Re: invisible mouse pointer?

[Thomas Fitzsimmons <fitzsim@fitzsim.org>]

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Hi Drew,

"Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> Is it possible to make the mouse pointer invisible (disappear)?
>
> I don't mean by, say, setting its color to the frame's background color on all
> characters of a buffer's text. I mean by, say, setting `x-pointer-shape' to a
> value (e.g. nil?) that (somehow) causes the pointer to disappear.
>
> I couldn't find anything about this, but it could be useful. Is there a good
> workaround, if the feature doesn't exist?

I also looked into this a while ago and couldn't find a way to
completely hide the pointer, so I wrote the attached patch.  Ideally
this low-level functionality would be exposed through a new mouse
avoidance mode, as you suggest.

Tom


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Index: src/xfns.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/src/xfns.c,v
retrieving revision 1.726
diff -u -r1.726 xfns.c
--- src/xfns.c	31 Jul 2008 05:33:55 -0000	1.726
+++ src/xfns.c	3 Dec 2008 18:51:28 -0000
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef USE_X_TOOLKIT
+#include <X11/extensions/Xfixes.h>
 #include <X11/Shell.h>
 
 #ifndef USE_MOTIF
@@ -5258,6 +5259,35 @@
 
 \f
 /***********************************************************************
+			Cursor visibility
+ ***********************************************************************/
+
+DEFUN ("x-show-pointer", Fx_show_pointer,
+       Sx_show_pointer,
+       0, 0, 0,
+       doc: /* Show the mouse pointer.  */)
+     ()
+{
+  FRAME_PTR f = SELECTED_FRAME ();
+  XFixesShowCursor (FRAME_X_DISPLAY (f), FRAME_X_WINDOW (f));
+  return Qt;
+}
+
+
+DEFUN ("x-hide-pointer", Fx_hide_pointer,
+       Sx_hide_pointer,
+       0, 0, 0,
+       doc: /* Hide the mouse pointer.  */)
+     ()
+{
+  FRAME_PTR f = SELECTED_FRAME ();
+  XFixesHideCursor (FRAME_X_DISPLAY (f), FRAME_X_WINDOW (f));
+  return Qt;
+}
+
+
+\f
+/***********************************************************************
 			File selection dialog
  ***********************************************************************/
 
@@ -5963,6 +5993,9 @@
   last_show_tip_args = Qnil;
   staticpro (&last_show_tip_args);
 
+  defsubr (&Sx_show_pointer);
+  defsubr (&Sx_hide_pointer);
+
   defsubr (&Sx_uses_old_gtk_dialog);
 #if defined (USE_MOTIF) || defined (USE_GTK)
   defsubr (&Sx_file_dialog);