XTOOLWAIT(1) XTOOLWAIT(1)
31 July 99
NAME
xtoolwait - start X client and wait for it to map a window
SYNOPSIS
xtoolwait [ -display display-name ] [ -timeout nseconds ] [ -mappings
nwindows ] [ -pid ] [ -help ] [ -version ] command
DESCRIPTION
Xtoolwait notably decreases the startup time of an X session by
reducing the load on the X server and the OS. Xtoolwait starts the X
client command in the background. It then waits until a window is
mapped on the root window and exits. Xtoolwait also exits if a time-
out occurs (by default after 15 seconds), or if command exits.
OPTIONS
-display display-name
Monitor the X display display-name for window mapping events. If
this option is not used, the X display defaults to the value of
the DISPLAY environment variable. See also section NOTES below.
-timeout nseconds
Use a time-out period of nseconds seconds. If this option is not
used, the time-out period defaults to 15 seconds.
-mappings nwindows
Exit after nwindows windows have been mapped, instead of the
default of one window. Use this option only if you are absolutely
sure that command will map nwindows top-level windows, in which
case it will slightly increase the performance.
-pid Print the process id (pid) of command to standard output. This
option is useful for shell scripts that want to wait for (or send
a signal to) command. To support shell command substitution
(`command`), Xtoolwait redirects the standard output of command
to standard error.
-help
Print out the `Usage:' command syntax summary.
-version
Print out the version number.
USAGE
This is the relevant part of my own .xinitrc file, showing the proper
use of Xtoolwait:
- 1 - Formatted: November 14, 2024
XTOOLWAIT(1) XTOOLWAIT(1)
31 July 99
#
# Startup the window manager first
#
olvwm & wmpid=$!
#
# Restore desktop settings
# Do _not_ put xtoolwait in the background
#
xtoolwait -mappings 2 contool -Wp 30 30 -Ws 575 246 -WP 3 533 -Wi
xtoolwait xeyes -geom 77x60+640+107
xtoolwait ansi_xterm -geom 80x24+22+11
xtoolwait clock -Wp 90 90 -Ws 150 150 -WP 733 110 -Wi
#
# Wait for the window manager
#
wait $wmpid
Note that the window manager must be started first. Xtoolwait depends
on it to detect window mappings. The first instance of Xtoolwait will
wait until both the window manager and the X client have finished
their initialization.
Note also that the first Xtoolwait uses the -mappings option to detect
the virtual desktop window, which is mapped by virtual window
managers. Omit this option if you use a non-virtual window manager.
EXIT STATUS
Xtoolwait returns 0 if it detected the mapping of a window on the root
window, and 1 otherwise. The one exception to this rule is when
command exits normally before mapping a window, in which case its
return value is returned.
ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY
The default display name to monitor
SEE ALSO
xtoolplaces(1)
NOTES
Xtoolwait does not propagate the -display option to command. If you
use this option, you should feed it both to Xtoolwait and to command.
This is intentional, so don't report this as a bug.
AUTHOR
Xtoolwait was written by Richard Huveneers
<richard@hekkihek.hacom.nl>. Check out http://www.hacom.nl/~richard
for more information about the author.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 1995-1999 Richard Huveneers
- 2 - Formatted: November 14, 2024
XTOOLWAIT(1) XTOOLWAIT(1)
31 July 99
<richard@hekkihek.hacom.nl>. Xtoolwait is released under the GNU
General Public License. The full copyright notice is stated at the
start of the source code.
BUGS
Xtoolwait tries to ignore windows that are mapped by other X clients.
The method used will fail if two or more X clients are started almost
simultaneously. This situation does not arise as long as all X
clients are started by Xtoolwait during the X session startup.
- 3 - Formatted: November 14, 2024
