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(elisp)Examining Properties

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Examining Text Properties
-------------------------

   The simplest way to examine text properties is to ask for the value
of a particular property of a particular character.  For that, use
`get-text-property'.  Use `text-properties-at' to get the entire
property list of a character.  Note: Property Search, for functions
to examine the properties of a number of characters at once.

   These functions handle both strings and buffers.  Keep in mind that
positions in a string start from 0, whereas positions in a buffer start
from 1.

 - Function: get-text-property pos prop &optional object
     This function returns the value of the PROP property of the
     character after position POS in OBJECT (a buffer or string).  The
     argument OBJECT is optional and defaults to the current buffer.

     If there is no PROP property strictly speaking, but the character
     has a category that is a symbol, then `get-text-property' returns
     the PROP property of that symbol.

 - Function: get-char-property pos prop &optional object
     This function is like `get-text-property', except that it checks
     overlays first and then text properties.  Note: Overlays.

     The argument OBJECT may be a string, a buffer, or a window.  If it
     is a window, then the buffer displayed in that window is used for
     text properties and overlays, but only the overlays active for
     that window are considered.  If OBJECT is a buffer, then all
     overlays in that buffer are considered, as well as text
     properties.  If OBJECT is a string, only text properties are
     considered, since strings never have overlays.

 - Function: text-properties-at position &optional object
     This function returns the entire property list of the character at
     POSITION in the string or buffer OBJECT.  If OBJECT is `nil', it
     defaults to the current buffer.

 - Variable: default-text-properties
     This variable holds a property list giving default values for text
     properties.  Whenever a character does not specify a value for a
     property, neither directly nor through a category symbol, the value
     stored in this list is used instead.  Here is an example:

          (setq default-text-properties '(foo 69))
          ;; Make sure character 1 has no properties of its own.
          (set-text-properties 1 2 nil)
          ;; What we get, when we ask, is the default value.
          (get-text-property 1 'foo)
               => 69