NAME
xbiff - mailbox flag for X
SYNOPSIS
xbiff [ -toolkitoption ... ] [ -option ... ]
DESCRIPTION
The xbiff program displays a little image of a mailbox. When there is
no mail, the flag on the mailbox is down. When mail arrives, the flag
goes up and the mailbox beeps. By default, pressing any mouse button
in the image forces xbiff to remember the current size of the mail file
as being the ‘‘empty’’ size and to lower the flag.
OPTIONS
Xbiff accepts all of the standard X Toolkit command line options along
with the additional options listed below:
-help This option indicates that a brief summary of the allowed
options should be printed on the standard error.
-update seconds
This option specifies the frequency in seconds at which xbiff
should update its display. If the mailbox is obscured and then
exposed, it will be updated immediately. The default is 30
seconds.
-file filename
This option specifies the name of the file which should be
monitored. By default it watches your inbox in the default
location for your system (some examples are /var/mail/username,
/usr/spool/mail/username, /var/spool/mail/username (where
username is your login name). If the MAIL environment variable
is set, the file specified by it will be monitored.
-volume percentage
This option specifies how loud the bell should be rung when new
mail comes in.
-shape This option indicates that the mailbox window should be shaped
if masks for the empty or full images are given.
The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are commonly
used with xbiff:
-display display
This option specifies the X server to contact.
-geometry geometry
This option specifies the preferred size and position of the
mailbox window. The mailbox is 48 pixels wide and 48 pixels
high and will be centered in the window.
-bg color
This option specifies the color to use for the background of
the window.
-bd color
This option specifies the color to use for the border of the
window.
-bw number
This option specifies the width in pixels of the border
surrounding the window.
-fg color
This option specifies the color to use for the foreground of
the window.
-rv This option indicates that reverse video should be simulated by
swapping the foreground and background colors.
-xrm resourcestring
This option specifies a resource string to be used. This is
especially useful for setting resources that do not have
separate command line options.
X DEFAULTS
The application class name is XBiff. This program uses the Mailbox
widget. It understands all of the core resource names and classes as
well as:
checkCommand (class CheckCommand)
Specifies a shell command to be executed to check for new mail
rather than examining the size of file. The specified string
value is used as the argument to a system(3) call and may
therefore contain i/o redirection. An exit status of 0
indicates that new mail is waiting, 1 indicates that there has
been no change in size, and 2 indicates that the mail has been
cleared. By default, no shell command is provided.
file (class File)
Specifies the name of the file to monitor. The default is as
described above for the -file command line option.
onceOnly (class Boolean)
Specifies that the bell is only rung the first time new mail is
found and is not rung again until at least one interval has
passed with no mail waiting. The window will continue to
indicate the presence of new mail until it has been retrieved.
The default is false.
width (class Width)
Specifies the width of the mailbox.
height (class Height)
Specifies the height of the mailbox.
update (class Interval)
Specifies the frequency in seconds at which the mail should be
checked. The default is 30.
volume (class Volume)
Specifies how loud the bell should be rung. The default is 33
percent.
foreground (class Foreground)
Specifies the color for the foreground.
reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
Specifies that the foreground and background should be
reversed.
flip (class Flip)
Specifies whether or not the image that is shown when mail has
arrived should be inverted. The default is ‘‘true.’’
fullPixmap (class Pixmap)
Specifies a bitmap to be shown when new mail has arrived. The
default is flagup.
emptyPixmap (class Pixmap)
Specifies a bitmap to be shown when no new mail is present.
The default is flagdown.
shapeWindow (class ShapeWindow)
Specifies whether or not the mailbox window should be shaped to
the given fullPixmapMask and emptyPixmapMask. The default is
false.
fullPixmapMask (class PixmapMask)
Specifies a mask for the bitmap to be shown when new mail has
arrived. The default is none.
emptyPixmapMask (class PixmapMask)
Specifies a mask for the bitmap to be shown when no new mail is
present. The default is none.
ACTIONS
The Mailbox widget provides the following actions for use in event
translations:
check() This action causes the widget to check for new mail and display
the flag appropriately.
unset() This action causes the widget to lower the flag until new mail
comes in.
set() This action causes the widget to raise the flag until the user
resets it.
The default translation is
<ButtonPress>: unset()
ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY to get the default host and display number.
XENVIRONMENT
to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global
resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
SEE ALSO
X(7), xrdb(1), stat(2)
BUGS
The mailbox bitmaps are ugly.
AUTHOR
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
Additional hacks by Ralph Swick, DEC/MIT Project Athena