attributeStipple The name of a pixmap data file to use for the stipple pattern, or @code{false} to not use stipple for the face @var{face}. @item @var{face}.attributeBackgroundPixmap The background pixmap for the face @var{face}. Should be a name of a pixmap file or @code{false}. @item @var{face}.attributeFont Font name (full XFD name or valid X abbreviation) for face @var{face}. Instead of this, you can specify the font through separate attributes. @end table Instead of using @code{attributeFont} to specify a font name, you can select a font through these separate attributes: @table @code @item @var{face}.attributeFamily Font family for face @var{face}. @item @var{face}.attributeHeight Height of the font to use for face @var{face}: either an integer specifying the height in units of 1/10@dmn{pt}, or a floating point number that specifies a scale factor to scale the underlying face's default font, or a function to be called with the default height which will return a new height. @item @var{face}.attributeWidth @itemx @var{face}.attributeWeight @itemx @var{face}.attributeSlant Each of these resources corresponds to a like-named font attribute, and you write the resource value the same as the symbol you would use for the font attribute value. @item @var{face}.attributeBold Bold flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeWeight}. Use @samp{on} or @samp{true} for yes. @item @var{face}.attributeItalic Italic flag for face @var{face}---instead of @code{attributeSlant}. @end table @node Lucid Resources @appendixsec Lucid Menu X Resources @cindex Menu X Resources (Lucid widgets) @cindex Lucid Widget X Resources @ifnottex If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and has its own resources. The resource names contain @samp{pane.menubar} (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this: @example Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{resource}: @var{value} @end example @noindent For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this: @end ifnottex @iftex If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit with the Lucid menu widgets, then the menu bar is a separate widget and has its own resources. The resource specifications start with @samp{Emacs.pane.menubar}---for instance, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this: @end iftex @example Emacs.pane.menubar.font: 8x16 @end example @noindent Resources for @emph{non-menubar} toolkit pop-up menus have @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this: @example Emacs.menu*.font: 8x16 @end example @noindent For dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog*}: @example Emacs.dialog*.font: 8x16 @end example @noindent The Lucid menus can display multilingual text in your locale. For more information about fontsets see the man page for @code{XCreateFontSet}. To enable multilingual menu text you specify a @code{fontSet} resource instead of the font resource. If both @code{font} and @code{fontSet} resources are specified, the @code{fontSet} resource is used. Thus, to specify @samp{-*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,*} for both the popup and menu bar menus, write this: @example Emacs*menu*fontSet: -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*,* @end example @noindent The @samp{*menu*} as a wildcard matches @samp{pane.menubar} and @samp{menu@dots{}}. Experience shows that on some systems you may need to add @samp{shell.}@: before the @samp{pane.menubar} or @samp{menu*}. On some other systems, you must not add @samp{shell.}. The generic wildcard approach should work on both kinds of systems. Here is a list of the specific resources for menu bars and pop-up menus: @table @code @item font Font for menu item text. @item fontSet Fontset for menu item text. @item foreground Color of the foreground. @item background Color of the background. @item buttonForeground In the menu bar, the color of the foreground for a selected item. @ifnottex @item horizontalSpacing Horizontal spacing in pixels between items. Default is 3. @item verticalSpacing Vertical spacing in pixels between items. Default is 2. @item arrowSpacing Horizontal spacing between the arrow (which indicates a submenu) and the associated text. Default is 10. @item shadowThickness Thickness of shadow line around the widget. Default is 1. Also determines the thickness of shadow lines around other objects, for instance 3D buttons and arrows. If you have the impression that the arrows in the menus do not stand out clearly enough or that the difference between ``in'' and ``out'' buttons is difficult to see, set this to 2. If you have no problems with visibility, the default probably looks better. The background color may also have some effect on the contrast. @end ifnottex @item margin The margin of the menu bar, in characters. Default is 1. @end table @ifnottex @node LessTif Resources @appendixsec LessTif Menu X Resources @cindex Menu X Resources (LessTif widgets) @cindex LessTif Widget X Resources If the Emacs installed at your site was built to use the X toolkit with the LessTif or Motif widgets, then the menu bar, the dialog boxes, the pop-up menus, and the file-selection box are separate widgets and have their own resources. The resource names for the menu bar contain @samp{pane.menubar} (following, as always, the name of the Emacs invocation, or @samp{Emacs}, which stands for all Emacs invocations). Specify them like this: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.@var{subwidget}.@var{resource}: @var{value} @end smallexample Each individual string in the menu bar is a subwidget; the subwidget's name is the same as the menu item string. For example, the word @samp{File} in the menu bar is part of a subwidget named @samp{emacs.pane.menubar.File}. Most likely, you want to specify the same resources for the whole menu bar. To do this, use @samp{*} instead of a specific subwidget name. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the menu-bar items, write this: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16 @end smallexample @noindent This also specifies the resource value for submenus. Each item in a submenu in the menu bar also has its own name for X resources; for example, the @samp{File} submenu has an item named @samp{Save (current buffer)}. A resource specification for a submenu item looks like this: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{item}.@var{resource}: @var{value} @end smallexample @noindent For example, here's how to specify the font for the @samp{Save (current buffer)} item: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.File.Save (current buffer).fontList: 8x16 @end smallexample @noindent For an item in a second-level submenu, such as @samp{Complete Word} under @samp{Spell Checking} under @samp{Tools}, the resource fits this template: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.@var{menu}.@var{resource}: @var{value} @end smallexample @noindent For example, @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.popup_*.Spell Checking.Complete Word: @var{value} @end smallexample @noindent (This should be one long line.) It's impossible to specify a resource for all the menu-bar items without also specifying it for the submenus as well. So if you want the submenu items to look different from the menu bar itself, you must ask for that in two steps. First, specify the resource for all of them; then, override the value for submenus alone. Here is an example: @smallexample Emacs.pane.menubar.*.fontList: 8x16 Emacs.pane.menubar.popup_*.fontList: 8x16 @end smallexample @noindent For LessTif pop-up menus, use @samp{menu*} instead of @samp{pane.menubar}. For example, to specify the font @samp{8x16} for the pop-up menu items, write this: @smallexample Emacs.menu*.fontList: 8x16 @end smallexample @noindent For LessTif dialog boxes, use @samp{dialog} instead of @samp{menu}: @example Emacs.dialog*.fontList: 8x16 Emacs.dialog*.foreground: hotpink @end example To specify resources for the LessTif file-selection box, use @samp{fsb*}, like this: @example Emacs.fsb*.fontList: 8x16 @end example @iftex @medbreak @end iftex Here is a list of the specific resources for LessTif menu bars and pop-up menus: @table @code @item armColor The color to show in an armed button. @item fontList The font to use. @item marginBottom @itemx marginHeight @itemx marginLeft @itemx marginRight @itemx marginTop @itemx marginWidth Amount of space to leave around the item, within the border. @item borderWidth The width of the border around the menu item, on all sides. @item shadowThickness The width of the border shadow. @item bottomShadowColor The color for the border shadow, on the bottom and the right. @item topShadowColor The color for the border shadow, on the top and the left. @end table @end ifnottex @node GTK resources @appendixsec GTK resources @iftex The most common way to customize the GTK widgets Emacs uses (menus, dialogs tool bars and scroll bars) is by choosing an appropriate theme, for example with the GNOME theme selector. You can also do Emacs specific customization by inserting GTK style directives in the file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. Some GTK themes ignore customizations in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} so not everything works with all themes. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). We will present some examples of customizations here, but for a more detailed description, see the online manual The first example is just one line. It changes the font on all GTK widgets to courier with size 12: @smallexample gtk-font-name = "courier 12" @end smallexample The thing to note is that the font name is not an X font name, like -*-helvetica-medium-r-*--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*, but a Pango font name. A Pango font name is basically of the format "family style size", where the style is optional as in the case above. A name with a style could be for example: @smallexample gtk-font-name = "helvetica bold 10" @end smallexample To customize widgets you first define a style and then apply the style to the widgets. Here is an example that sets the font for menus, but not for other widgets: @smallexample # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.} style "menufont" @{ font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name @} # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.} widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont" @end smallexample The widget name in this example contains wildcards, so the style will be applied to all widgets that match "*emacs-menuitem*". The widgets are named by the way they are contained, from the outer widget to the inner widget. So to apply the style "my_style" (not shown) with the full, absolute name, for the menubar and the scroll bar in Emacs we use: @smallexample widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style" widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style" @end smallexample But to avoid having to type it all, wildcards are often used. @samp{*} matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. So "*" matches all widgets. Each widget has a class (for example GtkMenuItem) and a name (emacs-menuitem). You can assign styles by name or by class. In this example we have used the class: @smallexample style "menufont" @{ font_name = "helvetica bold 14" @} widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "menufont" @end smallexample @noindent The names and classes for the GTK widgets Emacs uses are: @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some} @item @code{emacs-filedialog} @tab @code{GtkFileSelection} @item @code{emacs-dialog} @tab @code{GtkDialog} @item @code{Emacs} @tab @code{GtkWindow} @item @code{pane} @tab @code{GtkVHbox} @item @code{emacs} @tab @code{GtkFixed} @item @code{verticalScrollBar} @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar} @item @code{emacs-toolbar} @tab @code{GtkToolbar} @item @code{menubar} @tab @code{GtkMenuBar} @item @code{emacs-menuitem} @tab anything in menus @end multitable GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this: @smallexample widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style" widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style" widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style" @end smallexample If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}: @smallexample widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style" @end smallexample Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of the scroll bar: @smallexample style "scroll" @{ fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.} bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.} bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.} bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.} @} widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll" @end smallexample @end iftex @ifnottex @cindex GTK resources and customization @cindex resource files for GTK @cindex @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} file @cindex @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} file If Emacs was built to use the GTK widget set, then the menu bar, tool bar, scroll bar and the dialogs are customized with the standard GTK customization file, @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0}, or with the Emacs specific file @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}. We recommend that you use @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc} for customizations, since @file{~/.gtkrc-2.0} seems to be ignored when running GConf with GNOME. These files apply only to GTK widget features. To customize Emacs font, background, faces, etc., use the normal X resources (@pxref{Resources}). Some GTK themes override these mechanisms, which means that using these mechanisms will not work to customize them. In these files you first define a style and say what it means; then you specify to apply the style to various widget types (@pxref{GTK widget names}). Here is an example of how to change the font for Emacs menus: @smallexample # @r{Define the style @samp{menufont}.} style "menufont" @{ font_name = "helvetica bold 14" # This is a Pango font name @} # @r{Specify that widget type @samp{*emacs-menuitem*} uses @samp{menufont}.} widget "*emacs-menuitem*" style "menufont" @end smallexample Here is a more elaborate example, showing how to change the parts of the scroll bar: @smallexample style "scroll" @{ fg[NORMAL] = "red"@ @ @ @ @ # @r{The arrow color.} bg[NORMAL] = "yellow"@ @ # @r{The thumb and background around the arrow.} bg[ACTIVE] = "blue"@ @ @ @ # @r{The trough color.} bg[PRELIGHT] = "white"@ # @r{The thumb color when the mouse is over it.} @} widget "*verticalScrollBar*" style "scroll" @end smallexample There are also parameters that affect GTK as a whole. For example, the property @code{gtk-font-name} sets the default font for GTK. You must use Pango font names (@pxref{GTK styles}). A GTK resources file that just sets a default font looks like this: @smallexample gtk-font-name = "courier 12" @end smallexample The GTK resources file is fully described in the GTK API document. This can be found in @file{@var{prefix}/share/gtk-doc/html/gtk/gtk-resource-files.html}, where @file{prefix} is the directory in which the GTK libraries were installed (usually @file{/usr} or @file{/usr/local}). You can also find the document online, at @uref{http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/gtk/gtk-Resource-Files.html}. @menu * GTK widget names:: How widgets in GTK are named in general. * GTK Names in Emacs:: GTK widget names in Emacs. * GTK styles:: What can be customized in a GTK widget. @end menu @node GTK widget names @appendixsubsec GTK widget names @cindex GTK widget names A GTK widget is specified by its @dfn{widget class} and @dfn{widget name}. The widget class is the type of the widget: for example, @code{GtkMenuBar}. The widget name is the name given to a specific widget. A widget always has a class, but need not have a name. @dfn{Absolute names} are sequences of widget names or widget classes, corresponding to hierarchies of widgets embedded within other widgets. For example, if a @code{GtkWindow} named @code{top} contains a @code{GtkVBox} named @code{box}, which in turn contains a @code{GtkMenuBar} called @code{menubar}, the absolute class name of the menu-bar widget is @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar}, and its absolute widget name is @code{top.box.menubar}. When assigning a style to a widget, you can use the absolute class name or the absolute widget name. There are two commands to specify changes for widgets: @table @asis @item @code{widget_class} specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name. @item @code{widget} specifies a style for widgets based on the absolute class name, or just the class. @end table @noindent You must specify the class and the style in double-quotes, and put these commands at the top level in the GTK customization file, like this: @smallexample style "menufont" @{ font_name = "helvetica bold 14" @} widget "top.box.menubar" style "menufont" widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "menufont" @end smallexample Matching of absolute names uses shell wildcard syntax: @samp{*} matches zero or more characters and @samp{?} matches one character. This example assigns @code{base_style} to all widgets: @smallexample widget "*" style "base_style" @end smallexample Given the absolute class name @code{GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar} and the corresponding absolute widget name @code{top.box.menubar}, all these examples specify @code{my_style} for the menu bar: @smallexample widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style" widget_class "GtkWindow.*.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style" widget_class "*GtkMenuBar" style "my_style" widget "top.box.menubar" style "my_style" widget "*box*menubar" style "my_style" widget "*menubar" style "my_style" widget "*menu*" style "my_style" @end smallexample @node GTK Names in Emacs @appendixsubsec GTK Widget Names in Emacs @cindex GTK widget names @cindex GTK widget classes In Emacs, the top level widget for a frame is a @code{GtkWindow} that contains a @code{GtkVBox}. The @code{GtkVBox} contains the @code{GtkMenuBar} and a @code{GtkFixed} widget. The vertical scroll bars, @code{GtkVScrollbar}, are contained in the @code{GtkFixed} widget. The text you write in Emacs is drawn in the @code{GtkFixed} widget. Dialogs in Emacs are @code{GtkDialog} widgets. The file dialog is a @code{GtkFileSelection} widget. @noindent To set a style for the menu bar using the absolute class name, use: @smallexample widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkMenuBar" style "my_style" @end smallexample @noindent For the scroll bar, the absolute class name is: @smallexample widget_class "GtkWindow.GtkVBox.GtkFixed.GtkVScrollbar" style "my_style" @end smallexample @noindent The names for the emacs widgets, and their classes, are: @multitable {@code{verticalScrollbar plus}} {@code{GtkFileSelection} and some} @item @code{emacs-filedialog} @tab @code{GtkFileSelection} @item @code{emacs-dialog} @tab @code{GtkDialog} @item @code{Emacs} @tab @code{GtkWindow} @item @code{pane} @tab @code{GtkVHbox} @item @code{emacs} @tab @code{GtkFixed} @item @code{verticalScrollBar} @tab @code{GtkVScrollbar} @item @code{emacs-toolbar} @tab @code{GtkToolbar} @item @code{menubar} @tab @code{GtkMenuBar} @item @code{emacs-menuitem} @tab anything in menus @end multitable @noindent Thus, for Emacs you can write the two examples above as: @smallexample widget "Emacs.pane.menubar" style "my_style" widget "Emacs.pane.emacs.verticalScrollBar" style "my_style" @end smallexample GTK absolute names are quite strange when it comes to menus and dialogs. The names do not start with @samp{Emacs}, as they are free-standing windows and not contained (in the GTK sense) by the Emacs GtkWindow. To customize the dialogs and menus, use wildcards like this: @smallexample widget "*emacs-dialog*" style "my_dialog_style" widget "*emacs-filedialog* style "my_file_style" widget "*emacs-menuitem* style "my_menu_style" @end smallexample If you specify a customization in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}, then it automatically applies only to Emacs, since other programs don't read that file. For example, the drop down menu in the file dialog can not be customized by any absolute widget name, only by an absolute class name. This is because the widgets in the drop down menu do not have names and the menu is not contained in the Emacs GtkWindow. To have all menus in Emacs look the same, use this in @file{~/.emacs.d/gtkrc}: @smallexample widget_class "*Menu*" style "my_menu_style" @end smallexample @node GTK styles @appendixsubsec GTK styles @cindex GTK styles In a GTK style you specify the appearance widgets shall have. You can specify foreground and background color, background pixmap and font. The edit widget (where you edit the text) in Emacs is a GTK widget, but trying to specify a style for the edit widget will have no effect. This is so that Emacs compiled for GTK is compatible with Emacs compiled for other X toolkits. The settings for foreground, background and font for the edit widget is taken from the X resources; @pxref{Resources}. Here is an example of two style declarations, @samp{default} and @samp{ruler}: @smallexample pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps" style "default" @{ font_name = "helvetica 12" bg[NORMAL] = @{ 0.83, 0.80, 0.73 @} bg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @} bg[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.77, 0.77, 0.66 @} bg[ACTIVE] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @} bg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.0, 0.55, 0.55 @} fg[NORMAL] = "black" fg[SELECTED] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @} fg[ACTIVE] = "black" fg[PRELIGHT] = @{ 0.9, 0.9, 0.9 @} base[INSENSITIVE] = "#777766" text[INSENSITIVE] = @{ 0.60, 0.65, 0.57 @} bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "background.xpm" bg_pixmap[INSENSITIVE] = "background.xpm" bg_pixmap[ACTIVE] = "background.xpm" bg_pixmap[PRELIGHT] = "" @} style "ruler" = "default" @{ font_name = "helvetica 8" @} @end smallexample The style @samp{ruler} inherits from @samp{default}. This way you can build on existing styles. The syntax for fonts and colors is described below. As this example shows, it is possible to specify several values for foreground and background depending on the widget's @dfn{state}. The possible states are: @table @code @item NORMAL This is the default state for widgets. @item ACTIVE This is the state for a widget that is ready to do something. It is also for the trough of a scroll bar, i.e. @code{bg[ACTIVE] = "red"} sets the scroll bar trough to red. Buttons that have been pressed but not released yet (``armed'') are in this state. @item PRELIGHT This is the state for a widget that can be manipulated, when the mouse pointer is over it---for example when the mouse is over the thumb in the scroll bar or over a menu item. When the mouse is over a button that is not pressed, the button is in this state. @item SELECTED This is the state for data that has been selected by the user. It can be selected text or items selected in a list. This state is not used in Emacs. @item INSENSITIVE This is the state for widgets that are visible, but they can not be manipulated in the usual way---for example, buttons that can't be pressed, and disabled menu items. To display disabled menu items in yellow, use @code{fg[INSENSITIVE] = "yellow"}. @end table Here are the things that can go in a style declaration: @table @code @item bg[@var{state}] = @var{color} This specifies the background color for the widget. Note that editable text doesn't use @code{bg}; it uses @code{base} instead. @item base[@var{state}] = @var{color} This specifies the background color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the background of the text fields in the file dialog. @item bg_pixmap[@var{state}] = "@var{pixmap}" This specifies an image background (instead of a background color). @var{pixmap} should be the image file name. GTK can use a number of image file formats, including XPM, XBM, GIF, JPEG and PNG. If you want a widget to use the same image as its parent, use @samp{}. If you don't want any image, use @samp{}. @samp{} is the way to cancel a background image inherited from a parent style. You can't specify the file by its absolute file name. GTK looks for the pixmap file in directories specified in @code{pixmap_path}. @code{pixmap_path} is a colon-separated list of directories within double quotes, specified at the top level in a @file{gtkrc} file (i.e. not inside a style definition; see example above): @smallexample pixmap_path "/usr/share/pixmaps:/usr/include/X11/pixmaps" @end smallexample @item fg[@var{state}] = @var{color} This specifies the foreground color for widgets to use. It is the color of text in menus and buttons, and the color for the arrows in the scroll bar. For editable text, use @code{text}. @item text[@var{state}] = @var{color} This is the color for editable text. In Emacs, this color is used for the text fields in the file dialog. @item font_name = "@var{font}" This specifies the font for text in the widget. @var{font} is a Pango font name, for example @samp{Sans Italic 10}, @samp{Helvetica Bold 12}, @samp{Courier 14}, @samp{Times 18}. See below for exact syntax. The names are case insensitive. @end table There are three ways to specify a color: by name, in hexadecimal form, and with an RGB triplet. @noindent A color name is written within double quotes, for example @code{"red"}. @noindent Hexadecimal form is the same as in X: @code{#@var{rrrr}@var{gggg}@var{bbbb}}, where all three color specs must have the same number of hex digits (1, 2, 3 or 4). @noindent An RGB triplet looks like @code{@{ @var{r}, @var{g}, @var{b} @}}, where @var{r}, @var{g} and @var{b} are either integers in the range 0-65535 or floats in the range 0.0-1.0. Pango font names have the form ``@var{family-list} @var{style-options} @var{size}.'' @cindex Pango font name @noindent @var{family-list} is a comma separated list of font families optionally terminated by a comma. This way you can specify several families and the first one found will be used. @var{family} corresponds to the second part in an X font name, for example in @smallexample -adobe-times-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-64-iso10646-1 @end smallexample @noindent the family name is @samp{times}. @noindent @var{style-options} is a whitespace separated list of words where each word is a style, variant, weight, or stretch. The default value for all of these is @code{normal}. @noindent A `style' corresponds to the fourth part of an X font name. In X font names it is the character @samp{r}, @samp{i} or @samp{o}; in Pango font names the corresponding values are @code{normal}, @code{italic}, or @code{oblique}. @noindent A `variant' is either @code{normal} or @code{small-caps}. Small caps is a font with the lower case characters replaced by smaller variants of the capital characters. @noindent Weight describes the ``boldness'' of a font. It corresponds to the third part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-light}, @code{light}, @code{normal}, @code{bold}, @code{ultra-bold}, or @code{heavy}. @noindent Stretch gives the width of the font relative to other designs within a family. It corresponds to the fifth part of an X font name. It is one of @code{ultra-condensed}, @code{extra-condensed}, @code{condensed}, @code{semi-condensed}, @code{normal}, @code{semi-expanded}, @code{expanded}, @code{extra-expanded}, or @code{ultra-expanded}. @noindent @var{size} is a decimal number that describes the font size in points. @end ifnottex @ignore arch-tag: 9b6ff773-48b6-41f6-b2f9-f114b8bdd97f @end ignore