[ViewVC] Diff of: cvs/rxvt-unicode/README.FAQ

Comparing rxvt-unicode/README.FAQ (file contents):
Revision 1.39 by root, Tue Jan 31 20:52:19 2006 UTC vs.
Revision 1.72 by root, Sat May 14 08:28:25 2016 UTC

…		…
1	FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS	1	RXVT-UNICODE/URXVT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
2	Meta, Features & Commandline Issues	2	Meta, Features & Commandline Issues
3	My question isn't answered here, can I ask a human?	3	My question isn't answered here, can I ask a human?
4	Before sending me mail, you could go to IRC: "irc.freenode.net", channel	4	Before sending me mail, you could go to IRC: "irc.freenode.net", channel
5	"#rxvt-unicode" has some rxvt-unicode enthusiasts that might be	5	"#rxvt-unicode" has some rxvt-unicode enthusiasts that might be
6	interested in learning about new and exciting problems (but not FAQs :).	6	interested in learning about new and exciting problems (but not FAQs :).
7		7
		8	I use Gentoo, and I have a problem...
		9	There are two big problems with Gentoo Linux: first, most if not all
		10	Gentoo systems are completely broken (missing or mismatched header
		11	files, broken compiler etc. are just the tip of the iceberg); secondly,
		12	it should be called Gentoo GNU/Linux.
		13
		14	For these reasons, it is impossible to support rxvt-unicode on Gentoo.
		15	Problems appearing on Gentoo systems will usually simply be ignored
		16	unless they can be reproduced on non-Gentoo systems.
		17
8	Does it support tabs, can I have a tabbed rxvt-unicode?	18	Does it support tabs, can I have a tabbed rxvt-unicode?
9	Beginning with version 7.3, there is a perl extension that implements a	19	Beginning with version 7.3, there is a perl extension that implements a
10	simple tabbed terminal. It is installed by default, so any of these	20	simple tabbed terminal. It is installed by default, so any of these
11	should give you tabs:	21	should give you tabs:
12		22
13	rxvt -pe tabbed	23	urxvt -pe tabbed
14		24
15	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,tabbed	25	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,tabbed
16		26
17	It will also work fine with tabbing functionality of many window	27	It will also work fine with tabbing functionality of many window
18	managers or similar tabbing programs, and its embedding-features allow	28	managers or similar tabbing programs, and its embedding-features allow
21	(murxvt) terminal as an example embedding application.	31	(murxvt) terminal as an example embedding application.
22		32
23	How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using?	33	How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using?
24	The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape	34	The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape
25	sequence "ESC [ 8 n" sets the window title to the version number. When	35	sequence "ESC [ 8 n" sets the window title to the version number. When
26	using the rxvtc client, the version displayed is that of the daemon.	36	using the urxvtc client, the version displayed is that of the daemon.
27		37
28	Rxvt-unicode uses gobs of memory, how can I reduce that?	38	Rxvt-unicode uses gobs of memory, how can I reduce that?
29	Rxvt-unicode tries to obey the rule of not charging you for something	39	Rxvt-unicode tries to obey the rule of not charging you for something
30	you don't use. One thing you should try is to configure out all settings	40	you don't use. One thing you should try is to configure out all settings
31	that you don't need, for example, Xft support is a resource hog by	41	that you don't need, for example, Xft support is a resource hog by
…		…
38	bytes per screen cell. For a 160x?? window this amounts to almost a	48	bytes per screen cell. For a 160x?? window this amounts to almost a
39	kilobyte per line. A scrollback buffer of 10000 lines will then (if	49	kilobyte per line. A scrollback buffer of 10000 lines will then (if
40	full) use 10 Megabytes of memory. With "--enable-unicode3" it gets	50	full) use 10 Megabytes of memory. With "--enable-unicode3" it gets
41	worse, as rxvt-unicode then uses 8 bytes per screen cell.	51	worse, as rxvt-unicode then uses 8 bytes per screen cell.
42		52
43	How can I start rxvtd in a race-free way?	53	How can I start urxvtd in a race-free way?
44	Try "rxvtd -f -o", which tells rxvtd to open the display, create the	54	Try "urxvtd -f -o", which tells urxvtd to open the display, create the
45	listening socket and then fork.	55	listening socket and then fork.
46		56
47	How do I distinguish wether I'm running rxvt-unicode or a regular xterm? I need this to decide about setting colors etc.	57	How can I start urxvtd automatically when I run urxvtc?
48	rxvt and rxvt-unicode always export the variable "COLORTERM", so you can	58	If you want to start urxvtd automatically whenever you run urxvtc and
49	check and see if that is set. Note that several programs, JED, slrn,	59	the daemon isn't running yet, use this script:
50	Midnight Commander automatically check this variable to decide whether	60
51	or not to use color.	61	#!/bin/sh
		62	urxvtc "$@"
		63	if [ $? -eq 2 ]; then
		64	urxvtd -q -o -f
		65	urxvtc "$@"
		66	fi
		67
		68	This tries to create a new terminal, and if fails with exit status 2,
		69	meaning it couldn't connect to the daemon, it will start the daemon and
		70	re-run the command. Subsequent invocations of the script will re-use the
		71	existing daemon.
		72
		73	How do I distinguish whether I'm running rxvt-unicode or a regular
		74	xterm? I need this to decide about setting colours etc.
		75	The original rxvt and rxvt-unicode always export the variable
		76	"COLORTERM", so you can check and see if that is set. Note that several
		77	programs, JED, slrn, Midnight Commander automatically check this
		78	variable to decide whether or not to use colour.
52		79
53	How do I set the correct, full IP address for the DISPLAY variable?	80	How do I set the correct, full IP address for the DISPLAY variable?
54	If you've compiled rxvt-unicode with DISPLAY_IS_IP and have enabled	81	If you've compiled rxvt-unicode with DISPLAY_IS_IP and have enabled
55	insecure mode then it is possible to use the following shell script	82	insecure mode then it is possible to use the following shell script
56	snippets to correctly set the display. If your version of rxvt-unicode	83	snippets to correctly set the display. If your version of rxvt-unicode
…		…
63		90
64	# Bourne/Korn/POSIX family of shells:	91	# Bourne/Korn/POSIX family of shells:
65	[ ${TERM:-foo} = foo ] && TERM=xterm # assume an xterm if we don't know	92	[ ${TERM:-foo} = foo ] && TERM=xterm # assume an xterm if we don't know
66	if [ ${TERM:-foo} = xterm ]; then	93	if [ ${TERM:-foo} = xterm ]; then
67	stty -icanon -echo min 0 time 15 # see if enhanced rxvt or not	94	stty -icanon -echo min 0 time 15 # see if enhanced rxvt or not
68	echo -n '^[Z'	95	printf "\eZ"
69	read term_id	96	read term_id
70	stty icanon echo	97	stty icanon echo
71	if [ ""${term_id} = '^[[?1;2C' -a ${DISPLAY:-foo} = foo ]; then	98	if [ ""${term_id} = '^[[?1;2C' -a ${DISPLAY:-foo} = foo ]; then
72	echo -n '^[[7n' # query the rxvt we are in for the DISPLAY string	99	printf '\e[7n' # query the rxvt we are in for the DISPLAY string
73	read DISPLAY # set it in our local shell	100	read DISPLAY # set it in our local shell
74	fi	101	fi
75	fi	102	fi
76		103
77	How do I compile the manual pages on my own?	104	How do I compile the manual pages on my own?
78	You need to have a recent version of perl installed as /usr/bin/perl,	105	You need to have a recent version of perl installed as /usr/bin/perl,
79	one that comes with pod2man, pod2text and pod2html. Then go to the doc	106	one that comes with pod2man, pod2text and pod2xhtml (from Pod::Xhtml).
80	subdirectory and enter "make alldoc".	107	Then go to the doc subdirectory and enter "make alldoc".
81		108
82	Isn't rxvt-unicode supposed to be small? Don't all those features bloat?	109	Isn't rxvt-unicode supposed to be small? Don't all those features bloat?
83	I often get asked about this, and I think, no, they didn't cause extra	110	I often get asked about this, and I think, no, they didn't cause extra
84	bloat. If you compare a minimal rxvt and a minimal urxvt, you can see	111	bloat. If you compare a minimal rxvt and a minimal urxvt, you can see
85	that the urxvt binary is larger (due to some encoding tables always	112	that the urxvt binary is larger (due to some encoding tables always
…		…
90		117
91	text data bss drs rss filename	118	text data bss drs rss filename
92	98398 1664 24 15695 1824 rxvt --disable-everything	119	98398 1664 24 15695 1824 rxvt --disable-everything
93	188985 9048 66616 18222 1788 urxvt --disable-everything	120	188985 9048 66616 18222 1788 urxvt --disable-everything
94		121
95	When you "--enable-everything" (which _is_ unfair, as this involves xft	122	When you "--enable-everything" (which is unfair, as this involves xft
96	and full locale/XIM support which are quite bloaty inside libX11 and my	123	and full locale/XIM support which are quite bloaty inside libX11 and my
97	libc), the two diverge, but not unreasnobaly so.	124	libc), the two diverge, but not unreasonably so.
98		125
99	text data bss drs rss filename	126	text data bss drs rss filename
100	163431 2152 24 20123 2060 rxvt --enable-everything	127	163431 2152 24 20123 2060 rxvt --enable-everything
101	1035683 49680 66648 29096 3680 urxvt --enable-everything	128	1035683 49680 66648 29096 3680 urxvt --enable-everything
102		129
…		…
130	the case of rxvt-unicode this hardly matters, as its portability limits	157	the case of rxvt-unicode this hardly matters, as its portability limits
131	are defined by things like X11, pseudo terminals, locale support and	158	are defined by things like X11, pseudo terminals, locale support and
132	unix domain sockets, which are all less portable than C++ itself.	159	unix domain sockets, which are all less portable than C++ itself.
133		160
134	Regarding the bloat, see the above question: It's easy to write programs	161	Regarding the bloat, see the above question: It's easy to write programs
135	in C that use gobs of memory, an certainly possible to write programs in	162	in C that use gobs of memory, and certainly possible to write programs
136	C++ that don't. C++ also often comes with large libraries, but this is	163	in C++ that don't. C++ also often comes with large libraries, but this
137	not necessarily the case with GCC. Here is what rxvt links against on my	164	is not necessarily the case with GCC. Here is what rxvt links against on
138	system with a minimal config:	165	my system with a minimal config:
139		166
140	libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)	167	libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)
141	libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaadde000)	168	libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaadde000)
142	libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab01d000)	169	libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab01d000)
143	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)	170	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)
144		171
145	And here is rxvt-unicode:	172	And here is rxvt-unicode:
146		173
147	libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)	174	libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000)
148	libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00002aaaaada2000)	175	libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00002aaaaada2000)
149	libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaaeb0000)	176	libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaaeb0000)
150	libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab0ee000)	177	libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab0ee000)
151	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)	178	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000)
152		179
153	No large bloated libraries (of course, none were linked in statically),	180	No large bloated libraries (of course, none were linked in statically),
154	except maybe libX11 :)	181	except maybe libX11 :)
155		182
156	Rendering, Font & Look and Feel Issues	183	Rendering, Font & Look and Feel Issues
…		…
161	rite of passage: ... and you failed.	188	rite of passage: ... and you failed.
162		189
163	Here are four ways to get transparency. Do read the manpage and option	190	Here are four ways to get transparency. Do read the manpage and option
164	descriptions for the programs mentioned and rxvt-unicode. Really, do it!	191	descriptions for the programs mentioned and rxvt-unicode. Really, do it!
165		192
166	1. Use inheritPixmap:	193	1. Use transparent mode:
167		194
168	Esetroot wallpaper.jpg	195	Esetroot wallpaper.jpg
169	rxvt -ip -tint red -sh 40	196	urxvt -tr -tint red -sh 40
170		197
171	That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack transparency and tinting	198	That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack transparency and tinting
172	support, or you are unable to read.	199	support, or you are unable to read. This method requires that the
		200	background-setting program sets the _XROOTPMAP_ID or ESETROOT_PMAP_ID
		201	property. Compatible programs are Esetroot, hsetroot and feh.
173		202
174	2. Use a simple pixmap and emulate pseudo-transparency. This enables you	203	2. Use a simple pixmap and emulate pseudo-transparency. This enables you
175	to use effects other than tinting and shading: Just shade/tint/whatever	204	to use effects other than tinting and shading: Just shade/tint/whatever
176	your picture with gimp or any other tool:	205	your picture with gimp or any other tool:
177		206
178	convert wallpaper.jpg -blur 20x20 -modulate 30 background.xpm	207	convert wallpaper.jpg -blur 20x20 -modulate 30 background.jpg
179	rxvt -pixmap background.xpm -pe automove-background	208	urxvt -pixmap "background.jpg;:root"
180		209
181	That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack XPM and Perl support, or	210	That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack GDK-PixBuf support, or you
182	you are unable to read.	211	are unable to read.
183		212
184	3. Use an ARGB visual:	213	3. Use an ARGB visual:
185		214
186	rxvt -depth 32 -fg grey90 -bg rgba:0000/0000/4444/cccc	215	urxvt -depth 32 -fg grey90 -bg rgba:0000/0000/4444/cccc
187		216
188	This requires XFT support, and the support of your X-server. If that	217	This requires XFT support, and the support of your X-server. If that
189	doesn't work for you, blame Xorg and Keith Packard. ARGB visuals aren't	218	doesn't work for you, blame Xorg and Keith Packard. ARGB visuals aren't
190	there yet, no matter what they claim. Rxvt-Unicode contains the	219	there yet, no matter what they claim. Rxvt-Unicode contains the
191	neccessary bugfixes and workarounds for Xft and Xlib to make it work,	220	necessary bugfixes and workarounds for Xft and Xlib to make it work, but
192	but that doesn't mean that your WM has the required kludges in place.	221	that doesn't mean that your WM has the required kludges in place.
193		222
194	4. Use xcompmgr and let it do the job:	223	4. Use xcompmgr and let it do the job:
195		224
196	xprop -frame -f _NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY 32c \	225	xprop -frame -f _NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY 32c \
197	-set _NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY 0xc0000000	226	-set _NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY 0xc0000000
198		227
199	Then click on a window you want to make transparent. Replace 0xc0000000	228	Then click on a window you want to make transparent. Replace 0xc0000000
200	by other values to change the degree of opacity. If it doesn't work and	229	by other values to change the degree of opacity. If it doesn't work and
201	your server crashes, you got to keep the pieces.	230	your server crashes, you got to keep the pieces.
202
203	Why do some chinese characters look so different than others?
204	This is because there is a difference between script and language --
205	rxvt-unicode does not know which language the text that is output is, as
206	it only knows the unicode character codes. If rxvt-unicode first sees a
207	japanese/chinese character, it might choose a japanese font for display.
208	Subsequent japanese characters will use that font. Now, many chinese
209	characters aren't represented in japanese fonts, so when the first
210	non-japanese character comes up, rxvt-unicode will look for a chinese
211	font -- unfortunately at this point, it will still use the japanese font
212	for chinese characters that are also in the japanese font.
213
214	The workaround is easy: just tag a chinese font at the end of your font
215	list (see the previous question). The key is to view the font list as a
216	preference list: If you expect more japanese, list a japanese font
217	first. If you expect more chinese, put a chinese font first.
218
219	In the future it might be possible to switch language preferences at
220	runtime (the internal data structure has no problem with using different
221	fonts for the same character at the same time, but no interface for this
222	has been designed yet).
223
224	Until then, you might get away with switching fonts at runtime (see "Can
225	I switch the fonts at runtime?" later in this document).
226		231
227	Why does rxvt-unicode sometimes leave pixel droppings?	232	Why does rxvt-unicode sometimes leave pixel droppings?
228	Most fonts were not designed for terminal use, which means that	233	Most fonts were not designed for terminal use, which means that
229	character size varies a lot. A font that is otherwise fine for terminal	234	character size varies a lot. A font that is otherwise fine for terminal
230	use might contain some characters that are simply too wide. Rxvt-unicode	235	use might contain some characters that are simply too wide. Rxvt-unicode
…		…
236	however: Xft fonts often draw glyphs larger than their acclaimed	241	however: Xft fonts often draw glyphs larger than their acclaimed
237	bounding box, and rxvt-unicode has no way of detecting this (the correct	242	bounding box, and rxvt-unicode has no way of detecting this (the correct
238	way is to ask for the character bounding box, which unfortunately is	243	way is to ask for the character bounding box, which unfortunately is
239	wrong in these cases).	244	wrong in these cases).
240		245
241	It's not clear (to me at least), wether this is a bug in Xft, freetype,	246	It's not clear (to me at least), whether this is a bug in Xft, freetype,
242	or the respective font. If you encounter this problem you might try	247	or the respective font. If you encounter this problem you might try
243	using the "-lsp" option to give the font more height. If that doesn't	248	using the "-lsp" option to give the font more height. If that doesn't
244	work, you might be forced to use a different font.	249	work, you might be forced to use a different font.
245		250
246	All of this is not a problem when using X11 core fonts, as their	251	All of this is not a problem when using X11 core fonts, as their
…		…
268		273
269	Can I switch the fonts at runtime?	274	Can I switch the fonts at runtime?
270	Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which has the	275	Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which has the
271	same effect as using the "-fn" switch, and takes effect immediately:	276	same effect as using the "-fn" switch, and takes effect immediately:
272		277
273	printf '\e]50;%s\007' "9x15bold,xft:Kochi Gothic"	278	printf '\33]50;%s\007' "9x15bold,xft:Kochi Gothic"
274		279
275	This is useful if you e.g. work primarily with japanese (and prefer a	280	This is useful if you e.g. work primarily with japanese (and prefer a
276	japanese font), but you have to switch to chinese temporarily, where	281	japanese font), but you have to switch to chinese temporarily, where
277	japanese fonts would only be in your way.	282	japanese fonts would only be in your way.
278		283
279	You can think of this as a kind of manual ISO-2022 switching.	284	You can think of this as a kind of manual ISO-2022 switching.
280		285
281	Why do italic characters look as if clipped?	286	Why do italic characters look as if clipped?
282	Many fonts have difficulties with italic characters and hinting. For	287	Many fonts have difficulties with italic characters and hinting. For
283	example, the otherwise very nicely hinted font "xft:Bitstream Vera Sans	288	example, the otherwise very nicely hinted font "xft:Bitstream Vera Sans
284	Mono" completely fails in it's italic face. A workaround might be to	289	Mono" completely fails in its italic face. A workaround might be to
285	enable freetype autohinting, i.e. like this:	290	enable freetype autohinting, i.e. like this:
286		291
287	URxvt.italicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:italic:autohint=true	292	URxvt.italicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:italic:autohint=true
288	URxvt.boldItalicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:bold:italic:autohint=true	293	URxvt.boldItalicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:bold:italic:autohint=true
289		294
…		…
293	antialiasing (by appending ":antialias=false"), which saves lots of	298	antialiasing (by appending ":antialias=false"), which saves lots of
294	memory and also speeds up rendering considerably.	299	memory and also speeds up rendering considerably.
295		300
296	Rxvt-unicode doesn't seem to anti-alias its fonts, what is wrong?	301	Rxvt-unicode doesn't seem to anti-alias its fonts, what is wrong?
297	Rxvt-unicode will use whatever you specify as a font. If it needs to	302	Rxvt-unicode will use whatever you specify as a font. If it needs to
298	fall back to it's default font search list it will prefer X11 core	303	fall back to its default font search list it will prefer X11 core fonts,
299	fonts, because they are small and fast, and then use Xft fonts. It has	304	because they are small and fast, and then use Xft fonts. It has
300	antialiasing disabled for most of them, because the author thinks they	305	antialiasing disabled for most of them, because the author thinks they
301	look best that way.	306	look best that way.
302		307
303	If you want antialiasing, you have to specify the fonts manually.	308	If you want antialiasing, you have to specify the fonts manually.
304		309
305	What's with this bold/blink stuff?	310	What's with this bold/blink stuff?
306	If no bold colour is set via "colorBD:", bold will invert text using the	311	If no bold colour is set via "colorBD:", bold will invert text using the
307	standard foreground colour.	312	standard foreground colour.
308		313
309	For the standard background colour, blinking will actually make the text	314	For the standard background colour, blinking will actually make the text
310	blink when compiled with "--enable-blinking". with standard colours.	315	blink when compiled with "--enable-text-blink". Without
311	Without "--enable-blinking", the blink attribute will be ignored.	316	"--enable-text-blink", the blink attribute will be ignored.
312		317
313	On ANSI colours, bold/blink attributes are used to set high-intensity	318	On ANSI colours, bold/blink attributes are used to set high-intensity
314	foreground/background colors.	319	foreground/background colours.
315		320
316	color0-7 are the low-intensity colors.	321	color0-7 are the low-intensity colours.
317		322
318	color8-15 are the corresponding high-intensity colors.	323	color8-15 are the corresponding high-intensity colours.
319		324
320	I don't like the screen colors. How do I change them?	325	I don't like the screen colours. How do I change them?
321	You can change the screen colors at run-time using ~/.Xdefaults	326	You can change the screen colours at run-time using ~/.Xdefaults
322	resources (or as long-options).	327	resources (or as long-options).
323		328
324	Here are values that are supposed to resemble a VGA screen, including	329	Here are values that are supposed to resemble a VGA screen, including
325	the murky brown that passes for low-intensity yellow:	330	the murky brown that passes for low-intensity yellow:
326		331
…		…
340	URxvt.color12: #0000FF	345	URxvt.color12: #0000FF
341	URxvt.color13: #FF00FF	346	URxvt.color13: #FF00FF
342	URxvt.color14: #00FFFF	347	URxvt.color14: #00FFFF
343	URxvt.color15: #FFFFFF	348	URxvt.color15: #FFFFFF
344		349
345	And here is a more complete set of non-standard colors described (not by	350	And here is a more complete set of non-standard colours.
346	me) as "pretty girly".
347		351
348	URxvt.cursorColor: #dc74d1	352	URxvt.cursorColor: #dc74d1
349	URxvt.pointerColor: #dc74d1	353	URxvt.pointerColor: #dc74d1
350	URxvt.background: #0e0e0e	354	URxvt.background: #0e0e0e
351	URxvt.foreground: #4ad5e1	355	URxvt.foreground: #4ad5e1
…		…
362	URxvt.color6: #73f7ff	366	URxvt.color6: #73f7ff
363	URxvt.color14: #73f7ff	367	URxvt.color14: #73f7ff
364	URxvt.color7: #e1dddd	368	URxvt.color7: #e1dddd
365	URxvt.color15: #e1dddd	369	URxvt.color15: #e1dddd
366		370
		371	They have been described (not by me) as "pretty girly".
		372
367	Why do some characters look so much different than others?	373	Why do some characters look so much different than others?
368	See next entry.	374	See next entry.
369		375
370	How does rxvt-unicode choose fonts?	376	How does rxvt-unicode choose fonts?
371	Most fonts do not contain the full range of Unicode, which is fine.	377	Most fonts do not contain the full range of Unicode, which is fine.
…		…
381	the font that the characters it claims to contain indeed look correct.	387	the font that the characters it claims to contain indeed look correct.
382		388
383	In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font list,	389	In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font list,
384	e.g.:	390	e.g.:
385		391
386	rxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3...	392	urxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3...
387		393
388	When rxvt-unicode sees a character, it will first look at the base font.	394	When rxvt-unicode sees a character, it will first look at the base font.
389	If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to the next	395	If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to the next
390	font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed up this	396	font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed up this
391	search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the X-server.	397	search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the X-server.
392		398
393	The only limitation is that none of the fonts may be larger than the	399	The only limitation is that none of the fonts may be larger than the
394	base font, as the base font defines the terminal character cell size,	400	base font, as the base font defines the terminal character cell size,
395	which must be the same due to the way terminals work.	401	which must be the same due to the way terminals work.
396		402
		403	Why do some chinese characters look so different than others?
		404	This is because there is a difference between script and language --
		405	rxvt-unicode does not know which language the text that is output is, as
		406	it only knows the unicode character codes. If rxvt-unicode first sees a
		407	japanese/chinese character, it might choose a japanese font for display.
		408	Subsequent japanese characters will use that font. Now, many chinese
		409	characters aren't represented in japanese fonts, so when the first
		410	non-japanese character comes up, rxvt-unicode will look for a chinese
		411	font -- unfortunately at this point, it will still use the japanese font
		412	for chinese characters that are also in the japanese font.
		413
		414	The workaround is easy: just tag a chinese font at the end of your font
		415	list (see the previous question). The key is to view the font list as a
		416	preference list: If you expect more japanese, list a japanese font
		417	first. If you expect more chinese, put a chinese font first.
		418
		419	In the future it might be possible to switch language preferences at
		420	runtime (the internal data structure has no problem with using different
		421	fonts for the same character at the same time, but no interface for this
		422	has been designed yet).
		423
		424	Until then, you might get away with switching fonts at runtime (see "Can
		425	I switch the fonts at runtime?" later in this document).
		426
		427	How can I make mplayer display video correctly?
		428	We are working on it, in the meantime, as a workaround, use something
		429	like:
		430
		431	urxvt -b 600 -geometry 20x1 -e sh -c 'mplayer -wid $WINDOWID file...'
		432
		433	Why is the cursor now blinking in emacs/vi/...?
		434	This is likely caused by your editor/program's use of the "cvvis"
		435	terminfo capability. Emacs uses it by default, as well as some versions
		436	of vi and possibly other programs.
		437
		438	In emacs, you can switch that off by adding this to your ".emacs" file:
		439
		440	(setq visible-cursor nil)
		441
		442	For other programs, if they do not have an option, your have to remove
		443	the "cvvis" capability from the terminfo description.
		444
		445	When urxvt first added the blinking cursor option, it didn't add a
		446	"cvvis" capability, which served no purpose before. Version 9.21
		447	introduced "cvvis" (and the ability to control blinking independent of
		448	cursor shape) for compatibility with other terminals, which
		449	traditionally use a blinking cursor for "cvvis". This also reflects the
		450	intent of programs such as emacs, who expect "cvvis" to enable a
		451	blinking cursor.
		452
397	Keyboard, Mouse & User Interaction	453	Keyboard, Mouse & User Interaction
398	The new selection selects pieces that are too big, how can I select single words?	454	The new selection selects pieces that are too big, how can I select single words?
399	If you want to select e.g. alphanumeric words, you can use the following	455	If you want to select e.g. alphanumeric words, you can use the following
400	setting:	456	setting:
401		457
…		…
407	To get a selection that is very similar to the old code, try this	463	To get a selection that is very similar to the old code, try this
408	pattern:	464	pattern:
409		465
410	URxvt.selection.pattern-0: ([^"&'()*,;<=>?@[\\\\]^`{\|})]+)	466	URxvt.selection.pattern-0: ([^"&'()*,;<=>?@[\\\\]^`{\|})]+)
411		467
412	Please also note that the LeftClick Shift-LeftClik combination also	468	Please also note that the LeftClick Shift-LeftClick combination also
413	selects words like the old code.	469	selects words like the old code.
414		470
415	I don't like the new selection/popups/hotkeys/perl, how do I change/disable it?	471	I don't like the new selection/popups/hotkeys/perl, how do I change/disable it?
416	You can disable the perl extension completely by setting the	472	You can disable the perl extension completely by setting the
417	perl-ext-common resource to the empty string, which also keeps	473	perl-ext-common resource to the empty string, which also keeps
418	rxvt-unicode from initialising perl, saving memory.	474	rxvt-unicode from initialising perl, saving memory.
419		475
420	If you only want to disable specific features, you first have to	476	If you only want to disable specific features, you first have to
421	identify which perl extension is responsible. For this, read the section	477	identify which perl extension is responsible. For this, read the section
422	PREPACKAGED EXTENSIONS in the rxvtperl(3) manpage. For example, to	478	PREPACKAGED EXTENSIONS in the urxvtperl(3) manpage. For example, to
423	disable the selection-popup and option-popup, specify this	479	disable the selection-popup and option-popup, specify this
424	perl-ext-common resource:	480	perl-ext-common resource:
425		481
426	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,-selection-popup,-option-popup	482	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,-selection-popup,-option-popup
427		483
428	This will keep the default extensions, but disable the two popup	484	This will keep the default extensions, but disable the two popup
429	extensions. Some extensions can also be configured, for example,	485	extensions. Some extensions can also be configured, for example,
430	scrollback search mode is triggered by M-s. You can move it to any other	486	scrollback search mode is triggered by M-s. You can move it to any other
431	combination either by setting the searchable-scrollback resource:	487	combination by adding a keysym resource that binds the desired
		488	combination to the "start" action of "searchable-scrollback" and another
		489	one that binds M-s to the "builtin:" action:
432		490
433	URxvt.searchable-scrollback: CM-s	491	URxvt.keysym.CM-s: searchable-scrollback:start
		492	URxvt.keysym.M-s: builtin:
434		493
435	The cursor moves when selecting text in the current input line, how do I switch this off?	494	The cursor moves when selecting text in the current input line, how do I switch this off?
436	See next entry.	495	See next entry.
437		496
438	During rlogin/ssh/telnet/etc. sessions, clicking near the cursor outputs strange escape sequences, how do I fix this?	497	During rlogin/ssh/telnet/etc. sessions, clicking near the cursor outputs strange escape sequences, how do I fix this?
…		…
440	circumstances, it will move your cursor around when you click into the	499	circumstances, it will move your cursor around when you click into the
441	line that contains it. It tries hard not to do this at the wrong moment,	500	line that contains it. It tries hard not to do this at the wrong moment,
442	but when running a program that doesn't parse cursor movements or in	501	but when running a program that doesn't parse cursor movements or in
443	some cases during rlogin sessions, it fails to detect this properly.	502	some cases during rlogin sessions, it fails to detect this properly.
444		503
445	You can permamently switch this feature off by disabling the "readline"	504	You can permanently switch this feature off by disabling the "readline"
446	extension:	505	extension:
447		506
448	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,-readline	507	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,-readline
449		508
450	My numerical keypad acts weird and generates differing output?	509	My numeric keypad acts weird and generates differing output?
451	Some Debian GNUL/Linux users seem to have this problem, although no	510	Some Debian GNU/Linux users seem to have this problem, although no
452	specific details were reported so far. It is possible that this is	511	specific details were reported so far. It is possible that this is
453	caused by the wrong "TERM" setting, although the details of wether and	512	caused by the wrong "TERM" setting, although the details of whether and
454	how this can happen are unknown, as "TERM=rxvt" should offer a	513	how this can happen are unknown, as "TERM=rxvt" should offer a
455	compatible keymap. See the answer to the previous question, and please	514	compatible keymap. See the answer to the previous question, and please
456	report if that helped.	515	report if that helped.
457		516
458	My Compose (Multi_key) key is no longer working.	517	My Compose (Multi_key) key is no longer working.
459	The most common causes for this are that either your locale is not set	518	The most common causes for this are that either your locale is not set
460	correctly, or you specified a preeditStyle that is not supported by your	519	correctly, or you specified a preeditType that is not supported by your
461	input method. For example, if you specified OverTheSpot and your input	520	input method. For example, if you specified OverTheSpot and your input
462	method (e.g. the default input method handling Compose keys) does not	521	method (e.g. the default input method handling Compose keys) does not
463	support this (for instance because it is not visual), then rxvt-unicode	522	support this (for instance because it is not visual), then rxvt-unicode
464	will continue without an input method.	523	will continue without an input method.
465		524
466	In this case either do not specify a preeditStyle or specify more than	525	In this case either do not specify a preeditType or specify more than
467	one pre-edit style, such as OverTheSpot,Root,None.	526	one pre-edit style, such as OverTheSpot,Root,None.
		527
		528	If it still doesn't work, then maybe your input method doesn't support
		529	compose sequences - to fall back to the built-in one, make sure you
		530	don't specify an input method via "-im" or "XMODIFIERS".
468		531
469	I cannot type "Ctrl-Shift-2" to get an ASCII NUL character due to ISO 14755	532	I cannot type "Ctrl-Shift-2" to get an ASCII NUL character due to ISO 14755
470	Either try "Ctrl-2" alone (it often is mapped to ASCII NUL even on	533	Either try "Ctrl-2" alone (it often is mapped to ASCII NUL even on
471	international keyboards) or simply use ISO 14755 support to your	534	international keyboards) or simply use ISO 14755 support to your
472	advantage, typing <Ctrl-Shift-0> to get a ASCII NUL. This works for	535	advantage, typing <Ctrl-Shift-0> to get a ASCII NUL. This works for
473	other codes, too, such as "Ctrl-Shift-1-d" to type the default telnet	536	other codes, too, such as "Ctrl-Shift-1-d" to type the default telnet
474	escape character and so on.	537	escape character and so on.
475		538
476	Mouse cut/paste suddenly no longer works.	539	Mouse cut/paste suddenly no longer works.
477	Make sure that mouse reporting is actually turned off since killing some	540	Make sure that mouse reporting is actually turned off since killing some
478	editors prematurely may leave the mouse in mouse report mode. I've heard	541	editors prematurely may leave it active. I've heard that tcsh may use
479	that tcsh may use mouse reporting unless it otherwise specified. A quick	542	mouse reporting unless it is otherwise specified. A quick check is to
480	check is to see if cut/paste works when the Alt or Shift keys are	543	see if cut/paste works when the Alt or Shift keys are pressed.
481	depressed.
482		544
483	What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour?	545	What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour?
484	Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the BackSpace	546	Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the Backspace
485	keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following question) there are	547	keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following question) there are
486	two standard values that can be used for Backspace: "^H" and "^?".	548	two standard values that can be used for Backspace: "^H" and "^?".
487		549
488	Historically, either value is correct, but rxvt-unicode adopts the	550	Historically, either value is correct, but rxvt-unicode adopts the
489	debian policy of using "^?" when unsure, because it's the one only only	551	debian policy of using "^?" when unsure, because it's the one and only
490	correct choice :).	552	correct choice :).
491		553
492	Rxvt-unicode tries to inherit the current stty settings and uses the	554	It is possible to toggle between "^H" and "^?" with the DECBKM private
493	value of `erase' to guess the value for backspace. If rxvt-unicode	555	mode:
494	wasn't started from a terminal (say, from a menu or by remote shell),
495	then the system value of `erase', which corresponds to CERASE in
496	<termios.h>, will be used (which may not be the same as your stty
497	setting).
498
499	For starting a new rxvt-unicode:
500		556
501	# use Backspace = ^H	557	# use Backspace = ^H
502	$ stty erase ^H	558	$ stty erase ^H
503	$ rxvt	559	$ printf "\e[?67h"
504		560
505	# use Backspace = ^?	561	# use Backspace = ^?
506	$ stty erase ^?	562	$ stty erase ^?
507	$ rxvt	563	$ printf "\e[?67l"
508
509	Toggle with "ESC [ 36 h" / "ESC [ 36 l".
510
511	For an existing rxvt-unicode:
512
513	# use Backspace = ^H
514	$ stty erase ^H
515	$ echo -n "^[[36h"
516
517	# use Backspace = ^?
518	$ stty erase ^?
519	$ echo -n "^[[36l"
520		564
521	This helps satisfy some of the Backspace discrepancies that occur, but	565	This helps satisfy some of the Backspace discrepancies that occur, but
522	if you use Backspace = "^H", make sure that the termcap/terminfo value	566	if you use Backspace = "^H", make sure that the termcap/terminfo value
523	properly reflects that.	567	properly reflects that.
524		568
…		…
538	There are some compile-time selections available via configure. Unless	582	There are some compile-time selections available via configure. Unless
539	you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources" option you can	583	you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources" option you can
540	use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings associated with	584	use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings associated with
541	keysyms.	585	keysyms.
542		586
543	Here's an example for a URxvt session started using "rxvt -name URxvt"	587	Here's an example for a URxvt session started using "urxvt -name URxvt"
544		588
		589	URxvt.keysym.Prior: \033[5~
		590	URxvt.keysym.Next: \033[6~
545	URxvt.keysym.Home: \033[1~	591	URxvt.keysym.Home: \033[7~
546	URxvt.keysym.End: \033[4~	592	URxvt.keysym.End: \033[8~
547	URxvt.keysym.C-apostrophe: \033<C-'>
548	URxvt.keysym.C-slash: \033<C-/>
549	URxvt.keysym.C-semicolon: \033<C-;>
550	URxvt.keysym.C-grave: \033<C-`>
551	URxvt.keysym.C-comma: \033<C-,>
552	URxvt.keysym.C-period: \033<C-.>
553	URxvt.keysym.C-0x60: \033<C-`>
554	URxvt.keysym.C-Tab: \033<C-Tab>
555	URxvt.keysym.C-Return: \033<C-Return>
556	URxvt.keysym.S-Return: \033<S-Return>
557	URxvt.keysym.S-space: \033<S-Space>
558	URxvt.keysym.M-Up: \033<M-Up>	593	URxvt.keysym.Up: \033[A
559	URxvt.keysym.M-Down: \033<M-Down>	594	URxvt.keysym.Down: \033[B
		595	URxvt.keysym.Right: \033[C
560	URxvt.keysym.M-Left: \033<M-Left>	596	URxvt.keysym.Left: \033[D
561	URxvt.keysym.M-Right: \033<M-Right>
562	URxvt.keysym.M-C-0: list \033<M-C- 0123456789 >
563	URxvt.keysym.M-C-a: list \033<M-C- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz >
564	URxvt.keysym.F12: command:\033]701;zh_CN.GBK\007
565		597
566	See some more examples in the documentation for the keysym resource.	598	See some more examples in the documentation for the keysym resource.
567		599
568	I'm using keyboard model XXX that has extra Prior/Next/Insert keys. How do I make use of them? For example, the Sun Keyboard type 4 has the following map	600	I'm using keyboard model XXX that has extra Prior/Next/Insert keys. How do I make use of them? For example, the Sun Keyboard type 4 has the following map
569	KP_Insert == Insert	601	KP_Insert == Insert
…		…
576	Rather than have rxvt-unicode try to accommodate all the various	608	Rather than have rxvt-unicode try to accommodate all the various
577	possible keyboard mappings, it is better to use `xmodmap' to remap the	609	possible keyboard mappings, it is better to use `xmodmap' to remap the
578	keys as required for your particular machine.	610	keys as required for your particular machine.
579		611
580	Terminal Configuration	612	Terminal Configuration
		613	Can I see a typical configuration?
		614	The default configuration tries to be xterm-like, which I don't like
		615	that much, but it's least surprise to regular users.
		616
		617	As a rxvt or rxvt-unicode user, you are practically supposed to invest
		618	time into customising your terminal. To get you started, here is the
		619	author's .Xdefaults entries, with comments on what they do. It's
		620	certainly not typical, but what's typical...
		621
		622	URxvt.cutchars: "()*,<>[]{}\|'
		623	URxvt.print-pipe: cat >/tmp/xxx
		624
		625	These are just for testing stuff.
		626
		627	URxvt.imLocale: ja_JP.UTF-8
		628	URxvt.preeditType: OnTheSpot,None
		629
		630	This tells rxvt-unicode to use a special locale when communicating with
		631	the X Input Method, and also tells it to only use the OnTheSpot pre-edit
		632	type, which requires the "xim-onthespot" perl extension but rewards me
		633	with correct-looking fonts.
		634
		635	URxvt.perl-lib: /root/lib/urxvt
		636	URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,selection-autotransform,selection-pastebin,xim-onthespot,remote-clipboard
		637	URxvt.selection.pattern-0: ( at .*? line \\d+)
		638	URxvt.selection.pattern-1: ^(/[^:]+):\
		639	URxvt.selection-autotransform.0: s/^([^:[:space:]]+):(\\d+):?$/:e \\Q$1\\E\\x0d:$2\\x0d/
		640	URxvt.selection-autotransform.1: s/^ at (.*?) line (\\d+)$/:e \\Q$1\\E\\x0d:$2\\x0d/
		641
		642	This is my perl configuration. The first two set the perl library
		643	directory and also tells urxvt to use a large number of extensions. I
		644	develop for myself mostly, so I actually use most of the extensions I
		645	write.
		646
		647	The selection stuff mainly makes the selection perl-error-message aware
		648	and tells it to convert perl error messages into vi-commands to load the
		649	relevant file and go to the error line number.
		650
		651	URxvt.scrollstyle: plain
		652	URxvt.secondaryScroll: true
		653
		654	As the documentation says: plain is the preferred scrollbar for the
		655	author. The "secondaryScroll" configures urxvt to scroll in full-screen
		656	apps, like screen, so lines scrolled out of screen end up in urxvt's
		657	scrollback buffer.
		658
		659	URxvt.background: #000000
		660	URxvt.foreground: gray90
		661	URxvt.color7: gray90
		662	URxvt.colorBD: #ffffff
		663	URxvt.cursorColor: #e0e080
		664	URxvt.throughColor: #8080f0
		665	URxvt.highlightColor: #f0f0f0
		666
		667	Some colours. Not sure which ones are being used or even non-defaults,
		668	but these are in my .Xdefaults. Most notably, they set
		669	foreground/background to light gray/black, and also make sure that the
		670	colour 7 matches the default foreground colour.
		671
		672	URxvt.underlineColor: yellow
		673
		674	Another colour, makes underline lines look different. Sometimes hurts,
		675	but is mostly a nice effect.
		676
		677	URxvt.geometry: 154x36
		678	URxvt.loginShell: false
		679	URxvt.meta: ignore
		680	URxvt.utmpInhibit: true
		681
		682	Uh, well, should be mostly self-explanatory. By specifying some defaults
		683	manually, I can quickly switch them for testing.
		684
		685	URxvt.saveLines: 8192
		686
		687	A large scrollback buffer is essential. Really.
		688
		689	URxvt.mapAlert: true
		690
		691	The only case I use it is for my IRC window, which I like to keep
		692	iconified till people msg me (which beeps).
		693
		694	URxvt.visualBell: true
		695
		696	The audible bell is often annoying, especially when in a crowd.
		697
		698	URxvt.insecure: true
		699
		700	Please don't hack my mutt! Ooops...
		701
		702	URxvt.pastableTabs: false
		703
		704	I once thought this is a great idea.
		705
		706	urxvt.font: 9x15bold,\
		707	-misc-fixed-bold-r-normal--15-140-75-75-c-90-iso10646-1,\
		708	-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--15-140-75-75-c-90-iso10646-1, \
		709	[codeset=JISX0208]xft:Kochi Gothic, \
		710	xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:autohint=true, \
		711	xft:Code2000:antialias=false
		712	urxvt.boldFont: -xos4-terminus-bold-r-normal--14-140-72-72-c-80-iso8859-15
		713	urxvt.italicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:italic:autohint=true
		714	urxvt.boldItalicFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:bold:italic:autohint=true
		715
		716	I wrote rxvt-unicode to be able to specify fonts exactly. So don't be
		717	overwhelmed. A special note: the "9x15bold" mentioned above is actually
		718	the version from XFree-3.3, as XFree-4 replaced it by a totally
		719	different font (different glyphs for ";" and many other harmless
		720	characters), while the second font is actually the "9x15bold" from
		721	XFree4/XOrg. The bold version has less chars than the medium version, so
		722	I use it for rare characters, too. When editing sources with vim, I use
		723	italic for comments and other stuff, which looks quite good with
		724	Bitstream Vera anti-aliased.
		725
		726	Terminus is a quite bad font (many very wrong glyphs), but for most of
		727	my purposes, it works, and gives a different look, as my normal
		728	(Non-bold) font is already bold, and I want to see a difference between
		729	bold and normal fonts.
		730
		731	Please note that I used the "urxvt" instance name and not the "URxvt"
		732	class name. That is because I use different configs for different
		733	purposes, for example, my IRC window is started with "-name IRC", and
		734	uses these defaults:
		735
		736	IRC*title: IRC
		737	IRC*geometry: 87x12+535+542
		738	IRC*saveLines: 0
		739	IRC*mapAlert: true
		740	IRC*font: suxuseuro
		741	IRC*boldFont: suxuseuro
		742	IRC*colorBD: white
		743	IRC*keysym.M-C-1: command:\033]710;suxuseuro\007\033]711;suxuseuro\007
		744	IRC*keysym.M-C-2: command:\033]710;9x15bold\007\033]711;9x15bold\007
		745
		746	"Alt-Ctrl-1" and "Alt-Ctrl-2" switch between two different font sizes.
		747	"suxuseuro" allows me to keep an eye (and actually read) stuff while
		748	keeping a very small window. If somebody pastes something complicated
		749	(e.g. japanese), I temporarily switch to a larger font.
		750
		751	The above is all in my ".Xdefaults" (I don't use ".Xresources" nor
		752	"xrdb"). I also have some resources in a separate ".Xdefaults-hostname"
		753	file for different hosts, for example, on my main desktop, I use:
		754
		755	URxvt.keysym.C-M-q: command:\033[3;5;5t
		756	URxvt.keysym.C-M-y: command:\033[3;5;606t
		757	URxvt.keysym.C-M-e: command:\033[3;1605;5t
		758	URxvt.keysym.C-M-c: command:\033[3;1605;606t
		759	URxvt.keysym.C-M-p: perl:test
		760
		761	The first for keysym definitions allow me to quickly bring some windows
		762	in the layout I like most. Ion users might start laughing but will stop
		763	immediately when I tell them that I use my own Fvwm2 module for much the
		764	same effect as Ion provides, and I only very rarely use the above key
		765	combinations :->
		766
581	Why doesn't rxvt-unicode read my resources?	767	Why doesn't rxvt-unicode read my resources?
582	Well, why, indeed? It does, in a way very similar to other X	768	Well, why, indeed? It does, in a way very similar to other X
583	applications. Most importantly, this means that if you or your OS loads	769	applications. Most importantly, this means that if you or your OS loads
584	resources into the X display (the right way to do it), rxvt-unicode will	770	resources into the X display (the right way to do it), rxvt-unicode will
585	ignore any resource files in your home directory. It will only read	771	ignore any resource files in your home directory. It will only read
…		…
592	Also consider the form resources have to use:	778	Also consider the form resources have to use:
593		779
594	URxvt.resource: value	780	URxvt.resource: value
595		781
596	If you want to use another form (there are lots of different ways of	782	If you want to use another form (there are lots of different ways of
597	specifying resources), make sure you understand wether and why it works.	783	specifying resources), make sure you understand whether and why it
598	If unsure, use the form above.	784	works. If unsure, use the form above.
599		785
600	When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data?	786	When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data?
601	The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely available	787	The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely available
602	as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same problem often	788	as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same problem often
603	arises).	789	arises).
604		790
605	The correct solution for this problem is to install the terminfo, this	791	The correct solution for this problem is to install the terminfo, this
606	can be done like this (with ncurses' infocmp):	792	can be done by simply installing rxvt-unicode on the remote system as
		793	well (in case you have a nice package manager ready), or you can install
		794	the terminfo database manually like this (with ncurses infocmp. works as
		795	user and root):
607		796
608	REMOTE=remotesystem.domain	797	REMOTE=remotesystem.domain
609	infocmp rxvt-unicode \| ssh $REMOTE "cat >/tmp/ti && tic /tmp/ti"	798	infocmp rxvt-unicode \| ssh $REMOTE "mkdir -p .terminfo && cat >/tmp/ti && tic /tmp/ti"
610		799
611	... or by installing rxvt-unicode normally on the remote system,	800	One some systems you might need to set $TERMINFO to the full path of
		801	$HOME/.terminfo for this to work.
612		802
613	If you cannot or do not want to do this, then you can simply set	803	If you cannot or do not want to do this, then you can simply set
614	"TERM=rxvt" or even "TERM=xterm", and live with the small number of	804	"TERM=rxvt" or even "TERM=xterm", and live with the small number of
615	problems arising, which includes wrong keymapping, less and different	805	problems arising, which includes wrong keymapping, less and different
616	colours and some refresh errors in fullscreen applications. It's a nice	806	colours and some refresh errors in fullscreen applications. It's a nice
…		…
621	resource to set it:	811	resource to set it:
622		812
623	URxvt.termName: rxvt	813	URxvt.termName: rxvt
624		814
625	If you don't plan to use rxvt (quite common...) you could also replace	815	If you don't plan to use rxvt (quite common...) you could also replace
626	the rxvt terminfo file with the rxvt-unicode one.	816	the rxvt terminfo file with the rxvt-unicode one and use "TERM=rxvt".
		817
		818	nano fails with "Error opening terminal: rxvt-unicode"
		819	This exceptionally confusing and useless error message is printed by
		820	nano when it can't find the terminfo database. Nothing is wrong with
		821	your terminal, read the previous answer for a solution.
627		822
628	"tic" outputs some error when compiling the terminfo entry.	823	"tic" outputs some error when compiling the terminfo entry.
629	Most likely it's the empty definition for "enacs=". Just replace it by	824	Most likely it's the empty definition for "enacs=". Just replace it by
630	"enacs=\E[0@" and try again.	825	"enacs=\E[0@" and try again.
631		826
632	"bash"'s readline does not work correctly under rxvt.	827	"bash"'s readline does not work correctly under urxvt.
633	See next entry.	828	See next entry.
634		829
635	I need a termcap file entry.	830	I need a termcap file entry.
636	One reason you might want this is that some distributions or operating	831	One reason you might want this is that some distributions or operating
637	systems still compile some programs using the long-obsoleted termcap	832	systems still compile some programs using the long-obsoleted termcap
638	library (Fedora Core's bash is one example) and rely on a termcap entry	833	library (Fedora's bash is one example) and rely on a termcap entry for
639	for "rxvt-unicode".	834	"rxvt-unicode".
640		835
641	You could use rxvt's termcap entry with resonable results in many cases.	836	You could use rxvt's termcap entry with reasonable results in many
642	You can also create a termcap entry by using terminfo's infocmp program	837	cases. You can also create a termcap entry by using terminfo's infocmp
643	like this:	838	program like this:
644		839
645	infocmp -C rxvt-unicode	840	infocmp -C rxvt-unicode
646		841
647	Or you could use this termcap entry, generated by the command above:	842	Or you could use the termcap entry in doc/etc/rxvt-unicode.termcap,
648		843	generated by the command above.
649	rxvt-unicode\|rxvt-unicode terminal (X Window System):\
650	:am:bw:eo:km:mi:ms:xn:xo:\
651	:co#80:it#8:li#24:lm#0:\
652	:AL=\E[%dL:DC=\E[%dP:DL=\E[%dM:DO=\E[%dB:IC=\E[%d@:\
653	:K1=\EOw:K2=\EOu:K3=\EOy:K4=\EOq:K5=\EOs:LE=\E[%dD:\
654	:RI=\E[%dC:SF=\E[%dS:SR=\E[%dT:UP=\E[%dA:ae=\E(B:al=\E[L:\
655	:as=\E(0:bl=^G:cd=\E[J:ce=\E[K:cl=\E[H\E[2J:\
656	:cm=\E[%i%d;%dH:cr=^M:cs=\E[%i%d;%dr:ct=\E[3g:dc=\E[P:\
657	:dl=\E[M:do=^J:ec=\E[%dX:ei=\E[4l:ho=\E[H:\
658	:i1=\E[?47l\E=\E[?1l:ic=\E[@:im=\E[4h:\
659	:is=\E[r\E[m\E[2J\E[H\E[?7h\E[?1;3;4;6l\E[4l:\
660	:k1=\E[11~:k2=\E[12~:k3=\E[13~:k4=\E[14~:k5=\E[15~:\
661	:k6=\E[17~:k7=\E[18~:k8=\E[19~:k9=\E[20~:kD=\E[3~:\
662	:kI=\E[2~:kN=\E[6~:kP=\E[5~:kb=\177:kd=\EOB:ke=\E[?1l\E>:\
663	:kh=\E[7~:kl=\EOD:kr=\EOC:ks=\E[?1h\E=:ku=\EOA:le=^H:\
664	:mb=\E[5m:md=\E[1m:me=\E[m\017:mr=\E[7m:nd=\E[C:rc=\E8:\
665	:sc=\E7:se=\E[27m:sf=^J:so=\E[7m:sr=\EM:st=\EH:ta=^I:\
666	:te=\E[r\E[?1049l:ti=\E[?1049h:ue=\E[24m:up=\E[A:\
667	:us=\E[4m:vb=\E[?5h\E[?5l:ve=\E[?25h:vi=\E[?25l:\
668	:vs=\E[?25h:
669		844
670	Why does "ls" no longer have coloured output?	845	Why does "ls" no longer have coloured output?
671	The "ls" in the GNU coreutils unfortunately doesn't use terminfo to	846	The "ls" in the GNU coreutils unfortunately doesn't use terminfo to
672	decide wether a terminal has colour, but uses it's own configuration	847	decide whether a terminal has colour, but uses its own configuration
673	file. Needless to say, "rxvt-unicode" is not in it's default file (among	848	file. Needless to say, "rxvt-unicode" is not in its default file (among
674	with most other terminals supporting colour). Either add:	849	with most other terminals supporting colour). Either add:
675		850
676	TERM rxvt-unicode	851	TERM rxvt-unicode
677		852
678	to "/etc/DIR_COLORS" or simply add:	853	to "/etc/DIR_COLORS" or simply add:
…		…
687	Why doesn't vim/emacs etc. make use of italic?	862	Why doesn't vim/emacs etc. make use of italic?
688	See next entry.	863	See next entry.
689		864
690	Why are the secondary screen-related options not working properly?	865	Why are the secondary screen-related options not working properly?
691	Make sure you are using "TERM=rxvt-unicode". Some pre-packaged	866	Make sure you are using "TERM=rxvt-unicode". Some pre-packaged
692	distributions (most notably Debian GNU/Linux) break rxvt-unicode by	867	distributions break rxvt-unicode by setting "TERM" to "rxvt", which
693	setting "TERM" to "rxvt", which doesn't have these extra features.	868	doesn't have these extra features. Unfortunately, some of these
694	Unfortunately, some of these (most notably, again, Debian GNU/Linux)
695	furthermore fail to even install the "rxvt-unicode" terminfo file, so	869	furthermore fail to even install the "rxvt-unicode" terminfo file, so
696	you will need to install it on your own (See the question When I log-in	870	you will need to install it on your own (See the question When I log-in
697	to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? on how to do	871	to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? on how to do
698	this).	872	this).
699		873
…		…
705	If you encounter strange problems like typing an accented character but	879	If you encounter strange problems like typing an accented character but
706	getting two unrelated other characters or similar, or if program output	880	getting two unrelated other characters or similar, or if program output
707	is subtly garbled, then you should check your locale settings.	881	is subtly garbled, then you should check your locale settings.
708		882
709	Rxvt-unicode must be started with the same "LC_CTYPE" setting as the	883	Rxvt-unicode must be started with the same "LC_CTYPE" setting as the
710	programs. Often rxvt-unicode is started in the "C" locale, while the	884	programs running in it. Often rxvt-unicode is started in the "C" locale,
711	login script running within the rxvt-unicode window changes the locale	885	while the login script running within the rxvt-unicode window changes
712	to something else, e.g. "en_GB.UTF-8". Needless to say, this is not	886	the locale to something else, e.g. "en_GB.UTF-8". Needless to say, this
713	going to work.	887	is not going to work, and is the most common cause for problems.
714		888
715	The best thing is to fix your startup environment, as you will likely	889	The best thing is to fix your startup environment, as you will likely
716	run into other problems. If nothing works you can try this in your	890	run into other problems. If nothing works you can try this in your
717	.profile.	891	.profile.
718		892
719	printf '\e]701;%s\007' "$LC_CTYPE"	893	printf '\33]701;%s\007' "$LC_CTYPE" # $LANG or $LC_ALL are worth a try, too
720		894
721	If this doesn't work, then maybe you use a "LC_CTYPE" specification not	895	If this doesn't work, then maybe you use a "LC_CTYPE" specification not
722	supported on your systems. Some systems have a "locale" command which	896	supported on your systems. Some systems have a "locale" command which
723	displays this (also, "perl -e0" can be used to check locale settings, as	897	displays this (also, "perl -e0" can be used to check locale settings, as
724	it will complain loudly if it cannot set the locale). If it displays	898	it will complain loudly if it cannot set the locale). If it displays
…		…
743	The reasons is that there exists a perfectly fine mechanism for	917	The reasons is that there exists a perfectly fine mechanism for
744	selecting the encoding, doing I/O and (most important) communicating	918	selecting the encoding, doing I/O and (most important) communicating
745	this to all applications so everybody agrees on character properties	919	this to all applications so everybody agrees on character properties
746	such as width and code number. This mechanism is the locale.	920	such as width and code number. This mechanism is the locale.
747	Applications not using that info will have problems (for example,	921	Applications not using that info will have problems (for example,
748	"xterm" gets the width of characters wrong as it uses it's own,	922	"xterm" gets the width of characters wrong as it uses its own,
749	locale-independent table under all locales).	923	locale-independent table under all locales).
750		924
751	Rxvt-unicode uses the "LC_CTYPE" locale category to select encoding. All	925	Rxvt-unicode uses the "LC_CTYPE" locale category to select encoding. All
752	programs doing the same (that is, most) will automatically agree in the	926	programs doing the same (that is, most) will automatically agree in the
753	interpretation of characters.	927	interpretation of characters.
…		…
770		944
771	Can I switch locales at runtime?	945	Can I switch locales at runtime?
772	Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which sets	946	Yes, using an escape sequence. Try something like this, which sets
773	rxvt-unicode's idea of "LC_CTYPE".	947	rxvt-unicode's idea of "LC_CTYPE".
774		948
775	printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS	949	printf '\33]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS
776		950
777	See also the previous answer.	951	See also the previous answer.
778		952
779	Sometimes this capability is rather handy when you want to work in one	953	Sometimes this capability is rather handy when you want to work in one
780	locale (e.g. "de_DE.UTF-8") but some programs don't support it (e.g.	954	locale (e.g. "de_DE.UTF-8") but some programs don't support it (e.g.
781	UTF-8). For example, I use this script to start "xjdic", which first	955	UTF-8). For example, I use this script to start "xjdic", which first
782	switches to a locale supported by xjdic and back later:	956	switches to a locale supported by xjdic and back later:
783		957
784	printf '\e]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS	958	printf '\33]701;%s\007' ja_JP.SJIS
785	xjdic -js	959	xjdic -js
786	printf '\e]701;%s\007' de_DE.UTF-8	960	printf '\33]701;%s\007' de_DE.UTF-8
787		961
788	You can also use xterm's "luit" program, which usually works fine,	962	You can also use xterm's "luit" program, which usually works fine,
789	except for some locales where character width differs between program-	963	except for some locales where character width differs between program-
790	and rxvt-unicode-locales.	964	and rxvt-unicode-locales.
791		965
		966	I have problems getting my input method working.
		967	Try a search engine, as this is slightly different for every input
		968	method server.
		969
		970	Here is a checklist:
		971
		972	- Make sure your locale and the imLocale are supported on your OS.
		973	Try "locale -a" or check the documentation for your OS.
		974
		975	- Make sure your locale or imLocale matches a locale supported by your
		976	XIM.
		977	For example, kinput2 does not support UTF-8 locales, you should use
		978	"ja_JP.EUC-JP" or equivalent.
		979
		980	- Make sure your XIM server is actually running.
		981	- Make sure the "XMODIFIERS" environment variable is set correctly when
		982	starting rxvt-unicode.
		983	When you want to use e.g. kinput2, it must be set to "@im=kinput2".
		984	For scim, use "@im=SCIM". You can see what input method servers are
		985	running with this command:
		986
		987	xprop -root XIM_SERVERS
		988
792	My input method wants <some encoding> but I want UTF-8, what can I do?	989	My input method wants <some encoding> but I want UTF-8, what can I do?
793	You can specify separate locales for the input method and the rest of	990	You can specify separate locales for the input method and the rest of
794	the terminal, using the resource "imlocale":	991	the terminal, using the resource "imlocale":
795		992
796	URxvt.imlocale: ja_JP.EUC-JP	993	URxvt.imlocale: ja_JP.EUC-JP
797		994
798	Now you can start your terminal with "LC_CTYPE=ja_JP.UTF-8" and still	995	Now you can start your terminal with "LC_CTYPE=ja_JP.UTF-8" and still
799	use your input method. Please note, however, that you will not be able	996	use your input method. Please note, however, that, depending on your
800	to input characters outside "EUC-JP" in a normal way then, as your input	997	Xlib version, you may not be able to input characters outside "EUC-JP"
801	method limits you.	998	in a normal way then, as your input method limits you.
802		999
803	Rxvt-unicode crashes when the X Input Method changes or exits.	1000	Rxvt-unicode crashes when the X Input Method changes or exits.
804	Unfortunately, this is unavoidable, as the XIM protocol is racy by	1001	Unfortunately, this is unavoidable, as the XIM protocol is racy by
805	design. Applications can avoid some crashes at the expense of memory	1002	design. Applications can avoid some crashes at the expense of memory
806	leaks, and Input Methods can avoid some crashes by careful ordering at	1003	leaks, and Input Methods can avoid some crashes by careful ordering at
…		…
809	cannot be completely avoided even if both sides cooperate.	1006	cannot be completely avoided even if both sides cooperate.
810		1007
811	So the only workaround is not to kill your Input Method Servers.	1008	So the only workaround is not to kill your Input Method Servers.
812		1009
813	Operating Systems / Package Maintaining	1010	Operating Systems / Package Maintaining
814	I am using Debian GNU/Linux and have a problem...
815	The Debian GNU/Linux package of rxvt-unicode in sarge contains large
816	patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode (but
817	unfortunately this notice has been removed). Before reporting a bug to
818	the original rxvt-unicode author please download and install the genuine
819	version (<http://software.schmorp.de#rxvt-unicode>) and try to reproduce
820	the problem. If you cannot, chances are that the problems are specific
821	to Debian GNU/Linux, in which case it should be reported via the Debian
822	Bug Tracking System (use "reportbug" to report the bug).
823
824	For other problems that also affect the Debian package, you can and
825	probably should use the Debian BTS, too, because, after all, it's also a
826	bug in the Debian version and it serves as a reminder for other users
827	that might encounter the same issue.
828
829	I am maintaining rxvt-unicode for distribution/OS XXX, any recommendation?	1011	I am maintaining rxvt-unicode for distribution/OS XXX, any recommendation?
830	You should build one binary with the default options. configure now	1012	You should build one binary with the default options. configure now
831	enables most useful options, and the trend goes to making them	1013	enables most useful options, and the trend goes to making them
832	runtime-switchable, too, so there is usually no drawback to enbaling	1014	runtime-switchable, too, so there is usually no drawback to enabling
833	them, except higher disk and possibly memory usage. The perl interpreter	1015	them, except higher disk and possibly memory usage. The perl interpreter
834	should be enabled, as important functionality (menus, selection, likely	1016	should be enabled, as important functionality (menus, selection, likely
835	more in the future) depends on it.	1017	more in the future) depends on it.
836		1018
837	You should not overwrite the "perl-ext-common" snd "perl-ext" resources	1019	You should not overwrite the "perl-ext-common" and "perl-ext" resources
838	system-wide (except maybe with "defaults"). This will result in useful	1020	system-wide (except maybe with "defaults"). This will result in useful
839	behaviour. If your distribution aims at low memory, add an empty	1021	behaviour. If your distribution aims at low memory, add an empty
840	"perl-ext-common" resource to the app-defaults file. This will keep the	1022	"perl-ext-common" resource to the app-defaults file. This will keep the
841	perl interpreter disabled until the user enables it.	1023	perl interpreter disabled until the user enables it.
842		1024
…		…
859	This forking is done as the very first within main(), which is very	1041	This forking is done as the very first within main(), which is very
860	early and reduces possible bugs to initialisation code run before	1042	early and reduces possible bugs to initialisation code run before
861	main(), or things like the dynamic loader of your system, which should	1043	main(), or things like the dynamic loader of your system, which should
862	result in very little risk.	1044	result in very little risk.
863		1045
864	On Solaris 9, many line-drawing characters are too wide.
865	Seems to be a known bug, read
866	<http://nixdoc.net/files/forum/about34198.html>. Some people use the
867	following ugly workaround to get non-double-wide-characters working:
868
869	#define wcwidth(x) wcwidth(x) > 1 ? 1 : wcwidth(x)
870
871	I am on FreeBSD and rxvt-unicode does not seem to work at all.	1046	I am on FreeBSD and rxvt-unicode does not seem to work at all.
872	Rxvt-unicode requires the symbol "__STDC_ISO_10646__" to be defined in	1047	Rxvt-unicode requires the symbol "__STDC_ISO_10646__" to be defined in
873	your compile environment, or an implementation that implements it,	1048	your compile environment, or an implementation that implements it,
874	wether it defines the symbol or not. "__STDC_ISO_10646__" requires that	1049	whether it defines the symbol or not. "__STDC_ISO_10646__" requires that
875	wchar_t is represented as unicode.	1050	wchar_t is represented as unicode.
876		1051
877	As you might have guessed, FreeBSD does neither define this symobl nor	1052	As you might have guessed, FreeBSD does neither define this symbol nor
878	does it support it. Instead, it uses it's own internal representation of	1053	does it support it. Instead, it uses its own internal representation of
879	wchar_t. This is, of course, completely fine with respect to standards.	1054	wchar_t. This is, of course, completely fine with respect to standards.
880		1055
881	However, that means rxvt-unicode only works in "POSIX", "ISO-8859-1" and	1056	However, that means rxvt-unicode only works in "POSIX", "ISO-8859-1" and
882	"UTF-8" locales under FreeBSD (which all use Unicode as wchar_t.	1057	"UTF-8" locales under FreeBSD (which all use Unicode as wchar_t).
883		1058
884	"__STDC_ISO_10646__" is the only sane way to support multi-language apps	1059	"__STDC_ISO_10646__" is the only sane way to support multi-language apps
885	in an OS, as using a locale-dependent (and non-standardized)	1060	in an OS, as using a locale-dependent (and non-standardized)
886	representation of wchar_t makes it impossible to convert between wchar_t	1061	representation of wchar_t makes it impossible to convert between wchar_t
887	(as used by X11 and your applications) and any other encoding without	1062	(as used by X11 and your applications) and any other encoding without
…		…
897		1072
898	The rxvt-unicode author insists that the right way to fix this is in the	1073	The rxvt-unicode author insists that the right way to fix this is in the
899	system libraries once and for all, instead of forcing every app to carry	1074	system libraries once and for all, instead of forcing every app to carry
900	complete replacements for them :)	1075	complete replacements for them :)
901		1076
902	I use Solaris 9 and it doesn't compile/work/etc.
903	Try the diff in doc/solaris9.patch as a base. It fixes the worst
904	problems with "wcwidth" and a compile problem.
905
906	How can I use rxvt-unicode under cygwin?	1077	How can I use rxvt-unicode under cygwin?
907	rxvt-unicode should compile and run out of the box on cygwin, using the	1078	rxvt-unicode should compile and run out of the box on cygwin, using the
908	X11 libraries that come with cygwin. libW11 emulation is no longer	1079	X11 libraries that come with cygwin. libW11 emulation is no longer
909	supported (and makes no sense, either, as it only supported a single	1080	supported (and makes no sense, either, as it only supported a single
910	font). I recommend starting the X-server in "-multiwindow" or	1081	font). I recommend starting the X-server in "-multiwindow" or
…		…
913		1084
914	At the time of this writing, cygwin didn't seem to support any	1085	At the time of this writing, cygwin didn't seem to support any
915	multi-byte encodings (you might try "LC_CTYPE=C-UTF-8"), so you are	1086	multi-byte encodings (you might try "LC_CTYPE=C-UTF-8"), so you are
916	likely limited to 8-bit encodings.	1087	likely limited to 8-bit encodings.
917		1088
		1089	Character widths are not correct.
		1090	urxvt uses the system wcwidth function to know the information about the
		1091	width of characters, so on systems with incorrect locale data you will
		1092	likely get bad results. Two notorious examples are Solaris 9, where
		1093	single-width characters like U+2514 are reported as double-width, and
		1094	Darwin 8, where combining chars are reported having width 1.
		1095
		1096	The solution is to upgrade your system or switch to a better one. A
		1097	possibly working workaround is to use a wcwidth implementation like
		1098
		1099	http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/ucs/wcwidth.c
		1100

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Comparing rxvt-unicode/README.FAQ (file contents):
Revision 1.39 by root, Tue Jan 31 20:52:19 2006 UTC vs.
Revision 1.72 by root, Sat May 14 08:28:25 2016 UTC