=== modified file 'lisp/ChangeLog'
--- lisp/ChangeLog	2012-10-10 20:23:49 +0000
+++ lisp/ChangeLog	2012-10-10 22:01:18 +0000
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 2012-10-10  Jambunathan K  <kjambunathan@gmail.com>
 
+	* hi-lock.el (hi-lock-auto-select-face): New user variable.
+	(hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults): New buffer local variable.
+	(hi-lock-read-face-name): Honor `hi-lock-auto-select-face'.
+
+2012-10-10  Jambunathan K  <kjambunathan@gmail.com>
+
 	* hi-lock.el (hi-yellow, hi-pink, hi-green, hi-blue, hi-black-b)
         (hi-blue-b, hi-green-b, hi-red-b, hi-black-hb): Mark these faces
 	as obsolete.

=== modified file 'lisp/hi-lock.el'
--- lisp/hi-lock.el	2012-10-10 20:23:49 +0000
+++ lisp/hi-lock.el	2012-10-10 22:01:18 +0000
@@ -135,6 +135,14 @@
 ;; It can have a function value.
 (put 'hi-lock-file-patterns-policy 'risky-local-variable t)
 
+(defcustom hi-lock-auto-select-face nil
+  "Non-nil if highlighting commands should not prompt for face names.
+When non-nil, each hi-lock command will cycle through faces in
+`hi-lock-face-defaults'."
+  :type 'boolean
+  :group 'hi-lock
+  :version "24.3")
+
 (defgroup hi-lock-faces nil
   "Faces for hi-lock."
   :group 'hi-lock
@@ -221,8 +229,15 @@
     "hi-lock-6" "hi-lock-7" "hi-lock-8" "hi-lock-9")
   "Default faces for hi-lock interactive functions.")
 
-;;(dolist (f hi-lock-face-defaults)
-;;  (unless (facep f) (error "%s not a face" f)))
+(defvar hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults
+  (let ((l (copy-sequence hi-lock-face-defaults)))
+    (setcdr (last l) l))
+  "Circular list of faces used for interactive highlighting.
+When `hi-lock-auto-select-face' is non-nil, use the face at the
+head of this list for next interactive highlighting.  See also
+`hi-lock-read-face-name'.")
+
+(make-variable-buffer-local 'hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults)
 
 (define-obsolete-variable-alias 'hi-lock-regexp-history
                                 'regexp-history
@@ -577,20 +592,28 @@
     regexp))
 
 (defun hi-lock-read-face-name ()
-  "Read face name from minibuffer with completion and history."
-  (intern (completing-read
-           "Highlight using face: "
-           obarray 'facep t
-           (cons (car hi-lock-face-defaults)
-                 (let ((prefix
-                        (try-completion
-                         (substring (car hi-lock-face-defaults) 0 1)
-                         hi-lock-face-defaults)))
-                   (if (and (stringp prefix)
-                            (not (equal prefix (car hi-lock-face-defaults))))
-                       (length prefix) 0)))
-           'face-name-history
-	   (cdr hi-lock-face-defaults))))
+  "Return face name for interactive highlighting.
+When `hi-lock-auto-select-face' is non-nil, return head of
+`hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults'.  Otherwise, read face name
+from minibuffer with completion and history."
+  (if hi-lock-auto-select-face
+      ;; Return current head and rotate the face list.
+      (prog1 (car hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults)
+	(setq hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults
+	      (cdr hi-lock-auto-select-face-defaults)))
+    (intern (completing-read
+	     "Highlight using face: "
+	     obarray 'facep t
+	     (cons (car hi-lock-face-defaults)
+		   (let ((prefix
+			  (try-completion
+			   (substring (car hi-lock-face-defaults) 0 1)
+			   hi-lock-face-defaults)))
+		     (if (and (stringp prefix)
+			      (not (equal prefix (car hi-lock-face-defaults))))
+			 (length prefix) 0)))
+	     'face-name-history
+	     (cdr hi-lock-face-defaults)))))
 
 (defun hi-lock-set-pattern (regexp face)
   "Highlight REGEXP with face FACE."