• The appendix on resources and keysym mappings in X Window System Administrator's Guide (O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.)

• Part II of the X Window System User's Guide OSF/Motif 1.2 Edition, (O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.)

X resources are defined for display aspects of the Digital UNIX operating system itself as well as for all the X client applications that are part of the operating system. X applications that are installed on top of the operating system also have resource definitions. Resources characteristics include color specifications for various elements in a window display, presence of scroll bars for a window, location of windows on the desk top area, font used for text, and width of window borders.

Resource definitions are used in all applications based on the X Window System, such as xterm, Calendar, and even the X Display Manager xdm. The Digital UNIX operating software provides default resource definitions for the X Window System. Users can modify some resource definitions to customize their workstation environment; for example, to set the colors and positions of windows.

xterm -iconic  -name Letters &

dxcalc -geometry +0-0 &

Programmers need to understand resource definitions so they can use them when they create their applications. System administrators use resource definitions to set up a default working environment for the workstations they maintain. End users can use resource definitions to customize their workstation environment and even to customize some display characteristics of applications they run.

This section explains the structure of resource definitions, gives examples of how to create and modify the definitions, and describes the kinds of resource definition files that you can edit to customize your environment.

object.subobject[.subobject...].attribute: value

The parameters have the following definitions:

object

The client program or a specific instance of the client program. This parameter can specify any client, such as a DECterm window or the clock application.

subobject

A subobject is an element of the object client program. A subobject corresponds to the widgets that make up the client program. The number of subobjects you need to include to reach the particular resource you want to specify is determined by the widget hierarchy of the client program.

attribute

This parameter specifies the characteristic that you want to define. The attribute must be a feature of the last subobject you listed. The attribute refers to such things as font, color, or location of the subobject.

value

This parameter specifies the definition for the attribute. Definitions can include color names, pixel coordinates, and Boolean values such as True or False.

• editres

• xset

• xsetroot

• xrdb

• xmodmap

The editres utility displays the widget hierarchy along with the names and definitions of all the resources for a particular X client application. This information enables a user or programmer to add, modify, or delete resource definitions for the application. The editres utility can dynamically apply the resource changes to the application. Thus, the user or programmer can immediately see the results of the new definition and decide whether or not to save the change, restore the original setting, or make another change.

The editres main window has four areas: Menu Bar, Panner, Message Area, and Application Widget Tree display. You use the Menu Bar to access the different editres features. The Panner provides an intuitive method for scrolling through the Application Widget Tree display. The display area shows the widget tree for the application specified through the Get Widget Tree menu item.

The Show Resource Box menu item creates a pop-up window that contains resource definitions for the widget that is currently selected in the Application Widget Tree display.

You use the Set Resource pop-up window to enter a resource definition for all the widgets currently selected in the Application Widget Tree display. (You can use Tree menu commands to select more than one widget by specifying such keywords as All, Children, Parents, Descendents, or Ancestors; or by specifying a widget class.)

In most instances, you use the Resource Box to determine whether a resource has been defined and what that definition is. You also use this box to add, modify, or delete resource definitions and to indicate to which widgets these changes apply. Once you have made your change, you use the Apply button to see the effects of your change. Press the Save button to save the change you have made. There is also a Save And Apply button, which performs both operations at once.

Note that some client applications have hard-coded the attributes for certain elements rather than use resource definitions. There is no way for editres to modify hard-coded attribute specifications.

• Volume, pitch, and duration of the computer's beep sound

• Whether the keyclick sound is enabled or disabled and what volume it has

• Font path that specifies which fonts the X server can use

• Control of the use of LED lights for such things as Shift/Caps Lock

• Control of the mouse for such things as pointer acceleration and the length of the delay time until the maximum acceleration speed is reached

• Pixel color values

• Whether the autorepeat feature for keys is enabled or disabled

• Screen save parameter settings

You can use the -q flag with the xset command to display the current settings for your workstation. To change a setting, issue the xset command with the appropriate flag. See the xset(1X) reference page for the description of each flag.

The xsetroot command has a -def flag that enables you to return the display to its default settings. See the xsetroot(1X) reference page for more details about the utility.

One of the features of the xrdb utility is that it uses a C preprocessor when it loads the resource definition file. This feature allows you to have #include and #ifdef statements and some other programming constructs in your resource definition files. In addition, you can define and undefine symbols by using the -D or -U flags.

The following example shows how you might include an #ifdef directive in your resource definition file that defines the colors to use for DECterm windows on color workstation monitors and the black and white values to use with noncolor monitors:

#ifdef COLOR
DXterm*background:      lightblue
DXterm*foreground:      darkblue
#else
DXterm*background:      gray
DXterm*foreground:      black
#endif

You can use the xrdb -query command to see the current settings for your system. If you want to change some of these resources, you can create a resource definition file and use the xrdb -merge filename command to add or replace existing definitions with your changes. With the -merge flag, xrdb replaces resource definitions for resources that are already defined for your system with those in the file you specify. If you have included resource definitions in that file for previously undefined resources, those new definitions are added. All other existing definitions remain the same.

There is also an xrdb -load filename command that you can use to erase all previous resource definitions and only use those in the file you specify. By default, xrdb behaves in this manner. Most of the time, you will probably want to use the xrdb -merge filename command because you will not want to lose the default settings for your environment.

For more information on the xrdb utility, see the X Window System User's Guide and the xrdb(1X) reference page.

The utility has three basic mapping functions:

• It reassigns a modifier function to a different key on the keyboard. For example, to have the Right Shift key perform the Control modifier function, use the following command:

  xmodmap -e "Control_R = Shift_R"

• It reassigns a keyboard function to a different key on the keyboard. For example, to have the exclamation point (!) be sent to the computer when you press the vertical bar key, use the following command:

  xmodmap -e "keycode 243 = slash exclam"

• It reassigns pointer functions to different mouse buttons. For example, if you are left handed, you could use the following command to change the order of the buttons on the mouse from 1 2 3 to 3 2 1:

  xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"

You can issue xmodmap commands during your work session or include them in an X session script. You can also create xmodmap definition files for the utility to read at startup time or when you invoke the utility during your work session.

You can use a session script to invoke certain applications when you log in and place various windows on your display in specific positions. You can set the window manager in your session script as well as specify colors, fonts, and window features. The file can also contain xmodmap definitions or call an xmodmap definition file.

#!/bin/csh
#
# Define environment variables, paths, and so on.  Keeping these
# definitions in a separate file is useful.  That way, .login
# and/or .cshrc can reference the same set of definitions.
#
source ~/.environ.csh
#
# Create a pipe for dxconsole to read from, so it can display the
# output of other commands.
#
setenv XSESSION_PIPE .xsession_pipe.$DISPLAY
if  ! { test -p .xsession_pipe.$DISPLAY } then
    /usr/sbin/mknod $XSESSION_PIPE  p
endif
#
# Use xrdb to load the resources in the .Xresources file into the
# X server's resource database.
#
if ( -f .Xresources ) then
    xrdb -load -retain .Xresources
endif
#
# Determine whether the display is the local graphics display,
# that is, :0 or local:0 .
#
if ( "`echo $DISPLAY | cut -d':' -f1`" ==  || \
    "`echo $DISPLAY | cut -d':' -f1`" == "local" ) then
    #
    # These applications are run only if the display is local.
    #
    dxconsole < $XSESSION_PIPE &
    #
    # Figure out how many screens the display has.
    #
    set SCREENS=`xdpyinfo | grep "number of screens" \
                    | cut -f 4- -d " "`
    #
    # The xset b flag sets the bell volume, pitch, and duration.
    # The xset c flag controls the key click.
    # The xset m flag controls the mouse acceleration and
    #               threshold.
    # The xset s flag sets the screen save parameters.
    #
    xset b 18 400 100 c 22 m 7 5 s 600 600 >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    #
    # For each screen, set the background color and the colors
    # and shape of the cursor.  This example uses custom colors
    # defined in an Xcms data file as well as customized bitmaps
    # (created # with /usr/bin/X11/bitmap) to define the shape
    # of the cursor.
    #
    set SCREEN=0
    while ( $SCREEN < $SCREENS )
      xsetroot -solid DarkBlueBackground -fg red -bg yellow  \
        -cursor cursor.bmp cursor_mask.bmp -display $DISPLAY.1 \
        >& $XSESSION_PIPE
      @ SCREEN=($SCREEN + 1)
    end

    # Set the SCREEN variable to the screen number of the highest
    # numbered screen.
    #
    @ SCREEN=($SCREENS - 1)
    #
    # The xbiff command displays a small mailbox image that lets
    # you know when you have mail.  This example uses the 'letters'
    # bitmap from /usr/include/X11/bitmaps as well as custom
    # bitmaps for the full and empty bitmaps and shape masks.
    #
    xbiff -shape -update 120 -geometry 60x60-0+0 \
      -display $DISPLAY.0 -bg black -fg white \
      -bd '#191919195c5c' -xrm "XBiff*fullPixmap: letters" \
      -xrm "XBiff*emptyPixmap:  $HOME/bitmaps/one.xbm" \
      -xrm "XBiff*fullPixmapMask: $HOME/bitmaps/lettersmask.xbm" \
      -xrm "XBiff*emptyPixmapMask: $HOME/bitmaps/one.xbm" \
      >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    # start oclock on screen 0
    oclock >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    #
    # Start dxcalendar, xload, and dxmail on the highest numbered
    # screen.
    #
    dxcalendar -display $DISPLAY.$SCREEN >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    xload -geometry +0-0 \
      -display $DISPLAY.$SCREEN >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    dxmail -display $DISPLAY.$SCREEN >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    #
    # Use xmodmap to reorder the mouse buttons and remap the Shift
    # Lock key on the LK401 or LK201 keyboard to be Escape.
    #
    xmodmap -e 'pointer = 2 3 1' >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    xmodmap -e "clear lock" >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    xmodmap -e "keycode 176 = Escape" >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    #
    # Start the Motif Window Manager as the controlling process.
    # When mwm exits, the X session will be over.
    # Using the shell's built-in exec command saves the cost of
    # creating another process.
    #
    exec mwm -multiscreen >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    #
    # End of Session
    #
else
    #
    # These applications are run only if the display is not local,
    # that is, the session is run on a remote X Terminal.
    #
    # Invoking dxconsole is useful for displaying the stdout of
    # the commands that run, even though as a remote display,
    # the display console output will not actually be displayed.
    #
    dxconsole < $XSESSION_PIPE &
    xset b 18 400 100 c 22 m 7 5 s 600 600 >& $XSESSION_PIPE
    xsetroot -solid DarkBlueBackground -fg red -bg yellow \
        -cursor cursor.bmp cursor_mask.bmp >& $XSESSION_PIPE
        oclock&
    #
    # If the X Terminal is running its own local window manager,
    # mwm is likely to exit immediately, so it is not used as the
    # controlling process.
    #
    mwm >& $XSESSION_PIPE &
    #
    # Instead, xterm is used as the controlling process.  When
    # xterm exits, the X session will be over.
    #
    exec xterm
    #
    # End of Session
    #
endif