1blackbox(1)                 General Commands Manual                blackbox(1)
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3
4

NAME

6       blackbox - a window manager for X11
7

SYNOPSIS

9       blackbox -help | -version
10       blackbox [ -rc rcfile ] [ -display display ]
11

DESCRIPTION

13       Blackbox is a window manager for the Open Group's X Window System, Ver‐
14       sion 11 Release 6 and above.  Its design is meant to be visually  mini‐
15       malist and fast.
16
17       Blackbox is similar to the NeXT interface and Windowmaker. Applications
18       are launched using a menu which is accessed by right  clicking  on  the
19       root  window.  Workspaces,  a system of virtual desktops are controlled
20       via a menu which is accessed by middle clicking on the root window  and
21       by  using  the toolbar. Individual windows can be controlled by buttons
22       on the title bar and more options are available by  right  clicking  on
23       the title bar.
24
25       Blackbox is able to generate beautiful window decorations on the fly at
26       high speed. Themes, called styles in  Blackbox  terminology,  are  very
27       flexible but the use of pixmaps has been purposefully avoided to elimi‐
28       nate dependencies and excess memory usage.
29
30       Blackbox itself does not directly handle key bindings like  most  other
31       window  managers.  This  task  is  handled by a separate utility called
32       bbkeys. Although Blackbox has a  built-in  workspace  (paging)  system,
33       bbpager,  which provides a graphical pager, is popular with many users.
34       bbkeys, bbpager and several other bbtools can be found by going to
35       http://bbtools.thelinuxcommunity.org/
36       The slit is an edge of the screen which  can  hold  specially  designed
37       programs  called dock apps (from Windowmaker). In addition, the popular
38       program gkrellm will also run in the slit.  There is a  huge  selection
39       of  dockapps available and they run the gamut from must-have gadgets to
40       utterly useless (but cute and/or funny) eye candy.
41       http://www.bensinclair.com/dockapp/
42       http://dockapps.org/
43

OPTIONS

45       Blackbox supports the following command line options:
46
47       -help  Display command line options, compiled-in features, and exit.
48
49       -version
50              Display version and exit.
51
52       -rc rcfile
53              Use an alternate resource file.
54
55       -display display
56              Start Blackbox on the specified display,  and  set  the  DISPLAY
57              environment  variable  to  this  value  for  programs started by
58              Blackbox.
59

STARTING AND EXITING BLACKBOX

61       The most common method for starting Blackbox is to place the  the  com‐
62       mand  "blackbox"  (no quotes) at the end of your ~/.xinitrc or ~/.xses‐
63       sion file.  The advantage of putting Blackbox at the end of the file is
64       that  the  X  Server will shutdown when you exit Blackbox. Blackbox can
65       also be started from the command line of a terminal program like  xterm
66       in an X session that does not already have a window manager running.
67
68       On  startup,  Blackbox will look for ~/.blackboxrc and use the resource
69       session.menuFile to determine where to get the menu  for  the  session.
70       If this file is not found Blackbox will use /usr/share/blackbox/menu as
71       the menu file. If that fails as well Blackbox will use a  default  menu
72       that  contains  commands  to start an xterm as well as restart and exit
73       the window manager.  The other resources available in the ~/.blackboxrc
74       file  are  discussed  later  in  this manual under the heading RESOURCE
75       FILE.
76
77       On exit, Blackbox writes its current configuration to ~/.blackboxrc.
78       NOTE:
79       If ~/.blackboxrc is modified during a Blackbox
80       session, Blackbox must be restarted with the
81       "restart" command on the main menu or the changes
82       will be lost on exit. Restart causes Blackbox to
83       re-read ~/.blackboxrc and apply the changes immediately.
84       Blackbox can be exited by selecting "exit" on the main menu  (discussed
85       shortly),  killing  it gently from a terminal or by the X Window System
86       shutdown hot key combo Ctrl+Alt+BackSpace.
87

USING BLACKBOX

89       A three button mouse has the following functions when clicking  on  the
90       root window:
91
92       Button Two  (Middle Button)
93              Open workspace menu
94
95       Button Three  (Right Button)
96              Open main menu
97
98       Note that Button One (Left Button) is not used.
99
100       Main Menu
101              The  default  installation assumes you have a number of common X
102              Window System programs in their typical locations.  The  default
103              menu is defined by a plain text file named 'menu'. It is heavily
104              commented and covers a number of details of  menu  file  syntax.
105              This  file can also be edited graphically by using the extension
106              program bbconf which makes menu creation very  easy.  Menu  file
107              syntax is discussed later in this manual.
108              Caveat:
109              Menus can run arbitrary command lines, but
110              if you wish to use a complex command line
111              it is best to place it in a shell script.
112              Remember to put #!/bin/sh on the first
113              line and chmod 755 on the file to make it
114              executable.
115
116       Workspace Menu
117              This  menu  gives  the user control of the workspace system. The
118              user can create a new workspace, remove the last workspace or go
119              to an application via either the icon menu or a workspace entry.
120              Workspaces are listed by name. Clicking on  the  workspace  name
121              will  take you to that workspace with focus on the program under
122              the  mouse.  If  there  are  programs  already  running  in  the
123              workspace,  they will appear in a pop-out menu.  Clicking on the
124              application name will jump  to  the  workspace  and  focus  that
125              application.  If  a  middle  click  is  used  the window will be
126              brought to the current workspace.
127
128              Blackbox uses an external program, bbpager, to provide a  tradi‐
129              tional, graphical paging interface to the workspace system. Many
130              Blackbox users run another extension program - bbkeys - to  pro‐
131              vide keyboard shortcuts for workspace control.
132              Caveat:
133              To name a workspace the user must right
134              click on the toolbar, select "Edit current
135              workspace name," type the workspace name,
136              And_Press_Enter to finish.
137              Workspaces  can  also  be  named  in  the  .blackboxrc  file  as
138              described in RESOURCES.
139
140       The Slit
141              The Slit provides a user positionable window for running utility
142              programs  called  "dockapps". To learn more about dockapps refer
143              to the web sites mentioned in the Description. Dockapps automat‐
144              ically  run in the slit in most cases, but may require a special
145              command switch.  Often, -w is  used  for  "withdrawn"  into  the
146              slit.
147
148              gkrellm  is a very useful and modern dockapp that gives the user
149              near real time information on machine performance.  Other  dock‐
150              apps  include clocks, notepads, pagers, key grabbers, fishbowls,
151              fire places and many, many others.
152
153              Only mouse button three is captured by the Blackbox  slit.  This
154              menu  allows  the  user  to change the position of the slit, and
155              sets the state of Always on top, and Auto  hide.  These  all  do
156              what the user expects.
157
158              Caveat:
159              When starting Dockapps from an external script
160              a race condition can take place where the shell
161              rapidly forks all of the dockapps, which then
162              take varied and random times to draw themselves
163              for the first time. To get the dockapps to start
164              in a given order, follow each dockapp with
165              sleep 2; This ensures that each dockapp is placed
166              in the correct order by the slit.
167              i.e.
168              #!/bin/sh
169              speyes -w & sleep 2
170              gkrellm -w & sleep 2
171
172       The Toolbar
173              The  toolbar  provides  an  alternate method for cycling through
174              multiple workspaces and applications. The left side of the tool‐
175              bar is the workspace control, the center is the application con‐
176              trol, and the right side is a clock. The format of the clock can
177              be controlled as described under RESOURCES.
178
179              Mouse  button  3  raises a menu that allows configuration of the
180              toolbar. It can be positioned either at the top or the bottom of
181              the  screen  and  can be set to auto hide and/or to always be on
182              top.
183
184              Caveat:
185              The toolbar is a permanent fixture. It
186              can only be removed by modifying the source and
187              rebuilding, which is beyond the scope of this
188              document. Setting the toolbar to auto hide is
189              the next best thing.
190
191
192       Window Decorations
193              Window decorations include handles at the bottom of each window,
194              a title bar, and three control buttons.  The handles at the bot‐
195              tom of the window are divided into three sections.  The two cor‐
196              ner sections are resizing handles The center section is a window
197              moving handle. The  bottom  center  handle  and  the  title  bar
198              respond to a number of mouse clicks and key + mouse click combi‐
199              nations. The three buttons in the title bar, left to right,  are
200              iconify,  maximize,  and  close.  The  resize button has special
201              behavior detailed below.
202
203       Button One  (Left Button)
204              Click and drag on titlebar to move or resize  from  bottom  cor‐
205              ners.   Click  the iconify button to move the window to the icon
206              list.  Click the maximize button to fully maximize  the  window.
207              Click  the  close  button  to  close the window and application.
208              Double-Click the title bar to shade the window.
209
210       Alt + Button One
211              Click anywhere on client window and drag to move the window.
212
213       Button Two  (Middle Button)
214              Click the titlebar to lower the window.  Click the maximize but‐
215              ton to maximize the window vertically.
216
217       Button Three  (Right Button)
218              Click  on title bar or bottom center handle pulls down a control
219              menu.  Click the maximize button to maximize the window horizon‐
220              tally.
221
222       Alt + Button Three
223              Click anywhere on client window and drag to resize the window.
224
225
226       The control menu contains:
227
228       Send To ...
229              Button One  (Left Button)
230              Click to send this window to another workspace.
231              Button Two  (Middle Button)
232              Click to send this window to another workspace, change
233              to that workspace and keep the application focused.
234              as well.
235
236       Shade  This is the same action as Double-Click with Button One.
237
238       Iconify
239              Hide the window.  It can be accessed with the icon menu.
240
241       Maximize
242              Toggle window maximization.
243
244       Raise  Bring window to the front above the other windows and
245              focus it.
246
247       Lower  Drop the window below the other ones.
248
249       Stick  Stick this window to the glass on the inside of
250              the monitor so it does not hide when you change
251              workspaces.
252
253       Kill Client
254              This kills the client program with -SIGKILL (-9)
255              Only use this as a last resort.
256
257       Close  Send a close signal to the client application.
258

STYLES

260       Styles are a collection of colors, fonts, and textures that control the
261       appearance of Blackbox. These characteristics  are  recorded  in  style
262       files.    The    default    system   style   files   are   located   in
263       /usr/share/blackbox/styles.  The menu system will identify the style by
264       its  filename,  and  styles can be sorted into different directories at
265       the user's discretion.
266
267       There  are  over  700  styles  available  for  Blackbox.  The  official
268       distribution point for Blackbox styles is
269
270       http://blackbox.themes.org/
271
272       All  themes  should  install by simply downloading them to ~/.blackbox/
273       then unzip it, and de-tar it.
274
275       On open Unixes this will be:
276
277       tar zxvf stylename.tar.gz
278
279       On commercial Unixes this will be something like:
280
281       gunzip stylename.tar.gz && tar xvf stylename.tar
282
283       Check your system manuals for specifics  or  check  with  your  network
284       administrator.
285
286       An entry should appear in the styles menu immediately.
287       Security Warning
288       Style files can execute shell scripts and other
289       executables. It would is wise to check the
290       rootCommand in the style file and make sure that
291       it is benign.
292
293       Things that go wrong.
294
295       1. The theme is pre Blackbox 0.51.
296              Style file syntax changed with version 0.51
297
298       2. The style tarball was formatted incorrectly.
299              Some  styles  use  the  directories  ~/.blackbox/Backgrounds and
300              ~/.blackbox/Styles
301
302              This can fixed by adding a [stylemenu]  (~/.blackbox/Styles)  to
303              your  menu  file.  To  be a complete purist, hack the style file
304              with the correct paths and  move  the  files  into  the  correct
305              directories
306
307       3. The rootCommmand line is broken.
308              The  rootCommand  line  in  the style file will run an arbitrary
309              executable. It is important  that  this  executable  be  set  to
310              bsetbg  to  maintain  portability between systems with different
311              graphics software. In addition bsetbg can execute a shell script
312              and do it in a portable fashion as well.
313
314       The documented method for creating styles is as follows:
315
316       1. Create or acquire the background for the style if
317              it will not be using bsetroot to draw a patterned background for
318              the root window.
319
320              NOTE:
321              Blackbox runs on a wide variety
322              of systems ranging from PCs with 640x480 256 color
323              displays to ultra high speed workstations with 25"
324              screens and extreme resolution. For best results a
325              style graphic should be at least 1024x768.
326
327       2. Create a style file.
328              The best way to do this is to make a copy of a similar style and
329              then edit it.
330
331              The style file is a list of X resources and other external vari‐
332              ables. Manipulating these variables allows users  to  completely
333              change  the appearance of Blackbox. The user can also change the
334              root window image by using the wrapper program bsetbg.
335
336              bsetbg knows how to use a number of programs  to  set  the  root
337              window image. This makes styles much more portable since various
338              platforms have different graphics software. For  more  info  see
339              bsetbg (1).
340
341       3. Background images should be placed in
342              ~/.blackbox/backgrounds  The  style  file  should  be  placed in
343              ~/.blackbox/styles any other information about the style  should
344              be  placed in ~/.blackbox/about/STYLE_NAME/.  This would include
345              README files, licenses, etc.
346
347              Previous versions of Blackbox put backgrounds and styles in dif‐
348              ferent  directories.  The  directories listed above are the only
349              officially supported directories.   However  you  may  put  them
350              whereever  you  like  as long as you update your menu file so it
351              knows where to find your styles.
352
353       4. To create a consistent experience and to ensure
354              portability between all systems it is important to use the  fol‐
355              lowing format to create your style archive.
356
357              first create a new directory named after your style NEW_STYLE
358
359              In this directory create the directories
360              backgrounds
361              styles
362              about/NEW_STYLE
363              Next  put  everything  for the theme in these locations. Finally
364              type
365
366              tar cvzf NEW_STYLE.tar.gz *
367
368              If you are using commercial Unix you may need to  use  gzip  and
369              tar separately.
370
371              Now  when  a  user downloads a new style file she knows that all
372              she has to do is put the  tarball  in  her  Blackbox  directory,
373              unzip->un-tar it and then click on it in her style menu.
374
375
376       Style File Syntax and Details
377
378              By  far  the easiest way to create a new style is to use bbconf.
379              bbconf allows complete control of every facet of style files and
380              gives  immediate  updates  of  the  current style as changes are
381              made.
382
383              The style file format is not currently documented in a man page.
384              There  is  a  readme  document included with the Blackbox source
385              containing this information.
386
388       The default menu file is installed in  /usr/share/blackbox/menu.   This
389       menu  can be customized as a system default menu or the user can create
390       a personal menu.
391
392       To create a personal menu copy the default menu to a file in your  home
393       directory.   Then,  open  ~/.blackboxrc  and add or modify the resource
394       session.menuFile:  ~/.blackbox/menu
395
396       Next, edit the new menu file. This can be done during a  Blackbox  ses‐
397       sion  and  the  menu will automatically be updated when the code checks
398       for file changes.
399
400       The default menu included with Blackbox has numerous comments  describ‐
401       ing  the  use  of  all menu commands. Menu commands follow this general
402       form:
403
404       [command]  (label|filename) {shell command|filename}
405
406       Blackbox menu commands:
407
408          #    string...
409              Hash (or pound or number sign) is used as the comment delimiter.
410              It  can be used as a full line comment or as an end of line com‐
411              ment after a valid command statement.
412
413       [begin]  (string)
414              This tag is used only once at the beginning of  the  menu  file.
415              "string" is the name or description used at the top of the menu.
416
417       [end]
418              This tag is used at the end of the menu file and at the end of a
419              submenu block.
420
421       [exec]  (label string) {command string}
422              This is a very flexible tag that allows the user to run an arbi‐
423              trary shell command including shell scripts. If a command is too
424              large to type on the command line by hand it is best to  put  it
425              in a shell script.
426
427       [nop]  (label string)
428              This  tag is used to put a divider in the menu.  label string is
429              an optional description.
430
431       [submenu]  (submenu name) {title string}
432              This creates a sub-menu with the name submenu name and if given,
433              the  string  title  string  will be the title of the pop up menu
434              itself.
435
436       [include]  (filename)
437              This command inserts filename into the menu file at the point at
438              which  it  is  called.   filename should not contain a begin end
439              pair. This feature can be used to include  the  system  menu  or
440              include a piece of menu that is updated by a separate program.
441
442       [stylesdir]  (description) (path)
443              Causes  Blackbox  to search path for style files. Blackbox lists
444              styles in the menu by their file name as returned by the OS.
445
446       [stylesmenu]  (description) {path}
447              This command creates a submenu with the  name  description  with
448              the contents of path.  By creating a submenu and then populating
449              it with stylesmenu entries the  user  can  create  an  organized
450              library of styles.
451
452       [workspaces]  (description)
453              Inserts  a  link  into  the  main menu to the workspace menu. If
454              used, description is an optional description.
455
456       [config]  (label)
457              This command causes Blackbox to insert a  menu  that  gives  the
458              user control over focus models, dithering and other system pref‐
459              erences.
460
461       [reconfig]  (label) {shell command}
462              The reconfig command causes Blackbox to reread its configuration
463              files.  This does not include ~/.blackboxrc which is only reread
464              when Blackbox is restarted. If shell command is included  Black‐
465              box  will  run this command or shell script before rereading the
466              files. This can be used to switch  between  multiple  configura‐
467              tions
468
469       [restart]  (label) {shell command}
470              This  command  is  actually  an  exit  command  that defaults to
471              restarting Blackbox. If provided shell command is run instead of
472              Blackbox.  This  can be used to change versions of Blackbox. Not
473              that you would ever want to do this but, it could also  be  used
474              to start a different window manager.
475
476       [exit]  (label)
477              Shuts  down  Blackbox.  If  Blackbox is the last command in your
478              ~/.xinitrc file, this action will also shutdown X.
479              Here is a working example of a menu file:
480              [begin] (MenuName)
481                 [exec] (xterm) {xterm -ls -bg black -fg green}
482                 [submenu] (X utilities)
483                    [exec] (xcalc) {xcalc}
484                 [end]
485                 [submenu] (styles)
486                    [stylesmenu] (built-in styles) {/usr/share/blackbox/styles}
487                    [stylesmenu] (custom styles) {~/.blackbox/styles}
488                 [end]
489                 [workspaces] (workspace list)
490                 [config] (configure)
491                 [reconfig] (config play desktop) {play-config-blackbox}
492                 [reconfig] (config work desktop) {work-config-blackbox}
493                 [restart] (start Blackbox beta 7) {blackbox-beta7}
494                 [restart] (start Blackbox cvs) {blackbox-cvs}
495                 [restart] (restart)
496                 [exit] (exit)
497              [end]
498

RESOURCE FILE

500       $HOME/.blackboxrc These options are stored in the  ~/.blackboxrc  file.
501       They  control  various  features  of  Blackbox and most can be set from
502       menus. Some of these can only be set by editing .blackboxrc directly.
503
504       NOTE: Blackbox only reads this file during start up.  To  make  changes
505       take effect during a Blackbox session the user must choose "restart" on
506       the main menu.  If you do not do so, your changes  will  be  lost  when
507       Blackbox exits.
508
509       Some  resources  are  named  with  a <num> after screen. This should be
510       replaced with the number of the screen that is  being  configured.  The
511       default is 0 (zero).
512
513       Menu Configurable  (Slit Menu):
514          Right click (button 3) on the slit border.
515
516       session.screen<num>.slit.placement  SEE BELOW
517          Determines  the  position  of  the  slit.   Certain  combinations of
518          slit.placement with slit.direction are  not  terribly  useful,  i.e.
519          TopCenter  with  Vertical direction puts the slit through the middle
520          of your screen. Certainly some will think that is cool if only to be
521          different...
522          Default is CenterLeft.
523          [  TopLeft  |   TopCenter  |   TopRight  |
524           CenterLeft |              | CenterRight |
525           BottomLeft | BottomCenter | BottomRight ]
526
527       session.screen<num>.slit.direction  [Horizontal|Vertical]
528          Determines the direction of the slit.
529          Default is Vertical.
530
531       session.screen<num>.slit.onTop  [True|False]
532          Determines whether the slit is always visible over windows or if the
533          focused window can hide the slit.
534          Default is True.
535
536       session.screen<num>.slit.autoHide  [True|False]
537          Determines whether the  slit  hides  when  not  in  use.   The  ses‐
538          sion.autoRaiseDelay  time  determines how long you must hover to get
539          the slit to raise and how long it stays visible after mouse out.
540          Default is False.
541
542       Menu Configurable  (Main Menu):
543
544       session.screen<num>.focusModel  SEE BELOW
545          Sloppy focus (mouse focus) is the conventional X Window behavior and
546          can be modified with AutoRaise or Click-Raise.
547
548          AutoRaise  causes  the  window  to  automatically  raise  after ses‐
549          sion.autoRaiseDelay milliseconds.
550
551          ClickRaise causes the window to raise if you click  anywhere  inside
552          the client area of the window.
553
554          Sloppy focus alone requires a click on the titlebar, border or lower
555          grip to raise the window.
556
557          ClickToFocus requires a click on a Blackbox  decoration  or  in  the
558          client  area  to focus and raise the window.  ClickToFocus cannot be
559          modified by AutoRaise or ClickRaise.
560          Default is SloppyFocus
561          [SloppyFocus [[AutoRaise & ClickRaise]  |
562                        [AutoRaise | ClickRaise]] |
563          ClickToFocus]
564
565       session.screen<num>.windowPlacement  SEE BELOW
566          RowSmartPlacement tries to fit new windows in empty space by  making
567          rows.   Direction  depends on session.screen<num>.rowPlacementDirec‐
568          tion
569
570          ColSmartPlacement tries to fit new windows in empty space by  making
571          columns  Direction depends on session.screen<num>.colPlacementDirec‐
572          tion
573
574          CascadePlacement places the new window down and to the right of  the
575          most recently created window.
576          Default is RowSmartPlacement.
577          [RowSmartPlacement | ColSmartPlacement | CascadePlacement]
578
579       session.screen<num>.rowPlacementDirection  [LeftToRight|RightToLeft]
580          Determines placement direction for new windows.
581          Default is LeftToRight.
582
583       session.screen<num>.colPlacementDirection  [TopToBottom|BottomToTop]
584          Determines placement direction for new windows.
585          Default is TopToBottom.
586
587       session.imageDither  [True|False]
588          This  setting  is  only  used when running in low color modes. Image
589          Dithering helps to show an image properly  even  if  there  are  not
590          enough colors available in the system.
591          Default is False.
592
593       session.opaqueMove  [True|False]
594          Determines  whether  the window's contents are drawn as it is moved.
595          When False the behavior is to draw a box representing the window.
596          Default is False.
597
598       session.screen<num>.fullMaximization  [True|False]
599          Determines if the maximize button will cause an application to maxi‐
600          mize over the slit and toolbar.
601          Default is False.
602
603       session.screen<num>.focusNewWindows  [True|False]
604          Determines  if newly created windows are given focus after they ini‐
605          tially draw themselves.
606          Default is False.
607
608       session.screen<num>.focusLastWindow  [True|False]
609          This is actually "when moving  between  workspaces,  remember  which
610          window  has  focus  when leaving a workspace and return the focus to
611          that window when I return to that workspace."
612          Default is False.
613
614       session.screen<num>.disableBindingsWithScrollLock  [True|False]
615          When this resource is enabled, turning on scroll lock keeps Blackbox
616          from  grabbing the Alt and Ctrl keys that it normally uses for mouse
617          controls. This feature allows users of drawing and modeling programs
618          which  use keystrokes to modify mouse actions to maintain their san‐
619          ity.  *NOTE* this has _no_ affect on bbkeys.  If you need bbkeys  to
620          also  behave  this  way  it has a similar option in its config file.
621          Refer to the bbkeys manpage for details.
622          Default is False.
623
624       Menu Configurable  (Workspace Menu):
625          Middle click (button 2) on the root window (AKA  Desktop)  to  reach
626          this menu
627
628       session.screen<num>.workspaces  [integer]
629          Workspaces may be created or deleted by middle clicking on the desk‐
630          top and choosing "New Workspace" or "Remove Last". After creating  a
631          workspace, right click on the toolbar to name it.
632          Default is 1
633
634       Menu Configurable  (Toolbar Menu):
635
636       session.screen<num>.workspaceNames  [string[, string...]]
637          Workspaces  are named in the order specified in this resource. Names
638          should be delimited by commas. If there  are  more  workspaces  than
639          explicit  names,  un-named  workspaces  will  be named as "Workspace
640          [number]".
641          Default is
642          Workspace 1.
643
644       session.screen<num>.toolbar.placement  SEE BELOW
645          Set toolbar screen position.
646          Default is BottomCenter
647          [  TopLeft  |   TopCenter  |   TopRight  |
648           BottomLeft | BottomCenter | BottomRight ]
649
650       session.screen<num>.toolbar.onTop  [True|False]
651          Determines whether the toolbar is always visible over windows or  if
652          the focused window can hide the toolbar.
653          Default is True.
654
655       session.screen<num>.toolbar.autoHide  [True|False]
656          Determines  whether  the  toolbar  hides  when not in use.  The ses‐
657          sion.autoRaiseDelay time determines how long you must hover  to  get
658          the toolbar to raise, and how long it stays visible after mouse out.
659          Default is False.
660
661       Configurable in  ~/.Blackboxrc only:
662
663       session.screen<num>.toolbar.widthPercent  [1-100]
664          Percentage  of screen used by the toolbar.  A number from 1-100 that
665          sets the width of the toolbar.  0 (zero) does not cause the  toolbar
666          to disappear, instead the toolbar is set to the default. If you want
667          to lose the toolbar there are patches that can remove it.
668          Default is 66.
669
670       session.screen<num>.strftimeFormat  [string]
671          A C language date format string, any combination of  specifiers  can
672          be  used.  The  default  is %I:%M %p which generates a 12 hour clock
673          with minutes and an am/pm indicator appropriate to the locale.
674          24 hours and minutes    %H:%M
675          12 hours and minute     %I:%M %p
676          month/day/year          %m/%d/%y
677          day/month/year          %d/%m/%y
678          Default is hours:minutes am/pm
679          See
680          strftime 3
681          for more details.
682
683       session.screen<num>.dateFormat  [American|European]
684          NOTE: Only used if the strftime() function is not available on  your
685          system.
686          Default is American, (mon/day/year).
687
688       session.screen<num>.clockFormat  [12/24]
689          NOTE:  Only used if the strftime() function is not available on your
690          system.
691          Default is 12-hour format.
692
693       session.screen<num>.edgeSnapThreshold  [integer]
694          When set to 0 this turns off edge snap. When set to one  or  greater
695          edge  snap  will  cause  a window that is being moved to snap to the
696          nearest screen edge, the slit, or or the toolbar. Windows  will  not
697          snap  to  each other.  The value represents a number in pixels which
698          is the distance between the  window  and  a  screen  edge  which  is
699          required  before  the  window is snapped to the screen edge.  If you
700          prefer this functionality values between 6 - 10 work nicely.
701          Default value is 0
702
703       session.menuFile  [filepath]
704          Full path to the current menu file.
705          Default is /usr/share/blackbox/menu
706
707       session.colorsPerChannel  [2-6]
708          The number of colors taken from the X server for use on pseudo color
709          displays. This value must be set to 4 for 8 bit displays.
710          Default is 4.
711
712       session.doubleClickInterval  [integer]
713          This  is the maximum time that Blackbox will wait after one click to
714          catch a double click. This only applies to Blackbox actions, such as
715          double click shading, not to the X server in general.
716          Default is 250 milliseconds.
717
718       session.autoRaiseDelay  [integer]
719          This  is  the time in milliseconds used for auto raise and auto hide
720          behaviors. More than about 1000 ms is likely useless.
721          Default is 250 millisecond.
722
723       session.cacheLife  [integer]
724          Determines the maximum number of minutes  that  the  X  server  will
725          cache unused decorations.
726          Default is 5 minutes
727
728       session.cacheMax  [integer]
729          Determines  how  many  kilobytes  that  Blackbox may take from the X
730          server for storing decorations. Increasing this number  may  enhance
731          your  performance  if you have plenty of memory and use lots of dif‐
732          ferent windows.
733          Default is 200 Kilobytes
734
735

ENVIRONMENT

737       HOME   Blackbox uses $HOME to find its  .blackboxrc  rc  file  and  its
738              .blackbox directory for menus and style directories.
739
740       DISPLAY
741              If a display is not specified on the command line, Blackbox will
742              use the value of $DISPLAY.
743
744

FILES

746       blackbox
747              Application binary
748
749       ~/.blackboxrc
750              User's startup and resource file.
751
752       /usr/share/blackbox/menu
753              Default system wide menu
754

WEB SITES

756       General info website:
757            http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/
758
759       Development website:
760            http://sourceforge.net/projects/blackboxwm/
761
762

BUGS

764       If you think you have found a bug, please help by going to the develop‐
765       ment website and select "Bugs" in the upper menu. Check the bug list to
766       see if your problem has already been reported. If it  has  please  read
767       the  summary  and  add  any information that you believe would help. If
768       your bug has not been submitted select "Submit New" and  fill  out  the
769       form.
770
771

AUTHORS AND HISTORY

773       Sean Shaleh Perry  <shaleh@debian.org> is the current maintainer and is
774       actively working together with Brad to  keep  Blackbox  up-to-date  and
775       stable as a rock.
776
777       Brad  Hughes   <bhughes@trolltech.com>  originally  designed  and coded
778       Blackbox in 1997 with the intent of creating a memory efficient  window
779       manager  with  no  dependencies on external libraries.  Brad's original
780       idea has become a popular alternative to other window managers.
781
782       Jeff Raven  <jraven@psu.edu> then picked up the torch  for  the  0.61.x
783       series after Brad took a full time job at TrollTech.
784
785       This  manual  page  was  written  by:  R.B.  Brig  Young   <secretsare‐
786       good@yahoo.com> he is solely responsible for errors or omissions.  Com‐
787       ments, corrections, and suggestions are welcomed.
788
789

SEE ALSO

791       bsetbg(1), bsetroot(1),
792       bbkeys(1), bbconf(1)
793
794
795
7960.65.0                        September 18, 2002                   blackbox(1)
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