Table of Contents

1 Introduction, Policy, Credits

1.0: What is XEmacs?

Q1.0.1: What is XEmacs?
Q1.0.2: What is the current version of XEmacs?
Q1.0.3: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
Q1.0.4: What does XEmacs look like?
Q1.0.5: Who wrote XEmacs?
Q1.0.6: Who wrote the FAQ?

1.1: Getting XEmacs

Q1.1.1: Where can I find XEmacs?
Q1.1.2: Are binaries available?
Q1.1.3: How do I get the bleeding-edge sources?
Q1.1.4: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?

1.2: Versions for Different Operating Systems

Q1.2.1: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
Q1.2.2: What versions of Unix does XEmacs run on?
Q1.2.3: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft Windows?
Q1.2.4: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
Q1.2.5: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
Q1.2.6: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
Q1.2.7: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
Q1.2.8: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
Q1.2.9: Is there a port of XEmacs to MS-DOS?
Q1.2.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
Q1.2.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
Q1.2.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to VMS?

1.3: Getting Started

Q1.3.1: What is an `init.el' or `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
Q1.3.2: Where do I put my `init.el' file?
Q1.3.3: Can I use the same `init.el' with the other Emacs?
Q1.3.4: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
Q1.3.5: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
Q1.3.6: And how do I bind it to a key?
Q1.3.7: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
Q1.3.8: What is Custom?

1.4: Getting Help

Q1.4.1: Where can I get help?
Q1.4.2: Which mailing lists are there?
Q1.4.3: Where are the mailing lists archived?
Q1.4.4: How can I get two instances of info?
Q1.4.5: How do I add new Info directories?

1.5: Contributing to XEmacs

Q1.5.1: How do I submit changes to the FAQ?
Q1.5.2: How do I become a beta tester?
Q1.5.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
Q1.5.4: How do I get started developing XEmacs?
Q1.5.5: What's the basic layout of the code?

1.6: Politics (XEmacs vs. GNU Emacs)

Q1.6.1: What is GNU Emacs?
Q1.6.2: How does XEmacs differ from GNU Emacs?
Q1.6.3: How much does XEmacs differ?
Q1.6.4: Is XEmacs "GNU"?
Q1.6.5: What is the correct way to refer to XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
Q1.6.6: Why haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs merged?

1.7: External Packages

Q1.7.1: What is the package system?
Q1.7.2: Which external packages are there?
Q1.7.3: Do I need to have the packages to run XEmacs?
Q1.7.4: Is there a way to find which package has particular functionality?

1.8: Internationalization

Q1.8.1: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support)?
Q1.8.2: How can I help with internationalization?
Q1.8.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
Q1.8.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
Q1.8.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
Q1.8.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
Q1.8.7: How about Cyrillic modes?
Q1.8.8: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
Q1.8.9: How does XEmacs display Unicode?

2 Installation and Troubleshooting

2.0: Installation (General)

Q2.0.1: How do I build and install XEmacs?
Q2.0.2: Where do I find external libraries?
Q2.0.3: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
Q2.0.4: Running XEmacs without installing
Q2.0.5: XEmacs is too big

2.1: Package Installation

Q2.1.1: How do I install the packages?
Q2.1.2: Can I install the packages individually?
Q2.1.3: Can I install the packages automatically?
Q2.1.4: Can I upgrade or remove packages?
Q2.1.5: Which packages to install?
Q2.1.6: Can you describe the package location process in more detail?
Q2.1.7: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)

2.2: Unix/Mac OS X Installation (Also Relevant to Cygwin, MinGW)

Q2.2.1: Libraries in non-standard locations
Q2.2.2: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
Q2.2.3: X11/bitmaps/gray (or other X11-related file) not found.

2.3: Windows Installation (Windows, Cygwin, MinGW)

Q2.3.1: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
Q2.3.2: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
Q2.3.3: How do I compile the native port?
Q2.3.4: What do I need for Cygwin?
Q2.3.5: How do I compile under Cygwin?
Q2.3.6: How do I compile using MinGW (aka `the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc')?
Q2.3.7: How do I compile with X support?
Q2.3.8: Cygwin XEmacs won't start -- cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)

2.4: General Troubleshooting

Q2.4.1: How do I deal with bugs or with problems building, installing, or running?
Q2.4.2: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
Q2.4.3: XEmacs crashes and I compiled it myself.
Q2.4.4: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
Q2.4.5: I get a cryptic error message when trying to do something.
Q2.4.6: XEmacs hangs when I try to do something.
Q2.4.7: I get an error message when XEmacs is running in batch mode.
Q2.4.8: The keyboard or mouse is not working properly, or I have some other event-related problem.
Q2.4.9: C-g doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
Q2.4.10: How do I debug process-related problems?
Q2.4.11: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
Q2.4.12: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more!

2.5: Startup-Related Problems

Q2.5.1: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
Q2.5.2 Startup problems related to paths or package locations.
Q2.5.3: XEmacs won't start without network, or starts slowly.
Q2.5.4: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
Q2.5.5: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
Q2.5.6: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
Q2.5.7: XEmacs issues messages about "auto-autoloads already loaded."

3 Editing Functions

3.0: The Keyboard

Q3.0.1: How can I customize the keyboard?
Q3.0.2: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
Q3.0.3: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
Q3.0.4: Globally binding Delete?
Q3.0.5: How to map Help key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
Q3.0.6: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
Q3.0.7: Can I turn on sticky modifier keys?
Q3.0.8: How do I map the arrow keys?
Q3.0.9: HP Alt key as Meta.
Q3.0.10: Why does edt emulation not work?
Q3.0.11: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
Q3.0.12: Mac Alt/Option key as Meta.

3.1: The Mouse

Q3.1.1: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
Q3.1.2: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
Q3.1.3: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
Q3.1.4: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
Q3.1.5: How can I set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?

3.2: Buffers, Text Editing

Q3.2.1: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
Q3.2.2: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
Q3.2.3: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
Q3.2.4: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
Q3.2.5: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?

3.3: Text Selections

Q3.3.1: How do I select a rectangular region?
Q3.3.2: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
Q3.3.3: How do I cause typing on an active region to remove it?
Q3.3.4: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
Q3.3.5: Why is killing so slow?
Q3.3.6: Why does M-w take so long?

3.4: Editing Source Code

Q3.4.1: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
Q3.4.2: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?

4 Display Functions

4.0: Textual Fonts and Colors

Q4.0.1: How do I specify a font?
Q4.0.2: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
Q4.0.3: How can I set color options from `init.el'?
Q4.0.4: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
Q4.0.5: How can I limit color map usage?
Q4.0.6: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
Q4.0.7: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
Q4.0.8: How do I display non-ASCII characters?
Q4.0.9: Font selections in don't get saved after Save Options.

4.1: Syntax Highlighting (Font Lock)

Q4.1.1: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
Q4.1.2: How do I get `More' Syntax Highlighting on by default?

4.2: The Modeline

Q4.2.1: How can I make the modeline go away?
Q4.2.2: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
Q4.2.3: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
Q4.2.4: How can I change the modeline color based on the mode used?

4.3: The Cursor

Q4.3.1: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
Q4.3.2: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
Q4.3.3: Can I make the cursor blink?

4.4: The Menubar

Q4.4.1: How do I get rid of the menubar?
Q4.4.2: How can I customize the menubar?
Q4.4.3: How do I enable use of the keyboard (Alt) to access menu items?
Q4.4.4: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu Buffers List?
Q4.4.5: Resources like Emacs*menubar*font are not working?

4.5: The Toolbar

Q4.5.1: How do I get rid of the toolbar?
Q4.5.2: How can I customize the toolbar?
Q4.5.3: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
Q4.5.4: `Can't instantiate image error...' in toolbar

4.6: Scrollbars and Scrolling

Q4.6.1: How can I disable the scrollbar?
Q4.6.2: How can I change the scrollbar width?
Q4.6.3: How can I use resources to change scrollbar colors?
Q4.6.4: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
Q4.6.5: Scrolling one line at a time.
Q4.6.6: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
Q4.6.7: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?

4.7: The Gutter Tabs, The Progress Bar, Widgets

Q4.7.1: How can I disable the gutter tabs?
Q4.7.2: How can I disable the progress bar?
Q4.7.3: There are bugs in the gutter or widgets.
Q4.7.4: How can I customize the gutter or gutter tabs?

5 Interfacing with the Operating System and External Devices

5.0: X Window System and Resources

Q5.0.1: Where is a list of X resources?
Q5.0.2: How can I detect a color display?
Q5.0.3: How can I get the icon to just say `XEmacs'?
Q5.0.4: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
Q5.0.5: `xemacs -name junk' doesn't work?
Q5.0.6: `-iconic' doesn't work.
Q5.0.7: How can I use antialiased fonts under X11?

5.1: Microsoft Windows

Q5.1.1: Does XEmacs rename all the `win32-*' symbols to `w32-*'?
Q5.1.2: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?

Associating a new file type with XEmacs.
Associating an existing file type with XEmacs.

5.2: Printing

Q5.2.1: What do I need to change to make printing work?
Q5.2.2: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
Q5.2.3: Getting M-x lpr to work with postscript printer.
Q5.2.4: Can you print under MS Windows?

5.3: Sound

Q5.3.1: How do I turn off the sound?
Q5.3.2: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
Q5.3.3: What are NAS and ESD (EsounD)?
Q5.3.4: Sunsite sounds don't play.

5.4: Running an Interior Shell, Invoking Subprocesses

Q5.4.1: What is an interior shell?
Q5.4.2: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
Q5.4.3: Telnet from shell filters too much
Q5.4.4: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
Q5.4.5: XEmacs complains "No such file or directory, diff"
Q5.4.6: Cygwin error "fork_copy: linked dll/bss pass 0 failed"

5.5: Multiple Device Support

Q5.5.1: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
Q5.5.2: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
Q5.5.3: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
Q5.5.4: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
Q5.5.5: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?

6 Connecting to the Internet

6.0: General Mail and News

Q6.0.1: What are the various packages for reading mail?
Q6.0.2: How can I send mail?
Q6.0.3: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
Q6.0.4: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
Q6.0.5: How do I customize the From line?
Q6.0.6: How do I get my MUA to filter mail for me?
Q6.0.7: Remote mail reading with an MUA.
Q6.0.8: An MUA gets an error incorporating new mail.
Q6.0.9: Why isn't `movemail' working?
Q6.0.10: How do I make my MUA display graphical smilies?
Q6.0.11: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?

6.1: Reading Mail with VM

Q6.1.1: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
Q6.1.2: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
Q6.1.3: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
Q6.1.4: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
Q6.1.5: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
Q6.1.6: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.

6.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus

Q6.2.1: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
Q6.2.2: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?

6.3: FTP Access

Q6.3.1: Can I edit files on other hosts?
Q6.3.2: What is EFS?

6.4: Web Browsing with W3

Q6.4.1: What is W3?
Q6.4.2: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
Q6.4.3: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?

7 Advanced Customization Using XEmacs Lisp

7.0: Emacs Lisp and `init.el'

Q7.0.1: What version of Emacs am I running?
Q7.0.2: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
Q7.0.3: (setq tab-width 6) behaves oddly.
Q7.0.4: How can I add directories to the load-path?
Q7.0.5: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
Q7.0.6: Can I force the output of (face-list) to a buffer?

7.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques

Q7.1.1: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
Q7.1.2: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
Q7.1.3: Could you explain read-kbd-macro in more detail?
Q7.1.4: What is the performance hit of let?
Q7.1.5: What is the recommended use of setq?
Q7.1.6: What is the typical misuse of setq?
Q7.1.7: I like the do form of cl, does it slow things down?
Q7.1.8: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
Q7.1.9: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
Q7.1.10: map-extents won't traverse all of my extents!
Q7.1.11: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?

7.2: Mathematics

Q7.2.1: What are bignums, ratios, and bigfloats in Lisp?
Q7.2.2: XEmacs segfaults when I use very big numbers!
Q7.2.3: Bignums are really slow!
Q7.2.4: Equal bignums don't compare as equal! What gives?

8 Other External Packages

8.0: TeX

Q8.0.1: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
Q8.0.2: What is AUCTeX? Where do you get it?
Q8.0.3: Problems installing AUCTeX.
Q8.0.4: How do I turn off current chapter from AUCTeX modeline?

8.1: Other Unbundled Packages

Q8.1.1: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
Q8.1.2: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
Q8.1.3: Is there a MatLab mode?

8.2: Environments Built Around XEmacs

Q8.2.1: What are SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop?
Q8.2.2: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
Q8.2.3: What is/was Energize?
Q8.2.4: What is Infodock?

9 What the Future Holds

9.0: Changes

Q9.0.1: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
Q9.0.2: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?

User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.4
Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.4

Q9.0.3: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?

User-visible changes in XEmacs 21.1
Lisp and internal changes in XEmacs 21.1

Q9.0.4: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
Q9.0.5: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
Q9.0.6: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?

10 New information about old XEmacsen

10.0: XEmacs 21.1

Q10.0.1: Gnus 5.10 won't display smileys in XEmacs 21.1.
Q10.0.2: XEmacs won't start on Windows in XEmacs 21.1.

10 Working with XEmacs Source Code Repositories.

Where is the most recent XEmacs development code?
Where is the most recent XEmacs stable code?
Where is the most recent XEmacs package code?
Why isn't package available? and what to do about it.
How do I get commit access?
How do I keep cool using CVS?
What is Mercurial?
Where do I get Mercurial?
Do I really have to waste space on history?
hg diff gives bizarre output.
How do I recover from a bad commit? (I already pushed.)
How do I recover from a bad commit? (I haven't pushed yet.)
Testing patches with Mercurial Queues.