Visible bell mini-Howto: Telling Applications to Avoid Beeping

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## 8. Telling Applications to Avoid Beeping

This is an incomplete list of applications that can be instrued to use the `vb` entry for the current terminal type (using either the `termcap` information or the `terminfo` one):

- The X server: use the "`xset b`" command to select the bell's behaviour. The command takes three numeric arguments: volume, pitch and duration. "`xset -b`" disables the bell altogether. Configuring the X server affects all the applications running on the display.
- `xterm`: xterm can convert each bell to either a visible or audible signal. If you use the audible bell, the settings of "`xset`" will apply. The bell in `xterm` defualts to be audible, but you can use the "`-vb`" command line option and the "`xterm*visualBell: true`" resource to turn it to a visible flash. You can toggle visible/audible signaling at run-time by using the menu invoked by control--left-mouse-button. If you run X you most likely won't need the following information.
- `tcsh` (6.04 and later): "`set visiblebell`". The instruction can be placed in `.cshrc` or can be issued interactively. To reset the audible bell just "`unset visiblebell`". To disable any notification issue use "`set nobeep`" instead.
- `bash` (any bash, as fas as I know): put "`set bell-style visible`" in your `~/.bashrc`. Possible bell-style's are also "none" or "audible".
- `bash` (with `readline`, as well as other `readline` based applications): put "`set prefer-visible-bell`" in `~/.inputrc`.
- `nvi` and `elvis`: put "`set flash`" in `~/.exrc` or tell "`:set flash`" interactively (note the colon). To disable the visible bell use `noflash` in place of `flash`.
- `emacs`: put "`(setq visible-bell t)`" in your `~/.emacs`. It is disabled by "`(setq visible-bell nil)`".
- `less`: use "`-q`" on command line to use the visual bell, use "`-Q`" to disable any reporting. Default options can be put in your environment variable "`LESS`".
- `screen`: issue the CtrlA-CtrlG command. It changes the behaviour of all the virtual screens. Refer to the man page under "CUSTOMIZATION" for setting the default.

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