Re: Linux: .Xdefaults, geometry not recognized

[Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com>]

Uwe Brauer wrote:
> Well I always run xrdb -merge ~/.Xdefaults

I guess that is one way to ensure that the values are used.  :-)

(The typical expectation is to use .Xresources for this.  The reason
it was moved to a different file is because xrdb runs the file through
the cpp and so comments and conditionals may occur in it that are
stripped out of the result.  Those can't exist in the .Xdefaults
though or they will produce errors when that file is read normally.)

> Emacs.geometry:                         105x63+20+5
>    >   xrdb -q | grep -i emacs

I was hoping you would find an emacs.geometry that was overriding your
Emacs.geometry.

>    > For debugging I would try it explicitly on the command line.  Then
>    > with the -q option.
>    >   emacs --xrm Emacs.geometry:105x63+20+5
>    >   emacs -q --xrm Emacs.geometry:105x63+20+5
>    >   emacs -q --xrm emacs.geometry:105x63+20+5
> 
> All work!

Well...  At least that is something.  You know it can work if the
conditions are right.

> But again when I change 
> 
> Emacs.geometry: 105x63+20+5
> 
> To 
> Emacs.geometry: 105x63+20+5

I don't see any difference there between those two samples.

> in my .Xdefaults file
> run xrdb -merge .Xdefaults
> check whether the change is updated (which it is)
> 
> And then start emacs without the xrm option the geometry setting is
> ignored!!!

Last thing I can think of is to double check that whitespace.  For
debugging I would try it without.  Just in case something strange is
happening there.

Plus I would try it using the window name rather than the application
class.  If you are calling emacs as "emacs" then use that name.

  emacs.geometry:105x63+20+5

[The name is there for other uses.  For example I can name a window to
be "debug" and then debug.geometry and debug.background and so forth
applies specifically to the window named debug overriding the more
general class.  Just for debugging I would try using the specific
name.]

> So all xrdb setting seen by xrbd -q | grep -i emacs 
> are used but not the Emacs.geometry (emacs.geometry) parameter
> 
> Very odd.

It is very odd.  And I am pretty much out of ideas.  Hopefully one of
the other folks on the list will come up with an idea.

Bob