mwm(1X) X11 5.4R3.00 mwm(1X)
NAME
mwm--The Motif Window Manager
SYNOPSIS
mwm [ options ]
DESCRIPTION
mwm is an X Window System client that provides window management
functionality and some session management functionality. It provides
functions that facilitate control (by the user and the programmer) of
elements of window state such as placement, size, icon/normal
display, and input-focus ownership. It also provides session
management functions such as stopping a client.
Options
-display display
This option specifies the display to use; see X(1).
-xrm resourcestring
This option specifies a resource string to use.
-multiscreen
This option causes mwm to manage all screens on the display.
The default is to manage only a single screen.
-name name
This option causes mwm to retrieve its resources using the
specified name, as in name*resource.
-screens name [name [...]]
This option specifies the resource names to use for the
screens managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen,
only the first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing
multiple screens, the names are assigned to the screens in
order, starting with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name,
screen 1 the second name, and so on.
Appearance
The following sections describe the basic default behaviors of
windows, icons, the icon box, input focus, and window stacking. The
appearance and behavior of the window manager can be altered by
changing the configuration of specific resources. Resources are
defined under the heading "X DEFAULTS."
Screens
By default, mwm manages only the single screen specified by the
-display option or the DISPLAY environment variable (by default,
screen 0). If the -multiscreen option is specified or if the
multiScreen resource is True, mwm tries to manage all the screens on
the display.
When mwm is managing multiple screens, the -screens option can be
used to give each screen a unique resource name. The names are
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separated by blanks, for example, -screens mwm0 mwm1. If there are
more screens than names, resources for the remaining screens will be
retrieved using the first name. By default, the screen number is
used for the screen name.
Windows
Default mwm window frames have distinct components with associated
functions:
Title Area In addition to displaying the client's title, the
title area is used to move the window. To move the
window, place the pointer over the title area,
press button 1 and drag the window to a new
location. By default, a wire frame is moved during
the drag to indicate the new location. When the
button is released, the window is moved to the new
location.
Title Bar The title bar includes the title area, the minimize
button, the maximize button, and the window menu
button. In shaped windows, such as round windows,
the title bar floats above the window.
Minimize Button To turn the window into an icon, click button 1 on
the minimize button (the frame box with a small
square in it).
Maximize Button To make the window fill the screen (or enlarge to
the largest size allowed by the configuration
files), click button 1 on the maximize button (the
frame box with a large square in it).
Window Menu Button
The window menu button is the frame box with a
horizontal bar in it. To pull down the window
menu, press button 1. While pressing, drag the
pointer on the menu to your selection, then release
the button when your selection is highlighted.
Pressing button 3 in the title bar or resize border
handles also posts the window menu. Alternately,
you can click button 1 to pull down the menu and
keep it posted; then position the pointer and
select. You can also post the window menu by
pressing or Double-clicking button 1 with the
pointer on the window menu button closes the
window. The following table lists the contents of
the window menu.
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Default Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
-----------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Restores the window to its size
before minimizing or maximizing
Move Alt+F7 Allows the window to be moved
with keys or mouse
Size Alt+F8 Allows the window to be resized
Minimize Alt+F9 Turns the window into an icon
Maximize Alt+F10 Makes the window fill the screen
Lower Alt+F3 Moves window to bottom of window
stack
Close Alt+F4 Causes client to terminate
Resize Border Handles
To change the size of a window, move the pointer
over a resize border handle (the cursor changes),
press button 1, and drag the window to a new size.
When the button is released, the window is resized.
While dragging is being done, a rubber-band outline
is displayed to indicate the new window size.
Matte An optional matte decoration can be added between
the client area and the window frame. A matte is
not actually part of the window frame. There is no
functionality associated with a matte.
Icons
Icons are small graphic representations of windows. A window can be
minimized (iconified) using the minimize button on the window frame.
Icons provide a way to reduce clutter on the screen.
Pressing mouse button 1 when the pointer is over an icon causes the
icon's window menu to pop up. Releasing the button (press + release
without moving mouse = click) causes the menu to stay posted. The
menu contains the following selections:
Icon Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
----------------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Opens the associated window
Move Alt+F7 Allows the icon to be moved with keys
Size Alt+F8 Inactive (not an option for icons)
Minimize Alt+F9 Inactive (not an option for icons)
Maximize Alt+F10 Opens the associated window and makes
it fill the screen
Lower Alt+F3 Moves icon to bottom of icon stack
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management
Note that pressing button 3 over an icon also causes the icon's
window menu to pop up. To make a menu selection, drag the pointer
over the menu and release button 3 when the desired item is
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highlighted.
Double-clicking button 1 on an icon invokes the f.restore_and_raise
function and restores the icon's associated window to its previous
state. For example, if a maximized window is iconified, then double-
clicking button 1 restores it to its maximized state. Double-
clicking button 1 on the icon box's icon opens the icon box and
allows access to the contained icons. (In general, double-clicking a
mouse button is a quick way to perform a function.) Pressing or (the
pop-up menu key) causes the icon window menu of the currently
selected icon to pop up.
Icon Box
When icons begin to clutter the screen, they can be packed into an
icon box. (To use an icon box, mwm must be started with the icon box
configuration already set.) The icon box is a mwm window that holds
client icons. It includes one or more scroll bars when there are
more window icons than the icon box can show at the same time.
Icons in the icon box can be manipulated with the mouse. The
following table summarizes the behavior of this interface. Button
actions apply whenever the pointer is on any part of the icon. Note
that double-clicking an icon in the icon box invokes the
f.restore_and_raise function.
Button Action Description
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 click Selects the icon
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 double-click Normalizes (opens) the associated
window
Raises an already open window to the
top of the stack
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 drag Moves the icon
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 3 press Causes the menu for that icon to pop up
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 3 drag Highlights items as the pointer moves
across the menu
Pressing mouse button 3 when the pointer is over an icon causes the
menu for that icon to pop up.
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Icon Menu for the Icon Box
Selection Accelerator Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Opens the associated window (if not already open)
Move Alt+F7 Allows the icon to be moved with keys
Size.lf 574 Alt+F8 Inactive
Minimize Alt+F9 Inactive
Maximize Alt+F10 Opens the associated window (if not already open)
and maximizes its size
Lower Alt+F3 Inactive
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management
To pull down the window menu for the icon box itself, press button 1
with the pointer over the menu button for the icon box. The window
menu of the icon box differs from the window menu of a client window:
The "Close" selection is replaced with the "PackIcons Shift+Alt+F7"
selection. When selected, PackIcons packs the icons in the box to
achieve neat rows with no empty slots.
You can also post the window menu by pressing or Pressing (the pop-up
menu key) causes the icon window menu of the currently selected icon
to pop up.
Input Focus
mwm supports (by default) a keyboard input focus policy of explicit
selection. This means when a window is selected to get keyboard
input, it continues to get keyboard input until the window is
withdrawn from window management, another window is explicitly
selected to get keyboard input, or the window is iconified. Several
resources control the input focus. The client window with the
keyboard input focus has the active window appearance with a visually
distinct window frame.
The following tables summarize the keyboard input focus selection
behavior:
Button Action Object Function Description
------------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 press Window / window frame Keyboard focus selection
Button 1 press Icon Keyboard focus selection
Key Action Function Description
----------------------------------------------
[Alt][Tab] Move input focus to next
window in window stack
(available only in
explicit focus mode)
----------------------------------------------
[Alt][Shift][Tab] Move input focus to
previous window in window
stack (available only in
explicit focus mode)
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Window Stacking
There are two types of window stacks: global window stacks and an
application's local family window stack.
The global stacking order of windows may be changed as a result of
setting the keyboard input focus, iconifying a window, or performing
a window manager window stacking function. When keyboard focus
policy is explicit the default value of the focusAutoRaise resource
is True. This causes a window to be raised to the top of the stack
when it receives input focus, for example, by pressing button 1 on
the title bar. The key actions defined in the previous table will
thus raise the window receiving focus to the top of the stack.
In pointer mode, the default value of focusAutoRaise is False, that
is, the window stacking order is not changed when a window receives
keyboard input focus. The following key actions can be used to cycle
through the global window stack.
Key Action Function Description
---------------------------------------------------------
[Alt][ESC] Place top window on bottom of stack
[Alt][Shift][ESC] Place bottom window on top of stack
By default, a window's icon is placed on the bottom of the stack when
the window is iconified; however, the default can be changed by the
lowerOnIconify resource.
Transient windows (secondary windows such a dialog boxes) stay above
their parent windows by default. However, an application's local
family stacking order may be changed to allow a transient window to
be placed below its parent top-level window. The following
parameters show the modification of the stacking order for the
f.lower function.
f.lower Lowers the transient window within the family (staying
above the parent) and lowers the family in the global
window stack.
f.lower [within]
Lowers the transient window within the family (staying
above the parent) but does not lower the family in the
global window stack.
f.lower [freeFamily]
Lowers the window free from its family stack (below the
parent), but does not lower the family in the global window
stack.
The parameters within and freeFamily can also be used with f.raise
and f.raise_lower.
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X Defaults
mwm is configured from its resource database. This database is built
from the following sources. They are listed in order of precedence,
low to high:
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm $HOME/Mwm RESOURCE_MANAGER root window
property or $HOME/.Xdefaults XENVIRONMENT variable or
$HOME/.Xdefaults-host mwm command line options
The file names /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm and $HOME/Mwm represent
customary locations for these files. The actual location of the
system-wide class resource file may depend on the XFILESEARCHPATH
environment variable and the current language environment. The
actual location of the user-specific class resource file may depend
on the XUSERFILESEARCHPATH and XAPPLRESDIR environment variables and
the current language environment.
Entries in the resource database may refer to other resource files
for specific types of resources. These include files that contain
bitmaps, fonts, and mwm specific resources such as menus and behavior
specifications (for example, button and key bindings).
Mwm is the resource class name of mwm and mwm is the default resource
name used by mwm to look up resources. the -screens command line
option specifies resource names, such as "mwm_b+w" and "mwm_color".)
In the following discussion of resource specification, "Mwm" and
"mwm" (and the aliased mwm resource names) can be used
interchangeably, but "mwm" takes precedence over "Mwm".
mwm uses the following types of resources:
Component Appearance Resources:
These resources specify appearance attributes of window manager user
interface components. They can be applied to the appearance of
window manager menus, feedback windows (for example, the window
reconfiguration feedback window), client window frames, and icons.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources:
These resources specify mwm appearance and behavior (for example,
window management policies). They are not set separately for
different mwm user interface components.
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Client Specific Resources:
These mwm resources can be set for a particular client window or
class of client windows. They specify client-specific icon and
client window frame appearance and behavior.
Resource identifiers can be either a resource name (for example,
foreground) or a resource class (for example, Foreground). If the
value of a resource is a filename and if the filename is prefixed by
"~/", then it is relative to the path contained in the HOME
environment variable (generally the user's home directory).
Component Appearance Resources
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply
to window manager icons, menus, and client window frames is
Mwm*resource_id
For example, Mwm*foreground is used to specify the foreground color
for mwm menus, icons, client window frames, and feedback dialogs.
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply
to a particular mwm component is
Mwm*[menu|icon|client|feedback]*resource_id
If menu is specified, the resource is applied only to mwm menus; if
icon is specified, the resource is applied to icons; and if client is
specified, the resource is applied to client window frames. For
example, Mwm*icon*foreground is used to specify the foreground color
for mwm icons, Mwm*menu*foreground specifies the foreground color for
mwm menus, and Mwm*client*foreground is used to specify the
foreground color for mwm client window frames.
The appearance of the title area of a client window frame (including
window management buttons) can be separately configured. The syntax
for configuring the title area of a client window frame is
Mwm*client*title*resource_id
For example, Mwm*client*title*foreground specifies the foreground
color for the title area. Defaults for title area resources are
based on the values of the corresponding client window frame
resources.
The appearance of menus can be configured based on the name of the
menu. The syntax for specifying menu appearance by name is
Mwm*menu*menu_name*resource_id
For example, Mwm*menu*my_menu*foreground specifies the foreground
color for the menu named my_menu. The user can also specify
resources for window manager menu components, that is, the gadgets
which comprise the menu. These may include for example, a menu
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title, title separator, one or more buttons, and separators. If a
menu contains more than one instance of a class, such as multiple
PushButtonGadgets, the name of the first instance is
"PushButtonGadget1", the second is "PushButtonGadget2", and so on.
The following list identifies the naming convention used for window
manager menu components:
⊕ Menu Title LabelGadget--"TitleName"
⊕ Menu Title SeparatorGadget--"TitleSeparator"
⊕ CascadeButtonGadget--"CascadeButtonGadget<n>"
⊕ PushButtonGadget--"PushButtonGadget<n>"
⊕ SeparatorGadget--"SeparatorGadget<n>"
Refer to the man page for each class for a list of resources which can be
specified.
The following component appearance resources that apply to all window
manager parts can be specified:
Component Appearance Resources--All Window Manager Parts
Name Class Value Type Default
---------------------------------------------------------------
background Background color varies†
backgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string†† varies†
bottomShadowColor Foreground color varies†
bottomShadowPixmap BottomShadowPixmap string†† varies†
fontList FontList string††† "fixed"
foreground Foreground color varies†
saveUnder SaveUnder T/F F
topShadowColor Background color varies†
topShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string†† varies†
†The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen. ††Image
name. See XmInstallImage(3X). †††X11 X Logical Font Description
background (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color. Any legal X color may
be specified. The default value is chosen based on the visual type
of the screen.
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backgroundPixmap (class BackgroundPixmap)
This resource specifies the background Pixmap of the mwm decoration
when the window is inactive (does not have the keyboard focus). The
default value is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
bottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color. This color is used
for the lower and right bevels of the window manager decoration.
Any legal X color may be specified. The default value is chosen
based on the visual type of the screen.
bottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap. This Pixmap is
used for the lower and right bevels of the window manager
decoration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of the
screen.
fontList (class FontList)
This resource specifies the font used in the window manager
decoration. The character encoding of the font should match the
character encoding of the strings that are used. The default is
"fixed."
foreground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color. The default is chosen
based on the visual type of the screen.
saveUnder (class SaveUnder)
This is used to indicate whether "save unders" are used for mwm
components. For this to have any effect, save unders must be
implemented by the X server. If save unders are implemented, the X
server saves the contents of windows obscured by windows that have
the save under attribute set. If the saveUnder resource is True,
mwm will set the save under attribute on the window manager frame of
any client that has it set. If saveUnder is False, save unders will
not be used on any window manager frames. The default value is
False.
topShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color. This color is used
for the upper and left bevels of the window manager decoration. The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
topShadowPixmap ( class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap. This Pixmap is used
for the upper and left bevels of the window manager decoration. The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
The following component appearance resources that apply to frame and icons
can be specified:
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Frame and Icon Components
Name Class Value Type Default
---------------------------------------------------------------------
activeBackground Background color varies†
activeBackgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string†† varies†
activeBottomShadowColor Foreground color varies†
activeBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadowPixmap string†† varies†
activeForeground Foreground color varies†
activeTopShadowColor Background color varies†
activeTopShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string†† varies†
†The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen. ††See
XmInstallImage(3X).
activeBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the mwm decoration
when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBackgroundPixmap (class ActiveBackgroundPixmap)
This resource specifies the background Pixmap of the mwm decoration
when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the mwm
decoration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the mwm
decoration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the mwm decoration
when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the mwm decoration
when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap of the mwm decoration
when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
The syntax for specifying general appearance and behavior resources
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is
Mwm*resource_id
For example, Mwm*keyboardFocusPolicy specifies the window manager
policy for setting the keyboard focus to a particular client window.
The following general appearance and behavior resources can be
specified:
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
autoKeyFocus AutoKeyFocus T/F T
autoRaiseDelay AutoRaiseDelay millisec 500
bitmapDirectory BitmapDirectory directory /usr/include/\
X11/bitmaps
buttonBindings ButtonBindings string "DefaultBut\
tonBindings"
cleanText CleanText T/F T
clientAutoPlace ClientAutoPlace T/F T
colormapFocusPolicy ColormapFocusPolicy string keyboard
configFile ConfigFile file .mwmrc
deiconifyKeyFocus DeiconifyKeyFocus T/F T
doubleClickTime DoubleClickTime millisec. multi-click
time
enableWarp enableWarp T/F T
enforceKeyFocus EnforceKeyFocus T/F T
fadeNormalIcon FadeNormalIcon T/F F
feedbackGeometry FeedbackGeometry string center on
screen
frameBorderWidth FrameBorderWidth pixels varies
iconAutoPlace IconAutoPlace T/F T
iconBoxGeometry IconBoxGeometry string 6x1+0-0
iconBoxName IconBoxName string iconbox
iconBoxSBDisplayPolicy IconBoxSBDisplayPolicy string all
iconBoxTitle IconBoxTitle XmString Icons
iconClick IconClick T/F T
iconDecoration IconDecoration string varies
iconImageMaximum IconImageMaximum wxh 50x50
iconImageMinimum IconImageMinimum wxh 16x16
iconPlacement IconPlacement string left bottom
iconPlacementMargin IconPlacementMargin pixels varies
interactivePlacement InteractivePlacement T/F F
keyBindings KeyBindings string "DefaultKey\
Bindings"
keyboardFocusPolicy KeyboardFocusPolicy string explicit
limitResize LimitResize T/F T
lowerOnIconify LowerOnIconify T/F T
maximumMaximumSize MaximumMaximumSize wxh (pixels) 2X screen w&h
moveThreshold MoveThreshold pixels 4
moveOpaque MoveOpaque T/F F
multiScreen MultiScreen T/F F
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passButtons PassButtons T/F F
passSelectButton PassSelectButton T/F T
positionIsFrame PositionIsFrame T/F T
positionOnScreen PositionOnScreen T/F T
quitTimeout QuitTimeout millisec. 1000
raiseKeyFocus RaiseKeyFocus T/F F
resizeBorderWidth ResizeBorderWidth pixels varies
resizeCursors ResizeCursors T/F T
screens Screens string varies
showFeedback ShowFeedback string all
startupKeyFocus StartupKeyFocus T/F T
transientDecoration TransientDecoration string menu title
transientFunctions TransientFunctions string -minimize
-maximize
useIconBox UseIconBox T/F F
wMenuButtonClick WMenuButtonClick T/F T
wMenuButtonClick2 WMenuButtonClick2 T/F T
autoKeyFocus (class AutoKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. If autoKeyFocus is given a value of
True, then when a window with the keyboard input focus is
withdrawn from window management or is iconified, the focus
is set to the previous window that had the focus. If the
value given is False, there is no automatic setting of the
keyboard input focus. It is recommended that both
autoKeyFocus and startupKeyFocus be True to work with tear
off menus. The default value is True.
autoRaiseDelay (class AutoRaiseDelay)
This resource is available only when the focusAutoRaise
resource is True and the keyboard focus policy is pointer.
The autoRaiseDelay resource specifies the amount of time (in
milliseconds) that mwm will wait before raising a window
after it gets the keyboard focus. The default value of this
resource is 500 (ms).
bitmapDirectory (class BitmapDirectory)
This resource identifies a directory to be searched for
bitmaps referenced by mwm resources. This directory is
searched if a bitmap is specified without an absolute
pathname. The default value for this resource is
/usr/include/X11/bitmaps. The directory
/usr/include/X11/bitmaps represents the customary locations
for this directory. The actual location of this directory
may vary on some systems. If the bitmap is not found in the
specified directory, XBMLANGPATH is searched.
buttonBindings (class ButtonBindings)
This resource identifies the set of button bindings for
window management functions. The named set of button
bindings is specified in the mwm resource description file.
These button bindings are merged with the built-in default
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bindings. The default value for this resource is
"DefaultButtonBindings".
cleanText (class CleanText)
This resource controls the display of window manager text in
the client title and feedback windows. If the default value
of True is used, the text is drawn with a clear (no stipple)
background. This makes text easier to read on monochrome
systems where a backgroundPixmap is specified. Only the
stippling in the area immediately around the text is cleared.
If False, the text is drawn directly on top of the existing
background.
clientAutoPlace (class ClientAutoPlace)
This resource determines the position of a window when the
window has not been given a program- or user-specified
position. With a value of True, windows are positioned with
the top left corners of the frames offset horizontally and
vertically. A value of False causes the currently configured
position of the window to be used. In either case, mwm will
attempt to place the windows totally on-screen. The default
value is True.
colormapFocusPolicy (class ColormapFocusPolicy)
This resource indicates the colormap focus policy that is to
be used. If the resource value is explicit, a colormap
selection action is done on a client window to set the
colormap focus to that window. If the value is pointer, the
client window containing the pointer has the colormap focus.
If the value is keyboard, the client window that has the
keyboard input focus has the colormap focus. The default
value for this resource is keyboard.
configFile (class ConfigFile)
The resource value is the pathname for an mwm resource
description file.
If the pathname begins with "~/", mwm considers it to be
relative to the user's home directory (as specified by the
HOME environment variable). If the LANG environment variable
is set, mwm looks for $HOME/$LANG/configFile. If that file
does not exist or if LANG is not set, mwm looks for
$HOME/configFile.
If the configFile pathname does not begin with ~/, mwm
considers it to be relative to the current working directory.
If the configFile resource is not specified or if that file
does not exist, mwm uses several default paths to find a
configuration file. If the LANG environment variable is set,
mwm looks for the configuration file first in
$HOME/$LANG/.mwmrc. If that file does not exist or if LANG
is not set, mwm looks for $HOME/.mwmrc. If that file does
not exist and if LANG is set, mwm next looks for the file
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system.mwmrc in the $LANG subdirectory of an implementation-
dependent directory. (The default for this directory, if not
changed by the implementation, is /usr/lib/X11.) If that
file does not exist or if LANG is not set, mwm looks for the
file system.mwmrc in the same implementation-dependent
directory.
deiconifyKeyFocus (class DeiconifyKeyFocus)
This resource applies only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. If a value of True is used, a window
receives the keyboard input focus when it is normalized
(deiconified). True is the default value.
doubleClickTime (class DoubleClickTime)
This resource is used to set the maximum time (in ms) between
the clicks (button presses) that make up a double-click. The
default value of this resource is the display's multi-click
time.
enableWarp (class EnableWarp)
The default value of this resource, True, causes mwm to warp
the pointer to the center of the selected window during
keyboard-controlled resize and move operations. Setting the
value to False causes mwm to leave the pointer at its
original place on the screen, unless the user explicitly
moves it with the cursor keys or pointing device.
enforceKeyFocus (class EnforceKeyFocus)
If this resource is given a value of True, the keyboard input
focus is always explicitly set to selected windows even if
there is an indication that they are "globally active" input
windows. (An example of a globally active window is a scroll
bar that can be operated without setting the focus to that
client.) If the resource is False, the keyboard input focus
is not explicitly set to globally active windows. The
default value is True.
fadeNormalIcon (class FadeNormalIcon)
If this resource is given a value of True, an icon is grayed
out whenever it has been normalized (its window has been
opened). The default value is False.
feedbackGeometry (class FeedbackGeometry)
This resource sets the position of the move and resize
feedback window. If this resource is not specified, the
default is to place the feedback window at the center of the
screen. The value of the resource is a standard window
geometry string with the following syntax:
[=]{+-}xoffset{+-}yoffset]
frameBorderWidth (class FrameBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client
window frame border without resize handles. The border width
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includes the 3-D shadows. The default value is based on the
size and resolution of the screen.
iconAutoPlace (class IconAutoPlace)
This resource indicates whether the window manager arranges
icons in a particular area of the screen or places each icon
where the window was when it was iconified. The value True
indicates that icons are arranged in a particular area of the
screen, determined by the iconPlacement resource. The value
False indicates that an icon is placed at the location of the
window when it is iconified. The default is True.
iconBoxGeometry (class IconBoxGeometry)
This resource indicates the initial position and size of the
icon box. The value of the resource is a standard window
geometry string with the following syntax:
[=][widthxheight][{+-}xoffset{+-}yoffset]
If the offsets are not provided, the iconPlacement policy is used to
determine the initial placement. The units for width and height are
columns and rows.
The actual screen size of the icon box window depends on the
iconImageMaximum (size) and iconDecoration resources. The default
value for size is (6 * iconWidth + padding) wide by (1 * iconHeight +
padding) high. The default value of the location is +0 -0.
iconBoxName (class IconBoxName)
This resource specifies the name that is used to look up icon
box resources. The default name is "iconbox".
iconBoxSBDisplayPolicy (class IconBoxSBDisplayPolicy)
This resource specifies the scroll bar display policy of the
window manager in the icon box. The resource has three
possible values: all, vertical, and horizontal. The default
value, "all", causes both vertical and horizontal scroll bars
always to appear. The value "vertical" causes a single
vertical scroll bar to appear in the icon box and sets the
orientation of the icon box to horizontal (regardless of the
iconBoxGeometry specification). The value "horizontal"
causes a single horizontal scroll bar to appear in the icon
box and sets the orientation of the icon box to vertical
(regardless of the iconBoxGeometry specification).
iconBoxTitle (class IconBoxTitle)
This resource specifies the name that is used in the title
area of the icon box frame. The default value is "Icons".
iconClick (class IconClick)
When this resource is given the value of True, the system
menu is posted and left posted when an icon is clicked. The
default value is True.
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iconDecoration (class IconDecoration)
This resource specifies the general icon decoration. The
resource value is label (only the label part is displayed) or
image (only the image part is displayed) or label image (both
the label and image parts are displayed). A value of
activelabel can also be specified to get a label (not
truncated to the width of the icon) when the icon is
selected. The default icon decoration for icon box icons is
that each icon has a label part and an image part (label
image). The default icon decoration for stand alone icons is
that each icon has an active label part, a label part, and an
image part (activelabel label image).
iconImageMaximum (class IconImageMaximum)
This resource specifies the maximum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthxheight (for example, 64x64). The
maximum supported size is 128x128. The default value of this
resource is 50x50.
iconImageMinimum (class IconImageMinimum)
This resource specifies the minimum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthxheight (for example, 32x50). The
minimum supported size is 16x16. The default value of this
resource is 16x16.
iconPlacement (class IconPlacement)
This resource specifies the icon placement scheme to be used.
The resource value has the following syntax:
primary_layout secondary_layout [tight]
The layout values are one of the following:
Value Description
------------------------------------------
top Lay the icons out top to bottom.
bottom Lay the icons out bottom to top.
left Lay the icons out left to right.
right Lay the icons out right to left.
A horizontal (vertical) layout value should not be used for both the
primary_layout and the secondary_layout (for example, don't use top
for the primary_layout and bottom for the secondary_layout). The
primary_layout indicates whether, when an icon placement is done, the
icon is placed in a row or a column and the direction of placement.
The secondary_layout indicates where to place new rows or columns.
For example, top right indicates that icons should be placed top to
bottom on the screen and that columns should be added from right to
left on the screen. The default placement is left bottom (icons are
placed left to right on the screen, with the first row on the bottom
of the screen, and new rows added from the bottom of the screen to
the top of the screen). A tight value places icons with zero spacing
in between icons. This value is useful for aesthetic reasons, as
well as X-terminals with small screens.
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iconPlacementMargin (class IconPlacementMargin)
This resource sets the distance between the edge of the
screen and the icons that are placed along the edge of the
screen. The value should be greater than or equal to 0. A
default value (see below) is used if the value specified is
invalid. The default value for this resource is equal to the
space between icons as they are placed on the screen (this
space is based on maximizing the number of icons in each row
and column).
interactivePlacement (class InteractivePlacement)
This resource controls the initial placement of new windows
on the screen. If the value is True, the pointer shape
changes before a new window is placed on the screen to
indicate to the user that a position should be selected for
the upper-left hand corner of the window. If the value is
False, windows are placed according to the initial window
configuration attributes. The default value of this resource
is False.
keyBindings (class KeyBindings)
This resource identifies the set of key bindings for window
management functions. If specified, these key bindings
replace the built-in default bindings. The named set of key
bindings is specified in mwm resource description file. The
default value for this resource is "DefaultKeyBindings".
keyboardFocusPolicy (class KeyboardFocusPolicy)
If set to pointer, the keyboard focus policy is to have the
keyboard focus set to the client window that contains the
pointer (the pointer could also be in the client window
decoration that mwm adds). If set to explicit, the policy is
to have the keyboard focus set to a client window when the
user presses button 1 with the pointer on the client window
or any part of the associated mwm decoration. The default
value for this resource is explicit.
limitResize (class LimitResize)
If this resource is True, the user is not allowed to resize a
window to greater than the maximum size. The default value
for this resource is True.
lowerOnIconify (class LowerOnIconify)
If this resource is given the default value of True, a
window's icon appears on the bottom of the window stack when
the window is minimized (iconified). A value of False places
the icon in the stacking order at the same place as its
associated window. The default value of this resource is
True.
maximumMaximumSize (class MaximumMaximumSize)
This resource is used to limit the maximum size of a client
window as set by the user or client. The resource value is
widthxheight (for example, 1024x1024) where the width and
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height are in pixels. The default value of this resource is
twice the screen width and height.
moveOpaque (class MoveOpaque)
This resource controls whether the actual window is moved or
a rectangular outline of the window is moved. A default
value of False displays a rectangular outline on moves.
moveThreshold (class MoveThreshold)
This resource is used to control the sensitivity of dragging
operations that move windows and icons. The value of this
resource is the number of pixels that the locator is moved
with a button down before the move operation is initiated.
This is used to prevent window/icon movement when you click
or double-click and there is unintentional pointer movement
with the button down. The default value of this resource is
4 (pixels).
multiScreen (class MultiScreen)
This resource, if True, causes mwm to manage all the screens
on the display. If False, mwm manages only a single screen.
The default value is False.
passButtons (class PassButtons)
This resource indicates whether or not button press events
are passed to clients after they are used to do a window
manager function in the client context. If the resource
value is False, the button press is not passed to the client.
If the value is True, the button press is passed to the
client window. The window manager function is done in either
case. The default value for this resource is False.
passSelectButton (class PassSelectButton)
This resource indicates whether or not to pass the select
button press events to clients after they are used to do a
window manager function in the client context. If the
resource value is False, then the button press will not be
passed to the client. If the value is True, the button press
is passed to the client window. The window manager function
is done in either case. The default value for this resource
is True.
positionIsFrame (class PositionIsFrame)
This resource indicates how client window position
information (from the WM_NORMAL_HINTS property and from
configuration requests) is to be interpreted. If the
resource value is True, the information is interpreted as the
position of the MWM client window frame. If the value is
False, it is interpreted as being the position of the client
area of the window. The default value of this resource is
True.
positionOnScreen (class PositionOnScreen)
This resource is used to indicate that windows should
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initially be placed (if possible) so that they are not
clipped by the edge of the screen (if the resource value is
True). If a window is larger than the size of the screen, at
least the upper-left corner of the window is on-screen. If
the resource value is False, windows are placed in the
requested position even if totally off-screen. The default
value of this resource is True.
quitTimeout (class QuitTimeout)
This resource specifies the amount of time (in milliseconds)
that mwm will wait for a client to update the WM_COMMAND
property after mwm has sent the WM_SAVE_YOURSELF message.
The default value of this resource is 1000 (ms). (Refer to
the f.kill function description for additional information.)
raiseKeyFocus (class RaiseKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When set to True, this resource
specifies that a window raised by means of the
f.normalize_and_raise function also receives the input focus.
The default value of this resource is False.
resizeBorderWidth (class ResizeBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client
window frame border with resize handles. The specified
border width includes the 3-D shadows. The default value is
based on the size and resolution of the screen.
resizeCursors (class ResizeCursors)
This is used to indicate whether the resize cursors are
always displayed when the pointer is in the window size
border. If True, the cursors are shown, otherwise the window
manager cursor is shown. The default value is True.
screens (class Screens)
This resource specifies the resource names to use for the
screens managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen,
only the first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing
multiple screens, the names are assigned to the screens in
order, starting with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name,
screen 1 the second name, and so on. The default screen
names are 0, 1, and so on.
showFeedback (class ShowFeedback)
This resource controls whether or not feedback windows or
confirmation dialogs are displayed. A feedback window shows
a client window's initial placement and shows position and
size during move and resize operations. Confirmation dialogs
can be displayed for certain operations.
The value for this resource is a list of names of the
feedback options to be enabled or disabled; the names must be
separated by a space. If an option is preceded by a minus
sign, that option is excluded from the list. The sign of the
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first item in the list determines the initial set of options.
If the sign of the first option is minus, mwm assumes all
options are present and starts subtracting from that set. If
the sign of the first decoration is plus (or not specified),
mwm starts with no options and builds up a list from the
resource.
The names of the feedback options are shown below:
Name Description
------------------------------------------------------------
all Show all feedback (Default value)
behavior Confirm behavior switch
kill Confirm on receipt of KILL signal
move Show position during move
none Show no feedback
placement Show position and size during initial placement
quit Confirm quitting mwm
resize Show size during resize
restart Confirm mwm restart
The following command line illustrates the syntax for showFeedback:
Mwm*showFeedback: placement resize behavior restart
This resource specification provides feedback for initial client
placement and resize, and enables the dialog boxes to confirm the
restart and set behavior functions. It disables feedback for the
move function. The default value for this resource is all.
startupKeyFocus (class StartupKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When given the default value of True, a
window gets the keyboard input focus when the window is
mapped (that is, initially managed by the window manager).
It is recommended that both autoKeyFocus and startupKeyFocus
be True to work with tear off menus. The default value is
True.
transientDecoration (class TransientDecoration)
This controls the amount of decoration that mwm puts on
transient windows. The decoration specification is exactly
the same as for the clientDecoration (client specific)
resource. Transient windows are identified by the
WM_TRANSIENT_FOR property, which is added by the client to
indicate a relatively temporary window. The default value
for this resource is menu title (that is, transient windows
have frame borders and a titlebar with a window menu button).
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the
transientDecoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the
decorations indicated by the transientDecoration resource.
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For more information see the description of XmNmwmDecorations
on the VendorShell(3X) reference page.
transientFunctions (class TransientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which window management
functions are applicable (or not applicable) to transient
windows. The function specification is exactly the same as
for the clientFunctions (client specific) resource. The
default value for this resource is -minimize -maximize.
An application can also specify which functions mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
functions indicated by both the application and the
transientFunctions resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the
functions indicated by the transientFunctions resource. For
more information see the description of XmNmwmFunctions on
the VendorShell(3X) reference page.
useIconBox (class UseIconBox)
If this resource is given a value of True, icons are placed
in an icon box. When an icon box is not used, the icons are
placed on the root window (default value).
wMenuButtonClick (class WMenuButtonClick)
This resource indicates whether a click of the mouse when the
pointer is over the window menu button posts and leaves
posted the window menu. If the value given this resource is
True, the menu remains posted. True is the default value for
this resource.
wMenuButtonClick2 (class WMenuButtonClick2)
When this resource is given the default value of True, a
double-click action on the window menu button does an f.kill
function.
Client Specific Resources
The syntax for specifying client specific resources is
Mwm*client_name_or_class*resource_id
For example, Mwm*mterm*windowMenu is used to specify the window menu
to be used with mterm clients. The syntax for specifying client
specific resources for all classes of clients is
Mwm*resource_id
Specific client specifications take precedence over the
specifications for all clients. For example, Mwm*windowMenu is used
to specify the window menu to be used for all classes of clients that
don't have a window menu specified.
The syntax for specifying resource values for windows that have an
unknown name and class (that is, windows that do not have a WM_CLASS
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property associated with them) is
Mwm*defaults*resource_id
For example, Mwm*defaults*iconImage is used to specify the icon image
to be used for windows that have an unknown name and class.
The following client specific resources can be specified:
Client Specific Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
clientDecoration ClientDecoration string all
clientFunctions ClientFunctions string all
focusAutoRaise FocusAutoRaise T/F varies
iconImage IconImage pathname (image)
iconImageBackground Background color icon background
iconImageBottomShadowColor Foreground color icon bottom
shadow
iconImageBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadow- color icon bottom
Pixmap shadow pixmap
iconImageForeground Foreground color varies
iconImageTopShadowColor Background color icon top shadow
color
iconImageTopShadowPixmap TopShadow- Pixmap color icon top shadow
pixmap
matteBackground Background color background
matteBottomShadowColor Foreground color bottom shadow
color
matteBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadow- color bottom shadow
Pixmap pixmap
matteForeground Foreground color foreground
matteTopShadowColor Background color top shadow
color
matteTopShadowPixmap TopShadow- Pixmap color top shadow
pixmap
matteWidth MatteWidth pixels 0
maximumClientSize MaximumClientSize wxh vertical fill the screen
horizontal
useClientIcon UseClientIcon T/F F
usePPosition UsePPosition string nonzero
windowMenu WindowMenu string "Default-
Window- Menu"
clientDecoration (class ClientDecoration)
This resource controls the amount of window frame decoration.
The resource is specified as a list of decorations to specify
their inclusion in the frame. If a decoration is preceded by
a minus sign, that decoration is excluded from the frame.
The sign of the first item in the list determines the initial
amount of decoration. If the sign of the first decoration is
minus, mwm assumes all decorations are present and starts
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subtracting from that set. If the sign of the first
decoration is plus (or not specified), then mwm starts with
no decoration and builds up a list from the resource.
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the
clientDecoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the
decorations indicated by the clientDecoration resource. For
more information see the description of XmNmwmDecorations on
the VendorShell(3X) reference page.
Name Description
---------------------------------------------------
all Include all decorations (default value)
border Window border
maximize Maximize button (includes title bar)
minimize Minimize button (includes title bar)
none No decorations
resizeh Border resize handles (includes border)
menu Window menu button (includes title bar)
title Title bar (includes border)
Examples:
Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: -resizeh -maximize
This removes the resize handles and maximize button from XClock
windows.
Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: menu minimize border
This does the same thing as above. Note that either menu or minimize
implies title.
clientFunctions (class ClientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which mwm functions are
applicable (or not applicable) to the client window. The
value for the resource is a list of functions. If the first
function in the list has a minus sign in front of it, then
mwm starts with all functions and subtracts from that set.
If the first function in the list has a plus sign in front of
it, then mwm starts with no functions and builds up a list.
Each function in the list must be preceded by the appropriate
plus or minus sign and separated from the next function by a
space.
An application can also specify which functions mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
functions indicated by both the application and the
clientFunctions resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the
functions indicated by the clientFunctions resource. For
more information see the description of XmNmwmFunctions on
the VendorShell(3X) reference page.
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The table below lists the functions available for this resource:
Name Description
-------------------------------------------------
all Include all functions (default value)
none No functions
resize f.resize
move f.move
minimize f.minimize
maximize f.maximize
close f.kill
focusAutoRaise (class FocusAutoRaise)
When the value of this resource is True, clients are raised
when they get the keyboard input focus. If the value is
False, the stacking of windows on the display is not changed
when a window gets the keyboard input focus. The default
value is True when the keyboardFocusPolicy is explicit and
False when the keyboardFocusPolicy is pointer.
iconImage (class IconImage)
This resource can be used to specify an icon image for a
client (for example, "Mwm*myclock*iconImage"). The resource
value is a pathname for a bitmap file. The value of the
(client specific) useClientIcon resource is used to determine
whether or not user supplied icon images are used instead of
client supplied icon images. The default value is to display
a built-in window manager icon image.
iconImageBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon background color
(that is, specified by "Mwm*background or
Mwm*icon*background).
iconImageBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow
color (that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowColor).
iconImageBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow
Pixmap (that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowPixmap).
iconImageForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource varies depending on the icon
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background.
iconImageTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon top shadow color
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*topShadowColor).
iconImageTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon top shadow pixmap
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*topShadowPixmap).
matteBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client background color (that is, specified
by "Mwm*background or Mwm*client*background).
matteBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client bottom shadow color (that is,
specified by "Mwm*bottomShadowColor or
Mwm*client*bottomShadowColor).
matteBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the
matte, when matteWidth is positive. The default value of
this resource is the client bottom shadow pixmap (that is,
specified by "Mwm*bottomShadowPixmap or
Mwm*client*bottomShadowPixmap).
matteForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client foreground color (that is, specified
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by "Mwm*foreground or Mwm*client*foreground).
matteTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client top shadow color (that is, specified
by "Mwm*topShadowColor or Mwm*client*topShadowColor).
matteTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow pixmap of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client top shadow pixmap (that is, specified
by "Mwm*topShadowPixmap or Mwm*client*topShadowPixmap).
matteWidth (class MatteWidth)
This resource specifies the width of the optional matte. The
default value is 0, which effectively disables the matte.
maximumClientSize (class MaximumClientSize)
This resource is either a size specification or a direction
that indicates how a client window is to be maximized. The
resource value can be specified as a size specification
widthxheight. The width and height are interpreted in the
units that the client uses (for example, for terminal
emulators this is generally characters). Alternately,
"vertical" or "horizontal" can be specified to indicate the
direction in which the client maximizes.
If this resource is not specified, the maximum size from the
WM_NORMAL_HINTS property is used if set. Otherwise the
default value is the size where the client window with window
management borders fills the screen. When the maximum client
size is not determined by the maximumClientSize resource, the
maximumMaximumSize resource value is used as a constraint on
the maximum size.
useClientIcon (class UseClientIcon)
If the value given for this resource is True, a client-
supplied icon image takes precedence over a user-supplied
icon image. The default value is False, giving the user-
supplied icon image higher precedence than the client-
supplied icon image.
usePPosition (class UsePPosition)
This resource specifies whether Mwm honors program specified
position PPosition specified in the WM_NORMAL_HINTS property
in the absence of an user specified position. Setting this
resource to on, causes mwm to always honor program specified
position. Setting this resource to off, causes mwm to always
ignore program specified position. Setting this resource to
the default value of nonzero cause mwm to honor program
specified position other than (0,0).
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windowMenu (class WindowMenu)
This resource indicates the name of the menu pane that is
posted when the window menu is popped up (usually by pressing
button 1 on the window menu button on the client window
frame). Menu panes are specified in the MWM resource
description file. Window menus can be customized on a client
class basis by specifying resources of the form
Mwm*client_name_or_class*windowMenu (see "Mwm Resource
Description File Syntax"). The default value of this
resource is "DefaultWindowMenu".
Resource Description File
The MWM resource description file is a supplementary resource file
that contains resource descriptions that are referred to by entries
in the defaults files (.Xdefaults, app-defaults/Mwm). It contains
descriptions of resources that are to be used by mwm, and that cannot
be easily encoded in the defaults files (a bitmap file is an
analogous type of resource description file). A particular mwm
resource descriptionfile can be selected using the configFile
resource.
The following types of resources can be described in the mwm resource
description file:
Buttons Window manager functions can be bound (associated)
with button events.
Keys Window manager functions can be bound (associated)
with key press events.
Menus Menu panes can be used for the window menu and other
menus posted with key bindings and button bindings.
mwm Resource Description File Syntax
The mwm resource description file is a standard text file that
contains items of information separated by blanks, tabs, and newline
characters. Blank lines are ignored. Items or characters can be
quoted to avoid special interpretation (for example, the comment
character can be quoted to prevent it from being interpreted as the
comment character). A quoted item can be contained in double quotes
("). Single characters can be quoted by preceding them by the
backslash character (\). All text from an unquoted # to the end of
the line is regarded as a comment and is not interpreted as part of a
resource description. If ! is the first character in a line, the
line is regarded as a comment. If a line ends in a backslash
character (\), the next line is considered a continuation of that
line. Window manager functions can be accessed with button and key
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bindings, and with window manager menus. Functions are indicated as
part of the specifications for button and key binding sets, and menu
panes. The function specification has the following syntax:
function = function_name [function_args]
function_name = window manager function
function_args = {quoted_item | unquoted_item}
The following functions are supported. If a function is specified
that isn't one of the supported functions, then it is interpreted by
mwm as f.nop.
f.beep This function causes a beep.
f.circle_down [icon | window]
This function causes the window or icon that is on the top
of the window stack to be put on the bottom of the window
stack (so that it no longer obscures any other window or
icon). This function affects only those windows and icons
that obscure other windows and icons, or that are obscured
by other windows and icons. Secondary windows (that is,
transient windows) are restacked with their associated
primary window. Secondary windows always stay on top of
the associated primary window and there can be no other
primary windows between the secondary windows and their
primary window. If an icon function argument is specified,
the function applies only to icons. If a window function
argument is specified, the function applies only to
windows.
f.circle_up [icon | window]
This function raises the window or icon on the bottom of
the window stack (so that it is not obscured by any other
windows). This function affects only those windows and
icons that obscure other windows and icons, or that are
obscured by other windows and icons. Secondary windows
(that is, transient windows) are restacked with their
associated primary window. If an icon function argument is
specified, the function applies only to icons. If a window
function argument is specified, the function applies only
to windows.
f.exec or !
This function causes command to be executed (using the
value of the MWMSHELL environment variable if it is set,
otherwise the value of the SHELL environment variable if it
is set, otherwise /bin/sh). The ! notation can be used in
place of the f.exec function name.
f.focus_color
This function sets the colormap focus to a client window.
If this function is done in a root context, the default
colormap (set up by the X Window System for the screen
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where MWM is running) is installed and there is no specific
client window colormap focus. This function is treated as
f.nop if colormapFocusPolicy is not explicit.
f.focus_key
This function sets the keyboard input focus to a client
window or icon. This function is treated as f.nop if
keyboardFocusPolicy is not explicit or the function is
executed in a root context.
f.kill This function is used to terminate a client. If the
WM_DELETE_WINDOW protocol is set up, the client is sent a
client message event, indicating that the client window
should be deleted. If the WM_SAVE_YOURSELF protocol is set
up, the client is sent a client message event, indicating
that the client needs to prepare to be terminated. If the
client does not have the WM_DELETE_WINDOW or
WM_SAVE_YOURSELF protocol set up, this function causes a
client's X connection to be terminated (usually resulting
in termination of the client). Refer to the description of
the quitTimeout resource and the WM_PROTOCOLS property.
f.lower [-client | within | freeFamily]
This function lowers a primary window to the bottom of the
global window stack (where it obscures no other window) and
lowers the secondary window (transient window or dialog
box) within the client family. The arguments to this
function are mutually exclusive.
The client argument indicates the name or class of a client
to lower. If the client argument is not specified, the
context that the function was invoked in indicates the
window or icon to lower.
Specifying within lowers the secondary window within the
family (staying above the parent) but does not lower the
client family in the global window stack.
Specifying freeFamily lowers the window to the bottom of
the global windows stack from its local family stack.
f.maximize
This function causes a client window to be displayed with
its maximum size.
f.menu This function associates a cascading (pull-right) menu with
a menu pane entry or a menu with a button or key binding.
The menu_name function argument identifies the menu to be
used.
f.minimize
This function causes a client window to be minimized
(iconified). When a window is minimized when no icon box
is used, its icon is placed on the bottom of the window
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stack (so that it obscures no other window). If an icon
box is used, the client's icon changes to its iconified
form inside the icon box. Secondary windows (that is,
transient windows) are minimized with their associated
primary window. There is only one icon for a primary
window and all its secondary windows.
f.move This function causes a client window to be interactively
moved.
f.next_cmap
This function installs the next colormap in the list of
colormaps for the window with the colormap focus.
f.next_key [icon | window | transient]
This function sets the keyboard input focus to the next
window/icon in the set of windows/icons managed by the
window manager (the ordering of this set is based on the
stacking of windows on the screen). This function is
treated as f.nop if keyboardFocusPolicy is not explicit.
The keyboard input focus is moved only to windows that do
not have an associated secondary window that is application
modal. If the transient argument is specified, transient
(secondary) windows are traversed (otherwise, if only
window is specified, traversal is done only to the last
focused window in a transient group). If an icon function
argument is specified, the function applies only to icons.
If a window function argument is specified, the function
applies only to windows.
f.nop This function does nothing.
f.normalize
This function causes a client window to be displayed with
its normal size. Secondary windows (that is, transient
windows) are placed in their normal state along with their
associated primary window.
f.normalize_and_raise
This function causes the corresponding client window to be
displayed with its normal size and raised to the top of the
window stack. Secondary windows (that is, transient
windows) are placed in their normal state along with their
associated primary window.
f.pack_icons
This function is used to relayout icons (based on the
layout policy being used) on the root window or in the icon
box. In general this causes icons to be "packed" into the
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icon grid.
f.pass_keys
This function is used to enable/disable (toggle) processing
of key bindings for window manager functions. When it
disables key binding processing, all keys are passed on to
the window with the keyboard input focus and no window
manager functions are invoked. If the f.pass_keys function
is invoked with a key binding to disable key-binding
processing, the same key binding can be used to enable key-
binding processing.
f.post_wmenu
This function is used to post the window menu. If a key is
used to post the window menu and a window menu button is
present, the window menu is automatically placed with its
top-left corner at the bottom-left corner of the window
menu button for the client window. If no window menu
button is present, the window menu is placed at the top-
left corner of the client window.
f.prev_cmap
This function installs the previous colormap in the list of
colormaps for the window with the colormap focus.
f.prev_key [icon | window | transient]
This function sets the keyboard input focus to the previous
window/icon in the set of windows/icons managed by the
window manager (the ordering of this set is based on the
stacking of windows on the screen). This function is
treated as f.nop if keyboardFocusPolicy is not explicit.
The keyboard input focus is moved only to windows that do
not have an associated secondary window that is application
modal. If the transient argument is specified, transient
(secondary) windows are traversed (otherwise, if only
window is specified, traversal is done only to the last
focused window in a transient group). If an icon function
argument is specified, the function applies only to icons.
If an window function argument is specified, the function
applies only to windows.
f.quit_mwm
This function terminates mwm (but NOT the X window system).
f.raise [-client | within | freeFamily]
This function raises a primary window to the top of the
global window stack (where it is obscured by no other
window) and raises the secondary window (transient window
or dialog box) within the client family. The arguments to
this function are mutually exclusive.
The client argument indicates the name or class of a client
to lower. If the client is not specified, the context that
the function was invoked in indicates the window or icon to
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lower.
Specifying within raises the secondary window within the
family but does not raise the client family in the global
window stack.
Specifying freeFamily raises the window to the top of its
local family stack and raises the family to the top of the
global window stack.
f.raise_lower [within | freeFamily]
This function raises a primary window to the top of the
global window stack if it is partially obscured by another
window; otherwise, it lowers the window to the bottom of
the window stack. The arguments to this function are
mutually exclusive.
Specifying within raises a secondary window within the
family (staying above the parent window), if it is
partially obscured by another window in the application's
family; otherwise, it lowers the window to the bottom of
the family stack. It has no effect on the global window
stacking order.
Specifying freeFamily raises the window to the top of its
local family stack, if obscured by another window, and
raises the family to the top of the global window stack;
otherwise, it lowers the window to the bottom of its local
family stack and lowers the family to the bottom of the
global window stack.
f.refresh This function causes all windows to be redrawn.
f.refresh_win
This function causes a client window to be redrawn.
f.resize This function causes a client window to be interactively
resized.
f.restore This function restores the previous state of an icon's
associated window. If a maximized window is iconified,
then f.restore restores it to its maximized state. If a
normal window is iconified, then f.restore restores it to
its normalized state.
f.restore_and_raise
This function restores the previous state of an icon's
associated window and raises the window to the top of the
window stack. If a maximized window is iconified, then
f.restore_and_raise restores it to its maximized state and
raises it to the top of the window stack. If a normal
window is iconified, then f.restore_and_raise restores it
to its normalized state and raises it to the top of the
window stack.
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f.restart This function causes mwm to be restarted (effectively
terminated and re-executed).
f.screen [next | prev | back
screen_number]" This function causes the pointer to be warp
to a specific screen number or to the next, previous, or
last visited (back) screen. The arguments to this function
are mutually exclusive.
The screen_number argument indicates the screen number that
the pointer is to be warped. Screens are numbered starting
from screen 0.
Specifying next cause the pointer to warp to the next
managed screen (skipping over any unmanaged screens).
Specifying prev cause the pointer to warp to the previous
managed screen (skipping over any unmanaged screens).
Specifying back cause the pointer to warp to the last
visited screen.
f.send_msg message_number
This function sends a client message of the type
_MOTIF_WM_MESSAGES with the message_type indicated by the
message_number function argument. The client message is
sent only if message_number is included in the client's
_MOTIF_WM_MESSAGES property. A menu item label is grayed
out if the menu item is used to do f.send_msg of a message
that is not included in the client's _MOTIF_WM_MESSAGES
property.
f.separator
This function causes a menu separator to be put in the menu
pane at the specified location (the label is ignored).
f.set_behavior
This function causes the window manager to restart with the
default behavior (if a custom behavior is configured) or
revert to the custom behavior. By default this is bound to
Shift Ctrl Meta <Key>!.
f.title This function inserts a title in the menu pane at the
specified location.
Each function may be constrained as to which resource types can
specify the function (for example, menu pane) and also what context
the function can be used in (for example, the function is done to the
selected client window). Function contexts are
root No client window or icon has been selected as an
object for the function.
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window A client window has been selected as an object for the
function. This includes the window's title bar and
frame. Some functions are applied only when the
window is in its normalized state (for example,
f.maximize) or its maximized state (for example,
f.normalize).
icon An icon has been selected as an object for the
function.
If a function's context has been specified as icon|window and the
function is invoked in an icon box, the function applies to the icon
box, not to the icons inside.
If a function is specified in a type of resource where it is not
supported or is invoked in a context that does not apply, the
function is treated as f.nop. The following table indicates the
resource types and function contexts in which window manager
functions apply.
Function Contexts Resources
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
f.beep root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.circle_down root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.circle_up root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.exec root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.focus_color root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.focus_key root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.kill icon, window button, key, menu
f.lower icon, window button, key, menu
f.maximize icon, window(normal) button, key, menu
f.menu root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.minimize window button, key, menu
f.move icon, window button, key, menu
f.next_cmap root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.next_key root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.nop root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.normalize icon, window(maximized) button, key, menu
f.normalize_and_raise icon, window button, key, menu
f.pack_icons root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.pass_keys root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.post_wmenu root, icon, window button, key
f.prev_cmap root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.prev_key root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.quit_mwm root, icon, window button, key, menu (root only)
f.raise icon, window button, key, menu
f.raise_lower icon, window button, key, menu
f.refresh root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.refresh_win window button, key, menu
f.resize window button, key, menu
f.restore icon, window button, key, menu
f.restore_and_raise icon, window button, key, menu
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f.restart root, icon, window button, key, menu (root only)
f.screen root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.send_msg icon, window button, key, menu
f.separator root, icon, window menu
f.set_behavior root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.title root, icon, window menu
Window Manager Event Specification
Events are indicated as part of the specifications for button and
key-binding sets, and menu panes.
Button events have the following syntax:
button = [modifier_list]<button_event_name>
modifier_list = modifier_name {modifier_name}
All modifiers specified are interpreted as being exclusive (this
means that only the specified modifiers can be present when the
button event occurs). The following table indicates the values that
can be used for modifier_name. The [Alt] key is frequently labeled
[Extend] or [Meta]. Alt and Meta can be used interchangeably in
event specification.
Modifier Description
------------------------
Ctrl Control Key
Shift Shift Key
Alt Alt/Meta Key
Meta Meta/Alt Key
Lock Lock Key
Mod1 Modifier1
Mod2 Modifier2
Mod3 Modifier3
Mod4 Modifier4
Mod5 Modifier5
The following table indicates the values that can be used for
button_event_name.
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Button Description
----------------------------------------
Btn1Down Button 1 Press
Btn1Up Button 1 Release
Btn1Click Button 1 Press and Release
Btn1Click2 Button 1 Double-Click
Btn2Down Button 2 Press
Btn2Up Button 2 Release
Btn2Click Button 2 Press and Release
Btn2Click2 Button 2 Double-Click
Btn3Down Button 3 Press
Btn3Up Button 3 Release
Btn3Click Button 3 Press and Release
Btn3Click2 Button 3 Double-Click
Btn4Down Button 4 Press
Btn4Up Button 4 Release
Btn4Click Button 4 Press and Release
Btn4Click2 Button 4 Double-Click
Btn5Down Button 5 Press
Btn5Up Button 5 Release
Btn5Click Button 5 Press and Release
Btn5Click2 Button 5 Double-Click
Key events that are used by the window manager for menu mnemonics and
for binding to window manager functions are single key presses; key
releases are ignored. Key events have the following syntax:
key = [modifier_list]<Key>key_name
modifier_list = modifier_name {modifier_name}
All modifiers specified are interpreted as being exclusive (this
means that only the specified modifiers can be present when the key
event occurs). Modifiers for keys are the same as those that apply
to buttons. The key_name is an X11 keysym name. Keysym names can be
found in the keysymdef.h file (remove the XK_ prefix).
Button Bindings
The buttonBindings resource value is the name of a set of button
bindings that are used to configure window manager behavior. A
window manager function can be done when a button press occurs with
the pointer over a framed client window, an icon, or the root window.
The context for indicating where the button press applies is also the
context for invoking the window manager function when the button
press is done (significant for functions that are context sensitive).
The button binding syntax is
Buttons bindings_set_name {
button context function
button context function
.
.
button context function }
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The syntax for the context specification is
context = object[ | context]
object = root | icon | window | title | frame | border | app
The context specification indicates where the pointer must be for the
button binding to be effective. For example, a context of window
indicates that the pointer must be over a client window or window
management frame for the button binding to be effective. The frame
context is for the window management frame around a client window
(including the border and titlebar), the border context is for the
border part of the window management frame (not including the
titlebar), the title context is for the title area of the window
management frame, and the app context is for the application window
(not including the window management frame).
If an f.nop function is specified for a button binding, the button
binding is not done.
Key Bindings
The keyBindings resource value is the name of a set of key bindings
that are used to configure window manager behavior. A window manager
function can be done when a particular key is pressed. The context
in which the key binding applies is indicated in the key binding
specification. The valid contexts are the same as those that apply
to button bindings.
The key binding syntax is
Keys bindings_set_name {
key context function
key context function
.
.
key context function }
If an f.nop function is specified for a key binding, the key binding
is not done. If an f.post_wmenu or f.menu function is bound to a
key, mwm will automatically use the same key for removing the menu
from the screen after it has been popped up.
The context specification syntax is the same as for button bindings.
For key bindings, the frame, title, border, and app contexts are
equivalent to the window context. The context for a key event is the
window or icon that has the keyboard input focus (root if no window
or icon has the keyboard input focus).
Menu Panes
Menus can be popped up using the f.post_wmenu and f.menu window
manager functions. The context for window manager functions that are
done from a menu is root, icon or window depending on how the menu
was popped up. In the case of the window menu or menus popped up
with a key binding, the location of the keyboard input focus
indicates the context. For menus popped up using a button binding,
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the context of the button binding is the context of the menu.
The menu pane specification syntax is
Menu menu_name {
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function
.
.
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function }
Each line in the Menu specification identifies the label for a menu
item and the function to be done if the menu item is selected.
Optionally a menu button mnemonic and a menu button keyboard
accelerator may be specified. Mnemonics are functional only when the
menu is posted and keyboard traversal applies.
The label may be a string or a bitmap file. The label specification
has the following syntax:
label = text | bitmap_file
bitmap_file = @file_name
text = quoted_item | unquoted_item
The string encoding for labels must be compatible with the menu font
that is used. Labels are greyed out for menu items that do the f.nop
function or an invalid function or a function that doesn't apply in
the current context.
A mnemonic specification has the following syntax
mnemonic = _character
The first matching character in the label is underlined. If there is
no matching character in the label, no mnemonic is registered with
the window manager for that label. Although the character must
exactly match a character in the label, the mnemonic does not execute
if any modifier (such as Shift) is pressed with the character key.
The accelerator specification is a key event specification with the
same syntax as is used for key bindings to window manager functions.
Environment
mwm uses the environment variable HOME specifying the user's home
directory.
mwm uses the environment variable LANG specifying the user's choice
of language for the mwm message catalog and the mwm resource
description file.
mwm uses the environment variables XFILESEARCHPATH,
XUSERFILESEARCHPATH, XAPPLRESDIR, XENVIRONMENT, LANG, and HOME in
determining search paths for resource defaults files. mwm may also
use XBMLANGPATH to search for bitmap files.
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mwm reads the $HOME/.motifbind file if it exists to install a virtual
key bindings property on the root window. For more information on
the content of the .motifbind file, see VirtualBindings(3X).
mwm uses the environment variable MWMSHELL (or SHELL, if MWMSHELL is
not set), specifying the shell to use when executing commands via the
f.exec function.
Files
/usr/lib/X11/$LANG/system.mwmrc /usr/lib/X11/system.mwmrc
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm $HOME/Mwm $HOME/.Xdefaults
$HOME/$LANG/.mwmrc $HOME/.mwmrc $HOME/.motifbind
RELATED INFORMATION
VendorShell(3X), VirtualBindings(3X), X(1), and XmInstallImage(3X).
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