NAME

xsetroot − root window parameter setting utility. 

SYNTAX

xsetroot [options]

DESCRIPTION

xsetroot allows you to tailor the appearance of the root (background) window on a display.  You can experiment with xsetroot until you find a look that you like, then put the xsetroot command that produces it into your X startup file.  If you do not specify any options or you specify -def, the window is reset to its defaults.  The -def option can be specified along with other options and only the non-specified characteristics will be reset to the default state.  See Chapter 14, Setup Clients, for instructions on using xsetroot. 

OPTIONS

xsetroot accepts the following options.  Note that only one of the background color/tile changing options (-solid, -gray, -gray, -bitmap, or -mod) can be specified at a time.  color can be specified as a color name or a numeric value.  See Chapter 12, Specifying Color, for more information. 

-bg color
Sets the background color of the root window. Foreground and background colors are meaningful only in combination with -cursor, -bitmap, or -mod.  The default is white. 

-bitmap filename
Uses the bitmap specified in the file to set the window pattern.  The entire background is made up of repeated tiles of the bitmap.  You can make your own bitmap files using the bitmap client or you can use those available with X, usually found in the directory /usr/include/X11/bitmaps.  The default is a gray mesh. 

-cursor cursorfile maskfile
Specifies the cursor shape to use as the root window pointer. The cursorfile and maskfile are bitmaps, which can be made with the bitmap client.  (Refer to Chapter 7, Graphics Utilities, for more information on creating bitmaps.)  The mask file may need to be all black until you are accustomed to the way masks work.  The default root window pointer is an X cursor. 

-cursor_name standard_cursor_name
Changes the root window cursor to one of the standard cursors from the cursor font.  (See Appendix D, Standard Cursors, for a list and pictures.)  To specify a cursor name as an argument to a command-line option, the XC_ prefix must be stripped from the name. 

-defResets unspecified attributes to the default values. (Restores the background to the gray mesh background and the pointer to the hollow X pointer.)  If you specify -def and other options, only the non-specified options are reset to their defaults. 

-display [host]:server[.screen]
Allows you to specify the host, server, and screen of the root window. host is the hostname of the physical display, server specifies the server number, and screen specifies the screen number.  For example, % xsetroot -display your_node:0.1 specifies screen 1 of server 0 on the display named by your_node.  Either or both of the host and screen elements to the display specification can be omitted.  If host is omitted, the local display is assumed.  If screen is omitted, screen 0 is assumed (and the period is unnecessary).  The colon and (display) server are necessary in all cases. 

-fg color
Sets the foreground color of the root window. Foreground and background colors are only meaningful in combination with -cursor, -bitmap, or -mod.  The default is black. 

-gray or -grey
Creates a gray background.

-helpDisplays a brief description of the allowable options. 

-mod x y
Makes a plaid-like grid pattern on your screen.  x and y are integers ranging from 1 to 16 and are used to determine the dimensions in pixels of the plaid rectangles.  Try some different combinations.  Zero and negative numbers are taken as 1. 

-name string
Sets the name of the background window to string.  There is no default value.  This option allows a client to refer to the root window by name.  (Usually, a name is assigned to a window so that the window manager can use a text representation when the window is converted to an icon.  However, since the root window cannot be iconified, this function does not apply.) 

-rvReverses the foreground color and the background color when used with another option, such as -mod.  (Normally the foreground color is black and the background color is white.)  Without another specified option, -rv returns the root (background) window to the default state. 

-solid color
Sets the root window color.  This option is primarily useful on color servers. The default color is a gray mesh.

SEE ALSO

X, xset, xrdb; Chapter 14, Setup Clients; Chapter 12, Specifying Color. 

AUTHOR

Mark Lillibridge, MIT Project Athena.