1XSETROOT(1) General Commands Manual XSETROOT(1)
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6 xsetroot - root window parameter setting utility for X
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9 xsetroot [-help] [-def] [-display display] [-cursor cursorfile mask‐
10 file] [-cursor_name cursorname] [-xcf cursorfile cursorsize] [-bitmap
11 filename] [-mod x y] [-gray] [-grey] [-fg color] [-bg color] [-rv]
12 [-solid color] [-name string]
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15 The xsetroot program allows you to tailor the appearance of the back‐
16 ground ("root") window on a workstation display running X. Normally,
17 you experiment with xsetroot until you find a personalized look that
18 you like, then put the xsetroot command that produces it into your X
19 startup file. If no options are specified, or if -def is specified,
20 the window is reset to its default state. The -def option can be spec‐
21 ified along with other options and only the non-specified characteris‐
22 tics will be reset to the default state.
23 Only one of the background color/tiling changing options (-solid,
25 -gray, -grey, -bitmap, and -mod) may be specified at a time.
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28 The various options are as follows:
29 -help Print a usage message and exit.
31 -def Reset unspecified attributes to the default values. (Restores
33 the background to the familiar gray mesh and the cursor to the
34 hollow x shape.)
35 -cursor cursorfile maskfile
37 This lets you change the pointer cursor to whatever you want
38 when the pointer cursor is outside of any window. Cursor and
39 mask files are bitmaps (little pictures), and can be made with
40 the bitmap(1) program. You probably want the mask file to be
41 all black until you get used to the way masks work.
42 -cursor_name cursorname
44 This lets you change the pointer cursor to one of the standard
45 cursors from the cursor font. Refer to appendix B of the X pro‐
46 tocol for the names (except that the XC_ prefix is elided for
47 this option).
48 -xcf cursorfile cursorsize
50 This lets you change the pointer cursor to one loaded from an
51 Xcursor file as defined by libXcursor, at the specified size.
52 -bitmap filename
54 Use the bitmap specified in the file to set the window pattern.
55 You can make your own bitmap files (little pictures) using the
56 bitmap(1) program. The entire background will be made up of
57 repeated "tiles" of the bitmap.
58 -mod x y
60 This is used if you want a plaid-like grid pattern on your
61 screen. x and y are integers ranging from 1 to 16. Try the
62 different combinations. Zero and negative numbers are taken as
63 1.
64 -gray Make the entire background gray. (Easier on the eyes.)
66 -grey Make the entire background grey.
68 -fg color
70 Use ``color'' as the foreground color. Foreground and back‐
71 ground colors are meaningful only in combination with -cursor,
72 -bitmap, or -mod.
73 -bg color
75 Use ``color'' as the background color.
76 -rv This exchanges the foreground and background colors. Normally
78 the foreground color is black and the background color is white.
79 -solid color
81 This sets the background of the root window to the specified
82 color. This option is only useful on color servers.
83 -name string
85 Set the name of the root window to ``string''. There is no
86 default value. Usually a name is assigned to a window so that
87 the window manager can use a text representation when the window
88 is iconified. This option is unused since you can't iconify the
89 background.
90 -display display
92 Specifies the server to connect to; see X(7).
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95 X(7), xset(1), xrdb(1), Xcursor(3)
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98 Mark Lillibridge, MIT Project Athena
99X Version 11 xsetroot 1.1.0 XSETROOT(1)