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NAME

       xkill - kill a client by its X resource

SYNOPSIS

       xkill  [-display  displayname] [-id resource] [-button number] [-frame]
       [-all]

DESCRIPTION

       Xkill is a utility for forcing the X server  to  close  connections  to
       clients.   This  program  is very dangerous, but is useful for aborting
       programs that have displayed undesired windows on a user’s screen.   If
       no  resource identifier is given with -id, xkill will display a special
       cursor as a prompt for the user to select a window to be killed.  If  a
       pointer button is pressed over a non-root window, the server will close
       its connection to the client that created the window.

OPTIONS

       -display displayname
               This option specifies the name of the X server to contact.

       -id resource
               This option specifies the X identifier for the  resource  whose
               creator  is  to be aborted.  If no resource is specified, xkill
               will display a special cursor with which you  should  select  a
               window to be kill.

       -button number
               This  option specifies the number of pointer button that should
               be used in selecting a window to kill.  If the  word  "any"  is
               specified,  any button on the pointer may be used.  By default,
               the first button in the  pointer  map  (which  is  usually  the
               leftmost button) is used.

       -all    This  option  indicates that all clients with top-level windows
               on the screen should be killed.  Xkill will ask you  to  select
               the  root  window with each of the currently defined buttons to
               give you several chances to  abort.   Use  of  this  option  is
               highly discouraged.

       -frame  This  option  indicates  that  xkill should ignore the standard
               conventions for finding top-level  client  windows  (which  are
               typically  nested  inside  a window manager window), and simply
               believe that you want to kill direct children of the root.

CAVEATS

       This command does not provide any warranty that the  application  whose
       connection  to  the X server is closed will abort nicely, or even abort
       at all. All this command does is to  close  the  connection  to  the  X
       server.   Many   existing  applications  do  indeed  abort  when  their
       connection to the X server is closed, but some can choose to  continue.

XDEFAULTS

       Button  Specifies a specific pointer button number or the word "any" to
               use when selecting windows.

SEE ALSO

       X(7), xwininfo(1),  XKillClient  and  XGetPointerMapping  in  the  Xlib
       Programmers Manual, KillClient in the X Protocol Specification

AUTHOR

       Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
       Dana Chee, Bellcore