Man Linux: Main Page and Category List

NAME

       olvwmrc - Resource file for the OPEN LOOK Virtual Window Manager

SYNOPSIS

       $HOME/.olvwmrc

DESCRIPTION

        .olvwmrc  is  a  file  which  controls  advanced  keybinding  and menu
       features for the OPEN LOOK Window  Manager  olvwm.   Four  features  of
       olvwm are controlled by entries in this file:

       Local Variables
              which can be used in key or screen bindings

       Key Bindings
              which can map specific actions to function keys

       Screen Bindings
              which can control where certain applications are started

       WINMENU
              entries  which  can  control the behavior of items selected from
              the olvwm WINMENU menu.

       The syntax for each of these entries is given  below.   Common  to  all
       syntax  entries  is  the notion of an ‘‘identifier’’:  this is a string
       which somehow specifies which window(s) the  given  entry  applies  to.
       When  determining  if  a  particular window is affected by a particular
       rule in .olvwmrc, olvwm first checks a window’s WM_NAME to  see  if  it
       matches the identifier listed in the rule.  This match is done only for
       the length of the identifier, so that the identifier  Mail  will  match
       all  windows  which begin with the 4 letters Mail in their WM_NAME.  If
       this does not match, olvwm next checks the instance and then the  class
       fields  of  the  window’s  WM_CLASS  attribute  to check for a possible
       match.  If a match is found for any of  these  fields,  the  window  is
       affected  by  the  given  rule.   Case  is  significant in checking all
       matches.

       Identifiers  may  contain  any  alpha-numeric  characters;  any   other
       characters  must  be  enclosed within quotes (single or double).  Thus,
       Mail is a valid identifier, as is "Mail Tool" but  Mail  Tool  is  not.
       Similarly,  strings  which  are  to  be  executed should be enclosed in
       quotes if they contain non alpha-numeric  characters.   Quotes  may  be
       nested in strings, so that to start a clock with the label foo bar, you
       would specify  clock -label "foo bar".  Finally, single quotes may be
       escaped  with  a  backslash,  so that the full WM_NAME of DevGuide, for
       example, should appear as "OpenWindows Developer\s Guide".

       All whitespace in this file is ignored; and lines beginning  with  a  #
       are considered comments (but only if the # is in column 1).

Variables

       The  .olvwmrc file may define local variables by assigning a value to a
       legal variable name.  Variable names must be made  up  of  alphanumeric
       charcaters  or  the  ’_’  character.   Variable  names may begin with a
       number and assignments may contain spaces either before  of  after  the
       ’=’ operator.

       Variable    names    are   referenced   by   using   %VariableName   or
       %{VariableName}; %% will yield a single  %.   Variable  references  may
       appear  as  part  of  the  definition  of  any  key  or screen binding.
       Variable references may also appear in assignment statements.

       In addition to olvwm variables, environment variables may  be  used  in
       the same contexts using the familiar $NAME or ${NAME} syntax; again, $$
       will yield a single $.

       The following example illustrates the use of variables:

       #
       # Define screen size.
       #
       Xsize = ’1136’
       Ysize = ’798’

       WholeScreenSize = ’%{Xsize}x%{Ysize}+3+3’

       #
       # Define file names.
       #
       FileName = ’.olvwmrc’

       PathName = ’$HOME/%FileName’

Key/Action Bindings

       olvwm can be made to perform a series of actions when a specific key is
       pressed.   The  key can be any valid X keysym name and may be specified
       by itself or with any one or more of the following  modifiers:   Shift,
       Control,  Alt,  Meta,  Hyper, Super, Shift Lock, or Caps Lock, in which
       case the key must be pressed with the given modifiers.

       The functionality for a key specified in a binding  in  .olvwmrc  takes
       precedence  over  any  other functions that key might perform. Thus, if
       you bind the L5 key to an action in .olvwmrc, you will not be  able  to
       use  the  L5 key to bring windows to the front; if you bind the R8 key,
       you will not be able to scroll up on the desktop using that key.  Since
       the unmodified versions of 29 of the possible 35 standard function keys
       on a type-4 keyboard  (L1-L10,  F1-F10,  and  R1-R15)  already  have  a
       meaning  within  olvwm, it is recommended that at least one modifier be
       used for keys in this manner so as  not  to  conflict  with  other  key
       meanings.

       There are thirteen valid actions which can be associated with a key:

       Warp   This  action  requires a single identifier.  The youngest window
              matching this identifier will be located, and the view into  the
              desktop  will be warped so that the found window is displayed on
              the screen.  The window itself will not change position relative
              to  the  other windows; merely the view into the desktop will be
              changed.  If no matching window is found, the view is unchanged.
              The  mouse is moved into the matching window, and that window is
              given input focus.

       Open   This action requires a list of identifiers separated by  commas.
              Each  iconified  window  will  be  matched against this list and
              those which match any identifier in the list will be opened.

       Close  This action requires a list of identifiers separated by  commas.
              Each  non-iconified window will be matched against this list and
              those which match any identifier in the list will be closed.

       Raise  This action requires a list of identifiers separated by  commas.
              Each  window  will  be matched against this list and those which
              match any identifier in the list will be raised.   Windows  will
              be raised youngest first, so that the oldest windows in the list
              will end up on top.

       Lower  This action requires a list of identifiers separated by  commas.
              Each  window  will  be matched against this list and those which
              match any identifier in the list will be lowered.  Windows  will
              be  lowered  youngest  first,  so that the oldest windows in the
              list will end up on the bottom.

       RaiseLower
              This action requires a list of identifiers separated by  commas.
              Each  window  will  be matched against this list and those which
              match any identifier in the list will be raised to  the  top  of
              the  stack  if  they  are  partially  obscured or lowered to the
              bottom of the stack if they are on top.

       Execute
              This action requires a list of  commands  separated  by  commas.
              Each  command  will  be  executed via a Bourne-shell in the same
              manner as commands given in the olvwm  menu  file  [except  that
              multiple commands may be listed in this case.]

       Goto   This  action  requires  a single integer parameter, which is the
              logical screen to which the desktop should warp when  the  given
              key(s) are pressed.

       Quit   This  action requires a list of identifiers separated by commas.
              Each window will be matched against this list  and  those  which
              match any identifier in the list will be killed.

       Geometry
              This  action  requires a single identifier.  The identifier must
              be a valid X geometry string but may be partially specified (may
              only  specify  position or size).  This geometry will be applied
              to the current window.  If  there  is  no  current  window  this
              action will have no effect.

       Rebind This  action  optionally  takes  a  filename  parameter.   If no
              parameter is specified the normal search is  performed  to  find
              the  correct version of the .olvwmrc file (as at startup).  If a
              parameter is given it is used as the .olvwmrc file.  All current
              key  bindings  are  discarded and the .olvwmrc file is read.  If
              the .olvwmrc files does not exist the current key  bindings  are
              not discarded.

       Stick  This action requires a single parameter which must be one of the
              following: OLVWM_USE_SELECTION, on, off, toggle, or  a  list  of
              window names.  If the parameter is either OLVWM_USE_SELECTION or
              toggle, the sticky attribute  of  the  current  window  will  be
              toggled.   Similarly, if the parameter is a list of window names
              then those window’s sticky  attributes  will  be  toggled.   The
              values  on  and  off  can  be used to explicitly set the current
              window’s sticky attribute.

       SetSize
              This action requires a single parameter which must be one of the
              following:  OLVWM_USE_SELECTION,  full,  save,  store,  restore,
              toggle, or  a  list  of  window  names.   If  the  parameter  is
              OLVWM_USE_SELECTION  or  toggle,  either  the  window’s  current
              geometry will be saved and its size will be set to full size  or
              its  saved  geometry will be restored, depending on the window’s
              current state.  Similarly, if the parameter is a list of  window
              names  then the same action will be performed for those windows.
              The parameter save can be used to preserve the current  window’s
              geometry  such  that a restore size (or toggle) will restore the
              windows position and size.  Note that save will only  store  the
              windows  geometry  if  it  has  not  already  been  saved.   The
              parameter store will always save a  windows  geometry  (possibly
              overwriting   the   currently   saved  geometry).   The  restore
              parameter  will  simply  restore  the  current  window’s   saved
              geometry (if it has one).

       Focus  This  action  requires  a  single parameter which must be either
              save or restore.  The save parameter will cause the window  with
              focus to be remembered such that a restore will restore focus to
              that window.

       These actions may appear in any order and  will  be  performed  in  the
       reverse of the order specified.  Commands may be listed multiple times;
       this is useful in case you want a different stacking  order  than  that
       obtained  by  using  a single raise command.  To do this, list separate
       raise commands for each window and put the raise command for the window
       you want to be on top first.

       The full syntax for a Key/Action binding is

              KeyName { Actions }

       A  Key Name is a valid key (L1-L10, F1-F10, or R1-R15) followed by plus
       signs and the modifiers desired.

       For example, given the following entry:

       L2 + Shift {
           Warp: "OpenWindows Developer\’s Guide"
           Execute: ’$OPENWINHOME/bin/xview/clock -label "foo bar"’,
                 "$OPENWINHOME/bin/xview/iconedit"
           Raise: xterm, shelltool
       }

Then when Shift L2 is pressed, the following will occur:

       1)     The view will shift so that the youngest copy of DevGuide is  on
              the screen.

       2)     A  clock  will  be started; its namestripe will contain foo bar.
              The IconEditor will also be started.

       3)     All xterms and shelltools will be raised to  the  front  of  the
              stacking order.

Screen Bindings

       olvwm  can  arrange  to  begin any application relative to a particular
       logical screen.  A ‘‘logical  screen’’  is  the  area  on  the  virtual
       desktop  which  maps  to  the  size  of  your monitor; in the VDM, each
       logical screen is outlined in dashed lines (unless you’ve  turned  this
       feature  off).  Screens are numbered by row starting with 1.  Note that
       the position of a logical screen will vary depending on the size  of  a
       desktop:  in the default (2x3) configuration, screen 4 is in the bottom
       left-hand corner of the VDM but in a smaller (2x2) configuration, it is
       in the bottom right-hand corner.

       The syntax for specifying a screen binding is

              Screen # { Identifiers }

       where  #  is the logical number of the screen and Identifiers is a list
       of comma-separated window identifiers for windows which  should  always
       start  on  that  screen.   Note  that it is always possible to move the
       window to another screen later.

       For example, the following entry will ensure that the  windows  started
       by  Sun’s  AnswerBook  (windows  with  names Navigator and Viewer) will
       always start on screen 6:

       Screen 6 { Navigator, Viewer }

WINMENU Actions

       When a window is selected in  the  WINMENU  menu,  olvwm  will  perform
       certain  actions.   The  possible  actions are the same as those listed
       above for Key Actions, except that the mouse position will  not  change
       on  a  warp.   By default, windows behave as if a warp, raise, and open
       were performed on the selected window.

       To effect a different action list for  a  particular  window,  you  can
       specify

              Identifier { Actions }

       Each  of  these  is a MenuGroup; one or more of these can appear in the
       following syntax:

              WINMENU { MenuGroups }

       For example, here is a possible entry:

       WINMENU {
           "File Manager" {
               Warp: "Mail Tool"
               Open: OLVWM_USE_SELECTION
           }
           xterm { }
           "Virtual Desktop" {
               Open: OLVWM_USE_SELECTION
               Execute: "$OPENWINHOME/bin/props"
           }
       }

       If you select the File Manager from your WINMENU, then the view will
       warp to your Mail Tool instead of your  file  manager,  and  your  file
       manager,  if  closed,  will  be  opened.  [This isn’t that contrived an
       example: pretend your file manager is sticky and your mail tool  isn’t,
       and you anticipate that you’ll need to drag between the two.]

       If  you  select  an  xterm  from  your WINMENU, absolutely nothing will
       happen.  This implements a No-Op for that window.

       If you select the VDM from your WINMENU, it  will  be  opened  and  the
       properties application will be started.

       Note   that   this  Identifier  list  can  contain  the  special  entry
       OLVWM_USE_SELECTION which, as you might expect, operates on the  single
       window  corresponding  to  the  one you selected.  A subtle distinction
       exists here:  given the MenuGroup

              xterm { Raise:  xterm }

       then ALL xterms will be raised when  any  xterm  is  selected  via  the
       WINMENU.  However, the entry

              xterm { Raise:  OLVWM_USE_SELECTION }

       will  raise  only  the  xterm corresponding to the one selected via the
       WINMENU.

RESOURCES AND KEY BINDINGS

       There are a few resources which are  particular  to  the  operation  of
       olvwmrc.

       VirtualReRead (boolean)
              When this resource is True, olvwm will re-read the .olvwmrc file
              whenever it receives a Function Key  event.   This  will  happen
              whenever  a  function  key  is pressed in the VDM or on the root
              window, or whenever a function key grabbed by olvwm is  pressed.
              Default value:  True

       NoVirtualKey (list of windows)
              This resource disables the virtual keys set up in .olvwmrc for a
              particular window.  The list of windows follows the same  syntax
              as  other  resource  lists  like MinimalDecor and VirtualSticky.
              When a window in this list has the  input  focus  and  the  user
              executes a key sequence which is mentioned in .olvwmrc, that key
              sequence  will  be  passed  to  the  application   rather   than
              initiating the olvwmrc action.  Note that this disabling applies
              only to bindings established via  entries  in  .olvwmrc;  normal
              olvwm and olwm bindings are not affected.  Default value:  None

       NoVirtualFKey (list of windows)
              This  resource  is like NoVirtualKey, but only the Function keys
              F1 to F10 will be disabled for the given window.  Default value:
              None

       NoVirtualLKey (list of windows)
              This  resource is like NoVirtualKey, but only the keys L1 to L10
              (which map to F11-F20 on non-Sun keyboards) will be disabled for
              the given window.  Default value:  None

       NoVirtualRKey (list of windows)
              This  resource is like NoVirtualKey, but only the keys R1 to R15
              will be disabled for the given window.  Default value:  None

SEE ALSO

       olvwm(1), olwm(1)

NOTES

       Please see the LEGAL_NOTICES file  for  full  disclosure  of  copyright
       information and olvwm(1) for acknowledgments.

BUGS

       The  multiple  interfaces  for  NoVirtualKeys  is something only a Wall
       Street trader could appreciate.

                               30 November 1992