8.5.7 Console Type

A console represents a single keyboard to which devices (i.e. displays on which frames exist) are connected. Normally, there is only one console object, but there may be more than one if SXEmacs is simultaneously driving frames attached to different X servers and/or TTY connections.

SXEmacs is capable of driving multiple X and TTY connections at the same time, and provides a robust mechanism for handling the differing display capabilities of such heterogeneous environments. A buffer with embedded glyphs and multiple fonts and colors, for example, will display reasonably if it simultaneously appears on a frame on a color X display, a frame on a mono X display, and a frame on a TTY connection.

Consoles do not have a read syntax. They print in hash notation, giving the console’s type, connection name, and a unique number assigned at the time the console was created.

(selected-console)
     ⇒ #<x-console on "localhost:0" 0x5b7>

See Consoles and Devices, for a description of several functions related to consoles.