face picker?

Hi, I am spending a lot of time trying to track down the variable for a face which needs tweaking. Is there a recommended way to figure it out? For example, is there an emacs **face picker**? :) Similar to a **color picker** but a method that would allow me to pick the text under my mouse and expose the corresponding face variable? I am including a couple of screenshots of faces I would like to change. Thanks a lot! \*\*\* Edit 1 \*\*\* * screenshots - [https://imgur.com/a/BHLVJHT](https://imgur.com/a/BHLVJHT) \*\*\* Edit 2 \*\*\* I was able to web search to create a `face-picker` function - see below. I wrote it because I have cases where the font flips after N seconds. I need to figure out how to get the font where one cannot put point. I might create a separate post for it. (defun face-picker () (interactive) (describe-face (face-at-point))) (global-set-key (kbd "C-c f" ) 'face-picker)

`M-x customize-apropos-faces` to search. Customizing the group of the major mode is usually enough: `M-x customize-group`. Or, `C-u C-=` on the face to reveal them all, if they're overlays and so on. Otherwise M-x customize-face. It should proffer the ones on point as options. Hit RET.

`describe-face`

This. Also `list-faces-display`.

(I don't see any screenshots.) 1. If you can put the cursor on a char or buffer position that shows the face you're interested in then use `C-u C-x = RET` and see what face(s) it lists (near the bottom). 2. If you can't put the cursor on the face (or even if you can), you can use `M-x list-faces-display`.

Ugh, sorry about the missing images ... [https://imgur.com/a/BHLVJHT](https://imgur.com/a/BHLVJHT) Thank you! I'm going to give your suggestions a try!

Thank you for your response. * `M-x customize-apropos-faces` requires that I supply a REGEX for a face candidate. In one of my cases, it's a breadcrumb but the matching face samples don't match the background that I'd like to tweak. Is it possibly inherited from `font-lock-string-face`? When I `describe variable: font-lock-string-face` only the `Foreground` is set. * `M-x customize-group` presents many modes. I know that the breadcrumbs are part of `lsp-mode`. When I select the mode, I get oodles of options. I narrow down to those variables with "face". Still many, many faces. :) Nothing obvious. * I can't place `point` on the breadcrumb line so I can't use `C-u C-x = RET` :\\ \*\*\* Edit \*\*\* * Fixed markdown.

The default answer to the above is "default" Nothing relevant is provided. Next I tried ? and I received over 974 options to select. Hmmm.

~~I get 970 options to view .. :\\ ... however, none of them seem (it's hard to tell scrolling through them all) to match the breadcrumbs I'm trying to affect. I wonder if there's some inheritance coming in to play ....~~ I don't know what I was doing wrong before but you are 100% correct: `describe-face` I confirmed that `list-faces-display` gives me over 900 results. It seems every possible face. :[

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`describe-face` is exactly this

Hi, `M-: (thing-at-point 'word)` is very cool. I get the following dump: #("stdout" 0 6 (fontified t face (tree-sitter-hl-face:variable highlight) xref-item #s(xref-item #(" run_stdout = run_stdout.rstrip()" 0 12 ... 12 22 ... 22 23 ... 23 24 ... 24 36 ... 36 42 ... 42 43 ... 43 44 ...) #s(xref-file-location "/home/is/here/file.py" 230 12)) mouse-face highlight keymap (keymap (mouse-2 . xref-select-and-show-xref) (mouse-1 . xref-goto-xref)) help-echo "mouse-2: display in another window, RET or mouse-1: follow reference")) If I parse the above correctly, it looks like the variable I need to check is `tree-sitter-hl-face` Does that sound right? For my other Use Case, I cannot put point on the breadcrumb line. It is acting like a mode line. Any idea how to get its font variable? Thank you so much!

Unfortunately I get over 900 faces dumped. Unfortunately it's not clear to me how to narrow it down to the face in question. `M-: (thing-at-point 'word)` seems to be the trick for when I can move `point`. My breadcrumb line acts line a mode line so I can't move `point` to it.

`describe-face` shouldn’t dump faces. It should bring up a search for what face you want, defaulting to the face at point

Hi, You're right. I made a mistake. Sorry about that. What's tricky is if I move point to the area in question, after X seconds, the font changes. I tried to run `describe-face` before the font changed but I don't think it got captured right. It says `tree-sitter-hl-face` and the sample is the after timeout value, What's interesting is that the dump also says it inherits `font-lock-variable-name-face` I think I have something to go on for this Use Case. Any thoughts on how I can do the same when I can't place `point` on a line (e.g. my breadcrumb line - acts like a mode line)?

One workaround would be to temporarily set `describe-face` to an immediate keybind to get it. In terms of getting the face of a modeline you might be out of luck. Best bet is looking at the source code, which is very easy because it’s emacs

Good thinking on the bind. While not an elisp hacker, I can recognize patterns. And can read comments. :)

If you can put your cursor on the face, `describe-char` will tell you all the faces applied

the title to this post is terrifying...

> I can't place point on the breadcrumb line so I can't use `C-u C-x = RET` :\ I don't use lsp-mode, but perhaps it's using the header line for this? If so, then start with `C-h v header-line-format` in that buffer, and drill down from there as appropriate. Or evaluate `(format-mode-line header-line-format)` and inspect the result.