How to Change the Font Size in an Emacs Window


1) Determine what font directories are in your font path.


% /usr/bin/X11/xset -q

Keyboard Control:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  auto repeating keys:  ffffffffffffffff
                        ffffffffffffffff
                        ffffffffff07f8df
                        ffffffffffffffff
  bell percent:  50    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
Pointer Control:
  acceleration:  7 = 7 / 1    threshold:  3
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  300    cycle:  300
Colors:
  default colormap:  0x26    BlackPixel:  0    WhitePixel:  1
Font Path:
  /usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/MIT/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/d
ecwin/75dpi/
Bug Mode: compatibility mode is enabled


2) Determine what fonts are available in the font directories accessible
   via your font path.  For example, if you are interested in courier 14
   point fonts you could use the following:


% ls /usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/cour*14*

/usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/courier14.pcf
/usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/courier_bold14.pcf
/usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/courier_boldoblique14.pcf
/usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/courier_oblique14.pcf


3) Determine whether you can use a font alias, or whether you need to
   specify the longer font description.

Alias example (Decstations) using courier14:


% grep courier14 /usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/fonts.alias
courier14 -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--20-140-100-100-m-110-iso8859-1
%


=> Since there exists a font alias for courier14 you can use that.

Longer font description example (NCDs) using courR14:


% grep courR14 /usr/lib/X11/ncd/fonts/pcf/100dpi/fonts.alias
%


=> Since there is no font alias for courR14 you need to get the longer
   description for that font.


% grep courR14 /usr/lib/X11/ncd/fonts/pcf/100dpi/fonts.dir
courR14.pcf -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--20-140-100-100-m-110-iso8859-1
%


=> You will use -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--20-140-100-100-m-110-iso8859-1

4) Change your .Xdefaults file to use the desired font.


The default setting for emacs is: emacs*Font: fixed

If you can use a font alias, then your .Xdefaults would have the following:

emacs*font: courier14

If you have to use the longer font description, then your .Xdefaults would
have the following:

emacs*font: -adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--20-140-100-100-m-110-iso8859-1


5) Update your X resource environment to include the new fonts.


% xrdb .Xdefaults


6) Run emacs.  You should now be able to open an emacs window with your
new chosen font!
Physics Computer Services, trouble@physics.ucsb.edu
Last Modified: November 8, 1995