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NAME

       pmconfirm, pmmessage, pmquery - general purpose dialog box

SYNOPSIS

       pmconfirm  [-c]  [-b  button-name] [-B default-button-name] [-t string]
       [-file filename]  [-icon  icontype]  [-font  font]  [-header  titlebar-
       string] [-useslider] [-noslider] [-noframe] [-exclusive]

       pmmessage [-buttons label1[:value1][,label2[:value2][,...]]]  [-center]
       [-nearmouse] [-default button] [-file filename] [-print] [-timeout sec]
       message...

       pmquery [-input] [all above options...]  [message...]

DESCRIPTION

       pmquery provides a command-line-option compatible implementation of the
       xconfirm and xmessage tools, using a look-and-feel that  is  consistent
       with  pmchart.  Several extensions to the functionality of the original
       tools have been made, in order to improve their  specific  utility  for
       pmchart, but wherever possible the original semantics remain.

       pmconfirm  displays a line of text for each -t argument specified (or a
       file when the -file argument  is  used),  and  a  button  for  each  -b
       argument  specified.   When one of the buttons is pressed, the label of
       that button is written to pmquerys standard output.  This  provides  a
       means  of  communication/feedback from within shell scripts and a means
       to display useful information to a user from an application.

       pmmessage displays a window containing a message from the command line,
       a  file,  or  standard  input.   It  additionally  allows buttons to be
       associated with an exit status, and  only  optionally  will  write  the
       label of the button to standard output.

       pmquery  extends  the  above tools to additionally support limited user
       input, as free form text.  In this -input mode, any text  entered  will
       be  output  when  the default button is pressed.  A default text can be
       entered using the same mechanisms as the other tools.

       Command line options are available to specify font style, frame  style,
       modality  and  one  of  several  different  icons  to  be presented for
       tailored visual feedback to the user.

       -c or -center
            Center the window on the display.

       -nearmouse
            Pop up the window near the mouse cursor.

       -b button-name
            Displays a button with the label button-name.  If  button-name  is
            the  empty  string,  the button in that position is not displayed.
            If no -b arguments are present, the default is a button  with  the
            label  Continue.   The  exit status associated with button-name is
            zero.

       -B button-name
            Displays a button with the label button-name and specifies  it  as
            the button to be activated when enter is pressed.  The exit status
            associated with button-name is zero.

       -buttons button,button,...
            This option will create one button for each comma-separated button
            argument.   Each button consists of a label optionally followed by
            a colon and an exit value.  The exit value  will  be  returned  if
            that  button  is selected.  The default exit value is 100 plus the
            button number.  Buttons are numbered from the left  starting  with
            one.

       -default label
            Defines  the  button  with a matching label to be the default.  If
            not specified there is no default.  The corresponding resource  is
            defaultButton.   Pressing  Return  anywhere in the xmessage window
            will activate the default button.  The default button has a  wider
            border than the others.

       -t message
            Displays  message.   Any  number  of  strings can be listed on the
            command line (each must be preceded with the -t option).

       -file filename
            Displays the file filename.  All -t options will  be  ignored.   A
            filename of ‘-’ reads from standard input.

       -icon icontype
            Displays  the icon icontype where icontype is one of: info, error,
            question, warning, critical.  action is also accepted as a synonym
            for  error  for  backward  compatibility.   pmquery introduces the
            additional archive and host icon types as  well  as  the  original
            xconfirm types listed earlier.

       -font fontname
            Use  fontname  as  the  font.   This option is only available when
            using the X Window System.

       -header string
            Use string as the window title.

       -print
            This causes the program to write the label of the  button  pressed
            to standard output.  It is the default behaviour for pmconfirm and
            pmquery.

       -noprint
            This causes the program to not  write  the  label  of  the  button
            pressed  to  standard  output.   It  is  the default behaviour for
            pmmessage.

       -geometry geometry-string
            This  provides  xconfirm  with  an  X-compatible  geometry  string
            specification.   This  option  is  only available when using the X
            Window System.

       -useslider
            When displaying a file, always use a slider instead of determining
            automatically whether a slider is necessary.

       -noslider
            Do  not create a slider, and clip text to the window size, instead
            of determining automatically whether a slider is necessary..

       -noframe
            Do not display a frame around the contents.

       -exclusive
            Grab the keyboard/pointer and do not allow further input  until  a
            button is pressed.

       -timeout secs
            Exit  with status 0 after secs seconds if the user has not clicked
            on a button yet.  The corresponding resource is timeout.

EXAMPLES

       The following shell script will display a window  with  an  information
       icon, asking the user a yes or no question with "Yes" as the default.

        #! /bin/sh
        case ‘pmquery -t "Really power down?" -b No -B Yes -icon question
        in
          Yes) shutdown;;
          No) ;;
        esac

       A  second  example, which prompts for a hostname then starts a terminal
       with an ssh session connected to the requested host.

        #! /bin/sh
        host=‘pmquery -input -icon host -b Cancel -B OK \
                      -header "Remote Terminal - Secure Shell"
        [ "$host" = "Cancel" -o -z "$host" ] && exit
        gnome-terminal -e "ssh $host"

ENVIRONMENT

       pmquery is an excellent choice of utility for  the  "PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG"
       Performance  Co-Pilot configuration parameter (refer to pcp.conf(4) for
       details).

       Note that PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG will be automatically set to pmquery inside
       tools  like  pmchart,  unless  PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG  is already set in the
       environment.

EXIT STATUS

       If it detects an error, pmquery always returns 1, so this value  should
       not  be  associated  with a button.  Unless -button option has not been
       used, the return code will be zero on success.

SEE ALSO

       pmchart(1), xconfirm(1), xmessage(1), pcp.conf(4).