MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
NAME
moxfm - Motif file and application manager
SYNOPSIS
moxfm [options ...]
DESCRIPTION
Moxfm is an OSF/Motif based file and application manager for Unix
workstations running the X window system. Moxfm is quite similar to
the Athena widgets based xfm filemanager, and it was developed using
the source code of xfm. Moxfm uses configuration files with the same
format as xfm (except the device configuration file, see
CONFIGURATION).
Moxfm - as xfm - allows you to browse your diretory tree and to copy,
move, link and delete files in an intuitive way by simple drag-and-
drop actions. It provides context-sensitive popup menus. Directory
displays are updated automatically in regular intervals when the
contents of the directory changes. The integrated application manager
provides a kind of ``shelf'' on which you can place your favorite
applications, as well as the files and directories you are currently
working with. It also allows you to access different groups of
applications and files. User-definable file types let you specify a
command to be executed when double-clicking on a file or dropping
other files onto it. Last not least, moxfm can automatically mount and
unmount special devices like floppies as you open and close the
corresponding directories (mount points) or copy files to them.
OPTIONS
Moxfm accepts all the usual toolkit options. Furthermore, the
following options let you print moxfm's version number and control
which windows are displayed at startup.
-version
Print the version number and exit.
-appmgr
Only display the application manager window initially.
-filemgr
Only display the file manager window initially.
-dir path
Only display a file manager window of path.
-ignorestartup
Ignore the (optional) startup file, which specifies which windows
are opened at which locations at startup.
- 1 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
When both -appmgr and -filemgr are specified, the main application
window and a file manager window of the home directory will be
displayed, which is also the default when there is no startup file, or
when the -ignorestartup option is given.
RUNNING MOXFM FOR THE FIRST TIME
The first time a user is running moxfm, the program will copy a number
of configuration files into a directory, which is defined by the
applicationCfgPath resource (usually ~/.xfm). These are the personal
configuration files, and may be edited to customise moxfm and xfm to
the user's taste. In addition, the user might want to copy the
application defaults file Moxfm into his home directory and customize
it.
USAGE
Most of it should be fairly obvious. There are arbitrary numbers of
application and file windows. Each file window shows the contents of
one directory. In order to perform an action on a single file or
directory, you can press the right mouse button over it to obtain a
popup menu, or you press the middle mouse button on it and drag it to
a second file window, a directory icon (e.g.) in the same file window,
a button in an application window, or the background of an application
window. If you want to copy the contents of an ASCII file into e.g. a
Motif editor (such as nedit), you can drop the file over the editor
window as well. You can also double-click on an item to start a
corresponding action (like launching an application, editing a file,
or changing directories). If you want to perform an action on multiple
files/directories simultaneously, you can select multiple files with
the left mouse key in combination with the Ctrl key. Then you can
select an action from the pulldown file menu, or you can drag the
files by pressing the middle mouse button in one of the selected items
and moving the mouse. If you want to select a number of files in
consecutive order, you can select the first file of the block with the
left mouse key and then select the last file with the left mouse key
in connection with the Shift key.
If you drop files and/or directories onto the background of a file
window or onto a directory icon within a file or application window,
the files/directories are moved to the corresponding directory. If you
want to copy the items instead of moving them, you have to hold the
Ctrl key pressed when releasing the middle mouse button. You can make
links to the files/directories in a different directory by pressing
the Ctrl Shift keys when releasing the middle mouse key over the
corresponding directory.
The action taken when double-clicking on a file depends on the type of
the file. If it is a directory, it is displayed in the file window. If
it is an executable, the program is started. Other files are opened in
the default editor (specified by the defaultEditor resource), unless
another action is given for the type of the file in the xfmrc file
(see CONFIGURATION below).
- 2 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
In the xfmrc file you can also specify drop actions for different file
types, so when you drop files onto a file of one of these types the
appropriate action is performed. Applications can be launched by
dropping files on them. When you drop files onto a file for which
there is no drop action defined, the files are copied, moved or linked
to the directory of the file window. In file windows, valid drop sites
are always highlighted when you drag files over them.
Directories can be displayed in two different forms: icon view
(display directories and files as icons) and text view (similar to ls
-l). These view types are selected from the Options menu, the default
view type is given by the initialDisplayType resource.
There are several ways to change the directory displayed in a file
window. You can directly edit the text field which displays the name
of the shown directory and press the Enter key, or you can double-
click on a directory icon. To go to your home directory you can also
select the Go home item from the Directory menu or simply press the
button with the symbol of a (typical swedish) house; to go to the
parent directory you can select the Go up item from the Directory menu
or press the button with the parent directory symbol. You can change
into one of the current directory's ancestor directories by pressing
the right mouse button over the directory text field and choosing a
directory from the posted popup menu.
The other buttons in the file windows have the following meanings.
When you press the button with the glasses symbol, the directory
contents will be reread and redisplayed, clicking on the button with
two directory symbols on it opens a second window of the same
directory. Pressing the button which shows the symbol of a window with
colored icons will cause a new instance of the main application window
to come up. When you click on the button with the green leftarrow, all
your changes to the text field containing the directory name are
discarded (unless you have already pressed the Enter key).
The application windows contain arbitrary numbers of buttons, for
which a push and/or a drop action can be defined. You can change the
actions and the icon of a button by pressing the right mouse button
over it and selecting Edit from the popup menu. For the syntax of the
push action and drop action fields, see FILE TYPE CONFIGURATION below.
To create a new button, press the right mouse button over the
background of the application window and select the Install
application... item, or drag a file or directory from a file window to
the background of the application window. In this case a new button is
created, taking the push and drop actions for the type of the file as
the push and drop actions for the button. Clicking on a directory
button in an appliction window will start a file window showing the
contents of the directory. You can also copy and move buttons between
different application windows or within an application window by
drag'n'drop with the middle mouse button. If the Ctrl key is pressed
when releasing the middle mouse button, the button is copied,
- 3 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
otherwise it is moved.
There is one main application group, which is specified by the
mainApplicationFile resource. An application window with this main
menu is opened e.g. when you start moxfm using the -appmgr option.
Each application window may contain buttons for further application
groups. When you press such a button, the application window will show
the buttons of that group instead. When you select the Open item from
the popup menu of such a button, a new application window showing the
selected application group is opened.
MENU COMMANDS
FILE MENU
File manipulation operations.
New...
Create a new (and empty) file.
Copy...
Create a copy of a single item with a new name or copy selected
items to another directory.
Move...
Rename a single item (directory or file) or move selected items to
another directory.
Link...
Like Copy, but creates symbolic links rather than copying the
selected items.
Perform action...
You are prompted for an action to be performed on the selected
items.
Delete
Delete the selected items.
Select...
Select items by pattern. The usual metacharacters are recognized
(*, ?, [ ]). (Currently there is no provision for escaping these.)
Select all
Select all items in the current directory (except the parent
directory).
Deselect all
Deselect all items.
- 4 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
Close window
Close the current file window
Exit.
Terminate moxfm.
DIRECTORY MENU
Operations dealing with directories and the file window.
Make directory...
Create a new directory.
Filesystem info...
Show information on free space and filesystem parameters.
Reread files.
Reread and redisplay directory contents.
Filter files...
Only show files whose names match the given pattern. The usual
metacharacters are recognized (*, ?, [ ]). (Currently there is no
provision for escaping these.) This only affects normal files,
i.e. directory items will not be filtered. The Clear button in the
Filter dialog form reverts to the full display.
Go home
Change to your home directory.
Go up.
Go to the parent directory.
Enter command...
You are prompted for a command, which will be interpreted by your
default shell in the directory of the file window.
WINDOWS MENU
Operations concerning windows
New file window
Open a second window of the current directory.
New application window
Open a window with the main application menu.
Mount table window
Open a window which displays the configured mountable devices (if
not yet present).
- 5 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
Start xterm
Start an xterm from the current directory.
Save windows
Save positions and states of all moxfm's windows to the startup
file
OPTIONS MENU
Options for the directory display.
Icon view
Select the icons form display.
Text view
Select the text form display.
Sort by name
Sort directory by name.
Sort by size
Sort directory by size.
Sort by date.
Sort directory by date.
Show hidden files.
Show hidden files (files starting with a dot).
Show directories
Show directory items.
Directories first
Show directories first in the window.
FILE POPUP MENU
Operations on a single file. This menu pops up when pressing the right
mouse button on a directory or file icon. Not all of these operations
are available for all filetypes.
Open
Open a file window on the selected item. This option is only
available if the selected item is a directory.
Execute
Launch the selected application. You are prompted for command line
parameters. This option is only available for executables.
Edit
Edit the selected item using the program specified in the
- 6 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
defaultEditor resource (only available if the selected item is not
a directory).
View
Same as Edit, but invokes a program for viewing the file
(defaultViewer resource).
Perform action...
You are prompted for an action to perform on the selected item.
Rename...
Rename the selected item.
Copy...
Copy the selected item.
Move...
Same as rename, but the old name is not displayed in the dialog.
Link...
Create a symbolic link to the selected icon
Delete
Delete the selected item.
Properties...
Display information about the selected item (file size,
permissions and such). You can change permissions and ownership.
APPLICATION GROUP MENU
Operations for managing the application window. This menu pops up when
pressing the right mouse button on the background of an application
window.
Install application...
Install a new application in the application window. Pops up a
dialog form into which you can enter the necessary information
(see APPLICATION FILES for a discussion of the fields in this
form).
New application group...
Simplified install dialog form for creating a new application box
and making it accessible from the current application menu (see
APPLICATION FILES).
Save setup
Save the configuration of the current application window.
Reload setup
Reload the configuration of the current application window from
- 7 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
the configuration file and discard all recent changes.
Edit setup file
Open the configuration file of the current application window with
the default editor.
Main appl window
Open a new application window with the main apllication menu.
Open file window
Open a file window displaying your home directory
Mount table window
Open a window which displays the configured mountable devices (if
not yet present)
Save windows
Save positions and states of all moxfm's windows to the startup
file
Close window
Close the current application window
Exit
Terminate moxfm.
APPLICATION POPUP MENU
Operations on a single application item (button). This menu pops up
when pressing the right mouse button on a button in the application
window.
Open
If the selected item represents an application menu, a new
application window displaying this menu is opened. Otherwise, the
default push action of the selected button is invoked.
Edit...
Edit an application item. Pops up a dialog form which allows you
to change the configuration information associated with the
selected item (see CONFIGURATION for a discussion of the fields in
this form).
Delete
Remove the selected button from the application window.
RESOURCES
Various aspects of moxfm can be configured by changing corresponding
resource settings in the application defaults file. Some important
resources are listed below:
- 8 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
bitmapPath
pixmapPath
The path on which to search for bitmap and pixmap icons,
respectively.
mainApplicationFile
configFile
startupFile
devFile
magicFile
The names of the application and configuration files used by moxfm
(see CONFIGURATION). Normally, these files will be located in
~/.xfm. You may wish to change this, e.g., if you want to provide
a system-wide xfmrc file. (The application files should always be
kept in the user's home directory, such that each user can save
his/her private application settings.) You may specify these
pathnames as ~/path, but not as ~user/path.
applicationCfgPath
The directory in which the application files for new application
groups are located (see the Install group option of the
application menu), usually ~/.xfm.
doubleClickTime
Set the time interval in milliseconds for which a sequence of two
mouse clicks should be interpreted as a double click. Default:
300.
updateInterval
Set the time interval in milliseconds in which to perform
automatic folder updates. Default: 10000.
checkFiles
Set this to true (default), if you want the time stamps of all
files (except subdirectories) shown by the file windows to be
checked on automatic folder updates. If set to false, only the
timestamp of the directory itself is checked.
autoSave
When you change the contents of an application group, moxfm will
automatically save the changes to the configuration file, if this
resource is set to true. Otherwise, you are asked if you want to
save your changes when you close the window or change the
application group.
- 9 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
saveOnExit
If you want moxfm to change all window positions and contents
automatically on exit (i.e., when you explicitly quit the program
or it receives a TERM signal), set this resource to true.
confirmXXX
Resources to request confirmation for various operations. XXX can
be any one of Deletes, DeleteFolder, Copies, Moves, Links,
Overwrite and Quit. By default these are all enabled.
newWinOnDirPopup
You can select a new directory to be viewed from the popup menu of
the directory text field. This resource determines, if you want
the directory to be displayed in the current window (if false;
default), or if you want to open a new file window showing the
selected directory.
defaultEditor
The command with which moxfm invokes your favorite editor.
defaultViewer
The command with which moxfm invokes your favorite viewer.
xterm
The command with wich moxfm starts an xterm.
BourneShells
Moxfm calls other programs by executing your shell (as taken from
the environment variable SHELL). Since Bourne compatible shells
need one extra parameter, moxfm needs to know about the type of
the shell. If this resource is not set (default), or is equal to
the special string AUTO, a quick-and-dirty test is done at
startup. This test will fail if the shell's initialisation files
cause some output. If this happens, change these files, or set the
BourneShells resource to a comma separated list of full path names
of Bourne compatible shells. If your shell matches an entry in
this list, moxfm will assume it is a Bourne shell.
suppressWarnings
If this is set to true, both X Toolkit warnings (type: 'Action not
found') and warnings about pixmaps which could not be found are
suppressed. (Default: false)
showCopyInfo
Normally there is a window informing you when moxfm is copying
files. If you set this resource to false, this window is
suppressed.
showOwner
- 10 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
showDate
showPermissions
showLength
startFromXterm
If you set this to true, all applications are launched from
xterms. (Default: false)
keepXterm
This resource applies only if startFromXterm is set to true. If
you set both resources to true, the xterms from wich the
applications are launched are not closed, when the applications
terminate. (Default: false)
There are way too many available resources to list them all in this
manual page, so please take a look at the application defaults file
for more information.
CONFIGURATION
Besides the application resources, moxfm can be configured by means of
three different files, which are usually named xfmrc, moxfmdev and
magic, and are located in the ~/.xfm directory. Moreover, there is a
number of so-called application files, from which moxfm determines the
contents of the application windows, like the xfm-Main file which
usually describes the contents of the main application group. All
these files are plain ASCII files which can be edited using any text
editor. (Note that application files also can be written by moxfm
itself when you change the contents of an application group
interactively; see the autoSave resource.) Any line in these files
which starts with a hash sign (#) is interpreted as a comment; empty
lines are ignored.
FILE TYPE CONFIGURATION
The xfmrc file specifies the types of ordinary (non-executable, non-
directory) files which moxfm should recognize. Each file type
associates a pattern with an icon and two different kinds of actions
(commands to be executed on the file). If moxfm has been compiled with
the MAGIC_HEADERS option then it is possible to specify icons (but not
actions) for directories and executables as well. Each line has the
following format:
pattern:icon:push-action:drop-action
As indicated, the different fields are separated by a colon (use \: to
escape the : character, and \\ to escape the backslash character
itself). The meaning of these fields is explained below.
pattern
This field allows you to specify which files belong to the type.
- 11 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
File types can either be specified by a filename pattern, which
refers to the name of a file, or a magic header, which refers to
the contents of the file, or both.
There are three types of filename patterns: Literal patterns
specify a literal filename such as ``core.'' Suffix patterns
specify a suffix the filename must match, and are indicated by a
leading asterisk, as in ``*.c.'' (All characters following the
initial * are interpreted as literals; there is no expansion of
embedded wildcards.) Finally, prefix patterns specify a prefix to
be matched against the filename. They are denoted by a trailing
asterisk, as in ``README*.''
Magic headers are specified by a symbolic name given in the magic
file, enclosed in angle brackets. Entries referring to a magic
header cause the contents of the file to be checked against the
magic numbers in the magic file. The format of these entries is
described in Section MAGIC HEADERS below.
icon
The name of the bitmap or pixmap file containing the icon to be
displayed for this file type.
push-action
The command to be executed when the user double-clicks on a file
of this type. This command is passed to the shell (via -c),
together with the name of the selected file. The command is
executed in the directory where the selected file is located. The
filename is available in the command as the positional parameter
number one, such that an action of the form xyz $1 invokes the
command xyz on the selected file. There are also three special
kinds of push actions built into moxfm, EDIT and VIEW which invoke
the default editor and default viewer on the selected file,
respectively, and LOAD which loads the selected file as an
application file and opens a new application window (discussed in
section APPLICATION FILES).
drop-action
Similar to the push action, this field denotes a command to be
executed when a collection of selected files is dropped onto the
file. The absolute target filename itself is available as
positional parameter $1, the remaining arguments denote the names
of the files dropped onto the target file. The command is executed
in the directory which contains the selected files. No special
built-in commands are available for this type of action.
If an action field is empty, the corresponding action defaults to ``do
nothing.''
For instance, the following entry defines an icon and an EDIT push
action for .c files:
- 12 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
*.c:xfm_c.xpm:EDIT:
As another example, here is an entry for tar files. The push action
causes the contents of the archive to be shown by the xless browser,
while the drop adds the files which have been dragged onto the tar-
file to the archive and pipes the output of tar to xless.
*.tar.gz:xfm_taz.xpm:exec tar tfv $1 | xless:exec tar rfv $* | xless
(Note the use of the shell's exec command. Since actions are invoked
through the shell, it is often useful to replace the shell with the
actual command which is to be executed, in order to conserve memory
space on small systems.)
It is possible that different patterns given in the xfmrc file
overlap. In this case moxfm uses the first pattern which matches.
Therefore you should always list the more specific patterns first. For
instance, the following two entries specify what to do with compressed
tar files (specific case) and other .gz files (default case):
*.tar.gz:xfm_taz.xpm:exec tar tfvz $1 | xless:exec tar cfvz $*
*.gz:xfm_z.xpm:exec gunzip -c $1 | xless:
Moxfm also enables you to prompt for additional parameters before an
action is executed. This is generally more useful with application
entries than with file actions, and will therefore be described in the
context of application configuration, see PARAMETER DIALOGS below.
MAGIC HEADERS
When compiled with the MAGIC_HEADERS option, moxfm can determine file
types using the magic numbers contained in the files.
The magic numbers are described in a configuration file whose path is
obtained from the magicFile resource. The format of the file is the
same as that of the magic(5) file, with some extensions like regular
expression matching. (See xfmtype(1).)
There are five built-in types which are used if all the patterns in
the magic file fail:
unreadable
Read failed.
empty
File size is zero.
special
Not a regular file.
ascii
Could be read and looks like ASCII.
- 13 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
data
Could be read but all tests failed and doesn't look like ASCII.
To specify a magic file type you include it between angle brackets at
the beginning of the pattern field:
<GIF>:xfm_gif.xpm:exec xpaint $1:
or combined with a filename pattern:
<ascii>*.cc:xfm_cc.xpm:EDIT:
In the latter case, the file must meet both conditions, i.e. be an
ASCII file and have a .cc suffix.
To include angle brackets in the type or the pattern you must escape
them using backslashes.
If moxfm is compiled with the MAGIC_HEADERS option, it is also
possible to specify custom icons for directories and executables. For
this purpose, the magic file distributed with moxfm provides magic
file types named <DIR>, <EXEC>, etc. For instance, here is an entry
which specifies a special icon for hidden directories:
<DIR>.*:hidden_dir.xpm::
In the same way you can also override the built-in icons for
displaying arbitrary directories and executables:
<DIR>..:parent_dir.xpm::
<DIR>:plain_dir.xpm::
<DIR LNK>:link_dir.xpm::
DEVICE CONFIGURATION
The device configuration file, moxfmdev, lets you specify which mount
points moxfm should keep track of, and which actions to perform in
order to mount and unmount the corresponding file systems. Caution:
The format of this file is different from xfm's xfmdev file! When you
have a properly configured moxfmdev file, you can access file systems
on special devices such as floppies, CD-Roms, etc. in a transparent
way. All you have to do is to enter a directory named in moxfmdev -
i.e. a mount point - (e.g. by opening a file window on it or by
copying files to it), and moxfm will automatically perform the
corresponding mount action for you. Likewise, if you leave such a
directory (or the file copy operation is finished, respectively),
moxfm invokes the corresponding unmount action. (CAUTION: You still
have to take care that you unmount a file system, e.g. by closing
every file window which has been opened on it, before you physically
remove the corresponding medium.) When you have configured directories
as mount points in moxfmdev, a mount table window is shown, which
informs you about the current state of the corresponding devices. You
- 14 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
can also manually mount devices by pressing the mount button in the
mount table window, but then moxfm will not automatically unmount them
when they are no longer needed and you have to take care of pressing
the unmount button in the mount table window.
An entry of the moxfmdev file has the following format:
label:special-device:mount-point:mount-action:umount-action
The label field specifies the label of the device shown in the mount
table window. Special-device denotes the special device (e.g.
/dev/fd0) to be mounted on the mount-point. Mount-action defines the
command to be executed in order to mount the file system, and umount-
action the command for unmounting the file system. It is important
that the /etc/mtab (or, on HP-UX machines, the /etc/mnttab) file is
properly updated by the mount-action and the umount-action in order
for the Update display button of the mount table window to work
properly! On Linux systems, you can use the usermount and userumount
programs distributed with moxfm (see usermount(1)). Here is a
``typical'' entry from my moxfmdev file:
A\::/dev/fd0:/floppy:usermount /dev/fd0:userumount /dev/fd0
Of course, the details of how to mount a floppy file system may vary
from system to system, so if you want to use the usermount program on
a non-Linux system, you will have to change the arguments of the mount
and umount system calls accordingly. The programs used to mount and
unmount filesystems have to be suid root if you want ordinary users to
be able to mount or unmount filesystems (caution!).
APPLICATION FILES
Application files are used to specify the contents of the application
window. Normally, these files are not altered with a text editor, but
are updated by moxfm whenever the contents of the application window
changes (see autoSave resource). An understanding of the application
data is necessary, however, if you want to edit an existing or create
a new entry using the Install application or Edit options of the
application menus. Each entry has the following form:
name:directory:filename:icon:push-action:drop-action
The name and icon fields specify the name of the application and a
corresponding icon which should be displayed in the application
window. The push-action and drop-action fields have the same meaning
as in the xfmrc file: they indicate the commands to be passed to the
shell when the user clicks on the button or drops files onto it,
respectively. The directory and filename fields let you specify a
file to be passed to the application. These fields are filled in by
moxfm when the user drags a file or directory onto the application
window. Moxfm also properly sets up the action fields when installing
a file which has a matching entry in the xfmrc file.
- 15 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
As usual, the target file (if specified) and any dropped files are
passed to the push and drop actions as the first and the remaining
parameters, respectively, see FILE TYPE CONFIGURATION for details. The
push and drop actions are executed in the directory specified by the
directory field, if it is nonempty. Otherwise, the push action is
started from the user's home directory, and the drop action in the
directory of the dropped files.
In an application file, moxfm recognizes four special types of built-
in push actions. The EDIT and VIEW actions, as in xfmrc, invoke the
default editor and viewer, respectively. The OPEN action indicates
that the target file actually is a directory onto which moxfm should
open a new file window when the user presses the corresponding button.
Finally, the LOAD action tells moxfm that the target is an application
file whose contents are to be loaded into the application window. This
action allows you to change between different groups of applications.
In addition, moxfm has the special built-in drop action COPY (xfm does
not support this). It can be specified for directory targets and means
that the dropped files are moved, copied or linked (depending on the
key which eventually is held down while releasing the middle mouse
button, see above) into the directory.
It is time for some examples. Here are three useful entries from my
xfm-Main file which I use to start an xterm, my favorite editor, and
print a file using lpr, respectively:
Terminal:::xterm.xpm:exec xterm:exec xterm -e $1
Editor:::editor.xpm:exec emacs:exec emacs $*
Printer:::printer.xpm:exec lpq | xless:exec lpr $*
Moxfm gives you great flexibility in configuring special types of
actions. For instance, the following entries can be used to implement
a simple trashcan feature and an action to open a window on a floppy
disk:
Trash::.trash:trash.xpm:OPEN:shift;mv -f -b -V numbered $* ~/.trash
A\::/:floppy:disk.xpm:OPEN:COPY
A typical entry for an application group looks as follows:
Toolbox:~/.xfm:xfm-Toolbox:apps.xpm:LOAD:
It is also instructive to take a look at how moxfm sets up the entries
when you drag files or directories to the application window. Play
around with these features. It is fun! Many things can be done, if not
with a single command then maybe with a tiny shell script.
PARAMETER DIALOGS
Moxfm lets you prompt the user for additional parameters when a push
or drop action is invoked. In such a case, a dialog form appears, with
one field for each parameter, into which the user can enter the
- 16 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
required arguments. Currently, no checking is done on the supplied
parameters; in fact, the user can simply leave all fields empty.
Parameters are specified in an action using the form
%parameter-name%
where parameter-name is an arbitrary string not containing the %
character, which will be displayed in the dialog form. (As usual, a
literal % character can be escaped with the backslash.) Moxfm replaces
each such %...% construct with the corresponding value entered by the
user. For instance, here is an entry which allows you to print files
on different printers:
Printer:::printer.xpm:exec lpq -P%Printer:--deskjet% | xless:
exec lpr -P%Printer:--deskjet% -#%Number of copies:--1% $*
As the push action in the example indicates, it is possible to specify
more than one parameter field. A default value for a parameter can be
specified using the notation
%parameter-name--default-value%
For instance:
transfig:::app.xpm::transfig -L %Language\:--eepic% $*
CONSOLE OUTPUT
Programs started by moxfm inherit their standard output and error
streams from moxfm. Therefore, if you start moxfm from your session or
window manager instead of an xterm, you should redirect moxfm's
standard output and error to something which you can read while moxfm
is running, if the window manager does not already do that for you.
Usually, you will reassign both stdout and stderr to /dev/console,
using the command:
moxfm >/dev/console 2>&1
Then you can read error messages and other output produced by launched
applications in the console window on your desktop (such as xconsole,
or xterm -C).
ICONS
Moxfm supports icons in both the X bitmap and Arnaud Le Hors' XPM
format. A collection of useful icons is included in the distribution.
FILES
~/.xfm
Standard location for moxfm configuration and application files
(see CONFIGURATION above).
- 17 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
MOXFM(1) X Version 11 MOXFM(1)
August 1995
SEE ALSO
xfmtype(1), usermount(1), X(1), xconsole(1), xterm(1), magic(5),
mount(8), Arnaud Le Hors: XPM Manual. The X PixMap Format, Groupe
Bull, 1993.
CAVEATS AND BUGS
Moxfm catches the TERM signal to gracefully terminate the program,
unmounting all open file systems which have been mounted by moxfm.
However, some window and session managers may not send TERM signals to
their client applications when terminating an X session. Therefore it
might be necessary to explicitly quit moxfm or manually close file
windows mounted by moxfm before exiting X.
Do not specify a relative path in the directory field of an
application item, because when you execute a push action on the
application the current directory might not always be what you expect.
This will probably be fixed in a future release. ;-)
Moxfm depends on your shell - see resource BourneShells.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 1990-1993 by Simon Marlow
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 by Albert Graef
Copyright (c) 1995 by Oliver Mai
AUTHORS
The xfm program was originally written by Simon Marlow
(simonm@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk) at the University of Glasgow. Albert Graef
(ag@muwiinfa.geschichte.uni-mainz.de) at the University of Mainz is
the author of xfm-1.3.x, which contains many bug fixes and
enhancements. Other people have contributed additional features: Dave
Safford (dave.safford@edu.tamu.sc; automatic folder updates); Robert
Vogelgesang (vogelges@rhrk.uni-kl.de; shell detection code); Juan D.
Martin (juando@cnm.us.es; magic headers); Kevin Rodgers (rodgers@lvs-
emh.lvs.loral.com; Filter option); Scott Heavner
(sdh@falstaff.MAE.cwru.edu; View option); Brian King
(ender@ee.WPI.EDU; default values in parameter dialogs).
Moxfm was developed and is being maintained by Oliver Mai
(mai@x4u2.desy.de), using source code and general ideas of xfm-1.3.2.
- 18 - Formatted: November 3, 2025
