Can I ask a Simple question?

Can I ask a Simple question?

[neil]

We all know that emacs is complicated and hard for novice users.
Especially for someone as slow as me. I have been searching the Internet
for 3 hours and i cannot find the answer.

When i start emacs, i always hold down the shift key and left click my
mouse to get font select. You see, i cannot read the small default font
and need to make it larger. This is the value i always select:

Courier 18

*My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
automatically each time i start up emacs? I know, I am really pathetic at
not knowing this. I really hate having to ask such a simple question.

I only know that it goes something like
(set-default-font "???????"), but cant figure what goes between the "".

Thank you.

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[David Kastrup]

neil <neil@serenity.region4.net> writes:

> We all know that emacs is complicated and hard for novice users.
> Especially for someone as slow as me. I have been searching the Internet
> for 3 hours and i cannot find the answer.
>
> When i start emacs, i always hold down the shift key and left click my
> mouse to get font select. You see, i cannot read the small default font
> and need to make it larger. This is the value i always select:
>
> Courier 18
>
> *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
> into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
> automatically each time i start up emacs? I know, I am really pathetic at
> not knowing this. I really hate having to ask such a simple question.
>
> I only know that it goes something like
> (set-default-font "???????"), but cant figure what goes between the "".

Which version of Emacs and which operating system?

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[neil]

On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, David Kastrup wrote:
snipped
> Which version of Emacs and which operating system?

I am using Emacs version 21.3.1 under FreeBSD 6.1 - I have not made any
changes to either the program or my operating system.

Thanks

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[David Kastrup]

neil <neil@serenity.region4.net> writes:

> On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, David Kastrup wrote:
> snipped
>> Which version of Emacs and which operating system?
>
> I am using Emacs version 21.3.1 under FreeBSD 6.1 - I have not made any
> changes to either the program or my operating system.

I don't know FreeBSD at all.  On my system, putting something like

Emacs.Geometry:80x35
Emacs.toolBar: 0
Emacs.Background: white
Emacs.font: 10x20

in the ~/.Xresources file does the trick for me (geometry, toolbar
off, background color and font choice) after logging the X Session out
and in again.  Using ~/.emacs instead is likely more complicated, and
it has the disadvantage that the window gets mapped before Emacs
applies the setting, meaning that the Window manager does not get a
clue about placement before it is too late, and that you get a visible
resize flicker.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: neil <neil@serenity.region4.net>
> Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:31:23 GMT
> 
> We all know that emacs is complicated and hard for novice users.

It's no harder than any other complex program out there.

> Especially for someone as slow as me. I have been searching the Internet
> for 3 hours and i cannot find the answer.

The Emacs manual tells you how to specify the font from the command
line.

> Courier 18
> 
> *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
> into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
> automatically each time i start up emacs?

(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[neil]

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On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
snipped

> > Courier 18
> >
> > *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
> > into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
> > automatically each time i start up emacs?
>
> (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
>
Hello Eli,
I  changed the .emacs file to what you wrote:
(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
Unfortunately, it has not worked. When i start emacs, I get this error
message:
-------------------------------
(/usr/local/bin/emacs)
Loading tool-bar...done
Loading image...done
Loading tooltip...done


An error has occurred while loading `/home/neil/.emacs':

Symbol's value as variable is void: PK

To ensure normal operation, you should investigate the cause
of the error in your initialization file and remove it.  Start
Emacs with the `--debug-init' option to view a complete error
backtrace

-------------------------------

So i re-start emacs with the command: emacs --debug-init and got this
output (the line beginning with # could not be recreated for this message
though)
-------------------------------
 Debugger entered--Lisp error: (void-variable PK)
  eval-buffer(#<buffer  *load*> nil "~/.emacs" nil t)
  load-with-code-conversion("/home/neil/.emacs" "~/.emacs" t t)
  load("~/.emacs" t t)
  #[nil "\b…—default" inhibit-default-init inhibit-startup-message] 5]()
  command-line()
  normal-top-level()
-------------------------------

I have no idea what the problem is here but are you able to re-write the
command for me.??.im guessing that some small detail could have been
wrong.

Thank you for your help.

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Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 03.10.2006 um 13:00 schrieb neil:

> im guessing that some small detail could have been wrong.

The small detail is PK – this word is used somewhere in your .emacs  
files.

If you copy the contents of the *Backtrace* buffer into the *scratch*  
buffer you can then find a long and not clipped line that might  
contain a comment like:

	; Reading at buffer position 12345

Now you can open the faulty ELisp file and execute:

	M-x goto-char RET 12345 RET

and the cursor is at the position where the error happens. Well,  
mostly. Sometimes, often, this position is at the end of a large if  
or progn clause ...

--
Greetings

   Pete

If all else fails read the instructions.
                                          - Donald Knuth

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Johan Bockgård]

Peter Dyballa <Peter_Dyballa@Web.DE> writes:

> If you copy the contents of the *Backtrace* buffer into the
> *scratch* buffer you can then find a long and not clipped line that
> might contain a comment like:
>
> 	; Reading at buffer position 12345

That feature didn't exist in Emacs 21.

-- 
Johan Bockgård

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: neil <neil@serenity.region4.net>
> Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:00:21 GMT
> >
> > (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
> >
> Hello Eli,
> I  changed the .emacs file to what you wrote:
> (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
> Unfortunately, it has not worked. When i start emacs, I get this error
> message:
> -------------------------------
> (/usr/local/bin/emacs)
> Loading tool-bar...done
> Loading image...done
> Loading tooltip...done
> 
> 
> An error has occurred while loading `/home/neil/.emacs':
> 
> Symbol's value as variable is void: PK

You need to find the place in your .emacs file which mentions that PK
thingy.  I don't think the addition I suggested has anything to do
with that.

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[robert.thorpe]

neil wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> snipped
>
> > > Courier 18
> > >
> > > *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
> > > into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
> > > automatically each time i start up emacs?
> >
> > (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
> >
> Hello Eli,
> I  changed the .emacs file to what you wrote:
> (add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font . "-outline-Courier New-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))
> Unfortunately, it has not worked. When i start emacs, I get this error
> message:
> -------------------------------
> (/usr/local/bin/emacs)
> Loading tool-bar...done
> Loading image...done
> Loading tooltip...done
>
>
> An error has occurred while loading `/home/neil/.emacs':
>
> Symbol's value as variable is void: PK

Try copying your current .emacs file to another file name.

Then make a new .emacs file just containing

(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(font .
"-outline-CourierNew-normal-r-normal-normal-24-180-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1"))

That should tell you if the problem you are seeing is a bug in your
.emacs file or a bug in Emacs.  A bug in emacs is unlikely but not
impossible.

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[jmg3000]

neil wrote:
> We all know that emacs is complicated and hard for novice users.

I disagree. Though, there are a number of keyboard commands to
memorize.

> [snip]
> When i start emacs, i always hold down the shift key and left click my
> mouse to get font select. You see, i cannot read the small default font
> and need to make it larger. This is the value i always select:
>
> Courier 18
>
> *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
> into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
> automatically each time i start up emacs?

If you're ~/.emacs file is ok, instead of touching it, just try running
Emacs like this:

$ emacs -fn 10x20 foo.txt

and see how you like it. If you really want that courier font, use:

$ emacs -fn
-adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-iso8859-1 foo.txt

After you've picked a font you like, so you don't have to always type
"-fn blah...", put it into your ~/.Xresources file (create the file if
you don't already have one) like so:

emacs.font:
-adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-iso8859-1

then log out and log back in to X.

To pick out a font and get its full name (like that
-adobe-courier-med...) I run NEdit and use its built in font selection
tool. I tried xfontsel, but it wasn't helpful.

---John

RE: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Drew Adams]

    > When i start emacs, i always hold down the shift key and left click my
    > mouse to get font select. You see, i cannot read the small
    > default font and need to make it larger. This is the value i always
select:
    >
    > Courier 18
    >
    > *My Simple Question:* Please show me exactly what line i need to write
    > into a .emacs configuration file so that this font size is loaded
    > automatically each time i start up emacs?

    If you're ~/.emacs file is ok, instead of touching it, just try running
    Emacs like this: $ emacs -fn 10x20 foo.txt
    and see how you like it. If you really want that courier font, use:
    $ emacs -fn
    -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-iso8859-1 foo.txt
    After you've picked a font you like, so you don't have to always type
    "-fn blah...", put it into your ~/.Xresources file (create the file if
    you don't already have one) like so:
    emacs.font:
    -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-iso8859-1
    then log out and log back in to X.
    To pick out a font and get its full name (like that
    -adobe-courier-med...) I run NEdit and use its built in font selection
    tool. I tried xfontsel, but it wasn't helpful.

Others have mentioned how to specify a font using .emacs or .Xresources.

Here is some info on trying out different fonts interactively, to discover
what you are most comfortable with:
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/SetFonts.


To dynamically change font size (only), try one of these libraries:

- http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/emacs/zoom-frm.el (commands `zoom-frm-in’
, `zoom-frm-out’)

- http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/emacs/doremi-frm.el (command
`doremi-font-size')


To dynamically try different fonts (without changing the size):

- http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/Icicles (command `icicle-font')

- http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/emacs/doremi-frm.el (command
`doremi-font')

For command `icicle-font', you can use `S-TAB' to complete any font-name
substrings (e.g. family, style, weight), and you can use `C-next' (Control
Page Down) to cycle among the matching font names, seeing the effect
immediately. Hit `C-g' to cancel and return to the font you had, or hit
`RET' to keep the current choice in the minibuffer. For example:

M-x icicle-font
Type "Courier", hit S-TAB
Cycle among all Courier fonts with `C-next'.

Or, type "Courier" and then hit `M-*' to type another pattern to match, for
example "bold". Use `C-next' to cycle among Courier fonts with that style.
You get the idea. You can match any number of substrings, in any order, by
repeated use of `M-*'. Alternatively, you can match against a regular
expression (e.g. "Courier.*bold").

After you find a font you like, you can set it as the default font in your
.emacs or .Xresources file, as others have explained.

HTH.

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[rgb]

> To pick out a font and get its full name (like that
> -adobe-courier-med...) I run NEdit and use its built in font selection
> tool. I tried xfontsel, but it wasn't helpful.

After selecting a font with S-<mouse-1> in Emacs you can get it's name
by putting this line in your *scratch* buffer and hitting C-j

(assoc 'font (frame-parameters))

You should get a result something like this:
(font . "-outline-Courier
New-normal-r-normal-normal-13-97-96-96-c-*-iso8859-1")

Re: Can I ask a Simple question?

[Sam Peterson]

neil <neil@serenity.region4.net> writes:

> We all know that emacs is complicated and hard for novice users.
> Especially for someone as slow as me. I have been searching the Internet
> for 3 hours and i cannot find the answer.

Don't feel so bad, this feature is particularly thorny due to X font
weirdness.  There's all sorts of ways to do it.  The way that
consistently works for me:

M-x customize-face RET
default RET

Play with the options using the mouse.  When you find what you like,
click Set for current session and then Save for future sessions.

-- 
Sam Peterson
skpeterson AT nospam ucdavis.edu
"if programmers were paid to remove code instead of adding it,
software would be much better" -- unknown