xbiff(1X) xbiff(1X)NAME xbiff - displays a mailbox that notifies you when mail arrives SYNOPSIS xbiff [-help] [-update seconds] [-file file] [-bg color] [- bd color] [-bw width] [-fg color] [-rv] [-geometry geometry] [-display display] [-xrm resource-string] [-shape] DESCRIPTION xbiff displays an 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 the mouse button (or the LEFT or RIGHT ARROW keys or any button on a three-button mouse) when the pointer is over the mailbox causes xbiff to remember the current size of the mail file as being the empty size and to lower the flag. The xbiff client application is a wrapper around the Athena Mailbox widget. Options The xbiff client application accepts all standard X Toolkit command-line options, as described in X(1X), as well as these options: -file file Specifies the filename to be monitored. The default is /usr/mail/username, where username is your login name. -help Displays summary of the command syntax. -shape Indicates that the mailbox window should be shaped if masks for the empty or full images are given. -update seconds Specifies the frequency in seconds at which xbiff should update its display. If the mailbox is hidden and then displayed, it is immediately updated. -volume percentage Specifies how loud the bell should ring when new mail arrives. The following standard X Toolkit command-line options are commonly used with xbiff: -bd color Specifies the window border color. -bg color November, 1990 1
xbiff(1X) xbiff(1X)Specifies the window background color. -bw width Specifies in pixels the width of the border around the window. -display display Specifies the X server to connect to. See X(1X) for details. -fg color Specifies the window foreground color. -geometry geometry Specifies the preferred size and position of the mailbox window. See X(1X) for details. The mailbox is 48 pixels high and 48 pixels wide and is centered in the window. -rv Simulates reverse video by swapping the foreground and background colors. -xrm resource-string Specifies the resource string to be used. This is particularly useful for setting resources that do not have separate command-line options. X defaults The xbiff client application uses the Mailbox widget in the Athena Widget Set. The application class name is XBiff. It understands all the core resource names and classes, as well as the following: 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(3S) 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 pro- vided. file (class File) Specifies the name of the file to monitor. The de- fault is to watch /usr/mail/username, where username is your login name. onceOnly (class Boolean) Specifies that the bell rings only the first time 2 November, 1990
xbiff(1X) xbiff(1X)new mail is found and does not ring again until at least one interval has passed with no mail waiting. The window continues to indicate the presence of new mail until the mail is retrieved. The default is FALSE. width (class Width) Specifies in pixels the width of the mailbox. The default is 48. height (class Height) Specifies in pixels the height of the mailbox. The default is 48. 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 to ring the bell. The default is 33 percent. foreground (class Foreground) Specifies the foreground color. The default is black because the core default for background is white. reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo) Specifies that the foreground and background colors should be reversed. The default is FALSE. flip (class Flip) Specifies whether the image should be inverted when mail arrives. The default is TRUE. fullPixmap (class Pixmap) Specifies a bitmap to be shown when new mail ar- rives. The default is /usr/include/X11/bitmaps/flagup. emptyPixmap (class Pixmap) Specifies a bitmap to be shown when no new mail is present. The default is /usr/include/X11/bitmaps/flagdown. shapeWindow (class ShapeWindow) Specifies whether 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 November, 1990 3
xbiff(1X) xbiff(1X)mail has arrived. There is no default. emptyPixmapMask (class PixmapMask) Specifies a mask for the bitmap to be shown when no new mail is present. Actions The Mailbox widget provides the following actions for use in event translations: check() Causes the widget to check for new mail and display the flag appropriately. unset() Causes the widget to lower the flag until new mail arrives. set() Causes the widget to raise the flag until the user resets it. The default translation is <ButtonPress>: unset() Environment variables The xbiff command uses the following environment variables: DISPLAY Specifies the default host, display number, and screen. XENVIRONMENT Specifies the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property. LIMITATIONS The mailbox bitmaps are not especially attractive. NOTES Copyright 1988, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. See X(1X) for a full statement of rights and permissions. Author: Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, with additional con- tributions by Ralph Swick, DEC and MIT Project Athena SEE ALSO X(1X), xrdb(1X) stat(2) in A/UX Programmer's Reference 4 November, 1990