tjo@cadillac.UUCP (Tom Ostrand) (05/29/87)
Can anyone tell me how to arbitrarily rewrite the mode line for a
GNU-macs window? Or at least, what are the most extensive changes
that can be made to the mode line? All I can find in the manual is
control over the inverse-video.
Thanks,
Tom Ostrand
Siemens Research Labs.
Princeton, NJ
{astrovax | ihnp4 | princeton}!siemens!tjo
(609)-734-6569nz@hotlg.UUCP (06/02/87)
In article <419@jaguar.cadillac.UUCP> tjo@siemens.UUCP writes: > > Can anyone tell me how to arbitrarily rewrite the mode line for a > GNU-macs window? Or at least, what are the most extensive changes > that can be made to the mode line? > Thanks, > > Tom Ostrand You can completely reconfigure the mode line in just about any version of GNU Emacs. Versions 17 and earlier use a printf-like format string for mode line control, and you set the Elisp variable named "mode-line-format" to a string value. In version 18, the mode line may be configured by setting up an list structure of strings, variables, cons-cells, and other stuff, then assigning that structure to the variable named "mode-line-format". It is somewhat backward- compatible with the old string format. The default value of mode-line-format (in 18.36) is: ("--%1*%1*-" mode-line-buffer-identification " " global-mode-string " %[(" mode-name minor-mode-alist "%n" mode-line-process ")%]----" (-3 . "%p") "-%-") Another value I like to use is: ("--%*%*-" "Emacs " (-10 . global-mode-string) " " "(%[" mode-name minor-mode-alist "%n" mode-line-process "%]) %b: " (-16 . "%f") " ---" (-3 . "%p") "-%-") This one looks a little like the old default format that our DEC-20's Emacs used to provide. For more information, see the documentation for the "mode-line-format" variable. If your help character is control-H, do C-h v mode-line-format RETURN Hope this is helpful. -- ...nz (Neal Ziring @ ATT-BL Holmdel, x2354, 3H-437) "You can fit an infinite number of wires into this junction box, but we usually don't go that far in practice." London Electric Co. Worker, 1880s