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Annotation of GNUtools/emacs/etc/OPTIONS, revision 1.1

1.1     ! root        1: This describes the sequence of Emacs start-up actions, including the meaning
        !             2: of all the command-line options.  It was written by Joe Wells.
        !             3: 
        !             4:    1. These command line switches are handled, only if they appear before
        !             5:       all other command line arguments, and only if they appear in this
        !             6:       order:
        !             7:   
        !             8:       `-map'.  Only under VMS.  Instead of "undumping", under VMS the
        !             9:          contents of a dump file are mapped over a section of memory (very
        !            10:          quickly initializing lots of variables).  You would not normally
        !            11:         use this options explicitly; it is given automatically by the
        !            12:         command file that implements the `emacs' command.
        !            13:   
        !            14:       `-t'.  The next argument is treated as the name of a terminal to use
        !            15:          instead of whatever is connected to the stdin, stdout, and stderr
        !            16:          FILE pointers.
        !            17:   
        !            18:       `-display' (synonym: `-d').  The next argument is treated as the
        !            19:          name of an X Window System server with which to connect.  This
        !            20:          overrides the DISPLAY environment variable.
        !            21:   
        !            22:       `-nw'.  This means don't connect to an X Window server even if the
        !            23:          DISPLAY environment variable was set or the `-display' switch was
        !            24:          specified.  Instead, Emacs talks to a regular dumb terminal.
        !            25:   
        !            26:       `-batch'.  Run noninteractively.  This disables any full screen
        !            27:         interaction either with a dumb terminal or with a window system.
        !            28:         In addition, Emacs will die after processing all command line
        !            29:         arguments.  The variable `noninteractive' is t.
        !            30:   
        !            31:   All of Emacs's internal data structures are initialized between steps 2
        !            32:   and 5.
        !            33:   
        !            34:    2. The `*scratch*' buffer is created and its value of `default-directory'
        !            35:       is set from the result of calling the `getwd' library routine.
        !            36:       (getwd does what the `pwd' program does.)
        !            37:   
        !            38:    3. If X11 is being used, Emacs determines the name under which it looks
        !            39:       for X resource values.  (I haven't checked how it does this under
        !            40:       X10.)
        !            41:   
        !            42:       1. If there is a `-rn' command line switch, it is handled now, no
        !            43:         matter where it is on the command line.  (Later it will be
        !            44:         processed again and ignored.)  The next argument is used as
        !            45:         Emacs's resource name.
        !            46:   
        !            47:       2. If the `-rn' switch was missing, Emacs looks for the WM_RES_NAME
        !            48:          environment variable.
        !            49:   
        !            50:       3. If neither of the previous two steps succeed, Emacs uses the
        !            51:          filename with which it was invoked as its resource name.
        !            52:   
        !            53:    4. If X11 is being used, these command line switches are handled now,
        !            54:       no matter where they appear in the command line.  (Under X10, they
        !            55:       are not handled until step 13.)  WARNING: this can cause strange
        !            56:       interactions with the processing of the remaining command line
        !            57:       arguments in step 13.
        !            58:   
        !            59:       In addition, under both X11 and X10, X resources (ie. the stuff in
        !            60:       an `.Xdefaults' file) are handled now.  Command line switches take
        !            61:       precedence over resources.
        !            62:   
        !            63:       After each command line switch are given the equivalent resource
        !            64:       names in this format: (X10 name / X11 instance name / X11 class name).
        !            65:   
        !            66:       `-r'.  Reverse video.  (ReverseVideo/reverseVideo/ReverseVideo)
        !            67:       `-font' (synonym: `-fn').  Font.  (BodyFont/font/Font)
        !            68:       `-wn'.  Window name (X11 only).  (/title/Title)
        !            69:       `-in'.  Icon name (X11 only).  (/iconName/Title)
        !            70:       `-i'.  Use built-in icon bitmap.  (BitMapIcon//)
        !            71:   
        !            72:       `-b'.  Border width (in pixels).
        !            73:          (BorderWidth/borderWidth/BorderWidth)
        !            74:   
        !            75:       `-ib'.  Internal border width (in pixels) (default: 1).
        !            76:          (/internalBorder/BorderWidth)
        !            77: 
        !            78:       `-xrm RESOURCESTRING'.  Specifies a resource name and value
        !            79:         that overrides any other value in the X server for that name.
        !            80:         This is useful also for setting parameters that don't have their
        !            81:         own specific options.
        !            82: 
        !            83:       `-geometry' (synonym: `-w').  Window shape and size.  `-geometry' is
        !            84:          X11 only, but its synonym `-w' was available under X10.
        !            85:          (/geometry/Geometry)
        !            86:   
        !            87:       Color options only:
        !            88:   
        !            89:       `-fg'.  Foreground color.  (Foreground/foreground/Foreground)
        !            90:       `-bg'.  Background color.  (Background/background/Background)
        !            91:       `-bd'.  Border color.  (Border/borderColor/BorderColor)
        !            92:       `-cr'.  Cursor color.  (Cursor/cursorColor/Foreground)
        !            93:       `-ms'.  Mouse pointer color.  (Mouse/pointerColor/Foreground)
        !            94:   
        !            95:       In addition, under X10, the resource `Keymap' was handled now.
        !            96:   
        !            97:    5. If your Emacs isn't dumped, the default Lisp libraries are
        !            98:       loaded now.
        !            99:   
        !           100:    6. Emacs enters a recursive edit.  The first time Emacs does a
        !           101:       recursive edit, steps 7 through 15 are followed, and then Emacs
        !           102:       enters its normal editing mode.
        !           103:   
        !           104:    7. If the environment variable PWD exists, the value of
        !           105:       `default-directory' in the `*scratch*' buffer is set to the value of
        !           106:       PWD.  This often causes problems and confusion when the value of PWD
        !           107:       doesn't actually contain the pathname of the current directory.
        !           108:   
        !           109:    8. Now the `-no-init-file' (synonym: `-q') and `-user' (synonym: `-u')
        !           110:       command line switches are handled.  They must follow the switches
        !           111:       mentioned in step 1, and must precede any other command line
        !           112:       arguments.  Actually, both of these options can be specified;
        !           113:       whichever is last on the command line wins.
        !           114:   
        !           115:    9. The user's `.emacs' file is loaded now, if the `-no-init-file'
        !           116:       option was not specified.  If the `-user' option was specified,
        !           117:       that user's init file is loaded instead.  This file is named
        !           118:       `.emacs' in the user's home directory.  If no such file exists,
        !           119:       this step has no effect.
        !           120:   
        !           121:   10. The system wide `default.el' file is loaded now, if the variable
        !           122:       `inhibit-default-init' is nil.  The user can set this variable in the
        !           123:       `.emacs' file to skip this step.
        !           124:   
        !           125:   11. If the *scratch* buffer still exists now, the value of
        !           126:       `initial-major-mode' is called as a function in this buffer.
        !           127:       Normally, this puts this buffer in Lisp Interaction mode.
        !           128:   
        !           129:   12. Now the terminal/window-system setup file is loaded.  The name of
        !           130:       this file is determined as follows:
        !           131:   
        !           132:       1. It starts with the value of `term-file-prefix'.  Normally this is
        !           133:          `term/', but the user can set it to another value.  If this
        !           134:          variable is nil, this entire step is skipped.
        !           135:   
        !           136:       2. For a window system, the prefix is followed by the name of the
        !           137:          value of the variable `window-system', followed by `-win'.  For X
        !           138:          Windows, this means the name is `term/x-win'.
        !           139:   
        !           140:       3. For a terminal, the prefix is followed by the value of the
        !           141:          environment variable TERM, for example, `term/vt200'.  If Emacs
        !           142:          cannot find such a file to load, it retries by stripping off
        !           143:          suffixes that begin with a hyphen.  For example, if TERM is
        !           144:          `vt200-40', first Emacs will try `term/vt200-40', and if that
        !           145:          fails it will try `term/vt200'.
        !           146:   
        !           147:   13. The rest of the command line arguments are handled at this point, in
        !           148:       the order they appear:
        !           149:   
        !           150:       `-funcall' (synonyms: `-f', `-e').  The next argument is treated as
        !           151:          the name of a function, which is called with no arguments.
        !           152:   
        !           153:       `-load' (synonym: `-l').  The next argument is treated as the name
        !           154:          of a file to load.  NOTE: the value of the variable `load-path'
        !           155:          will be restored after this file is done loading.  Thus, trying
        !           156:          to change `load-path' in such a file will fail!!
        !           157:   
        !           158:       `-kill'.  When this argument is handled, Emacs kills itself.
        !           159:   
        !           160:       `+DDD', where D is a digit.  DDD is used as a line number to go to.
        !           161:          When the next ordinary file argument on the command line is
        !           162:          handled, Emacs positions point in that file on line DDD.
        !           163:   
        !           164:       An ordinary filename.  Emacs edits this file using the function
        !           165:          `find-file'.  If the filename is not an absolute filename, it is
        !           166:          expanded relative to the value that default-directory in the
        !           167:          `*scratch*' buffer had at the beginning of step 11.  The buffer
        !           168:          visiting this file becomes the current buffer.
        !           169:   
        !           170:       `-insert' (synonym: `-i').  The next argument is treated as the name
        !           171:          of a file.  This file is inserted in the current buffer.
        !           172:          Initially, this is the `*scratch*' buffer.  Otherwise it is the
        !           173:          buffer visiting the file most recently specified on the command
        !           174:          line.
        !           175:   
        !           176:       Other command line switches may have been created by modifying the
        !           177:       value of the variable `command-switch-alist'.  If X Windows is being
        !           178:       used, all X-specific switches mentioned above in steps 3 and 4 will
        !           179:       be processed.  Under X11, they will have already been handled, and
        !           180:       will be ignored now.  Under X10, they are being handled for the
        !           181:       first time.
        !           182:   
        !           183:   14. The values of the variables `term-setup-hook' and `window-setup-hook'
        !           184:       are called as functions with no arguments, in the order listed.
        !           185:   
        !           186:   15. If the user did not specify any of the command line options handled
        !           187:       in step 13, and the variable `inhibit-startup-message' is still nil,
        !           188:       the familiar Emacs startup message is displayed.
        !           189:   
        !           190: 

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