38.17.2 Active Display Table

Each window can specify a display table, and so can each buffer. When a buffer b is displayed in window w, display uses the display table for window w if it has one; otherwise, the display table for buffer b if it has one; otherwise, the standard display table if any. The display table chosen is called the active display table.

Function: window-display-table window

This function returns window's display table, or nil if window does not have an assigned display table.

Function: set-window-display-table window table

This function sets the display table of window to table. The argument table should be either a display table or nil.

Variable: buffer-display-table

This variable is automatically buffer-local in all buffers; its value in a particular buffer specifies the display table for that buffer. If it is nil, that means the buffer does not have an assigned display table.

Variable: standard-display-table

This variable's value is the default display table, used whenever a window has no display table and neither does the buffer displayed in that window. This variable is nil by default.

If there is no display table to use for a particular window--that is, if the window specifies none, its buffer specifies none, and standard-display-table is nil---then Emacs uses the usual display conventions for all character codes in that window. See section 38.16 Usual Display Conventions.

A number of functions for changing the standard display table are defined in the library `disp-table'.