XMESSAGE(1)              X Version 11(20 August 1991)               XMESSAGE(1)


NAME
      xmessage - display a message or query in a window (X-based /bin/echo)

SYNOPSIS
      xmessage [ -buttons label1[:value1],label2[:value2],...  ] [ options ]
      -file filename
      xmessage [ -buttons label1[:value1],label2[:value2],...  ] [ options ]
      message ...

DESCRIPTION
      Xmessage displays a window containing a message from the command line, a
      file, or standard input.  Along the lower edge of the message is row of
      buttons; clicking the left mouse button on any of these buttons will
      cause xmessage to exit.  Which button was pressed is returned in the exit
      status and, optionally, by writing the label of the button to standard
      output.

      Xmessage is typically used by shell scripts to display information to the
      user or to ask the user to make a choice.

OPTIONS
      These are the command line options that xmessage understands.

      -buttons button,button,...
              This option will cause xmessage to create one button for each
              comma-separated button argument.  The corresponding resource is
              buttons.  Each button consists of a label optionally followed by
              a colon and an exit value.  The label is the name of the Command
              button widget created and will be the default text displayed to
              the user.  Since this is the name of the widget it may be used to
              change any of the resources associated with that button.  The
              exit value will be returned by xmessage if that button is
              selected.  The default exit value is 100 plus the button number.
              Buttons are numbered from the left starting with one.  The
              default string if no -buttons option is given is okay:0.

      -default label
              Defines the button with a matching label to be the default.  If
              not specified there is no default.  The corresponding resource is
              defaultButton.  Pressing Return anywhere in the xmessage window
              will activate the default button.  The default button has a wider
              border than the others.

      -file filename
              File to display.  The corresponding resource is file.  A filename
              of `-' reads from standard input.  If this option is not
              supplied, xmessage will display all non-option arguments in the
              style of echo.  Either -file or a message on the command line
              should be provided, but not both.





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      -print  This will cause the program to print the label of the button
              pressed to standard output.  Equivalent to setting the printValue
              resource to TRUE.  This is one way to get feedback as to which
              button was pressed.

WIDGET HIERARCHY
      Knowing the name and position in the hierarchy of each widget is useful
      when specifying resources for them.  In the chart below, the class and
      name of each widget is given.

      Xmessage (xmessage)
            Form form
                  Label message
                  Command (label1)
                  Command (label2)
                  .
                  .
                  .

RESOURCES
      Xmessage has a few top-level application resources that allow
      customizations that are specific to xmessage.

      file    A String resource specifying the file to display.

      buttons A String resource specifying the buttons to display.  See the
              -buttons command-line option.

      defaultButton
              A String resource specifying a default button by label.

      printValue
              A Boolean resource that determines whether or not the label of
              the button pressed to exit the program is printed.  The default
              is FALSE.

ACTIONS
      exit(value)
              exit immediately with an exit status of value (default 0).  This
              action can be used with translations to provide alternate ways of
              exiting xmessage.

      default-exit()
              exit immediately with the exit status specified by the default
              button.  If there is no default button, this action has no
              effect.

EXIT STATUS
      If it detects an error, xmessage returns 1, so this value should not be
      used with a button.




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XMESSAGE(1)              X Version 11(20 August 1991)               XMESSAGE(1)


SEE ALSO
      X(1), echo(1), cat(1)

COPYRIGHT
      Copyright 1988,1991 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
      See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.

AUTHORS
      Chris Peterson, MIT Project Athena
      Stephen Gildea, MIT X Consortium












































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