Mode line overflow/interference with Spaceline

Question

I am using Spaceline with the following configuration:

(use-package spaceline-config
  :config
  (setq-default
    mode-line-format '("%e" (:eval (spaceline-ml-main)))
    powerline-default-separator 'wave
    spaceline-flycheck-bullet "❖ %s")
  (spaceline-install
    'main
    '((evil-state)
      (version-control :when active)
      (projectile-root :when active)
      (buffer-id))
    '((remote-host :when active)
      ((flycheck-error flycheck-warning flycheck-info) :when active)
      (major-mode :face highlight-face)
      (("L" line column) :separator ":"))))

However there is some interference between the mode-line and Spaceline, causing an overflow effect. I've tried using Powerline, patching fonts and fiddling with the powerline height, but that doesn't seem to help.

This is on the Macports version of Emacs 25 on macOS. Font is Fira Mono.

Answer 1

Powerline (and thus spaceline) inherits font properties from the fonts mode-line and mode-line-inactive. At one point these fonts must have added an underline, visible in the image by this ugly grey line.

The solution (setq x-underline-at-descent-line t) proposed before fixes the issue by moving the underline "out of the way". Unfortunately, it places all your underlines at the descent line which is ugly.

I suggest to instead solve this issue by customize-face RET mode-line and customize-face RET mode-line-inactive and in each dialog setting :underline nil

Answer 2

This fixed the problem for me:

(setq x-underline-at-descent-line t)