From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Drew Adams Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: RE: change cursor type Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 07:50:07 -0800 (PST) Message-ID: <0c834f35-353a-4b56-8131-788ca463376d@default> References: <41194d17-7423-4b72-9ccf-22f98d9d50a2@googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1385740246 854 80.91.229.3 (29 Nov 2013 15:50:46 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:50:46 +0000 (UTC) To: mohamedaslam785@gmail.com, help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Nov 29 16:50:50 2013 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1VmQLB-0004qO-16 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:50:49 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:48042 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VmQLA-0005xE-OB for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:50:48 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:42434) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VmQKk-0005Jp-Qz for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:50:31 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VmQKa-0001GQ-U6 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:50:22 -0500 Original-Received: from aserp1040.oracle.com ([141.146.126.69]:41232) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VmQKa-0001Fp-O1 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:50:12 -0500 Original-Received: from acsinet22.oracle.com (acsinet22.oracle.com [141.146.126.238]) by aserp1040.oracle.com (Sentrion-MTA-4.3.1/Sentrion-MTA-4.3.1) with ESMTP id rATFo9dm026872 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:50:10 GMT Original-Received: from aserz7021.oracle.com (aserz7021.oracle.com [141.146.126.230]) by acsinet22.oracle.com (8.14.4+Sun/8.14.4) with ESMTP id rATFo9Zb015491 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:50:09 GMT Original-Received: from abhmp0016.oracle.com (abhmp0016.oracle.com [141.146.116.22]) by aserz7021.oracle.com (8.14.4+Sun/8.14.4) with ESMTP id rATFo9pg000375; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:50:09 GMT In-Reply-To: <41194d17-7423-4b72-9ccf-22f98d9d50a2@googlegroups.com> X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Oracle Beehive Extensions for Outlook 2.0.1.8 (707110) [OL 12.0.6680.5000 (x86)] X-Source-IP: acsinet22.oracle.com [141.146.126.238] X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.4.x-2.6.x [generic] X-Received-From: 141.146.126.69 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:94715 Archived-At: > > I want to change the cursor from box to bar style. Apparently, the > > variable cursor-type is not a "user-option" variable and so doesn't > > respond to M-x set-variable. I'm not clear on this distinction between > > user-option and "non-user-option" variables, and the manual doesn't > > seem to say anything about it (I could be mistaken but I didn't find > > anything). Can anyone tell me how to change the value of cursor-type > > to "bar"? I'd like the change to be global. A user option is a variable defined using `defcustom', not `defvar'. A user option is intended to be changed by users. It can be customized easily, using `M-x customize-option'. It can also be set using `set-variable'. Any variable can be set by a user, using `M-: (setq THE-VAR THE-NEW-VALUE)'. Users can change any variable they like, but it is not necessarily a good idea to do so. Some variables that are not user options could be, arguably. In older versions of Emacs, `cursor-type' was not even a variable; it was only a frame parameter. In Emacs 22 (it might have been 21) `cursor-type' became a variable (it is still a frame-parameter also). As of Emacs 24.3, `cursor-type' is not an option, but you can change it without problems. In Emacs 24.4 (not yet released) `cursor-type' will be a user option. See the Emacs manual, node `Easy Customization' for information about options vs other variables.