Startup Options

The acceptable options can be split into three classes. Note that they must be specified on the command line in order of their class. This means that, for example, the `-rc' option must be after the `-font' option.

So, the general usage pattern is

jade [system-dependent-options] [standard-options] [lisp-options]

Note that the lisp-options may include files to be loaded.

1. System dependent options.
   • Options for the Amiga system.

     `-pubscreen screen-name'

     Defines the name of the public screen on which the first window is opened. By default (or if screen-name doesn't exits) the Workbench screen is used.

     `-font font-string'

     Defines the font used in the first window. font-string is the font to use, it is the name of the font (for example, `topaz.font'), followed by a hyphen and the point size to use. For example, a font-string of `topaz.font-8' gives 8-point topaz. This is the default.

     `-stack stack-size'

     When this argument is given Jade allocates a new stack. stack-size is a decimal number defining the size (in bytes) of the new stack. If this argument is not given Jade simply uses the stack that AmigaDOS gave it.

   • Options for X11. There are two types of options to the X11 version of the editor, those specified on the command line and those defined in the resource database (i.e. in your `.Xdefaults' file). Resources are looked for under two names, firstly the name under which the editor was invoked (normally jade), if this fails it tries again with the name Jade. Naturally, options specified on the command line override those in the resource database.

     `-display display-name'

     Defines the name of the X display to open, by default the contents of the environment variable DISPLAY. It is a string of the form `host-name:number.screen-number'.

     `-name name'

     The name to use when looking up resource values, this replaces the base name of the executable (normally jade).

     `-geometry geom-spec'

     Specifies where to place the first window on the screen. This is a standard X style geometry specification.

     `-fg foreground-colour'

     Resource: `fg: foreground-colour'

     The colour of the window's foreground (i.e. the text).

     `-bg background-colour'

     Resource: `bg: background-colour'

     The background colour of the window.

     `-font font-name'

     Resource: `font: font-name'

     The name of the font used for all text in the initial window.

2. Standard options.

   `-rc lisp-file'

   Load the Lisp script lisp-file instead of the normal initialisation script (`init'). Warning: the editor depends heavily on the normal file, if you change this without due care the editor could be unusable -- no keys will be bound and many standard functions won't exist.

   `-v'

   Print the version and revision numbers of this copy of the editor then quit.

   `-log-msgs'

   This option makes all messages which are displayed in the status line also be written to the standard error stream. This is sometimes useful for debugging purposes.

3. All other options are passed to the Lisp initialisation process in the variable command-line-args, these are available to any Lisp packages loaded in the initialisation script. Any left after that are scanned for the following options,

   `-f function'

   Call the Lisp function function.

   `-l file'

   Load the Lisp file file.

   `-q'

   Quit cleanly.

   `file'

   Load the file of text file into a new buffer.

An example command line for starting Jade from a Unix shell could be

$ jade -fg white -bg black -log-msgs foo.c bar.jl

This means white text, black background, save messages and load the files `foo.c' and `bar.jl'.

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