@cindex startup (command line arguments)
@cindex invocation (command line arguments)
- GNU Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
-when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors and
-for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
-ordinary editing.
+ Emacs supports command line arguments to request various actions
+when invoking Emacs. These are for compatibility with other editors
+and for sophisticated activities. We don't recommend using them for
+ordinary editing (@xref{Emacs Server}, for a way to access an existing
+Emacs job from the command line).
Arguments starting with @samp{-} are @dfn{options}, and so is
@samp{+@var{linenum}}. All other arguments specify files to visit.
Emacs visits the specified files while it starts up. The last file
-name on your command line becomes the current buffer; the other files
-are also visited in other buffers. If there are two files, they are
-both displayed; otherwise the last file is displayed along with a
-buffer list that shows what other buffers there are. As with most
-programs, the special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent
-arguments are file names, not options, even if they start with
-@samp{-}.
+specified on the command line becomes the current buffer; the other
+files are also visited in other buffers. As with most programs, the
+special argument @samp{--} says that all subsequent arguments are file
+names, not options, even if they start with @samp{-}.
Emacs command options can specify many things, such as the size and
position of the X window Emacs uses, its colors, and so on. A few
@vindex command-line-args
Most options specify how to initialize Emacs, or set parameters for
the Emacs session. We call them @dfn{initial options}. A few options
-specify things to do: for example, load libraries, call functions, or
-terminate Emacs. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
-names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. Emacs processes all
-the action arguments in the order they are written. The @file{.emacs} file
-can access the values of the action arguments as the elements of a list in
-the variable @code{command-line-args}.
-
-
+specify things to do, such as loading libraries or calling Lisp
+functions. These are called @dfn{action options}. These and file
+names together are called @dfn{action arguments}. The action
+arguments are stored as a list of strings in the variable
+@code{command-line-args}. (Actually, when Emacs starts up,
+@code{command-line-args} contains all the arguments passed from the
+command line; during initialization, the initial arguments are removed
+from this list when they are processed, leaving only the action
+arguments.)
@menu
* Action Arguments:: Arguments to visit files, load libraries,
@node Action Arguments
@appendixsec Action Arguments
- Here is a table of the action arguments and options:
+ Here is a table of action arguments:
@table @samp
@item @var{file}
@cindex visiting files, command-line argument
@vindex inhibit-startup-buffer-menu
Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}. @xref{Visiting}.
-If you visit several files at startup in this way, Emacs
-also displays a Buffer Menu buffer to show you what files it
-has visited. You can inhibit that by setting @code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
+
+When Emacs starts up, it displays the startup buffer in one window,
+and the buffer visiting @var{file} in another window
+(@pxref{Windows}). If you supply more than one file argument, the
+displayed file is the last one specified on the command line; the
+other files are visited but their buffers are not shown.
+
+If the startup buffer is disabled (@pxref{Entering Emacs}), then
+@var{file} is visited in a single window if one file argument was
+supplied; with two file arguments, Emacs displays the files in two
+different windows; with more than two file argument, Emacs displays
+the last file specified in one window, plus a Buffer Menu in a
+different window (@pxref{Several Buffers}). To inhibit using the
+Buffer Menu for this, change the variable
+@code{inhibit-startup-buffer-menu} to @code{t}.
@item +@var{linenum} @var{file}
@opindex +@var{linenum}
Visit @var{file} using @code{find-file}, then go to line number
@var{linenum} and put point at column number @var{columnnum}.
-@need 3000
@item -l @var{file}
@opindex -l
@itemx --load=@var{file}
@item --insert=@var{file}
@opindex --insert
@cindex insert file contents, command-line argument
-Insert the contents of @var{file} into the current buffer. This is like
-what @kbd{M-x insert-file} does. @xref{Misc File Ops}.
+Insert the contents of @var{file} into the @samp{*scratch*} buffer
+(@pxref{Lisp Interaction}). This is like what @kbd{M-x insert-file}
+does (@pxref{Misc File Ops}).
@item --kill
@opindex --kill
specifically related to the X Window System appear in the following
sections.
- Some initial options affect the loading of init files. The normal
-actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if it exists,
-then your own init file @file{~/.emacs} if it exists, and finally
-@file{default.el} if it exists. @xref{Init File}. Certain options
-prevent loading of some of these files or substitute other files for
-them.
+ Some initial options affect the loading of the initialization file.
+The normal actions of Emacs are to first load @file{site-start.el} if
+it exists, then your own initialization file @file{~/.emacs} if it
+exists, and finally @file{default.el} if it exists. @xref{Init File}.
+Certain options prevent loading of some of these files or substitute
+other files for them.
@table @samp
@item -t @var{device}
Emacs uses the terminal from which it was launched for all its display
and input.
-@need 3000
@cindex batch mode
@item -batch
@opindex --batch
@itemx --batch
Run Emacs in @dfn{batch mode}. Batch mode is used for running
programs written in Emacs Lisp from shell scripts, makefiles, and so
-on. You should also use the @samp{-l}, @samp{-f} or @samp{--eval}
-option, to invoke a Lisp program to do batch processing.
+on. To invoke a Lisp program, use the @samp{-batch} option in
+conjunction with one or more of @samp{-l}, @samp{-f} or @samp{--eval}
+(@pxref{Action Arguments}). @xref{Command Example}, for an example.
In batch mode, Emacs does not display the text being edited, and the
standard terminal interrupt characters such as @kbd{C-z} and @kbd{C-c}
-continue to have their normal effect. The functions @code{prin1},
-@code{princ} and @code{print} output to @code{stdout} instead of the
-echo area, while @code{message} and error messages output to
-@code{stderr}. Functions that would normally read from the minibuffer
-take their input from @code{stdin} instead.
-
-@samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an init file), but
-@file{site-start.el} is loaded nonetheless. It also causes Emacs to
-exit after processing all the command options. In addition, it
+have their usual effect. Emacs functions that normally print a
+message in the echo area will print to either the standard output
+stream (@code{stdout}) or the standard error stream (@code{stderr})
+instead. (To be precise, functions like @code{prin1}, @code{princ}
+and @code{print} print to @code{stdout}, while @code{message} and
+@code{error} print to @code{stderr}.) Functions that normally read
+keyboard input from the minibuffer take their input from the
+terminal's standard input stream (@code{stdin}) instead.
+
+@samp{--batch} implies @samp{-q} (do not load an initialization file),
+but @file{site-start.el} is loaded nonetheless. It also causes Emacs
+to exit after processing all the command options. In addition, it
disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has been
explicitly requested.
@cindex bypassing init and @file{default.el} file
@cindex init file, not loading
@cindex @file{default.el} file, not loading
-Do not load your Emacs init file @file{~/.emacs}, or @file{default.el}
-either. Regardless of this switch, @file{site-start.el} is still loaded.
-When invoked like this, Emacs does not allow saving options
-changed with the @kbd{M-x customize} command and its variants.
-@xref{Easy Customization}.
+Do not load your Emacs initialization file, and do not load the file
+@file{default.el} either (@pxref{Init File}). Regardless of this
+switch, @file{site-start.el} is still loaded. When Emacs is invoked
+like this, the Customize facility does not allow options to be saved
+(@pxref{Easy Customization}).
@item --no-site-file
@opindex --no-site-file
and @samp{--batch} have no effect on the loading of this file---this
option and @samp{-Q} are the only options that block it.
+@item --no-splash
+@opindex --no-splash
+@vindex inhibit-startup-screen
+@cindex splash screen
+@cindex startup message
+Do not display a startup screen. You can also achieve this effect by
+setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-screen} to non-@code{nil}
+in your initialization file (@pxref{Entering Emacs}).
+
@item -Q
@opindex -Q
@itemx --quick
@opindex --quick
-Start emacs with minimum customizations. This is like using @samp{-q}
-and @samp{--no-site-file}, but also disables the startup screen.
+Start emacs with minimum customizations. This is like using
+@samp{-q}, @samp{--no-site-file}, and @samp{--no-splash} together.
@item -daemon
@opindex -daemon
@itemx --daemon
@opindex --daemon
-Start emacs in background as a daemon (i.e. it will disconnect from the
-terminal), do not open any frames and start the server. Clients can
-connect and create graphical or terminal frames using
-@code{emacsclient}.
+Start Emacs as a daemon---after Emacs starts up, it starts the Emacs
+server and disconnects from the terminal without opening any frames.
+You can then use the @command{emacsclient} command to connect to Emacs
+for editing. @xref{Emacs Server}, for information about using Emacs
+as a daemon.
@item -daemon=@var{SERVER-NAME}
-Start emacs in background as a daemon, and start the server with the
-name set to @var{SERVER-NAME}.
-
-@item --no-splash
-@opindex --no-splash
-@vindex inhibit-startup-screen
-@cindex splash screen
-@cindex startup message
-Do not display a splash screen on startup. You can also achieve this
-effect by setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-screen} to
-non-@code{nil} in you personal init file (but @emph{not} in
-@file{site-start.el}). (This variable was called
-@code{inhibit-splash-screen} or @code{inhibit-startup-message} in
-previous Emacs versions.)
+Start emacs in background as a daemon, and use @var{SERVER-NAME} as
+the server name.
@item --no-desktop
@opindex --no-desktop
@itemx --user=@var{user}
@opindex --user
@cindex load init file of another user
-Load @var{user}'s Emacs init file @file{~@var{user}/.emacs} instead of
-your own@footnote{
-This option has no effect on MS-Windows.}.
+Load @var{user}'s initialization file instead of your
+own@footnote{This option has no effect on MS-Windows.}.
@item --debug-init
@opindex --debug-init
@findex setenv
@findex getenv
+@vindex initial-environment
Inside Emacs, the command @kbd{M-x getenv} gets the value of an
environment variable. @kbd{M-x setenv} sets a variable in the Emacs
environment. (Environment variable substitutions with @samp{$} work
-in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.)
+in the value just as in file names; see @ref{File Names with $}.) The
+variable @code{initial-environment} stores the initial environment
+inherited by Emacs.
The way to set environment variables outside of Emacs depends on the
operating system, and especially the shell that you are using. For
@node General Variables
@appendixsubsec General Variables
- Here is an alphabetical list of specific environment variables that
-have special meanings in Emacs, giving the name of each variable and
-its meaning. Most of these variables are also used by some other
-programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment variables
-to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
+ Here is an alphabetical list of environment variables that have
+special meanings in Emacs. Most of these variables are also used by
+some other programs. Emacs does not require any of these environment
+variables to be set, but it uses their values if they are set.
@table @env
@item CDPATH
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