xsess(1) X11 R4.11MU05 xsess(1)
NAME
xsess - X.desktop client for managing rooms
SYNOPSIS
Xsess is a client run in conjunction with X.desktop that lets users
associate a group of related applications and desktop(s), and view
the combination of desktop(s) and applications as a single entity
called a "room." Users can set up multiple "rooms," and go from one
"room" to another by double clicking on a particular room's icon.
Xsess runs on Data General AViiON hardware under the DG/UX system,
and requires a display device that executes the X Windows server.
You may run xsess on a server, provided that the X server managing
the display is running X11R4 (or a later release).
DESCRIPTION
Xsess is intended to be run with X.desktop. The ability to switch
between rooms allows users to group applications logically according
to the tasks they perform. Thus, one room may comprise only those
applications required or useful for office automation; another room
may be executing programs required to write, compile and debug C
programs; and yet another room set up with the applications needed to
manage e-mail. A user who wants to interrupt work on a document he
or she is writing to send a message to a colleague can simply double-
click on the icon associated with the e-mail room, write and post the
message, then return to his or her "office automation room" with
another double-click of the mouse button: the state of the office
automation room (the applications running, their screen locations and
window sizes) is preserved. This facility reduces screen clutter
that can quickly accumulate when users run multiple applications,
particularly on small monitors.
Xsess is invisible to the user; it has no user interface. The xsess
client comprises two components. The first component is a shared
library named libXsess.so.1 that is linked with X.desktop. This
library contains the routines that X.desktop uses to provide xsess
with the information it needs to manage the application windows in a
particular room. The second component, which runs as a separate
client process, acts on requests from X.desktop to perform a
particular room operation.
The sections below discuss the concept of rooms in more detail, and
explain how you create, save, delete and switch between them using
X.desktop.
CONCEPTS
A room is simply a group of application windows that are related to
each other by common function or purpose. Xsess manages the state of
application windows within rooms. An application window's state
comprises its x and y coordinates, its width and height, and whether
or not it is iconified. You can create or modify rooms at any time,
adding, deleting or iconifying applications, or resizing and
relocating application windows.
To effectively manage application windows within rooms, xsess needs
to be able to uniquely identify any and all application windows
whether they are iconified or actively displayed. Xsess uses a
combination of the window id along with the class and instance name
of the application for this identification. The class and instance
name are derived from the WM_CLASS window property. Applications that
do not set the WM_CLASS property will not work correctly with xsess.
When you switch between rooms, xsess "remembers" the state of all
currently active applications in the room by taking a "snapshot."
This "snapshot" becomes the room's "remembered state." Thus, when you
return to this room, all windows are restored. A "snapshot,"
however, preserves the room's state only for your current X.desktop
session. To maintain the current state of a room's application
windows between X.desktop sessions, you must save it (this procedure
is explained below).
It is important to remember that xsess itself does not start the
applications associated with a given room. You must start the
applications defined for a room yourself, or by using X.desktop's
autostart facility.
Xsess does, however, control the state of the application by checking
whether the application you start has been defined for the current
room. If you are opening a predefined room for the first time during
the current session, xsess checks for a "saved state" for that room.
That is, it determines whether or not you saved the room using the
Desktop menu (explained below). If the room was saved, xsess places
the applications you start in the same window locations in which they
were saved. If the current room has not been saved, xsess checks the
remembered state of the "home room" (the Main Desktop window) for any
information about where an application might be located. If xsess
cannot find any such information, the window manager determines the
size and location of the windows.
When you switch to a different room, any active windows not
recognized as belonging to it are iconified. Any currently iconified
application windows belonging to the room are de-iconified. This
convention keeps your desktop (current room) cleared of all
application windows not germane to the task at hand.
You create and save rooms using the Rooms menu option on the Desktop
main menu. The following terminology is used when discussing room
management procedures:
Home room The initial room entered upon starting a new X.desktop
session. It is signified on the desktop by the room icon
labeled home room.
Current room
The currently open room. This room is signified by the the
room icon that is in the open state. This icon looks like
an open door.
Remembered state
The location, size, and status (iconified or de-iconified)
of a room's application windows at the time you switch to a
different room.
Saved state
The applications and their location, size and status
(iconified or de-iconified) that have been associated with
a room with the Desktop menu selection Rooms -> Save Room.
This information is stored in the Room Information file.
Home room state
The location, size, and status (iconified or de-iconified)
of the home room's application windows at the time you
switch to a different desktop. It is synonymous with the
"remembered state" of the home room.
Room Information file
The file in the user's home directory that holds the saved
state information for particular rooms. The default
filename is .xsessrc. Other files may be specified by
using the -file switch when starting xsess. For example:
xsess -file <filename>. This facility allows users to
specify different sets of rooms for different X.desktop
sessions. Xsess must be started before X.desktop,
regardless of whether the saved file is used.
Desktop menu
The menu you use to manage (create, save and delete) rooms.
Iconified An application window that no longer is displayed, but
whose presence is represented by an icon.
De-iconified
An application whose window is displayed.
Rooms -> Save Room
The notation used to indicate the appropriate Desktop menu
selection. This particular example tells you first to
select "Rooms" from the Desktop menu, then to select the
"Save Room" option.
MANAGING ROOMS
This section discusses the room management operations xsess provides
for X.desktop. You select most of these functions from the Desktop
menu.
Rooms are displayed as individually named Desktop icons on your Main
Desktop. You can also see what rooms your system manager has made
available by selecting Rooms -> Available Rooms. You then can "drag
and drop" these rooms to your Main Desktop (or other desktops) for
future use.
When you begin a session with X.desktop, the Main Desktop, the icons
for the applications you have associated with it and the room icons
for your rooms appear. Any applications on the autostart desktop also
are started. At this point, you may work from the Main Desktop by
starting its applications, change to a different room, create and
save a new room, or delete a room. These functions are explained in
the following paragraphs.
Xsess does not attempt to maintain the stacking order of the
applications between room changes.
Creating a Room
To create a new room, select Rooms -> Create Room from the desktop
menu. A dialog box appears requesting the name of the new room.
After entering the name of the new room, click the OK button. A room
icon is created and placed on the main desktop.
As mentioned earlier, you can select Rooms -> Available Rooms and
"drag and drop" other room icons to your desktop. You can start the
applications you wish to associate with the new room, arrange them on
your desktop as you please, and save the arrangement for your next
X.desktop session. See the section "Saving a Room," below.
NOTE: Creating a new room does not in itself place you in the newly
created room. To move to the new room you must double click on the
new room's icon. When you move to a newly created room, a snapshot
is taken of the current room; the new room then assumes the same
state as the previous room. You then are free to determine the
contents of the new room by starting other applications, and by
iconifying those you don't want to include in your new room.
After you have set up the new room with the desired applications and
room icons (which allow you to get to other rooms from the new one),
you have the option of saving the layout of the new room so that it
is remembered between X.desktop sessions. Saving the room state is
described below.
Changing Rooms
To change rooms, move the mouse cursor to the desired room icon and
double-click the left button. Any currently running applications
that are not defined as part of the new room are iconified. Any
currently open application windows that have also been defined as
part of the new room remain open. These applications may be resized
and relocated, however, as determined by the remembered or saved
state of the new room.
Saving a Room
During a session with X.desktop, you can freely create new rooms and
modify existing ones. If you do not save these rooms, however, their
current layouts are lost when the current X.desktop session
terminates. When you save a room, its current setup is written to
the Room Information file. The next time you start an X.desktop
session and double-click on this room's icon, xsess restores the room
to its saved state.
To save a room, select Rooms -> Save Room from the Desktop menu.
FILES
/usr/opt/X11/bin/xsess
The executable.
/usr/opt/X11/lib/libXsess.so.1
The shared library.
/usr/opt/X11/catman/M_man/man1/xsess.1.z
This man page.
DIAGNOSTICS
None
SEE ALSO
X(1), Xdefaults(5)
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