XSETROOT(1)		    General Commands Manual		   XSETROOT(1)



NAME
       xsetroot - root window parameter setting utility for X

SYNOPSIS
       xsetroot	 [-help]  [-def]  [-display display] [-cursor cursorfile mask-
       file] [-cursor_name cursorname] [-xcf cursorfile	 cursorsize]  [-bitmap
       filename]  [-mod	 x  y]	[-gray]	 [-grey] [-fg color] [-bg color] [-rv]
       [-solid color] [-name string]

DESCRIPTION
       The xsetroot program allows you to tailor the appearance of  the	 back-
       ground  ("root")	 window on a workstation display running X.  Normally,
       you experiment with xsetroot until you find a  personalized  look  that
       you  like,  then	 put the xsetroot command that produces it into your X
       startup file.  If no options are specified, or if  -def	is  specified,
       the window is reset to its default state.  The -def option can be spec-
       ified along with other options and only the non-specified  characteris-
       tics will be reset to the default state.

       Only  one  of  the  background  color/tiling  changing options (-solid,
       -gray, -grey, -bitmap, and -mod) may be specified at a time.

OPTIONS
       The various options are as follows:

       -help  Print a usage message and exit.

       -def   Reset unspecified attributes to the default  values.   (Restores
	      the  background  to the familiar gray mesh and the cursor to the
	      hollow x shape.)

       -cursor cursorfile maskfile
	      This lets you change the pointer cursor  to  whatever  you  want
	      when  the	 pointer  cursor is outside of any window.  Cursor and
	      mask files are bitmaps (little pictures), and can be  made  with
	      the  bitmap(1)  program.	 You probably want the mask file to be
	      all black until you get used to the way masks work.

       -cursor_name cursorname
	      This lets you change the pointer cursor to one of	 the  standard
	      cursors from the cursor font.  Refer to appendix B of the X pro-
	      tocol for the names (except that the XC_ prefix  is  elided  for
	      this option).

       -xcf cursorfile cursorsize
	      This  lets  you  change the pointer cursor to one loaded from an
	      Xcursor file as defined by libXcursor, at the specified size.

       -bitmap filename
	      Use the bitmap specified in the file to set the window  pattern.
	      You  can	make your own bitmap files (little pictures) using the
	      bitmap(1) program.  The entire background will  be  made	up  of
	      repeated "tiles" of the bitmap.

       -mod x y
	      This  is	used  if  you  want  a plaid-like grid pattern on your
	      screen.  x and y are integers ranging from 1  to	16.   Try  the
	      different	 combinations.	Zero and negative numbers are taken as
	      1.

       -gray  Make the entire background gray.	(Easier on the eyes.)

       -grey  Make the entire background grey.

       -fg color
	      Use ``color'' as the foreground  color.	Foreground  and	 back-
	      ground  colors  are meaningful only in combination with -cursor,
	      -bitmap, or -mod.

       -bg color
	      Use ``color'' as the background color.

       -rv    This exchanges the foreground and background  colors.   Normally
	      the foreground color is black and the background color is white.

       -solid color
	      This  sets  the  background  of the root window to the specified
	      color.  This option is only useful on color servers.

       -name string
	      Set the name of the root window  to  ``string''.	 There	is  no
	      default  value.	Usually a name is assigned to a window so that
	      the window manager can use a text representation when the window
	      is iconified.  This option is unused since you can't iconify the
	      background.

       -display display
	      Specifies the server to connect to; see X(7).

SEE ALSO
       X(7), xset(1), xrdb(1), Xcursor(3)

AUTHOR
       Mark Lillibridge, MIT Project Athena



X Version 11			xsetroot 1.1.0			   XSETROOT(1)