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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!homxb!genesis!hotlg!nz
From: nz@hotlg.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: Mode line customization in GNU-emacs
Message-ID: <97@hotlg.ATT>
Date: Tue, 2-Jun-87 11:25:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: hotlg.97
Posted: Tue Jun  2 11:25:04 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Jun-87 05:37:10 EDT
References: <6900002@fuhainf.UUCP> <419@jaguar.cadillac.UUCP>
Reply-To: nz@hotlg.UUCP (Neal Ziring)
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T-BL Dept. 54315
Lines: 46
Keywords: GNU-macs, mode line, Emacs, editor display
Summary: fix mode-line-format variable

In article <419@jaguar.cadillac.UUCP> tjo@siemens.UUCP writes:
 > 
 >  Can anyone tell me how to arbitrarily rewrite the mode line for a 
 >  GNU-macs window?  Or at least, what are the most extensive changes
 >  that can be made to the mode line?  
 >  Thanks, 
 >    
 > Tom Ostrand

You can completely reconfigure the mode line in just about
any version of GNU Emacs.  Versions 17 and earlier use a printf-like
format string for mode line control, and you set the Elisp variable
named "mode-line-format" to a string value.  In version 18, the mode
line may be configured by setting up an list structure of strings,
variables, cons-cells, and other stuff, then assigning that structure
to the variable named "mode-line-format".  It is somewhat backward-
compatible with the old string format.

The default value of mode-line-format (in 18.36) is:

  ("--%1*%1*-"
   mode-line-buffer-identification "   " global-mode-string
   "   %[(" mode-name minor-mode-alist
   "%n" mode-line-process ")%]----"
   (-3 . "%p") "-%-")

Another value I like to use is:

  ("--%*%*-" "Emacs " (-10 . global-mode-string)
   " " "(%[" mode-name minor-mode-alist "%n" mode-line-process
   "%])   %b: " (-16 . "%f") "  ---" (-3 . "%p") "-%-")

This one looks a little like the old default format that our DEC-20's
Emacs used to provide.

For more information, see the documentation for the "mode-line-format"
variable.  If your help character is control-H, do 

	C-h v mode-line-format RETURN

Hope this is helpful.
-- 
...nz  (Neal Ziring  @  ATT-BL Holmdel, x2354, 3H-437)
	"You can fit an infinite number of wires into this junction box,
	but we usually don't go that far in practice."
					London Electric Co. Worker, 1880s