SYNOPSIS
mwm [ options ]
VERSION
This page documents version 1.2 of the Motif library.
DESCRIPTION
mwm is an X Window System client that provides window management func-
tionality and some session management functionality. It provides func-
tions that facilitate control (by the user and the programmer) of ele-
ments of window state such as placement, size, icon/normal display, and
input-focus ownership. It also provides session management functions
such as stopping a client.
Options
-display display
This option specifies the display to use; see X(1).
-xrm resourcestring
This option specifies a resource string to use.
-multiscreen
This option causes mwm to manage all screens on the display.
The default is to manage only a single screen.
-name name
This option causes mwm to retrieve its resources using the
specified name, as in name*resource.
-screens name [name [...]]
This option specifies the resource names to use for the screens
managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen, only the
first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing multiple
screens, the names are assigned to the screens in order, start-
ing with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name, screen 1 the
second name, and so on.
Appearance
The following sections describe the basic default behaviors of windows,
icons, the icon box, input focus, and window stacking. The appearance
and behavior of the window manager can be altered by changing the con-
figuration of specific resources. Resources are defined under the
heading "X DEFAULTS."
Screens
By default, mwm manages only the single screen specified by the -dis-
play option or the DISPLAY environment variable (by default, screen 0).
If the -multiscreen option is specified or if the multiScreen resource
is True, mwm tries to manage all the screens on the display.
dow, place the pointer over the title area, press but-
ton 1 and drag the window to a new location. By de-
fault, a wire frame is moved during the drag to indi-
cate the new location. When the button is released,
the window is moved to the new location.
Title Bar The title bar includes the title area, the minimize
button, the maximize button, and the window menu but-
ton. In shaped windows, such as round windows, the
title bar floats above the window.
Minimize Button To turn the window into an icon, click button 1 on the
minimize button (the frame box with a small square in
it).
Maximize Button To make the window fill the screen (or enlarge to the
largest size allowed by the configuration files),
click button 1 on the maximize button (the frame box
with a large square in it).
Window Menu Button
The window menu button is the frame box with a hori-
zontal bar in it. To pull down the window menu, press
button 1. While pressing, drag the pointer on the
menu to your selection, then release the button when
your selection is highlighted. Pressing button 3 in
the title bar or resize border handles also posts the
window menu. Alternately, you can click button 1 to
pull down the menu and keep it posted; then position
the pointer and select. You can also post the window
menu by pressing <Shift> <Esc> or <Alt> <Space>. Dou-
ble-clicking button 1 with the pointer on the window
menu button closes the window. The following table
lists the contents of the window menu.
Default Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
-----------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Restores the window to its size
before minimizing or maximizing
Move Alt+F7 Allows the window to be moved
with keys or mouse
Size Alt+F8 Allows the window to be resized
Minimize Alt+F9 Turns the window into an icon
Maximize Alt+F10 Makes the window fill the screen
Lower Alt+F3 Moves window to bottom of window
stack
Close Alt+F4 Causes client to terminate
Resize Border Handles
Icons are small graphic representations of windows. A window can be
minimized (iconified) using the minimize button on the window frame.
Icons provide a way to reduce clutter on the screen.
Pressing mouse button 1 when the pointer is over an icon causes the
icon's window menu to pop up. Releasing the button (press + release
without moving mouse = click) causes the menu to stay posted. The menu
contains the following selections:
Icon Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
----------------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Opens the associated window
Move Alt+F7 Allows the icon to be moved with keys
Size Alt+F8 Inactive (not an option for icons)
Minimize Alt+F9 Inactive (not an option for icons)
Maximize Alt+F10 Opens the associated window and makes
it fill the screen
Lower Alt+F3 Moves icon to bottom of icon stack
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management
Note that pressing button 3 over an icon also causes the icon's window
menu to pop up. To make a menu selection, drag the pointer over the
menu and release button 3 when the desired item is highlighted.
Double-clicking button 1 on an icon invokes the f.restore_and_raise
function and restores the icon's associated window to its previous
state. For example, if a maximized window is iconified, then double-
clicking button 1 restores it to its maximized state. Double-clicking
button 1 on the icon box's icon opens the icon box and allows access to
the contained icons. (In general, double-clicking a mouse button is a
quick way to perform a function.) Pressing <Shift> <Esc> or <Menu>
(the pop-up menu key) causes the icon window menu of the currently se-
lected icon to pop up.
Icon Box
When icons begin to clutter the screen, they can be packed into an icon
box. (To use an icon box, mwm must be started with the icon box con-
figuration already set.) The icon box is a mwm window that holds
client icons. It includes one or more scroll bars when there are more
window icons than the icon box can show at the same time.
Icons in the icon box can be manipulated with the mouse. The following
table summarizes the behavior of this interface. Button actions apply
whenever the pointer is on any part of the icon. Note that double-
clicking an icon in the icon box invokes the f.restore_and_raise func-
tion.
Button Action Description
----------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 click Selects the icon
----------------------------------------------------------------
Icon Menu for the Icon Box
Selection Accelerator Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restore Alt+F5 Opens the associated window (if not already open)
Move Alt+F7 Allows the icon to be moved with keys
Size\h'|312u'Alt+F8 Inactive
Minimize Alt+F9 Inactive
Maximize Alt+F10 Opens the associated window (if not already open)
and maximizes its size
Lower Alt+F3 Inactive
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management
To pull down the window menu for the icon box itself, press button 1
with the pointer over the menu button for the icon box. The window
menu of the icon box differs from the window menu of a client window:
The "Close" selection is replaced with the "PackIcons Shift+Alt+F7" se-
lection. When selected, PackIcons packs the icons in the box to
achieve neat rows with no empty slots.
You can also post the window menu by pressing <Shift> <Esc> or <Alt>
<Space>. Pressing <Menu> (the pop-up menu key) causes the icon window
menu of the currently selected icon to pop up.
Input Focus
mwm supports (by default) a keyboard input focus policy of explicit se-
lection. This means when a window is selected to get keyboard input,
it continues to get keyboard input until the window is withdrawn from
window management, another window is explicitly selected to get key-
board input, or the window is iconified. Several resources control the
input focus. The client window with the keyboard input focus has the
active window appearance with a visually distinct window frame.
The following tables summarize the keyboard input focus selection be-
havior:
Button Action Object Function Description
------------------------------------------------------------------
Button 1 press Window / window frame Keyboard focus selection
Button 1 press Icon Keyboard focus selection
Key Action Function Description
-----------------------------------------------
[Alt][Tab] Move input focus to next
window in window stack
(available only in ex-
plicit focus mode)
-----------------------------------------------
[Alt][Shift][Tab] Move input focus to previ-
ous window in window stack
(available only in ex-
In pointer mode, the default value of focusAutoRaise is False, that is,
the window stacking order is not changed when a window receives key-
board input focus. The following key actions can be used to cycle
through the global window stack.
Key Action Function Description
---------------------------------------------------------
[Alt][ESC] Place top window on bottom of stack
[Alt][Shift][ESC] Place bottom window on top of stack
By default, a window's icon is placed on the bottom of the stack when
the window is iconified; however, the default can be changed by the
lowerOnIconify resource.
Transient windows (secondary windows such a dialog boxes) stay above
their parent windows by default. However, an application's local fam-
ily stacking order may be changed to allow a transient window to be
placed below its parent top-level window. The following parameters
show the modification of the stacking order for the f.lower function.
f.lower Lowers the transient window within the family (staying above
the parent) and lowers the family in the global window stack.
f.lower [within]
Lowers the transient window within the family (staying above
the parent) but does not lower the family in the global win-
dow stack.
f.lower [freeFamily]
Lowers the window free from its family stack (below the par-
ent), but does not lower the family in the global window
stack.
The parameters within and freeFamily can also be used with f.raise and
f.raise_lower.
X Defaults
mwm is configured from its resource database. This database is built
from the following sources. They are listed in order of precedence, low
to high:
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm
$HOME/Mwm
RESOURCE_MANAGER root window property or $HOME/.Xdefaults
XENVIRONMENT variable or $HOME/.Xdefaults-host
mwm command line options
The file names /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm and $HOME/Mwm represent
customary locations for these files. The actual location of the sys-
tem-wide class resource file may depend on the XFILESEARCHPATH environ-
(and the aliased mwm resource names) can be used interchangeably, but
"mwm" takes precedence over "Mwm".
mwm uses the following types of resources:
Component Appearance Resources:
These resources specify appearance attributes of window manager user
interface components. They can be applied to the appearance of window
manager menus, feedback windows (for example, the window reconfigura-
tion feedback window), client window frames, and icons.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources:
These resources specify mwm appearance and behavior (for example, win-
dow management policies). They are not set separately for different
mwm user interface components.
Client Specific Resources:
These mwm resources can be set for a particular client window or class
of client windows. They specify client-specific icon and client window
frame appearance and behavior.
Resource identifiers can be either a resource name (for example, fore-
ground) or a resource class (for example, Foreground). If the value of
a resource is a filename and if the filename is prefixed by "~/", then
it is relative to the path contained in the HOME environment variable
(generally the user's home directory).
Component Appearance Resources
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply to
window manager icons, menus, and client window frames is
Mwm*resource_id
For example, Mwm*foreground is used to specify the foreground color for
mwm menus, icons, client window frames, and feedback dialogs.
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply to
a particular mwm component is
Mwm*[menu|icon|client|feedback]*resource_id
If menu is specified, the resource is applied only to mwm menus; if
icon is specified, the resource is applied to icons; and if client is
specified, the resource is applied to client window frames. For exam-
ple, Mwm*icon*foreground is used to specify the foreground color for
mwm icons, Mwm*menu*foreground specifies the foreground color for mwm
menus, and Mwm*client*foreground is used to specify the foreground
color for mwm client window frames.
For example, Mwm*menu*my_menu*foreground specifies the foreground color
for the menu named my_menu. The user can also specify resources for
window manager menu components, that is, the gadgets which comprise the
menu. These may include for example, a menu title, title separator,
one or more buttons, and separators. If a menu contains more than one
instance of a class, such as multiple PushButtonGadgets, the name of
the first instance is "PushButtonGadget1", the second is "PushButton-
Gadget2", and so on. The following list identifies the naming conven-
tion used for window manager menu components:
o Menu Title LabelGadget--"TitleName"
o Menu Title SeparatorGadget--"TitleSeparator"
o CascadeButtonGadget--"CascadeButtonGadget<n>"
o PushButtonGadget--"PushButtonGadget<n>"
o SeparatorGadget--"SeparatorGadget<n>"
Refer to the man page for each class for a list of resources which can
be specified.
The following component appearance resources that apply to all window
manager parts can be specified:
Component Appearance Resources--All Window Manager Parts
Name Class Value Type Default
----------------------------------------------------------------------
background Background color varies<*>
backgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
bottomShadowColor Foreground color varies<*>
bottomShadowPixmap BottomShadowPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
fontList FontList string<*><*><*> "fixed"
foreground Foreground color varies<*>
saveUnder SaveUnder T/F F
topShadowColor Background color varies<*>
topShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
<*>The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
<*><*>Image name. See XmInstallImage(3X).
<*><*><*>X11 X Logical Font Description
background (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color. Any legal X color
may be specified. The default value is chosen based on the
visual type of the screen.
is used for the lower and right bevels of the window manager
decoration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
fontList (class FontList)
This resource specifies the font used in the window manager
decoration. The character encoding of the font should match
the character encoding of the strings that are used. The de-
fault is "fixed."
foreground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color. The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
saveUnder (class SaveUnder)
This is used to indicate whether "save unders" are used for mwm
components. For this to have any effect, save unders must be
implemented by the X server. If save unders are implemented,
the X server saves the contents of windows obscured by windows
that have the save under attribute set. If the saveUnder re-
source is True, mwm will set the save under attribute on the
window manager frame of any client that has it set. If saveUn-
der is False, save unders will not be used on any window man-
ager frames. The default value is False.
topShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color. This color is
used for the upper and left bevels of the window manager deco-
ration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of the
screen.
topShadowPixmap ( class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap. This Pixmap is
used for the upper and left bevels of the window manager deco-
ration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of the
screen.
The following component appearance resources that apply to frame and
icons can be specified:
Frame and Icon Components
Name Class Value Type Default
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
activeBackground Background color varies<*>
activeBackgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
activeBottomShadowColor Foreground color varies<*>
activeBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadowPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
activeForeground Foreground color varies<*>
activeTopShadowColor Background color varies<*>
activeTopShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string<*><*> varies<*>
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the mwm dec-
oration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the mwm
decoration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the mwm decora-
tion when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the mwm decora-
tion when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap of the mwm deco-
ration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus). The
default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
The syntax for specifying general appearance and behavior resources is
Mwm*resource_id
For example, Mwm*keyboardFocusPolicy specifies the window manager pol-
icy for setting the keyboard focus to a particular client window.
The following general appearance and behavior resources can be speci-
fied:
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
autoKeyFocus AutoKeyFocus T/F T
autoRaiseDelay AutoRaiseDelay millisec 500
bitmapDirectory BitmapDirectory directory /usr/include/\
X11/bitmaps
buttonBindings ButtonBindings string "DefaultBut\
tonBindings"
cleanText CleanText T/F T
clientAutoPlace ClientAutoPlace T/F T
colormapFocusPolicy ColormapFocusPolicy string keyboard
configFile ConfigFile file .mwmrc
deiconifyKeyFocus DeiconifyKeyFocus T/F T
doubleClickTime DoubleClickTime millisec. multi-click
time
iconImageMinimum IconImageMinimum wxh 16x16
iconPlacement IconPlacement string left bottom
iconPlacementMargin IconPlacementMargin pixels varies
interactivePlacement InteractivePlacement T/F F
keyBindings KeyBindings string "DefaultKey\
Bindings"
keyboardFocusPolicy KeyboardFocusPolicy string explicit
limitResize LimitResize T/F T
lowerOnIconify LowerOnIconify T/F T
maximumMaximumSize MaximumMaximumSize wxh (pixels) 2X screen
w&h
moveThreshold MoveThreshold pixels 4
moveOpaque MoveOpaque T/F F
multiScreen MultiScreen T/F F
passButtons PassButtons T/F F
passSelectButton PassSelectButton T/F T
positionIsFrame PositionIsFrame T/F T
positionOnScreen PositionOnScreen T/F T
quitTimeout QuitTimeout millisec. 1000
raiseKeyFocus RaiseKeyFocus T/F F
resizeBorderWidth ResizeBorderWidth pixels varies
resizeCursors ResizeCursors T/F T
screens Screens string varies
showFeedback ShowFeedback string all
startupKeyFocus StartupKeyFocus T/F T
transientDecoration TransientDecoration string menu
title
transientFunctions TransientFunctions string -minimize
-maximize
useIconBox UseIconBox T/F F
wMenuButtonClick WMenuButtonClick T/F T
wMenuButtonClick2 WMenuButtonClick2 T/F T
autoKeyFocus (class AutoKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. If autoKeyFocus is given a value of True,
then when a window with the keyboard input focus is withdrawn
from window management or is iconified, the focus is set to the
previous window that had the focus. If the value given is
False, there is no automatic setting of the keyboard input fo-
cus. It is recommended that both autoKeyFocus and startupKey-
Focus be True to work with tear off menus. The default value
is True.
autoRaiseDelay (class AutoRaiseDelay)
This resource is available only when the focusAutoRaise re-
source is True and the keyboard focus policy is pointer. The
autoRaiseDelay resource specifies the amount of time (in mil-
liseconds) that mwm will wait before raising a window after it
gets the keyboard focus. The default value of this resource is
500 (ms).
specified in the mwm resource description file. These button
bindings are merged with the built-in default bindings. The
default value for this resource is "DefaultButtonBindings".
cleanText (class CleanText)
This resource controls the display of window manager text in
the client title and feedback windows. If the default value of
True is used, the text is drawn with a clear (no stipple) back-
ground. This makes text easier to read on monochrome systems
where a backgroundPixmap is specified. Only the stippling in
the area immediately around the text is cleared. If False, the
text is drawn directly on top of the existing background.
clientAutoPlace (class ClientAutoPlace)
This resource determines the position of a window when the win-
dow has not been given a program- or user-specified position.
With a value of True, windows are positioned with the top left
corners of the frames offset horizontally and vertically. A
value of False causes the currently configured position of the
window to be used. In either case, mwm will attempt to place
the windows totally on-screen. The default value is True.
colormapFocusPolicy (class ColormapFocusPolicy)
This resource indicates the colormap focus policy that is to be
used. If the resource value is explicit, a colormap selection
action is done on a client window to set the colormap focus to
that window. If the value is pointer, the client window con-
taining the pointer has the colormap focus. If the value is
keyboard, the client window that has the keyboard input focus
has the colormap focus. The default value for this resource is
keyboard.
configFile (class ConfigFile)
The resource value is the pathname for an mwm resource descrip-
tion file.
If the pathname begins with "~/", mwm considers it to be rela-
tive to the user's home directory (as specified by the HOME en-
vironment variable). If the LANG environment variable is set,
mwm looks for $HOME/$LANG/configFile. If that file does not
exist or if LANG is not set, mwm looks for $HOME/configFile.
If the configFile pathname does not begin with ~/, mwm consid-
ers it to be relative to the current working directory.
If the configFile resource is not specified or if that file
does not exist, mwm uses several default paths to find a con-
figuration file. If the LANG environment variable is set, mwm
looks for the configuration file first in $HOME/$LANG/.mwmrc.
If that file does not exist or if LANG is not set, mwm looks
for $HOME/.mwmrc. If that file does not exist and if LANG is
set, mwm next looks for the file system.mwmrc in the $LANG sub-
the clicks (button presses) that make up a double-click. The
default value of this resource is the display's multi-click
time.
enableWarp (class EnableWarp)
The default value of this resource, True, causes mwm to warp
the pointer to the center of the selected window during key-
board-controlled resize and move operations. Setting the value
to False causes mwm to leave the pointer at its original place
on the screen, unless the user explicitly moves it with the
cursor keys or pointing device.
enforceKeyFocus (class EnforceKeyFocus)
If this resource is given a value of True, the keyboard input
focus is always explicitly set to selected windows even if
there is an indication that they are "globally active" input
windows. (An example of a globally active window is a scroll
bar that can be operated without setting the focus to that
client.) If the resource is False, the keyboard input focus is
not explicitly set to globally active windows. The default
value is True.
fadeNormalIcon (class FadeNormalIcon)
If this resource is given a value of True, an icon is grayed
out whenever it has been normalized (its window has been
opened). The default value is False.
feedbackGeometry (class FeedbackGeometry)
This resource sets the position of the move and resize feedback
window. If this resource is not specified, the default is to
place the feedback window at the center of the screen. The
value of the resource is a standard window geometry string with
the following syntax:
[=]{+-}xoffset{+-}yoffset]
frameBorderWidth (class FrameBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client win-
dow frame border without resize handles. The border width in-
cludes the 3-D shadows. The default value is based on the size
and resolution of the screen.
iconAutoPlace (class IconAutoPlace)
This resource indicates whether the window manager arranges
icons in a particular area of the screen or places each icon
where the window was when it was iconified. The value True in-
dicates that icons are arranged in a particular area of the
screen, determined by the iconPlacement resource. The value
False indicates that an icon is placed at the location of the
window when it is iconified. The default is True.
iconBoxGeometry (class IconBoxGeometry)
iconBoxName (class IconBoxName)
This resource specifies the name that is used to look up icon
box resources. The default name is "iconbox".
iconBoxSBDisplayPolicy (class IconBoxSBDisplayPolicy)
This resource specifies the scroll bar display policy of the
window manager in the icon box. The resource has three possi-
ble values: all, vertical, and horizontal. The default value,
"all", causes both vertical and horizontal scroll bars always
to appear. The value "vertical" causes a single vertical
scroll bar to appear in the icon box and sets the orientation
of the icon box to horizontal (regardless of the iconBoxGeome-
try specification). The value "horizontal" causes a single
horizontal scroll bar to appear in the icon box and sets the
orientation of the icon box to vertical (regardless of the
iconBoxGeometry specification).
iconBoxTitle (class IconBoxTitle)
This resource specifies the name that is used in the title area
of the icon box frame. The default value is "Icons".
iconClick (class IconClick)
When this resource is given the value of True, the system menu
is posted and left posted when an icon is clicked. The default
value is True.
iconDecoration (class IconDecoration)
This resource specifies the general icon decoration. The re-
source value is label (only the label part is displayed) or im-
age (only the image part is displayed) or label image (both the
label and image parts are displayed). A value of activelabel
can also be specified to get a label (not truncated to the
width of the icon) when the icon is selected. The default icon
decoration for icon box icons is that each icon has a label
part and an image part (label image). The default icon decora-
tion for stand alone icons is that each icon has an active la-
bel part, a label part, and an image part (activelabel label
image).
iconImageMaximum (class IconImageMaximum)
This resource specifies the maximum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthxheight (for example, 64x64). The
maximum supported size is 128x128. The default value of this
resource is 50x50.
iconImageMinimum (class IconImageMinimum)
This resource specifies the minimum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthxheight (for example, 32x50). The
minimum supported size is 16x16. The default value of this re-
source is 16x16.
A horizontal (vertical) layout value should not be used for both the
primary_layout and the secondary_layout (for example, don't use top for
the primary_layout and bottom for the secondary_layout). The pri-
mary_layout indicates whether, when an icon placement is done, the icon
is placed in a row or a column and the direction of placement. The
secondary_layout indicates where to place new rows or columns. For ex-
ample, top right indicates that icons should be placed top to bottom on
the screen and that columns should be added from right to left on the
screen. The default placement is left bottom (icons are placed left to
right on the screen, with the first row on the bottom of the screen,
and new rows added from the bottom of the screen to the top of the
screen). A tight value places icons with zero spacing in between
icons. This value is useful for aesthetic reasons, as well as X-termi-
nals with small screens.
iconPlacementMargin (class IconPlacementMargin)
This resource sets the distance between the edge of the screen
and the icons that are placed along the edge of the screen.
The value should be greater than or equal to 0. A default
value (see below) is used if the value specified is invalid.
The default value for this resource is equal to the space be-
tween icons as they are placed on the screen (this space is
based on maximizing the number of icons in each row and col-
umn).
interactivePlacement (class InteractivePlacement)
This resource controls the initial placement of new windows on
the screen. If the value is True, the pointer shape changes
before a new window is placed on the screen to indicate to the
user that a position should be selected for the upper-left hand
corner of the window. If the value is False, windows are
placed according to the initial window configuration at-
tributes. The default value of this resource is False.
keyBindings (class KeyBindings)
This resource identifies the set of key bindings for window
management functions. If specified, these key bindings replace
the built-in default bindings. The named set of key bindings
is specified in mwm resource description file. The default
value for this resource is "DefaultKeyBindings".
keyboardFocusPolicy (class KeyboardFocusPolicy)
If set to pointer, the keyboard focus policy is to have the
keyboard focus set to the client window that contains the
pointer (the pointer could also be in the client window decora-
tion that mwm adds). If set to explicit, the policy is to have
the keyboard focus set to a client window when the user presses
button 1 with the pointer on the client window or any part of
the associated mwm decoration. The default value for this re-
source is explicit.
window as set by the user or client. The resource value is
widthxheight (for example, 1024x1024) where the width and
height are in pixels. The default value of this resource is
twice the screen width and height.
moveOpaque (class MoveOpaque)
This resource controls whether the actual window is moved or a
rectangular outline of the window is moved. A default value of
False displays a rectangular outline on moves.
moveThreshold (class MoveThreshold)
This resource is used to control the sensitivity of dragging
operations that move windows and icons. The value of this re-
source is the number of pixels that the locator is moved with a
button down before the move operation is initiated. This is
used to prevent window/icon movement when you click or double-
click and there is unintentional pointer movement with the but-
ton down. The default value of this resource is 4 (pixels).
multiScreen (class MultiScreen)
This resource, if True, causes mwm to manage all the screens on
the display. If False, mwm manages only a single screen. The
default value is False.
passButtons (class PassButtons)
This resource indicates whether or not button press events are
passed to clients after they are used to do a window manager
function in the client context. If the resource value is
False, the button press is not passed to the client. If the
value is True, the button press is passed to the client window.
The window manager function is done in either case. The de-
fault value for this resource is False.
passSelectButton (class PassSelectButton)
This resource indicates whether or not to pass the select but-
ton press events to clients after they are used to do a window
manager function in the client context. If the resource value
is False, then the button press will not be passed to the
client. If the value is True, the button press is passed to
the client window. The window manager function is done in ei-
ther case. The default value for this resource is True.
positionIsFrame (class PositionIsFrame)
This resource indicates how client window position information
(from the WM_NORMAL_HINTS property and from configuration re-
quests) is to be interpreted. If the resource value is True,
the information is interpreted as the position of the MWM
client window frame. If the value is False, it is interpreted
as being the position of the client area of the window. The
default value of this resource is True.
positionOnScreen (class PositionOnScreen)
function description for additional information.)
raiseKeyFocus (class RaiseKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When set to True, this resource specifies
that a window raised by means of the f.normalize_and_raise
function also receives the input focus. The default value of
this resource is False.
resizeBorderWidth (class ResizeBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client win-
dow frame border with resize handles. The specified border
width includes the 3-D shadows. The default value is based on
the size and resolution of the screen.
resizeCursors (class ResizeCursors)
This is used to indicate whether the resize cursors are always
displayed when the pointer is in the window size border. If
True, the cursors are shown, otherwise the window manager cur-
sor is shown. The default value is True.
screens (class Screens)
This resource specifies the resource names to use for the
screens managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen,
only the first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing
multiple screens, the names are assigned to the screens in or-
der, starting with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name,
screen 1 the second name, and so on. The default screen names
are 0, 1, and so on.
showFeedback (class ShowFeedback)
This resource controls whether or not feedback windows or con-
firmation dialogs are displayed. A feedback window shows a
client window's initial placement and shows position and size
during move and resize operations. Confirmation dialogs can be
displayed for certain operations.
The value for this resource is a list of names of the feedback
options to be enabled or disabled; the names must be separated
by a space. If an option is preceded by a minus sign, that op-
tion is excluded from the list. The sign of the first item in
the list determines the initial set of options. If the sign of
the first option is minus, mwm assumes all options are present
and starts subtracting from that set. If the sign of the first
decoration is plus (or not specified), mwm starts with no op-
tions and builds up a list from the resource.
The names of the feedback options are shown below:
Name Description
------------------------------------------------------------
all Show all feedback (Default value)
This resource specification provides feedback for initial client place-
ment and resize, and enables the dialog boxes to confirm the restart
and set behavior functions. It disables feedback for the move func-
tion. The default value for this resource is all.
startupKeyFocus (class StartupKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When given the default value of True, a
window gets the keyboard input focus when the window is mapped
(that is, initially managed by the window manager). It is rec-
ommended that both autoKeyFocus and startupKeyFocus be True to
work with tear off menus. The default value is True.
transientDecoration (class TransientDecoration)
This controls the amount of decoration that mwm puts on tran-
sient windows. The decoration specification is exactly the
same as for the clientDecoration (client specific) resource.
Transient windows are identified by the WM_TRANSIENT_FOR prop-
erty, which is added by the client to indicate a relatively
temporary window. The default value for this resource is menu
title (that is, transient windows have frame borders and a ti-
tlebar with a window menu button).
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the tran-
sientDecoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the decora-
tions indicated by the transientDecoration resource. For more
information see the description of XmNmwmDecorations on the
VendorShell(3X) reference page.
transientFunctions (class TransientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which window management func-
tions are applicable (or not applicable) to transient windows.
The function specification is exactly the same as for the
clientFunctions (client specific) resource. The default value
for this resource is -minimize -maximize.
An application can also specify which functions mwm should ap-
ply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
functions indicated by both the application and the transient-
Functions resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the functions indi-
cated by the transientFunctions resource. For more information
see the description of XmNmwmFunctions on the VendorShell(3X)
reference page.
useIconBox (class UseIconBox)
If this resource is given a value of True, icons are placed in
an icon box. When an icon box is not used, the icons are
placed on the root window (default value).
wMenuButtonClick (class WMenuButtonClick)
Mwm*client_name_or_class*resource_id
For example, Mwm*mterm*windowMenu is used to specify the window menu to
be used with mterm clients. The syntax for specifying client specific
resources for all classes of clients is
Mwm*resource_id
Specific client specifications take precedence over the specifications
for all clients. For example, Mwm*windowMenu is used to specify the
window menu to be used for all classes of clients that don't have a
window menu specified.
The syntax for specifying resource values for windows that have an un-
known name and class (that is, windows that do not have a WM_CLASS
property associated with them) is
Mwm*defaults*resource_id
For example, Mwm*defaults*iconImage is used to specify the icon image
to be used for windows that have an unknown name and class.
The following client specific resources can be specified:
Client Specific Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
clientDecoration ClientDecoration string all
clientFunctions ClientFunctions string all
focusAutoRaise FocusAutoRaise T/F varies
iconImage IconImage pathname (image)
iconImageBackground Background color icon
background
iconImageBottomShadowColor Foreground color icon bottom
shadow
iconImageBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadow- color icon bottom
Pixmap shadow
pixmap
iconImageForeground Foreground color varies
iconImageTopShadowColor Background color icon top
shadow
color
iconImageTopShadowPixmap TopShadow- color icon top
Pixmap shadow
pixmap
matteBackground Background color background
matteBottomShadowColor Foreground color bottom
shadow
color
matteBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadow- color bottom
Pixmap shadow
Menu"
clientDecoration (class ClientDecoration)
This resource controls the amount of window frame decoration.
The resource is specified as a list of decorations to specify
their inclusion in the frame. If a decoration is preceded by a
minus sign, that decoration is excluded from the frame. The
sign of the first item in the list determines the initial
amount of decoration. If the sign of the first decoration is
minus, mwm assumes all decorations are present and starts sub-
tracting from that set. If the sign of the first decoration is
plus (or not specified), then mwm starts with no decoration and
builds up a list from the resource.
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the client-
Decoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the decorations
indicated by the clientDecoration resource. For more informa-
tion see the description of XmNmwmDecorations on the Vendor-
Shell(3X) reference page.
center,tab(~); lb lb l l. Name~Description _ all~Include all
decorations (default value) border~Window border maximize~Maxi-
mize button (includes title bar) minimize~Minimize button (in-
cludes title bar) none~No decorations resizeh~Border resize
handles (includes border) menu~Window menu button (includes ti-
tle bar) title~Title bar (includes border)
Examples:
Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: -resizeh -maximize
This removes the resize handles and maximize button from XClock win-
dows.
Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: menu minimize border
This does the same thing as above. Note that either menu or minimize
implies title.
clientFunctions (class ClientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which mwm functions are ap-
plicable (or not applicable) to the client window. The value
for the resource is a list of functions. If the first function
in the list has a minus sign in front of it, then mwm starts
with all functions and subtracts from that set. If the first
function in the list has a plus sign in front of it, then mwm
starts with no functions and builds up a list. Each function
in the list must be preceded by the appropriate plus or minus
sign and separated from the next function by a space.
none No functions
resize f.resize
move f.move
minimize f.minimize
maximize f.maximize
close f.kill
focusAutoRaise (class FocusAutoRaise)
When the value of this resource is True, clients are raised
when they get the keyboard input focus. If the value is False,
the stacking of windows on the display is not changed when a
window gets the keyboard input focus. The default value is
True when the keyboardFocusPolicy is explicit and False when
the keyboardFocusPolicy is pointer.
iconImage (class IconImage)
This resource can be used to specify an icon image for a client
(for example, "Mwm*myclock*iconImage"). The resource value is
a pathname for a bitmap file. The value of the (client spe-
cific) useClientIcon resource is used to determine whether or
not user supplied icon images are used instead of client sup-
plied icon images. The default value is to display a built-in
window manager icon image.
iconImageBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the icon image
that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The default
value of this resource is the icon background color (that is,
specified by "Mwm*background or Mwm*icon*background).
iconImageBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the icon im-
age that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The de-
fault value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow color
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowColor).
iconImageBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The de-
fault value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow Pixmap
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowPixmap).
iconImageForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the icon image
that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The default
value of this resource varies depending on the icon background.
iconImageTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the icon image
that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The default
value of this resource is the icon top shadow color (that is,
specified by Mwm*icon*topShadowColor).
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this re-
source is the client bottom shadow color (that is, specified by
"Mwm*bottomShadowColor or Mwm*client*bottomShadowColor).
matteBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this re-
source is the client bottom shadow pixmap (that is, specified
by "Mwm*bottomShadowPixmap or Mwm*client*bottomShadowPixmap).
matteForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the matte, when
matteWidth is positive. The default value of this resource is
the client foreground color (that is, specified by "Mwm*fore-
ground or Mwm*client*foreground).
matteTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the matte, when
matteWidth is positive. The default value of this resource is
the client top shadow color (that is, specified by "Mwm*top-
ShadowColor or Mwm*client*topShadowColor).
matteTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow pixmap of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this re-
source is the client top shadow pixmap (that is, specified by
"Mwm*topShadowPixmap or Mwm*client*topShadowPixmap).
matteWidth (class MatteWidth)
This resource specifies the width of the optional matte. The
default value is 0, which effectively disables the matte.
maximumClientSize (class MaximumClientSize)
This resource is either a size specification or a direction
that indicates how a client window is to be maximized. The re-
source value can be specified as a size specification widthx-
height. The width and height are interpreted in the units that
the client uses (for example, for terminal emulators this is
generally characters). Alternately, "vertical" or "horizontal"
can be specified to indicate the direction in which the client
maximizes.
If this resource is not specified, the maximum size from the
WM_NORMAL_HINTS property is used if set. Otherwise the default
value is the size where the client window with window manage-
ment borders fills the screen. When the maximum client size is
not determined by the maximumClientSize resource, the maximum-
MaximumSize resource value is used as a constraint on the maxi-
mum size.
useClientIcon (class UseClientIcon)
windowMenu (class WindowMenu)
This resource indicates the name of the menu pane that is
posted when the window menu is popped up (usually by pressing
button 1 on the window menu button on the client window frame).
Menu panes are specified in the MWM resource description file.
Window menus can be customized on a client class basis by spec-
ifying resources of the form Mwm*client_name_or_class*window-
Menu (see "Mwm Resource Description File Syntax"). The default
value of this resource is "DefaultWindowMenu".
Resource Description File
The MWM resource description file is a supplementary resource file that
contains resource descriptions that are referred to by entries in the
defaults files (.Xdefaults, app-defaults/Mwm). It contains descrip-
tions of resources that are to be used by mwm, and that cannot be eas-
ily encoded in the defaults files (a bitmap file is an analogous type
of resource description file). A particular mwm resource description-
file can be selected using the configFile resource.
The following types of resources can be described in the mwm resource
description file:
Buttons Window manager functions can be bound (associated) with
button events.
Keys Window manager functions can be bound (associated) with
key press events.
Menus Menu panes can be used for the window menu and other
menus posted with key bindings and button bindings.
mwm Resource Description File Syntax
The mwm resource description file is a standard text file that contains
items of information separated by blanks, tabs, and newline characters.
Blank lines are ignored. Items or characters can be quoted to avoid
special interpretation (for example, the comment character can be
quoted to prevent it from being interpreted as the comment character).
A quoted item can be contained in double quotes ("). Single characters
can be quoted by preceding them by the backslash character (\). All
text from an unquoted # to the end of the line is regarded as a comment
and is not interpreted as part of a resource description. If ! is the
first character in a line, the line is regarded as a comment. If a
line ends in a backslash character (\), the next line is considered a
continuation of that line. Window manager functions can be accessed
with button and key bindings, and with window manager menus. Functions
are indicated as part of the specifications for button and key binding
sets, and menu panes. The function specification has the following
syntax:
the window stack to be put on the bottom of the window stack
(so that it no longer obscures any other window or icon).
This function affects only those windows and icons that ob-
scure other windows and icons, or that are obscured by other
windows and icons. Secondary windows (that is, transient
windows) are restacked with their associated primary window.
Secondary windows always stay on top of the associated pri-
mary window and there can be no other primary windows between
the secondary windows and their primary window. If an icon
function argument is specified, the function applies only to
icons. If a window function argument is specified, the func-
tion applies only to windows.
f.circle_up [icon | window]
This function raises the window or icon on the bottom of the
window stack (so that it is not obscured by any other win-
dows). This function affects only those windows and icons
that obscure other windows and icons, or that are obscured by
other windows and icons. Secondary windows (that is, tran-
sient windows) are restacked with their associated primary
window. If an icon function argument is specified, the func-
tion applies only to icons. If a window function argument is
specified, the function applies only to windows.
f.exec or !
This function causes command to be executed (using the value
of the MWMSHELL environment variable if it is set, otherwise
the value of the SHELL environment variable if it is set,
otherwise /bin/sh). The ! notation can be used in place of
the f.exec function name.
f.focus_color
This function sets the colormap focus to a client window. If
this function is done in a root context, the default colormap
(set up by the X Window System for the screen where MWM is
running) is installed and there is no specific client window
colormap focus. This function is treated as f.nop if col-
ormapFocusPolicy is not explicit.
f.focus_key
This function sets the keyboard input focus to a client win-
dow or icon. This function is treated as f.nop if keyboard-
FocusPolicy is not explicit or the function is executed in a
root context.
f.kill This function is used to terminate a client. If the
WM_DELETE_WINDOW protocol is set up, the client is sent a
client message event, indicating that the client window
should be deleted. If the WM_SAVE_YOURSELF protocol is set
up, the client is sent a client message event, indicating
that the client needs to prepare to be terminated. If the
client does not have the WM_DELETE_WINDOW or WM_SAVE_YOURSELF
text that the function was invoked in indicates the window or
icon to lower.
Specifying within lowers the secondary window within the fam-
ily (staying above the parent) but does not lower the client
family in the global window stack.
Specifying freeFamily lowers the window to the bottom of the
global windows stack from its local family stack.
f.maximize
This function causes a client window to be displayed with its
maximum size.
f.menu This function associates a cascading (pull-right) menu with a
menu pane entry or a menu with a button or key binding. The
menu_name function argument identifies the menu to be used.
f.minimize
This function causes a client window to be minimized (iconi-
fied). When a window is minimized when no icon box is used,
its icon is placed on the bottom of the window stack (so that
it obscures no other window). If an icon box is used, the
client's icon changes to its iconified form inside the icon
box. Secondary windows (that is, transient windows) are min-
imized with their associated primary window. There is only
one icon for a primary window and all its secondary windows.
f.move This function causes a client window to be interactively
moved.
f.next_cmap
This function installs the next colormap in the list of col-
ormaps for the window with the colormap focus.
f.next_key [icon | window | transient]
This function sets the keyboard input focus to the next win-
dow/icon in the set of windows/icons managed by the window
manager (the ordering of this set is based on the stacking of
windows on the screen). This function is treated as f.nop if
keyboardFocusPolicy is not explicit. The keyboard input fo-
cus is moved only to windows that do not have an associated
secondary window that is application modal. If the transient
argument is specified, transient (secondary) windows are tra-
versed (otherwise, if only window is specified, traversal is
done only to the last focused window in a transient group).
If an icon function argument is specified, the function ap-
plies only to icons. If a window function argument is speci-
fied, the function applies only to windows.
f.nop This function does nothing.
This function is used to relayout icons (based on the layout
policy being used) on the root window or in the icon box. In
general this causes icons to be "packed" into the icon grid.
f.pass_keys
This function is used to enable/disable (toggle) processing
of key bindings for window manager functions. When it dis-
ables key binding processing, all keys are passed on to the
window with the keyboard input focus and no window manager
functions are invoked. If the f.pass_keys function is in-
voked with a key binding to disable key-binding processing,
the same key binding can be used to enable key-binding pro-
cessing.
f.post_wmenu
This function is used to post the window menu. If a key is
used to post the window menu and a window menu button is
present, the window menu is automatically placed with its
top-left corner at the bottom-left corner of the window menu
button for the client window. If no window menu button is
present, the window menu is placed at the top-left corner of
the client window.
f.prev_cmap
This function installs the previous colormap in the list of
colormaps for the window with the colormap focus.
f.prev_key [icon | window | transient]
This function sets the keyboard input focus to the previous
window/icon in the set of windows/icons managed by the window
manager (the ordering of this set is based on the stacking of
windows on the screen). This function is treated as f.nop if
keyboardFocusPolicy is not explicit. The keyboard input fo-
cus is moved only to windows that do not have an associated
secondary window that is application modal. If the transient
argument is specified, transient (secondary) windows are tra-
versed (otherwise, if only window is specified, traversal is
done only to the last focused window in a transient group).
If an icon function argument is specified, the function ap-
plies only to icons. If an window function argument is spec-
ified, the function applies only to windows.
f.quit_mwm
This function terminates mwm (but NOT the X window system).
f.raise [-client | within | freeFamily]
This function raises a primary window to the top of the
global window stack (where it is obscured by no other window)
and raises the secondary window (transient window or dialog
box) within the client family. The arguments to this func-
tion are mutually exclusive.
This function raises a primary window to the top of the
global window stack if it is partially obscured by another
window; otherwise, it lowers the window to the bottom of the
window stack. The arguments to this function are mutually
exclusive.
Specifying within raises a secondary window within the family
(staying above the parent window), if it is partially ob-
scured by another window in the application's family; other-
wise, it lowers the window to the bottom of the family stack.
It has no effect on the global window stacking order.
Specifying freeFamily raises the window to the top of its lo-
cal family stack, if obscured by another window, and raises
the family to the top of the global window stack; otherwise,
it lowers the window to the bottom of its local family stack
and lowers the family to the bottom of the global window
stack.
f.refresh This function causes all windows to be redrawn.
f.refresh_win
This function causes a client window to be redrawn.
f.resize This function causes a client window to be interactively re-
sized.
f.restore This function restores the previous state of an icon's asso-
ciated window. If a maximized window is iconified, then
f.restore restores it to its maximized state. If a normal
window is iconified, then f.restore restores it to its nor-
malized state.
f.restore_and_raise
This function restores the previous state of an icon's asso-
ciated window and raises the window to the top of the window
stack. If a maximized window is iconified, then f.re-
store_and_raise restores it to its maximized state and raises
it to the top of the window stack. If a normal window is
iconified, then f.restore_and_raise restores it to its nor-
malized state and raises it to the top of the window stack.
f.restart This function causes mwm to be restarted (effectively termi-
nated and re-executed).
f.screen [next | prev | back
screen_number]" This function causes the pointer to be warp
to a specific screen number or to the next, previous, or last
visited (back) screen. The arguments to this function are
mutually exclusive.
The screen_number argument indicates the screen number that
TIF_WM_MESSAGES with the message_type indicated by the mes-
sage_number function argument. The client message is sent
only if message_number is included in the client's _MO-
TIF_WM_MESSAGES property. A menu item label is grayed out if
the menu item is used to do f.send_msg of a message that is
not included in the client's _MOTIF_WM_MESSAGES property.
f.separator
This function causes a menu separator to be put in the menu
pane at the specified location (the label is ignored).
f.set_behavior
This function causes the window manager to restart with the
default behavior (if a custom behavior is configured) or re-
vert to the custom behavior. By default this is bound to
Shift Ctrl Meta <Key>!.
f.title This function inserts a title in the menu pane at the speci-
fied location.
Each function may be constrained as to which resource types can specify
the function (for example, menu pane) and also what context the func-
tion can be used in (for example, the function is done to the selected
client window). Function contexts are
root No client window or icon has been selected as an object
for the function.
window A client window has been selected as an object for the
function. This includes the window's title bar and
frame. Some functions are applied only when the window
is in its normalized state (for example, f.maximize) or
its maximized state (for example, f.normalize).
icon An icon has been selected as an object for the function.
If a function's context has been specified as icon|window and the func-
tion is invoked in an icon box, the function applies to the icon box,
not to the icons inside.
If a function is specified in a type of resource where it is not sup-
ported or is invoked in a context that does not apply, the function is
treated as f.nop. The following table indicates the resource types and
function contexts in which window manager functions apply.
Function Contexts Resources
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
f.beep root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.circle_down root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.normalize_and_raise icon, window button, key, menu
f.pack_icons root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.pass_keys root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.post_wmenu root, icon, window button, key
f.prev_cmap root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.prev_key root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.quit_mwm root, icon, window button, key, menu (root only)
f.raise icon, window button, key, menu
f.raise_lower icon, window button, key, menu
f.refresh root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.refresh_win window button, key, menu
f.resize window button, key, menu
f.restore icon, window button, key, menu
f.restore_and_raise icon, window button, key, menu
f.restart root, icon, window button, key, menu (root only)
f.screen root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.send_msg icon, window button, key, menu
f.separator root, icon, window menu
f.set_behavior root, icon, window button, key, menu
f.title root, icon, window menu
Window Manager Event Specification
Events are indicated as part of the specifications for button and key-
binding sets, and menu panes.
Button events have the following syntax:
button = [modifier_list]<button_event_name>
modifier_list = modifier_name {modifier_name}
All modifiers specified are interpreted as being exclusive (this means
that only the specified modifiers can be present when the button event
occurs). The following table indicates the values that can be used for
modifier_name. The [Alt] key is frequently labeled [Extend] or [Meta].
Alt and Meta can be used interchangeably in event specification.
Modifier Description
------------------------
Ctrl Control Key
Shift Shift Key
Alt Alt/Meta Key
Meta Meta/Alt Key
Lock Lock Key
Mod1 Modifier1
Mod2 Modifier2
Mod3 Modifier3
Mod4 Modifier4
Mod5 Modifier5
The following table indicates the values that can be used for but-
ton_event_name.
Btn4Down Button 4 Press
Btn4Up Button 4 Release
Btn4Click Button 4 Press and Release
Btn4Click2 Button 4 Double-Click
Btn5Down Button 5 Press
Btn5Up Button 5 Release
Btn5Click Button 5 Press and Release
Btn5Click2 Button 5 Double-Click
Key events that are used by the window manager for menu mnemonics and
for binding to window manager functions are single key presses; key re-
leases are ignored. Key events have the following syntax:
key = [modifier_list]<Key>key_name
modifier_list = modifier_name {modifier_name}
All modifiers specified are interpreted as being exclusive (this means
that only the specified modifiers can be present when the key event oc-
curs). Modifiers for keys are the same as those that apply to buttons.
The key_name is an X11 keysym name. Keysym names can be found in the
keysymdef.h file (remove the XK_ prefix).
Button Bindings
The buttonBindings resource value is the name of a set of button bind-
ings that are used to configure window manager behavior. A window man-
ager function can be done when a button press occurs with the pointer
over a framed client window, an icon, or the root window. The context
for indicating where the button press applies is also the context for
invoking the window manager function when the button press is done
(significant for functions that are context sensitive).
The button binding syntax is
Buttons bindings_set_name
{
button context function
button context function
.
.
button context function
}
The syntax for the context specification is
context = object[ | context]
object = root | icon | window | title | frame | border | app
The context specification indicates where the pointer must be for the
button binding to be effective. For example, a context of window indi-
cates that the pointer must be over a client window or window manage-
ment frame for the button binding to be effective. The frame context
is for the window management frame around a client window (including
cation. The valid contexts are the same as those that apply to button
bindings.
The key binding syntax is
Keys bindings_set_name
{
key context function
key context function
.
.
key context function
}
If an f.nop function is specified for a key binding, the key binding is
not done. If an f.post_wmenu or f.menu function is bound to a key, mwm
will automatically use the same key for removing the menu from the
screen after it has been popped up.
The context specification syntax is the same as for button bindings.
For key bindings, the frame, title, border, and app contexts are equiv-
alent to the window context. The context for a key event is the window
or icon that has the keyboard input focus (root if no window or icon
has the keyboard input focus).
Menu Panes
Menus can be popped up using the f.post_wmenu and f.menu window manager
functions. The context for window manager functions that are done from
a menu is root, icon or window depending on how the menu was popped up.
In the case of the window menu or menus popped up with a key binding,
the location of the keyboard input focus indicates the context. For
menus popped up using a button binding, the context of the button bind-
ing is the context of the menu.
The menu pane specification syntax is
Menu menu_name
{
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function
.
.
label [mnemonic] [accelerator] function
}
Each line in the Menu specification identifies the label for a menu
item and the function to be done if the menu item is selected. Option-
ally a menu button mnemonic and a menu button keyboard accelerator may
be specified. Mnemonics are functional only when the menu is posted
and keyboard traversal applies.
The label may be a string or a bitmap file. The label specification
The first matching character in the label is underlined. If there is
no matching character in the label, no mnemonic is registered with the
window manager for that label. Although the character must exactly
match a character in the label, the mnemonic does not execute if any
modifier (such as Shift) is pressed with the character key.
The accelerator specification is a key event specification with the
same syntax as is used for key bindings to window manager functions.
Environment
mwm uses the environment variable HOME specifying the user's home di-
rectory.
mwm uses the environment variable LANG specifying the user's choice of
language for the mwm message catalog and the mwm resource description
file.
mwm uses the environment variables XFILESEARCHPATH, XUSERFILESEARCH-
PATH, XAPPLRESDIR, XENVIRONMENT, LANG, and HOME in determining search
paths for resource defaults files. mwm may also use XBMLANGPATH to
search for bitmap files.
mwm reads the $HOME/.motifbind file if it exists to install a virtual
key bindings property on the root window. For more information on the
content of the .motifbind file, see VirtualBindings(3X).
mwm uses the environment variable MWMSHELL (or SHELL, if MWMSHELL is
not set), specifying the shell to use when executing commands via the
f.exec function.
Files
/usr/lib/X11/$LANG/system.mwmrc
/usr/lib/X11/system.mwmrc
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Mwm
$HOME/Mwm
$HOME/.Xdefaults
$HOME/$LANG/.mwmrc
$HOME/.mwmrc
$HOME/.motifbind
RELATED INFORMATION
VendorShell(3X), VirtualBindings(3X), X(1), and XmInstallImage(3X).
mwm(1X)