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Revision 1.1 by root, Tue Jan 11 02:24:59 2005 UTC vs.
Revision 1.25 by root, Thu Jan 12 05:37:34 2006 UTC

1FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
2 I don't like the new selection/popups/hotkeys/perl, how do I
3 change/disable it?
4 You can disable the perl extension completely by setting the
5 perl-ext-common resource to the empty string, which also keeps
6 rxvt-unicode from initialising perl, saving memory.
7
8 If you only want to disable specific features, you first have to
9 identify which perl extension is responsible. For this, read the
10 section PREPACKAGED EXTENSIONS in the rxvtperl(3) manpage. For
11 example, to disable the selection-popup and option-popup, specify
12 this perl-ext-common resource:
13
14 URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,-selection-popup,-option-popup
15
16 This will keep the default extensions, but disable the two popup
17 extensions. Some extensions can also be configured, for example,
18 scrollback search mode is triggered by M-s. You can move it to any
19 other combination either by setting the searchable-scrollback
20 resource:
21
22 URxvt.searchable-scrollback: CM-s
23
24 Isn't rxvt supposed to be small? Don't all those features bloat?
25 I often get asked about this, and I think, no, they didn't cause
26 extra bloat. If you compare a minimal rxvt and a minimal urxvt, you
27 can see that the urxvt binary is larger (due to some encoding tables
28 always being compiled in), but it actually uses less memory (RSS)
29 after startup. Even with "--disable-everything", this comparison is
30 a bit unfair, as many features unique to urxvt (locale, encoding
31 conversion, iso14755 etc.) are already in use in this mode.
32
33 text data bss drs rss filename
34 98398 1664 24 15695 1824 rxvt --disable-everything
35 188985 9048 66616 18222 1788 urxvt --disable-everything
36
37 When you "--enable-everything" (which _is_ unfair, as this involves
38 xft and full locale/XIM support which are quite bloaty inside libX11
39 and my libc), the two diverge, but not unreasnobaly so.
40
41 text data bss drs rss filename
42 163431 2152 24 20123 2060 rxvt --enable-everything
43 1035683 49680 66648 29096 3680 urxvt --enable-everything
44
45 The very large size of the text section is explained by the
46 east-asian encoding tables, which, if unused, take up disk space but
47 nothing else and can be compiled out unless you rely on X11 core
48 fonts that use those encodings. The BSS size comes from the 64k
49 emergency buffer that my c++ compiler allocates (but of course
50 doesn't use unless you are out of memory). Also, using an xft font
51 instead of a core font immediately adds a few megabytes of RSS. Xft
52 indeed is responsible for a lot of RSS even when not used.
53
54 Of course, due to every character using two or four bytes instead of
55 one, a large scrollback buffer will ultimately make rxvt-unicode use
56 more memory.
57
58 Compared to e.g. Eterm (5112k), aterm (3132k) and xterm (4680k),
59 this still fares rather well. And compared to some monsters like
60 gnome-terminal (21152k + extra 4204k in separate processes) or
61 konsole (22200k + extra 43180k in daemons that stay around after
62 exit, plus half a minute of startup time, including the hundreds of
63 warnings it spits out), it fares extremely well *g*.
64
65 Why C++, isn't that unportable/bloated/uncool?
66 Is this a question? :) It comes up very often. The simple answer is:
67 I had to write it, and C++ allowed me to write and maintain it in a
68 fraction of the time and effort (which is a scarce resource for me).
69 Put even shorter: It simply wouldn't exist without C++.
70
71 My personal stance on this is that C++ is less portable than C, but
72 in the case of rxvt-unicode this hardly matters, as its portability
73 limits are defined by things like X11, pseudo terminals, locale
74 support and unix domain sockets, which are all less portable than
75 C++ itself.
76
77 Regarding the bloat, see the above question: It's easy to write
78 programs in C that use gobs of memory, an certainly possible to
79 write programs in C++ that don't. C++ also often comes with large
80 libraries, but this is not necessarily the case with GCC. Here is
81 what rxvt links against on my system with a minimal config:
82
83 libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)
84 libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaadde000)
85 libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab01d000)
86 /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)
87
88 And here is rxvt-unicode:
89
90 libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)
91 libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00002aaaaada2000)
92 libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaaeb0000)
93 libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab0ee000)
94 /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)
95
96 No large bloated libraries (of course, none were linked in
97 statically), except maybe libX11 :)
98
99 Does it support tabs, can I have a tabbed rxvt-unicode?
100 rxvt-unicode does not directly support tabs. It will work fine with
101 tabbing functionality of many window managers or similar tabbing
102 programs, and its embedding-features allow it to be embedded into
103 other programs, as witnessed by doc/rxvt-tabbed or the upcoming
104 "Gtk2::URxvt" perl module, which features a tabbed urxvt (murxvt)
105 terminal as an example embedding application.
106
2 How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using? 107 How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using?
3 The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape 108 The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape
4 sequence "ESC[8n" sets the window title to the version number. 109 sequence "ESC [ 8 n" sets the window title to the version number.
110 When using the rxvtc client, the version displayed is that of the
111 daemon.
112
113 I am using Debian GNU/Linux and have a problem...
114 The Debian GNU/Linux package of rxvt-unicode in sarge contains large
115 patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode.
116 Before reporting a bug to the original rxvt-unicode author please
117 download and install the genuine version
118 (<http://software.schmorp.de#rxvt-unicode>) and try to reproduce the
119 problem. If you cannot, chances are that the problems are specific
120 to Debian GNU/Linux, in which case it should be reported via the
121 Debian Bug Tracking System (use "reportbug" to report the bug).
122
123 For other problems that also affect the Debian package, you can and
124 probably should use the Debian BTS, too, because, after all, it's
125 also a bug in the Debian version and it serves as a reminder for
126 other users that might encounter the same issue.
127
128 I am maintaining rxvt-unicode for distribution/OS XXX, any
129 recommendation?
130 You should build one binary with the default options. configure now
131 enables most useful options, and the trend goes to making them
132 runtime-switchable, too, so there is usually no drawback to enbaling
133 them, except higher disk and possibly memory usage. The perl
134 interpreter should be enabled, as important functionality (menus,
135 selection, likely more in the future) depends on it.
136
137 You should not overwrite the "perl-ext-common" snd "perl-ext"
138 resources system-wide (except maybe with "defaults"). This will
139 result in useful behaviour. If your distribution aims at low memory,
140 add an empty "perl-ext-common" resource to the app-defaults file.
141 This will keep the perl interpreter disabled until the user enables
142 it.
143
144 If you can/want build more binaries, I recommend building a minimal
145 one with "--disable-everything" (very useful) and a maximal one with
146 "--enable-everything" (less useful, it will be very big due to a lot
147 of encodings built-in that increase download times and are rarely
148 used).
149
150 I need to make it setuid/setgid to support utmp/ptys on my OS, is this
151 safe?
152 Likely not. While I honestly try to make it secure, and am probably
153 not bad at it, I think it is simply unreasonable to expect all of
154 freetype + fontconfig + xft + xlib + perl + ... + rxvt-unicode
155 itself to all be secure. Also, rxvt-unicode disables some options
156 when it detects that it runs setuid or setgid, which is not nice.
157 Besides, with the embedded perl interpreter the possibility for
158 security problems easily multiplies.
159
160 Elevated privileges are only required for utmp and pty operations on
161 some systems (for example, GNU/Linux doesn't need any extra
162 privileges for ptys, but some need it for utmp support). It is
163 planned to mvoe this into a forked handler process, but this is not
164 yet done.
165
166 So, while setuid/setgid operation is supported and not a problem on
167 your typical single-user-no-other-logins unix desktop, always
168 remember that its an awful lot of code, most of which isn't checked
169 for security issues regularly.
5 170
6 When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? 171 When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data?
7 The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely 172 The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely
8 available as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same 173 available as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same
9 problem often arises). 174 problem often arises).
… …
21 problems arising, which includes wrong keymapping, less and 186 problems arising, which includes wrong keymapping, less and
22 different colours and some refresh errors in fullscreen 187 different colours and some refresh errors in fullscreen
23 applications. It's a nice quick-and-dirty workaround for rare cases, 188 applications. It's a nice quick-and-dirty workaround for rare cases,
24 though. 189 though.
25 190
26 If you always want to do this you can either recompile rxvt-unicode 191 If you always want to do this (and are fine with the consequences)
27 with the desired TERM value or use a resource to set it: 192 you can either recompile rxvt-unicode with the desired TERM value or
193 use a resource to set it:
28 194
29 URxvt.termName: rxvt 195 URxvt.termName: rxvt
30 196
31 If you don't plan to use rxvt (quite common...) you could also 197 If you don't plan to use rxvt (quite common...) you could also
32 replace the rxvt terminfo file with the rxvt-unicode one. 198 replace the rxvt terminfo file with the rxvt-unicode one.
33 199
200 "tic" outputs some error when compiling the terminfo entry.
201 Most likely it's the empty definition for "enacs=". Just replace it
202 by "enacs=\E[0@" and try again.
203
204 "bash"'s readline does not work correctly under rxvt.
34 I need a termcap file entry. 205 I need a termcap file entry.
206 One reason you might want this is that some distributions or
207 operating systems still compile some programs using the
208 long-obsoleted termcap library (Fedora Core's bash is one example)
209 and rely on a termcap entry for "rxvt-unicode".
210
35 You could use rxvt's termcap entry with resonable results in many 211 You could use rxvt's termcap entry with resonable results in many
36 cases. You can also create a termcap entry by using terminfo's 212 cases. You can also create a termcap entry by using terminfo's
37 infocmp program like this: 213 infocmp program like this:
38 214
39 infocmp -C rxvt-unicode 215 infocmp -C rxvt-unicode
40 216
41 OR you could this termcap entry: 217 Or you could use this termcap entry, generated by the command above:
42 218
43 rxvt-unicode|rxvt-unicode terminal (X Window System):\ 219 rxvt-unicode|rxvt-unicode terminal (X Window System):\
44 :am:bw:eo:km:mi:ms:xn:xo:\ 220 :am:bw:eo:km:mi:ms:xn:xo:\
45 :co#80:it#8:li#24:\ 221 :co#80:it#8:li#24:lm#0:\
46 :AL=\E[%dL:DC=\E[%dP:DL=\E[%dM:DO=\E[%dB:IC=\E[%d@:\ 222 :AL=\E[%dL:DC=\E[%dP:DL=\E[%dM:DO=\E[%dB:IC=\E[%d@:\
47 :K1=\EOw:K2=\EOu:K3=\EOy:K4=\EOq:K5=\EOs:LE=\E[%dD:\ 223 :K1=\EOw:K2=\EOu:K3=\EOy:K4=\EOq:K5=\EOs:LE=\E[%dD:\
48 :RI=\E[%dC:SF=\E[%dS:SR=\E[%dT:UP=\E[%dA:ae=^O:al=\E[L:\ 224 :RI=\E[%dC:SF=\E[%dS:SR=\E[%dT:UP=\E[%dA:ae=\E(B:al=\E[L:\
49 :as=^N:bl=^G:cd=\E[J:ce=\E[K:cl=\E[H\E[2J:cm=\E[%i%d;%dH:\ 225 :as=\E(0:bl=^G:cd=\E[J:ce=\E[K:cl=\E[H\E[2J:\
50 :cr=^M:cs=\E[%i%d;%dr:ct=\E[3g:dc=\E[P:dl=\E[M:do=^J:\ 226 :cm=\E[%i%d;%dH:cr=^M:cs=\E[%i%d;%dr:ct=\E[3g:dc=\E[P:\
51 :ec=\E[%dX:ei=\E[4l:ho=\E[H:i1=\E[?47l\E=\E[?1l:ic=\E[@:\ 227 :dl=\E[M:do=^J:ec=\E[%dX:ei=\E[4l:ho=\E[H:\
228 :i1=\E[?47l\E=\E[?1l:ic=\E[@:im=\E[4h:\
52 :im=\E[4h:is=\E[r\E[m\E[2J\E[H\E[?7h\E[?1;3;4;6l\E[4l:\ 229 :is=\E[r\E[m\E[2J\E[H\E[?7h\E[?1;3;4;6l\E[4l:\
53 :k0=\E[21~:k1=\E[11~:k2=\E[12~:k3=\E[13~:k4=\E[14~:\ 230 :k1=\E[11~:k2=\E[12~:k3=\E[13~:k4=\E[14~:k5=\E[15~:\
54 :k5=\E[15~:k6=\E[17~:k7=\E[18~:k8=\E[19~:k9=\E[20~:\ 231 :k6=\E[17~:k7=\E[18~:k8=\E[19~:k9=\E[20~:kD=\E[3~:\
55 :kD=\E[3~:kI=\E[2~:kN=\E[6~:kP=\E[5~:kb=\177:kd=\EOB:\ 232 :kI=\E[2~:kN=\E[6~:kP=\E[5~:kb=\177:kd=\EOB:ke=\E[?1l\E>:\
56 :ke=\E[?1l\E>:kh=\E[7~:kl=\EOD:kr=\EOC:ks=\E[?1h\E=:\ 233 :kh=\E[7~:kl=\EOD:kr=\EOC:ks=\E[?1h\E=:ku=\EOA:le=^H:\
57 :ku=\EOA:le=^H:mb=\E[5m:md=\E[1m:me=\E[m\017:mr=\E[7m:\ 234 :mb=\E[5m:md=\E[1m:me=\E[m\017:mr=\E[7m:nd=\E[C:rc=\E8:\
58 :nd=\E[C:rc=\E8:sc=\E7:se=\E[27m:sf=^J:so=\E[7m:sr=\EM:\ 235 :sc=\E7:se=\E[27m:sf=^J:so=\E[7m:sr=\EM:st=\EH:ta=^I:\
59 :st=\EH:ta=^I:te=\E[r\E[?1049l:ti=\E[?1049h:ue=\E[24m:\ 236 :te=\E[r\E[?1049l:ti=\E[?1049h:ue=\E[24m:up=\E[A:\
60 :up=\E[A:us=\E[4m:vb=\E[?5h\E[?5l:ve=\E[?25h:vi=\E[?25l:\ 237 :us=\E[4m:vb=\E[?5h\E[?5l:ve=\E[?25h:vi=\E[?25l:\
61 :vs=\E[?25h: 238 :vs=\E[?25h:
62 239
63 Why does "ls" no longer have coloured output? 240 Why does "ls" no longer have coloured output?
64 The "ls" in the GNU coreutils unfortunately doesn't use terminfo to 241 The "ls" in the GNU coreutils unfortunately doesn't use terminfo to
65 decide wether a terminal has colour, but uses it's own configuration 242 decide wether a terminal has colour, but uses it's own configuration
… …
84 furthermore fail to even install the "rxvt-unicode" terminfo file, 261 furthermore fail to even install the "rxvt-unicode" terminfo file,
85 so you will need to install it on your own (See the question When I 262 so you will need to install it on your own (See the question When I
86 log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? on 263 log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? on
87 how to do this). 264 how to do this).
88 265
266 My numerical keypad acts weird and generates differing output?
267 Some Debian GNUL/Linux users seem to have this problem, although no
268 specific details were reported so far. It is possible that this is
269 caused by the wrong "TERM" setting, although the details of wether
270 and how this can happen are unknown, as "TERM=rxvt" should offer a
271 compatible keymap. See the answer to the previous question, and
272 please report if that helped.
273
89 Rxvt-unicode does not seem to understand the selected encoding? 274 Rxvt-unicode does not seem to understand the selected encoding?
90 Unicode does not seem to work? 275 Unicode does not seem to work?
91 If you encounter strange problems like typing an accented character 276 If you encounter strange problems like typing an accented character
92 but getting two unrelated other characters or similar, or if program 277 but getting two unrelated other characters or similar, or if program
93 output is subtly garbled, then you should check your locale 278 output is subtly garbled, then you should check your locale
94 settings. 279 settings.
95 280
96 Rxvt-unicode must be started with the same "LC_CTYPE" setting as the 281 Rxvt-unicode must be started with the same "LC_CTYPE" setting as the
97 programs. Often rxvt-unicode is started in the "C" locale, while the 282 programs. Often rxvt-unicode is started in the "C" locale, while the
98 login script running within the rxvt-unicode window changes the 283 login script running within the rxvt-unicode window changes the
99 locale to sth. else, e.h. "en_GB.UTF-8". Needless to say, this is 284 locale to something else, e.g. "en_GB.UTF-8". Needless to say, this
100 not going to work. 285 is not going to work.
101 286
102 The best thing is to fix your startup environment, as you will 287 The best thing is to fix your startup environment, as you will
103 likely run into other problems. If nothing works you can try this in 288 likely run into other problems. If nothing works you can try this in
104 your .profile. 289 your .profile.
105 290
106 printf '\e]701;%s\007' "$LC_CTYPE" 291 printf '\e]701;%s\007' "$LC_CTYPE"
107 292
108 If this doesn't work, then maybe you use a "LC_CTYPE" specification 293 If this doesn't work, then maybe you use a "LC_CTYPE" specification
109 not supported on your systems. Some systems have a "locale" command 294 not supported on your systems. Some systems have a "locale" command
110 which displays this. If it displays sth. like: 295 which displays this (also, "perl -e0" can be used to check locale
296 settings, as it will complain loudly if it cannot set the locale).
297 If it displays something like:
111 298
112 locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: ... 299 locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: ...
113 300
114 Then the locale you specified is not supported on your system. 301 Then the locale you specified is not supported on your system.
115 302
… …
123 Chances are that the font you (or the admin/package maintainer of 310 Chances are that the font you (or the admin/package maintainer of
124 your system/os) have specified does not cover all the characters you 311 your system/os) have specified does not cover all the characters you
125 want to display. 312 want to display.
126 313
127 rxvt-unicode makes a best-effort try at finding a replacement font. 314 rxvt-unicode makes a best-effort try at finding a replacement font.
128 Often the result is fine, but sometimes the chosen font looks bad. 315 Often the result is fine, but sometimes the chosen font looks
129 Many fonts have totally strange characters that don't resemble the 316 bad/ugly/wrong. Some fonts have totally strange characters that
130 correct glyph at all, and rxvt-unicode lacks the artificial 317 don't resemble the correct glyph at all, and rxvt-unicode lacks the
131 intelligence to detect that a specific glyph is wrong: it has to 318 artificial intelligence to detect that a specific glyph is wrong: it
132 believe the font that the characters it contains indeed look 319 has to believe the font that the characters it claims to contain
133 correct. 320 indeed look correct.
134 321
135 In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font 322 In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font
136 list, e.g.: 323 list, e.g.:
137 324
138 rxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3... 325 rxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3...
… …
141 font. If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to 328 font. If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to
142 the next font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed 329 the next font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed
143 up this search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the 330 up this search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the
144 X-server. 331 X-server.
145 332
146 The only limitation is that all the fonts must not be larger than 333 The only limitation is that none of the fonts may be larger than the
147 the base font, as the base font defines the principal cell size, 334 base font, as the base font defines the terminal character cell
148 which must be the same due to the way terminals work. 335 size, which must be the same due to the way terminals work.
149 336
150 Why do some chinese characters look so different than others? 337 Why do some chinese characters look so different than others?
151 This is because there is a difference between script and language -- 338 This is because there is a difference between script and language --
152 rxvt-unicode does not know which language the text that is output 339 rxvt-unicode does not know which language the text that is output
153 is, as it only knows the unicode character codes. If rxvt-unicode 340 is, as it only knows the unicode character codes. If rxvt-unicode
154 first sees a japanese character, it might choose a japanese font for 341 first sees a japanese/chinese character, it might choose a japanese
155 it. Subsequent japanese characters will take that font. Now, many 342 font for display. Subsequent japanese characters will use that font.
156 chinese characters aren't represented in japanese fonts, so when the 343 Now, many chinese characters aren't represented in japanese fonts,
157 first non-japanese character comes up, rxvt-unicode will look for a 344 so when the first non-japanese character comes up, rxvt-unicode will
158 chinese font -- unfortunately at this point, it will still use the 345 look for a chinese font -- unfortunately at this point, it will
159 japanese font for japanese characters that are also chinese. 346 still use the japanese font for chinese characters that are also in
347 the japanese font.
160 348
161 The workaround is easy: just tag a chinese font at the end of your 349 The workaround is easy: just tag a chinese font at the end of your
162 font list (see the previous question). The key is to view the font 350 font list (see the previous question). The key is to view the font
163 list as a preference list: If you expect more japanese, list a 351 list as a preference list: If you expect more japanese, list a
164 japanese font first. If you expect more chinese, put a chinese font 352 japanese font first. If you expect more chinese, put a chinese font
165 first. 353 first.
166 354
167 In the future it might be possible to switch preferences at runtime 355 In the future it might be possible to switch language preferences at
168 (the internal data structure has no problem with using different 356 runtime (the internal data structure has no problem with using
169 fonts for the same character at the same time, but no interface for 357 different fonts for the same character at the same time, but no
170 this has been designed yet). 358 interface for this has been designed yet).
359
360 Until then, you might get away with switching fonts at runtime (see
361 "Can I switch the fonts at runtime?" later in this document).
171 362
172 Why does rxvt-unicode sometimes leave pixel droppings? 363 Why does rxvt-unicode sometimes leave pixel droppings?
173 Most fonts were not designed for terminal use, which means that 364 Most fonts were not designed for terminal use, which means that
174 character size varies a lot. A font that is otherwise fine for 365 character size varies a lot. A font that is otherwise fine for
175 terminal use might contain some characters that are simply too wide. 366 terminal use might contain some characters that are simply too wide.
… …
189 that doesn't work, you might be forced to use a different font. 380 that doesn't work, you might be forced to use a different font.
190 381
191 All of this is not a problem when using X11 core fonts, as their 382 All of this is not a problem when using X11 core fonts, as their
192 bounding box data is correct. 383 bounding box data is correct.
193 384
385 On Solaris 9, many line-drawing characters are too wide.
386 Seems to be a known bug, read
387 <http://nixdoc.net/files/forum/about34198.html>. Some people use the
388 following ugly workaround to get non-double-wide-characters working:
389
390 #define wcwidth(x) wcwidth(x) > 1 ? 1 : wcwidth(x)
391
194 My Compose (Multi_key) key is no longer working. 392 My Compose (Multi_key) key is no longer working.
195 The most common causes for this are that either your locale is not 393 The most common causes for this are that either your locale is not
196 set correctly, or you specified a preeditStyle that is not supported 394 set correctly, or you specified a preeditStyle that is not supported
197 by your input method. For example, if you specified OverTheSpot and 395 by your input method. For example, if you specified OverTheSpot and
198 your input method (e.g. the default input method handling Compose 396 your input method (e.g. the default input method handling Compose
… …
209 advantage, typing <Ctrl-Shift-0> to get a ASCII NUL. This works for 407 advantage, typing <Ctrl-Shift-0> to get a ASCII NUL. This works for
210 other codes, too, such as "Ctrl-Shift-1-d" to type the default 408 other codes, too, such as "Ctrl-Shift-1-d" to type the default
211 telnet escape character and so on. 409 telnet escape character and so on.
212 410
213 How can I keep rxvt-unicode from using reverse video so much? 411 How can I keep rxvt-unicode from using reverse video so much?
214 First of all, make sure you are running with the right terminfo 412 First of all, make sure you are running with the right terminal
215 ("urxvt"), which will get rid of most of these effects. Then make 413 settings ("TERM=rxvt-unicode"), which will get rid of most of these
216 sure you have specified colours for italic and bold, as otherwise 414 effects. Then make sure you have specified colours for italic and
217 rxvt-unicode might use reverse video to simulate the effect: 415 bold, as otherwise rxvt-unicode might use reverse video to simulate
416 the effect:
218 417
219 URxvt*colorBD: white 418 URxvt.colorBD: white
220 URxvt*colorIT: green 419 URxvt.colorIT: green
221 420
222 Some programs assume totally weird colours (red instead of blue), how 421 Some programs assume totally weird colours (red instead of blue), how
223 can I fix that? 422 can I fix that?
224 For some unexplainable reason, some programs (i.e. irssi) assume a 423 For some unexplainable reason, some rare programs assume a very
225 very weird colour palette when confronted with a terminal with more 424 weird colour palette when confronted with a terminal with more than
226 than the standard 8 colours (rxvt-unicode supports 88). The right 425 the standard 8 colours (rxvt-unicode supports 88). The right fix is,
227 fix is, of course, to fix these programs not to assume non-ISO 426 of course, to fix these programs not to assume non-ISO colours
228 colours without very good reasons. 427 without very good reasons.
229 428
230 In the meantime, you can either edit your "urxvt" terminfo 429 In the meantime, you can either edit your "rxvt-unicode" terminfo
231 definition to only claim 8 colour support or use "TERM=rxvt", which 430 definition to only claim 8 colour support or use "TERM=rxvt", which
232 will fix colours but keep you from using other rxvt-unicode 431 will fix colours but keep you from using other rxvt-unicode
233 features. 432 features.
234 433
235 I am on FreeBSD and rxvt-unicode does not seem to work at all. 434 I am on FreeBSD and rxvt-unicode does not seem to work at all.
… …
238 it, wether it defines the symbol or not. "__STDC_ISO_10646__" 437 it, wether it defines the symbol or not. "__STDC_ISO_10646__"
239 requires that wchar_t is represented as unicode. 438 requires that wchar_t is represented as unicode.
240 439
241 As you might have guessed, FreeBSD does neither define this symobl 440 As you might have guessed, FreeBSD does neither define this symobl
242 nor does it support it. Instead, it uses it's own internal 441 nor does it support it. Instead, it uses it's own internal
243 representation of wchar_t. This is, of course, completely legal. 442 representation of wchar_t. This is, of course, completely fine with
443 respect to standards.
244 444
445 However, that means rxvt-unicode only works in "POSIX", "ISO-8859-1"
446 and "UTF-8" locales under FreeBSD (which all use Unicode as wchar_t.
447
245 However, "__STDC_ISO_10646__" is the only sane way to support 448 "__STDC_ISO_10646__" is the only sane way to support multi-language
246 multi-language apps in an OS, as using a locale-dependent (and 449 apps in an OS, as using a locale-dependent (and non-standardized)
247 non-standardized) representation of wchar_t makes it impossible to 450 representation of wchar_t makes it impossible to convert between
248 convert between wchar_t (as used by X11 and your applications) and 451 wchar_t (as used by X11 and your applications) and any other
249 any other encoding without implementing OS-specific-wrappers for 452 encoding without implementing OS-specific-wrappers for each and
250 each and every locale. There simply are no APIs to convert wchar_t 453 every locale. There simply are no APIs to convert wchar_t into
251 into anything except the current locale encoding. 454 anything except the current locale encoding.
252 455
253 Some applications (such as the formidable mlterm) work around this 456 Some applications (such as the formidable mlterm) work around this
254 by carrying their own replacement functions for character set 457 by carrying their own replacement functions for character set
255 handling with them, and either implementing OS-dependent hacks or 458 handling with them, and either implementing OS-dependent hacks or
256 doing multiple conversions (which is slow and unreliable in case the 459 doing multiple conversions (which is slow and unreliable in case the
257 OS implements encodings slightly different than the terminal 460 OS implements encodings slightly different than the terminal
258 emulator). 461 emulator).
259 462
260 The rxvt-unicode author insists that the right way to fix this is in 463 The rxvt-unicode author insists that the right way to fix this is in
261 the system libraries once and for all, instead of forcing every app 464 the system libraries once and for all, instead of forcing every app
262 to carry complete replacements. 465 to carry complete replacements for them :)
466
467 I use Solaris 9 and it doesn't compile/work/etc.
468 Try the diff in doc/solaris9.patch as a base. It fixes the worst
469 problems with "wcwidth" and a compile problem.
470
471 How can I use rxvt-unicode under cygwin?
472 rxvt-unicode should compile and run out of the box on cygwin, using
473 the X11 libraries that come with cygwin. libW11 emulation is no
474 longer supported (and makes no sense, either, as it only supported a
475 single font). I recommend starting the X-server in "-multiwindow" or
476 "-rootless" mode instead, which will result in similar look&feel as
477 the old libW11 emulation.
478
479 At the time of this writing, cygwin didn't seem to support any
480 multi-byte encodings (you might try "LC_CTYPE=C-UTF-8"), so you are
481 likely limited to 8-bit encodings.
263 482
264 How does rxvt-unicode determine the encoding to use? 483 How does rxvt-unicode determine the encoding to use?
265 Is there an option to switch encodings? 484 Is there an option to switch encodings?
266 Unlike some other terminals, rxvt-unicode has no encoding switch, 485 Unlike some other terminals, rxvt-unicode has no encoding switch,
267 and no specific "utf-8" mode, such as xterm. In fact, it doesn't 486 and no specific "utf-8" mode, such as xterm. In fact, it doesn't
… …
270 489
271 The reasons is that there exists a perfectly fine mechanism for 490 The reasons is that there exists a perfectly fine mechanism for
272 selecting the encoding, doing I/O and (most important) communicating 491 selecting the encoding, doing I/O and (most important) communicating
273 this to all applications so everybody agrees on character properties 492 this to all applications so everybody agrees on character properties
274 such as width and code number. This mechanism is the *locale*. 493 such as width and code number. This mechanism is the *locale*.
494 Applications not using that info will have problems (for example,
495 "xterm" gets the width of characters wrong as it uses it's own,
496 locale-independent table under all locales).
275 497
276 Rxvt-unicode uses the "LC_CTYPE" locale category to select encoding. 498 Rxvt-unicode uses the "LC_CTYPE" locale category to select encoding.
277 All programs doing the same (that is, most) will automatically agree 499 All programs doing the same (that is, most) will automatically agree
278 in the interpretation of characters. 500 in the interpretation of characters.
279 501
… …
287 "language_country.encoding", but other forms (i.e. "de" or "german") 509 "language_country.encoding", but other forms (i.e. "de" or "german")
288 are also common. 510 are also common.
289 511
290 Rxvt-unicode ignores all other locale categories, and except for the 512 Rxvt-unicode ignores all other locale categories, and except for the
291 encoding, ignores country or language-specific settings, i.e. 513 encoding, ignores country or language-specific settings, i.e.
292 "de_DE.UTF-8" and "ja_JP.UTF-8" are the same for rxvt-unicode. 514 "de_DE.UTF-8" and "ja_JP.UTF-8" are the normally same to
515 rxvt-unicode.
293 516
294 If you want to use a specific encoding you have to make sure you 517 If you want to use a specific encoding you have to make sure you
295 start rxvt-unicode with the correct "LC_CTYPE" category. 518 start rxvt-unicode with the correct "LC_CTYPE" category.
296 519
297 Can I switch locales at runtime? 520 Can I switch locales at runtime?
298 Yes, using an escape sequence. Try sth. like this, which sets 521 Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which sets
299 rxvt-unicode's idea of "LC_CTYPE". 522 rxvt-unicode's idea of "LC_CTYPE".
300 523
301 printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS 524 printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS
302 525
303 See also the previous question. 526 See also the previous answer.
304 527
305 Sometimes this capability is rather handy when you want to work in 528 Sometimes this capability is rather handy when you want to work in
306 one locale (e.g. "de_DE.UTF-8") but some programs don't support 529 one locale (e.g. "de_DE.UTF-8") but some programs don't support it
307 UTF-8. For example, I use this script to start "xjdic", which first 530 (e.g. UTF-8). For example, I use this script to start "xjdic", which
308 switches to a locale supported by xjdic and back later: 531 first switches to a locale supported by xjdic and back later:
309 532
310 printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS 533 printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS
311 xjdic -js 534 xjdic -js
312 printf '\e]701;%s\007' de_DE.UTF-8 535 printf '\e]701;%s\007' de_DE.UTF-8
313 536
537 You can also use xterm's "luit" program, which usually works fine,
538 except for some locales where character width differs between
539 program- and rxvt-unicode-locales.
540
314 Can I switch the fonts at runtime? 541 Can I switch the fonts at runtime?
315 Yes, using an escape sequence. Try sth. like this, which has the 542 Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which has
316 same effect as using the "-fn" switch, and takes effect immediately: 543 the same effect as using the "-fn" switch, and takes effect
544 immediately:
317 545
318 printf '\e]50;%s\007' "9x15bold,xft:Kochi Gothic" 546 printf '\e]50;%s\007' "9x15bold,xft:Kochi Gothic"
319 547
320 This is useful if you e.g. work primarily with japanese (and prefer 548 This is useful if you e.g. work primarily with japanese (and prefer
321 a japanese font), but you have to switch to chinese temporarily, 549 a japanese font), but you have to switch to chinese temporarily,
… …
324 You can think of this as a kind of manual ISO-2022 switching. 552 You can think of this as a kind of manual ISO-2022 switching.
325 553
326 Why do italic characters look as if clipped? 554 Why do italic characters look as if clipped?
327 Many fonts have difficulties with italic characters and hinting. For 555 Many fonts have difficulties with italic characters and hinting. For
328 example, the otherwise very nicely hinted font "xft:Bitstream Vera 556 example, the otherwise very nicely hinted font "xft:Bitstream Vera
329 Sans Mono" completely fails in it's italic face. A workaround is to 557 Sans Mono" completely fails in it's italic face. A workaround might
330 enable freetype autohinting, i.e. like this: 558 be to enable freetype autohinting, i.e. like this:
331 559
332 URxvt*italicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:italic:autohint=true 560 URxvt.italicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:italic:autohint=true
333 URxvt*boldItalicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:bold:italic:autohint=true 561 URxvt.boldItalicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:bold:italic:autohint=true
334 562
335 My input method wants <some encoding> but I want UTF-8, what can I do? 563 My input method wants <some encoding> but I want UTF-8, what can I do?
336 You can specify separate locales for the input method and the rest 564 You can specify separate locales for the input method and the rest
337 of the terminal, using the resource "imlocale": 565 of the terminal, using the resource "imlocale":
338 566
… …
341 Now you can start your terminal with "LC_CTYPE=ja_JP.UTF-8" and 569 Now you can start your terminal with "LC_CTYPE=ja_JP.UTF-8" and
342 still use your input method. Please note, however, that you will not 570 still use your input method. Please note, however, that you will not
343 be able to input characters outside "EUC-JP" in a normal way then, 571 be able to input characters outside "EUC-JP" in a normal way then,
344 as your input method limits you. 572 as your input method limits you.
345 573
574 Rxvt-unicode crashes when the X Input Method changes or exits.
575 Unfortunately, this is unavoidable, as the XIM protocol is racy by
576 design. Applications can avoid some crashes at the expense of memory
577 leaks, and Input Methods can avoid some crashes by careful ordering
578 at exit time. kinput2 (and derived input methods) generally
579 succeeds, while SCIM (or similar input methods) fails. In the end,
580 however, crashes cannot be completely avoided even if both sides
581 cooperate.
582
583 So the only workaround is not to kill your Input Method Servers.
584
346 Rxvt-unicode uses gobs of memory, how can I reduce that? 585 Rxvt-unicode uses gobs of memory, how can I reduce that?
347 Rxvt-unicode tries to obey the rule of not charging you for sth. you 586 Rxvt-unicode tries to obey the rule of not charging you for
348 don't use. One thing you should try is to configure out all settings 587 something you don't use. One thing you should try is to configure
349 that you don't need, for example, Xft support is a resource hog by 588 out all settings that you don't need, for example, Xft support is a
350 design, when used. Compiling it out ensures that no Xft font will be 589 resource hog by design, when used. Compiling it out ensures that no
351 loaded accidentally when rxvt-unicode tries to find a font for your 590 Xft font will be loaded accidentally when rxvt-unicode tries to find
352 characters. 591 a font for your characters.
353 592
354 Also, many people (me included) like large windows and even larger 593 Also, many people (me included) like large windows and even larger
355 scrollback buffers: Without "--enable-unicode3", rxvt-unicode will 594 scrollback buffers: Without "--enable-unicode3", rxvt-unicode will
356 use 6 bytes per screen cell. For a 160x?? window this amounts to 595 use 6 bytes per screen cell. For a 160x?? window this amounts to
357 almost a kilobyte per line. A scrollback buffer of 10000 lines will 596 almost a kilobyte per line. A scrollback buffer of 10000 lines will
… …
359 it gets worse, as rxvt-unicode then uses 8 bytes per screen cell. 598 it gets worse, as rxvt-unicode then uses 8 bytes per screen cell.
360 599
361 Can I speed up Xft rendering somehow? 600 Can I speed up Xft rendering somehow?
362 Yes, the most obvious way to speed it up is to avoid Xft entirely, 601 Yes, the most obvious way to speed it up is to avoid Xft entirely,
363 as it is simply slow. If you still want Xft fonts you might try to 602 as it is simply slow. If you still want Xft fonts you might try to
364 disable antialiasing (by appending ":antialiasing=false"), which 603 disable antialiasing (by appending ":antialias=false"), which saves
365 saves lots of memory and also speeds up rendering considerably. 604 lots of memory and also speeds up rendering considerably.
366 605
367 Rxvt-unicode doesn't seem to anti-alias its fonts, what is wrong? 606 Rxvt-unicode doesn't seem to anti-alias its fonts, what is wrong?
368 Rxvt-unicode will use whatever you specify as a font. If it needs to 607 Rxvt-unicode will use whatever you specify as a font. If it needs to
369 fall back to it's default font search list it will prefer X11 core 608 fall back to it's default font search list it will prefer X11 core
370 fonts, because they are small and fast, and then use Xft fonts. It 609 fonts, because they are small and fast, and then use Xft fonts. It
… …
401 resources (or as long-options). 640 resources (or as long-options).
402 641
403 Here are values that are supposed to resemble a VGA screen, 642 Here are values that are supposed to resemble a VGA screen,
404 including the murky brown that passes for low-intensity yellow: 643 including the murky brown that passes for low-intensity yellow:
405 644
406 URxvt*color0: #000000 645 URxvt.color0: #000000
407 URxvt*color1: #A80000 646 URxvt.color1: #A80000
408 URxvt*color2: #00A800 647 URxvt.color2: #00A800
409 URxvt*color3: #A8A800 648 URxvt.color3: #A8A800
410 URxvt*color4: #0000A8 649 URxvt.color4: #0000A8
411 URxvt*color5: #A800A8 650 URxvt.color5: #A800A8
412 URxvt*color6: #00A8A8 651 URxvt.color6: #00A8A8
413 URxvt*color7: #A8A8A8 652 URxvt.color7: #A8A8A8
414 653
415 URxvt*color8: #000054 654 URxvt.color8: #000054
416 URxvt*color9: #FF0054 655 URxvt.color9: #FF0054
417 URxvt*color10: #00FF54 656 URxvt.color10: #00FF54
418 URxvt*color11: #FFFF54 657 URxvt.color11: #FFFF54
419 URxvt*color12: #0000FF 658 URxvt.color12: #0000FF
420 URxvt*color13: #FF00FF 659 URxvt.color13: #FF00FF
421 URxvt*color14: #00FFFF 660 URxvt.color14: #00FFFF
422 URxvt*color15: #FFFFFF 661 URxvt.color15: #FFFFFF
423 662
424 And here is a more complete set of non-standard colors described as 663 And here is a more complete set of non-standard colors described
425 "pretty girly": 664 (not by me) as "pretty girly".
426 665
427 URxvt.cursorColor: #dc74d1 666 URxvt.cursorColor: #dc74d1
428 URxvt.pointerColor: #dc74d1 667 URxvt.pointerColor: #dc74d1
429 URxvt.background: #0e0e0e 668 URxvt.background: #0e0e0e
430 URxvt.foreground: #4ad5e1 669 URxvt.foreground: #4ad5e1
… …
441 URxvt.color6: #73f7ff 680 URxvt.color6: #73f7ff
442 URxvt.color14: #73f7ff 681 URxvt.color14: #73f7ff
443 URxvt.color7: #e1dddd 682 URxvt.color7: #e1dddd
444 URxvt.color15: #e1dddd 683 URxvt.color15: #e1dddd
445 684
685 How can I start rxvtd in a race-free way?
686 Try "rxvtd -f -o", which tells rxvtd to open the display, create the
687 listening socket and then fork.
688
446 What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour? 689 What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour?
447 Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the 690 Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the
448 BackSpace keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following 691 BackSpace keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following
449 question) there are two standard values that can be used for 692 question) there are two standard values that can be used for
450 Backspace: "^H" and "^?". 693 Backspace: "^H" and "^?".
… …
468 711
469 # use Backspace = ^? 712 # use Backspace = ^?
470 $ stty erase ^? 713 $ stty erase ^?
471 $ rxvt 714 $ rxvt
472 715
473 Toggle with "ESC[36h" / "ESC[36l" as documented in rxvt(7). 716 Toggle with "ESC [ 36 h" / "ESC [ 36 l" as documented in rxvt(7).
474 717
475 For an existing rxvt-unicode: 718 For an existing rxvt-unicode:
476 719
477 # use Backspace = ^H 720 # use Backspace = ^H
478 $ stty erase ^H 721 $ stty erase ^H
… …
487 value properly reflects that. 730 value properly reflects that.
488 731
489 The Delete key is a another casualty of the ill-defined Backspace 732 The Delete key is a another casualty of the ill-defined Backspace
490 problem. To avoid confusion between the Backspace and Delete keys, 733 problem. To avoid confusion between the Backspace and Delete keys,
491 the Delete key has been assigned an escape sequence to match the 734 the Delete key has been assigned an escape sequence to match the
492 vt100 for Execute (ESC[3~) and is in the supplied termcap/terminfo. 735 vt100 for Execute ("ESC [ 3 ~") and is in the supplied
736 termcap/terminfo.
493 737
494 Some other Backspace problems: 738 Some other Backspace problems:
495 739
496 some editors use termcap/terminfo, some editors (vim I'm told) 740 some editors use termcap/terminfo, some editors (vim I'm told)
497 expect Backspace = ^H, GNU Emacs (and Emacs-like editors) use ^H for 741 expect Backspace = ^H, GNU Emacs (and Emacs-like editors) use ^H for
… …
501 745
502 I don't like the key-bindings. How do I change them? 746 I don't like the key-bindings. How do I change them?
503 There are some compile-time selections available via configure. 747 There are some compile-time selections available via configure.
504 Unless you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources" 748 Unless you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources"
505 option you can use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings 749 option you can use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings
506 associated with keysym 0xFF00 - 0xFFFF (function, cursor keys, etc). 750 associated with keysyms.
507 751
508 Here's an example for a tn3270 session started using `rxvt -name 752 Here's an example for a URxvt session started using "rxvt -name
509 tn3270' 753 URxvt"
510 754
511 !# ----- special uses ------: 755 URxvt.keysym.Home: \033[1~
512 ! tn3270 login, remap function and arrow keys. 756 URxvt.keysym.End: \033[4~
513 tn3270*font: *clean-bold-*-*--15-* 757 URxvt.keysym.C-apostrophe: \033<C-'>
758 URxvt.keysym.C-slash: \033<C-/>
759 URxvt.keysym.C-semicolon: \033<C-;>
760 URxvt.keysym.C-grave: \033<C-`>
761 URxvt.keysym.C-comma: \033<C-,>
762 URxvt.keysym.C-period: \033<C-.>
763 URxvt.keysym.C-0x60: \033<C-`>
764 URxvt.keysym.C-Tab: \033<C-Tab>
765 URxvt.keysym.C-Return: \033<C-Return>
766 URxvt.keysym.S-Return: \033<S-Return>
767 URxvt.keysym.S-space: \033<S-Space>
768 URxvt.keysym.M-Up: \033<M-Up>
769 URxvt.keysym.M-Down: \033<M-Down>
770 URxvt.keysym.M-Left: \033<M-Left>
771 URxvt.keysym.M-Right: \033<M-Right>
772 URxvt.keysym.M-C-0: list \033<M-C- 0123456789 >
773 URxvt.keysym.M-C-a: list \033<M-C- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz >
774 URxvt.keysym.F12: command:\033]701;zh_CN.GBK\007
514 775
515 ! keysym - used by rxvt only 776 See some more examples in the documentation for the keysym resource.
516 ! Delete - ^D
517 tn3270*keysym.0xFFFF: \004
518
519 ! Home - ^A
520 tn3270*keysym.0xFF50: \001
521 ! Left - ^B
522 tn3270*keysym.0xFF51: \002
523 ! Up - ^P
524 tn3270*keysym.0xFF52: \020
525 ! Right - ^F
526 tn3270*keysym.0xFF53: \006
527 ! Down - ^N
528 tn3270*keysym.0xFF54: \016
529 ! End - ^E
530 tn3270*keysym.0xFF57: \005
531
532 ! F1 - F12
533 tn3270*keysym.0xFFBE: \e1
534 tn3270*keysym.0xFFBF: \e2
535 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC0: \e3
536 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC1: \e4
537 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC2: \e5
538 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC3: \e6
539 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC4: \e7
540 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC5: \e8
541 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC6: \e9
542 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC7: \e0
543 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC8: \e-
544 tn3270*keysym.0xFFC9: \e=
545
546 ! map Prior/Next to F7/F8
547 tn3270*keysym.0xFF55: \e7
548 tn3270*keysym.0xFF56: \e8
549 777
550 I'm using keyboard model XXX that has extra Prior/Next/Insert keys. How 778 I'm using keyboard model XXX that has extra Prior/Next/Insert keys. How
551 do I make use of them? For example, the Sun Keyboard type 4 has the 779 do I make use of them? For example, the Sun Keyboard type 4 has the
552 following mappings that rxvt-unicode doesn't recognize. 780 following mappings that rxvt-unicode doesn't recognize.
553 KP_Insert == Insert 781 KP_Insert == Insert
… …
559 787
560 Rather than have rxvt-unicode try to accommodate all the various 788 Rather than have rxvt-unicode try to accommodate all the various
561 possible keyboard mappings, it is better to use `xmodmap' to remap 789 possible keyboard mappings, it is better to use `xmodmap' to remap
562 the keys as required for your particular machine. 790 the keys as required for your particular machine.
563 791
564 How do I distinguish if I'm running rxvt-unicode or a regular xterm? I 792 How do I distinguish wether I'm running rxvt-unicode or a regular xterm?
565 need this to decide about setting colors etc. 793 I need this to decide about setting colors etc.
566 rxvt and rxvt-unicode always export the variable "COLORTERM", so you 794 rxvt and rxvt-unicode always export the variable "COLORTERM", so you
567 can check and see if that is set. Note that several programs, JED, 795 can check and see if that is set. Note that several programs, JED,
568 slrn, Midnight Commander automatically check this variable to decide 796 slrn, Midnight Commander automatically check this variable to decide
569 whether or not to use color. 797 whether or not to use color.
570 798

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