xsetroot(1X)
Name
xsetroot − X Window System root window parameter-setting utility
Syntax
xsetroot [ options ]
Description
The xsetroot command allows you to tailor the appearance of the background (root) window on a workstation display running X. After finding the settings that produce the appropriate look, place the xsetroot command in your .login file. If no options are specified, or if the −def option is specified, the window is reset to its default state. The −def option can be specified along with other options and only the unspecified characteristics will be reset to the default state.
You can specify only one of the background color or tiling changing options (−solid, −gray, −grey, −bitmap, and −mod) at a time.
Options
−bitmap fileSpecifies the bitmap to be used for the window pattern. Use the bitmap specified in the file to set the window pattern. The entire background will be made up of repeated "tiles" of the bitmap.
−bg colorSpecfies the background color.
−cursor cursorfile maskfile
Specifies the cursor to be displayed when it is outside any window. Cursor and mask files are bitmaps made with the bitmap() program. Initially, the mask file is all black.
−d dispnameSpecifies the display screen on which xsetroot displays its window. If the display option is not specified, xsetroot uses the display screen specified by your DISPLAY environment variable. The display argument has the format hostname:number. Using two colons (::) instead of one (:) indicates that DECnet is to be used for transport. The default is :0. For more information, see X(.).
−defResets unspecified attributes to the default values. (Restores the background to the gray mesh pattern and the cursor to the hollow x shape.)
−display dispnameThis option is the same as the −d option.
−fg colorSpecfies the foreground color.
−graySpecifies that the entire background be gray.
−greySpecifies that the entire background be grey.
−helpPrints a usage message and exits.
−mod x ySpecifies that a plaid-like grid pattern be displayed on your screen. The values for x and y can be from 1 to 16. Zero and negative numbers are taken as 1.
−name stringSpecifies the name of the root window. There is no default value. Usually a name is assigned to a window so that the window manager can use a text representation when the window is changed to an icon. This option is unused because it is not possible to change the background to an icon.
−rvSpecifies that the foreground and background colors be exchanged. By default, the foreground color is black and the background color is white. This option can be specified with any of the previous options.
−solid colorSpecifies the root window color.
See Also
Commands