Can't set font & frame properly in .emacs

Can't set font & frame properly in .emacs

[Joe Fineman]

I run Emacs under (sigh) Windows XP.  Before I upgraded to Emacs
22.3.1, the following near the beginning of my .emacs file always had
the right effect:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
;;;;INITIAL SETUP

(setq inhibit-default-init t)

(defun minimize-frame ()
  (interactive)
(w32-send-sys-command #xf020))
             
(defun maximize-frame ()
  (interactive)
(w32-send-sys-command #xf030))
             
(defun restore-frame ()
  (interactive)
(w32-send-sys-command #xf120))

(defun screen-saver ()
  (interactive)
(w32-send-sys-command #xf140))
             
;; start Emacs maximized
(maximize-frame)

;; Font
;; For a list of available Fonts, eval
;; (insert (prin1-to-string (x-list-fonts "*")))
(set-default-font "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-*-*-96-96-c-*-iso8859-13")

;; Set rows and columns correctly
(set-frame-width (selected-frame) 155)
;; This is where height on screen is finally set:
(set-frame-height (selected-frame) 63) ;changed from 62 07oc08
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, however, the startup seems to skip it.  The defuns are not
evaluated (tho I can eval them by hand & they work).  The frame does
not come up maximized, and the point size is too big.  I added the
first line in case there was a default-init lurking somewhere.  I
tried repeating this section at the end of .emacs in case something in
between was undoing it.  I could find nothing about this aspect
initialization using info, and I cannot remember where I got the
present code -- probably from some long-departed helpful soul on a
newsgroup.

What has changed?

Thank you for your attention.
-- 
---  Joe Fineman    joe_f@verizon.net

||:  War propaganda always makes intelligent people sympathize  :||
||:  with the enemy.                                            :||

Re: Can't set font & frame properly in .emacs

[Joe Fineman]

Some further data:

Joe Fineman <joe_f@verizon.net> writes:

> I run Emacs under (sigh) Windows XP.  Before I upgraded to Emacs
> 22.3.1, the following near the beginning of my .emacs file always had
> the right effect:
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ;;;;INITIAL SETUP
>
> (setq inhibit-default-init t)
>
> (defun minimize-frame ()
>   (interactive)
> (w32-send-sys-command #xf020))
>              
> (defun maximize-frame ()
>   (interactive)
> (w32-send-sys-command #xf030))
>              
> (defun restore-frame ()
>   (interactive)
> (w32-send-sys-command #xf120))
>
> (defun screen-saver ()
>   (interactive)
> (w32-send-sys-command #xf140))
>              
> ;; start Emacs maximized
> (maximize-frame)
>
> ;; Font
> ;; For a list of available Fonts, eval
> ;; (insert (prin1-to-string (x-list-fonts "*")))
> (set-default-font "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-*-*-96-96-c-*-iso8859-13")
>
> ;; Set rows and columns correctly
> (set-frame-width (selected-frame) 155)
> ;; This is where height on screen is finally set:
> (set-frame-height (selected-frame) 63) ;changed from 62 07oc08
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Now, however, the startup seems to skip it.  The defuns are not
> evaluated (tho I can eval them by hand & they work).

This, for some reason, is no longer true.  They are in fact
evaluated.

> The frame does not come up maximized,

Nor does it come up in the default size that "restore" restores to,
but in a squarish shape, from which it is impossible to maximize it
either with the mouse (no button) or with maximize-frame (name
recognized & completed under M-x, but has no effect).  Using
restore-frame makes it smaller, and from that state it is possible to
maximize it.

Sporadically, tho, restore-frame gives a very tall rectangle, spilling
off the bottom of the screen so that the minibuffer is invisible.  I
have not been able to reproduce this.

Also, if I minimize the frame, and bring it back with the mouse, it
comes up maximized.

> and the point size is too big.  I added the first line in case there
> was a default-init lurking somewhere.  I tried repeating this
> section at the end of .emacs in case something in between was
> undoing it.  I could find nothing about this aspect initialization
> using info, and I cannot remember where I got the present code --
> probably from some long-departed helpful soul on a newsgroup.

> What has changed?
>
> Thank you for your attention.
-- 
---  Joe Fineman    joe_f@verizon.net

||:  In damp heat, learn from the Pygmies.  In dry heat, learn  :||
||:  from the Arabs.                                            :||

Re: Can't set font & frame properly in .emacs: some answers

[Joe Fineman]

Joe Fineman <joe_f@verizon.net> writes:

> Some further data:
>
> Joe Fineman <joe_f@verizon.net> writes:
>
>> I run Emacs under (sigh) Windows XP.  Before I upgraded to Emacs
>> 22.3.1, the following near the beginning of my .emacs file always had
>> the right effect:
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ;;;;INITIAL SETUP
>>
>> (setq inhibit-default-init t)
>>
>> (defun minimize-frame ()
>>   (interactive)
>> (w32-send-sys-command #xf020))
>>              
>> (defun maximize-frame ()
>>   (interactive)
>> (w32-send-sys-command #xf030))
>>              
>> (defun restore-frame ()
>>   (interactive)
>> (w32-send-sys-command #xf120))
>>
>> (defun screen-saver ()
>>   (interactive)
>> (w32-send-sys-command #xf140))
>>              
>> ;; start Emacs maximized
>> (maximize-frame)
>>
>> ;; Font
>> ;; For a list of available Fonts, eval
>> ;; (insert (prin1-to-string (x-list-fonts "*")))
>> (set-default-font "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-*-*-96-96-c-*-iso8859-13")
>>
>> ;; Set rows and columns correctly
>> (set-frame-width (selected-frame) 155)
>> ;; This is where height on screen is finally set:
>> (set-frame-height (selected-frame) 63) ;changed from 62 07oc08
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Now, however, the startup seems to skip it.  The defuns are not
>> evaluated (tho I can eval them by hand & they work).
>
> This, for some reason, is no longer true.  They are in fact
> evaluated.
>
>> The frame does not come up maximized,
>
> Nor does it come up in the default size that "restore" restores to,
> but in a squarish shape, from which it is impossible to maximize it
> either with the mouse (no button) or with maximize-frame (name
> recognized & completed under M-x, but has no effect).  Using
> restore-frame makes it smaller, and from that state it is possible to
> maximize it.
>
> Sporadically, tho, restore-frame gives a very tall rectangle, spilling
> off the bottom of the screen so that the minibuffer is invisible.  I
> have not been able to reproduce this.
>
> Also, if I minimize the frame, and bring it back with the mouse, it
> comes up maximized.
>
>> and the point size is too big.  I added the first line in case there
>> was a default-init lurking somewhere.  I tried repeating this
>> section at the end of .emacs in case something in between was
>> undoing it.  I could find nothing about this aspect initialization
>> using info, and I cannot remember where I got the present code --
>> probably from some long-departed helpful soul on a newsgroup.
>
>> What has changed?

I still don't know, but have found the following workarounds.

The failure to maximize the frame and the failure to adjust the point
size appear to be two independent problems.

info provides advice on both with respect to Emacs running under
X-windows or Mac OS, but not under Windows XP.

However, for maximizing the frame the advice provided under X, to add
-fs to the command line, turns out to work.

For changing the point size, the X advice is not useful, because the
notation for fonts is different.  However, I have found experimentally
that changing the first asterisk to 14 in the font name, and the 13 at
the end to 1, viz.,

(set-default-font "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-14-*-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1")

does the job, near enough.

Fortunately, a good friend who is a real programmer was at hand to
encourage me in the necessary diddling.  I hope these results will be
useful to others.
-- 
---  Joe Fineman    joe_f@verizon.net

||:  We are both unbelievers.  I just believe in one fewer god  :||
||:  than you do.                                               :||