1XTERM(1) X Window System XTERM(1)
2
6 xterm - terminal emulator for X
7
9 xterm [-toolkitoption ...] [-option ...] [shell]
10
12 The xterm program is a terminal emulator for the X Window System. It
13 provides DEC VT102/VT220 and selected features from higher-level
14 terminals such as VT320/VT420/VT520 (VTxxx). It also provides
15 Tektronix 4014 emulation for programs that cannot use the window system
16 directly. If the underlying operating system supports terminal
17 resizing capabilities (for example, the SIGWINCH signal in systems
18 derived from 4.3BSD), xterm will use the facilities to notify programs
19 running in the window whenever it is resized.
20 The VTxxx and Tektronix 4014 terminals each have their own window so
22 that you can edit text in one and look at graphics in the other at the
23 same time. To maintain the correct aspect ratio (height/width),
24 Tektronix graphics will be restricted to the largest box with a 4014's
25 aspect ratio that will fit in the window. This box is located in the
26 upper left area of the window.
27 Although both windows may be displayed at the same time, one of them is
29 considered the “active” window for receiving keyboard input and
30 terminal output. This is the window that contains the text cursor.
31 The active window can be chosen through escape sequences, the VT
32 Options menu in the VTxxx window, and the Tek Options menu in the 4014
33 window.
34
36 Xterm provides usable emulations of related DEC terminals:
37 • VT52 emulation is complete.
39 • VT102 emulation is fairly complete, but does not support autorepeat
41 (because that would affect the keyboard used by other X clients).
42 Double-size characters are displayed properly if your font server
44 supports scalable bitmap fonts.
45 • VT220 emulation does not support soft fonts, it is otherwise
47 complete.
48 • VT420 emulation (the default) supports controls for manipulating
50 rectangles of characters as well as left/right margins.
51 Xterm does not support some other features which are not suitable
53 for emulation, e.g., two-sessions.
54 Terminal database (terminfo (5) or termcap (5)) entries that work with
56 xterm include
57 an optional platform-specific entry (“xterm”),
59 “xterm”,
60 “vt102”,
61 “vt100”,
62 “ansi” and
63 “dumb”
64 Xterm automatically searches the terminal database in this order for
66 these entries and then sets the “TERM” variable (and the “TERMCAP”
67 environment variable on a few older systems). The alternatives after
68 “xterm” are very old, from the late 1980s.
69 VT100 and VT102 emulations are commonly equated, though they actually
71 differ. The VT102 provided controls for inserting and deleting lines.
72 Similarly, “ansi” and “vt100” are often equated. These are not really
74 the same. For instance, they use different controls for scrolling (but
75 xterm supports both). These features differ in an “ansi” terminal
76 description from xterm:
77 acsc
79 Pseudo-graphics (line-drawing) uses a different mapping.
80 xenl
82 Xterm wraps text at the right margin using the VT100 “newline
83 glitch” behavior.
84 Because of the wrapping behavior, you would occasionally have to
86 repaint the screen when using a text editor with the “ansi”
87 description.
88 You may also use descriptions corresponding to the various supported
90 emulations such as “vt220” or “vt420”, but should set the terminal
91 emulation level with the decTerminalID resource.
92 On most systems, xterm will use the terminfo database. Some older
94 systems use termcap. (The “TERMCAP” environment variable is not set if
95 xterm is linked against a terminfo library, since the requisite
96 information is not provided by the termcap emulation of terminfo
97 libraries).
98 Many of the special xterm features may be modified under program
100 control through a set of escape sequences different from the standard
101 VTxxx escape sequences (see Xterm Control Sequences).
102 The Tektronix 4014 emulation is also fairly good. It supports 12-bit
104 graphics addressing, scaled to the window size. Four different font
105 sizes and five different lines types are supported. There is no write-
106 through or defocused mode support. The Tektronix text and graphics
107 commands are recorded internally by xterm and may be written to a file
108 by sending the COPY escape sequence (or through the Tektronix menu; see
109 below). The name of the file will be
110 “COPYyyyy-MM-dd.hh:mm:ss”
112 where yyyy, MM, dd, hh, mm and ss are the year, month, day, hour,
114 minute and second when the COPY was performed (the file is created in
115 the directory xterm is started in, or the home directory for a login
116 xterm).
117 Not all of the features described in this manual are necessarily
119 available in this version of xterm. Some (e.g., the non-VT220
120 extensions) are available only if they were compiled in, though the
121 most commonly-used are in the default configuration.
122
124 Xterm automatically highlights the text cursor when the pointer enters
125 the window (selected) and unhighlights it when the pointer leaves the
126 window (unselected). If the window is the focus window, then the text
127 cursor is highlighted no matter where the pointer is.
128 In VTxxx mode, there are escape sequences to activate and deactivate an
130 alternate screen buffer, which is the same size as the display area of
131 the window. When activated, the current screen is saved and replaced
132 with the alternate screen. Saving of lines scrolled off the top of the
133 window is disabled until the normal screen is restored. The usual
134 terminal description for xterm allows the visual editor vi(1) to switch
135 to the alternate screen for editing and to restore the screen on exit.
136 A popup menu entry makes it simple to switch between the normal and
137 alternate screens for cut and paste.
138 In either VTxxx or Tektronix mode, there are escape sequences to change
140 the name of the windows. Additionally, in VTxxx mode, xterm implements
141 the window-manipulation control sequences from dtterm, such as resizing
142 the window, setting its location on the screen.
143 Xterm allows character-based applications to receive mouse events
145 (currently button-press and release events, and button-motion events)
146 as keyboard control sequences. See Xterm Control Sequences for
147 details.
148
150 Because xterm uses the X Toolkit library, it accepts the standard X
151 Toolkit command line options. Xterm also accepts many application-
152 specific options.
153 By convention, if an option begins with a “+” instead of a “-”, the
155 option is restored to its default value.
156 Most of the xterm options are actually parsed by the X Toolkit, which
158 sets resource values, and overrides corresponding resource-settings in
159 your X resource files. Xterm provides the X Toolkit with a table of
160 options. A few of these are marked, telling the X Toolkit to ignore
161 them (-help, -version, -class, -e, and -into). After the X Toolkit has
162 parsed the command-line parameters, it removes those which it handles,
163 leaving the specially-marked parameters for xterm to handle.
164 These options do not set a resource value, and are handled specially:
166 -version
168 This causes xterm to print a version number to the standard
169 output, and then exit.
170 -help This causes xterm to print out a verbose message describing its
172 options, one per line. The message is written to the standard
173 output. After printing the message, xterm exits. Xterm
174 generates this message, sorting it and noting whether a
175 “-option” or a “+option” turns the feature on or off, since
176 some features historically have been one or the other. Xterm
177 generates a concise help message (multiple options per line)
178 when an unknown option is used, e.g.,
179 xterm -z
181 If the logic for a particular option such as logging is not
183 compiled into xterm, the help text for that option also is not
184 displayed by the -help option.
185 The -version and -help options are interpreted even if xterm cannot
187 open the display, and are useful for testing and configuration scripts.
188 Along with -class, they are checked before other options. To do this,
189 xterm has its own (much simpler) argument parser, along with a table of
190 the X Toolkit's built-in list of options.
191 Relying upon the X Toolkit to parse the options and associated values
193 has the advantages of simplicity and good integration with the X
194 resource mechanism. There are a few drawbacks
195 • Xterm cannot tell easily whether a resource value was set by one of
197 the external resource- or application-defaults files, whether it
198 was set using xrdb(1), or if it was set through the -xrm option or
199 via some directly relevant command-line option. Xterm sees only
200 the end-result: a value supplied when creating its widgets.
201 • Xterm does not know the order in which particular options and items
203 in resource files are evaluated. Rather, it sees all of the values
204 for a given widget at the same time. In the design of these
205 options, some are deemed more important, and can override other
206 options.
207 The X Toolkit uses patterns (constants and wildcards) to match
209 resources. Once a particular pattern has been used, it will not
210 modify it. To override a given setting, a more-specific pattern
211 must be used, e.g., replacing “*” with “.”. Some poorly-designed
212 resource files are too specific to allow the command-line options
213 to affect the relevant widget values.
214 • In a few cases, the X Toolkit combines its standard options in ways
216 which do not work well with xterm. This happens with the color
217 (-fg, -bg) and reverse (-rv) options. Xterm makes a special case
218 of these and adjusts its sense of “reverse” to lessen user
219 surprise.
220 One parameter (after all options) may be given. That overrides xterm's
222 built-in choice of shell program:
223 • If the parameter is not a relative path, i.e., beginning with “./”
225 or “../”, xterm looks for the file in the user's PATH. In either
226 case, this check fails if xterm cannot construct an absolute path.
227 • If that check fails (or if no such parameter is given), xterm next
229 checks the “SHELL” variable. If that specifies an executable file,
230 xterm will attempt to start that. However, xterm additionally
231 checks if it is a valid shell, and will unset “SHELL” if it is not.
232 • If “SHELL” is not set to an executable file, xterm tries to use the
234 shell program specified in the user's password file entry. As
235 before, xterm verifies if this is a valid shell.
236 • Finally, if the password file entry does not specify a valid shell,
238 xterm uses /bin/sh.
239 The -e option cannot be used with this parameter since it uses all
241 parameters following the option.
242 Xterm validates shell programs by finding their pathname in the text
244 file /etc/shells. It treats the environment variable “SHELL” specially
245 because (like “TERM”), xterm both reads and updates the variable, and
246 because the program started by xterm is not necessarily a shell.
247 The other options are used to control the appearance and behavior. Not
249 all options are necessarily configured into your copy of xterm:
250 -132 Normally, the VT102 DECCOLM escape sequence that switches
252 between 80 and 132 column mode is ignored. This option causes
253 the DECCOLM escape sequence to be recognized, and the xterm
254 window will resize appropriately.
255 -ah This option indicates that xterm should always highlight the
257 text cursor. By default, xterm will display a hollow text
258 cursor whenever the focus is lost or the pointer leaves the
259 window.
260 +ah This option indicates that xterm should do text cursor
262 highlighting based on focus.
263 -ai This option disables active icon support if that feature was
265 compiled into xterm. This is equivalent to setting the vt100
266 resource activeIcon to “false”.
267 +ai This option enables active icon support if that feature was
269 compiled into xterm. This is equivalent to setting the vt100
270 resource activeIcon to “true”.
271 -aw This option indicates that auto-wraparound should be allowed,
273 and is equivalent to setting the vt100 resource autoWrap to
274 “true”.
275 Auto-wraparound allows the cursor to automatically wrap to the
277 beginning of the next line when it is at the rightmost position
278 of a line and text is output.
279 +aw This option indicates that auto-wraparound should not be
281 allowed, and is equivalent to setting the vt100 resource
282 autoWrap to “false”.
283 -b number
285 This option specifies the size of the inner border (the
286 distance between the outer edge of the characters and the
287 window border) in pixels. That is the vt100 internalBorder
288 resource. The default is “2”.
289 -barc This option, corresponding to the cursorBar resource, makes the
291 cursor a bar instead of a box.
292 +barc This option, corresponding to the cursorBar resource, makes the
294 cursor a box instead of a bar.
295 -baudrate number
297 Set the line-speed, used to test the behavior of applications
298 that use the line-speed when optimizing their output to the
299 screen. The default is “38400”.
300 -bc turn on text cursor blinking. This overrides the cursorBlink
302 resource.
303 +bc turn off text cursor blinking. This overrides the cursorBlink
305 resource.
306 -bcf milliseconds
308 set the amount of time text cursor is off when blinking via the
309 cursorOffTime resource.
310 -bcn milliseconds
312 set the amount of time text cursor is on when blinking via the
313 cursorOnTime resource.
314 -bdc Set the vt100 resource colorBDMode to “false”, disabling the
316 display of characters with bold attribute as color.
317 +bdc Set the vt100 resource colorBDMode to “true”, enabling the
319 display of characters with bold attribute as color rather than
320 bold.
321 -cb Set the vt100 resource cutToBeginningOfLine to “false”.
323 +cb Set the vt100 resource cutToBeginningOfLine to “true”.
325 -cc characterclassrange:value[, ...]
327 This sets classes indicated by the given ranges for using in
328 selecting by words (see CHARACTER CLASSES and the charClass
329 resource).
330 -cjk_width
332 Set the cjkWidth resource to “true”. When turned on,
333 characters with East Asian Ambiguous (A) category in UTR 11
334 have a column width of 2. Otherwise, they have a column width
335 of 1. This may be useful for some legacy CJK text terminal-
336 based programs assuming box drawings and others to have a
337 column width of 2. It also should be turned on when you
338 specify a TrueType CJK double-width (bi-width/monospace) font
339 either with -fa at the command line or faceName resource. The
340 default is “false”
341 +cjk_width
343 Reset the cjkWidth resource.
344 -class string
346 This option allows you to override xterm's resource class.
347 Normally it is “XTerm”, but can be set to another class such as
348 “UXTerm” to override selected resources.
349 X Toolkit sets the WM_CLASS property using the instance name
351 and this class value.
352 -cm This option disables recognition of ANSI color-change escape
354 sequences. It sets the colorMode resource to “false”.
355 +cm This option enables recognition of ANSI color-change escape
357 sequences. This is the same as the vt100 resource colorMode.
358 -cn This option indicates that newlines should not be cut in line-
360 mode selections. It sets the cutNewline resource to “false”.
361 +cn This option indicates that newlines should be cut in line-mode
363 selections. It sets the cutNewline resource to “true”.
364 -cr color
366 This option specifies the color to use for text cursor. The
367 default is to use the same foreground color that is used for
368 text. It sets the cursorColor resource according to the
369 parameter.
370 -cu This option indicates that xterm should work around a bug in
372 the more(1) program that causes it to incorrectly display lines
373 that are exactly the width of the window and are followed by a
374 line beginning with a tab (the leading tabs are not displayed).
375 This option is so named because it was originally thought to be
376 a bug in the curses(3x) cursor motion package.
377 +cu This option indicates that xterm should not work around the
379 more(1) bug mentioned above.
380 -dc This option disables the escape sequence to change dynamic
382 colors: the vt100 foreground and background colors, its text
383 cursor color, the pointer cursor foreground and background
384 colors, the Tektronix emulator foreground and background
385 colors, its text cursor color and highlight color. The option
386 sets the dynamicColors option to “false”.
387 +dc This option enables the escape sequence to change dynamic
389 colors. The option sets the dynamicColors option to “true”.
390 -e program [ arguments ... ]
392 This option specifies the program (and its command line
393 arguments) to be run in the xterm window. It also sets the
394 window title and icon name to be the basename of the program
395 being executed if neither -T nor -n are given on the command
396 line.
397 NOTE: This must be the last option on the command line.
399 -en encoding
401 This option determines the encoding on which xterm runs. It
402 sets the locale resource. Encodings other than UTF-8 are
403 supported by using luit. The -lc option should be used instead
404 of -en for systems with locale support.
405 -fa pattern
407 This option sets the pattern for fonts selected from the
408 FreeType library if support for that library was compiled into
409 xterm. This corresponds to the faceName resource. When a CJK
410 double-width font is specified, you also need to turn on the
411 cjkWidth resource.
412 If you specify both -fa and the X Toolkit option -fn, the -fa
414 setting overrides the latter.
415 See also the renderFont resource, which combines with this to
417 determine whether FreeType fonts are initially active.
418 -fb font
420 This option specifies a font to be used when displaying bold
421 text. It sets the boldFont resource.
422 This font must be the same height and width as the normal font,
424 otherwise it is ignored. If only one of the normal or bold
425 fonts is specified, it will be used as the normal font and the
426 bold font will be produced by overstriking this font.
427 See also the discussion of boldMode and alwaysBoldMode
429 resources.
430 -fbb This option indicates that xterm should compare normal and bold
432 fonts bounding boxes to ensure they are compatible. It sets
433 the freeBoldBox resource to “false”.
434 +fbb This option indicates that xterm should not compare normal and
436 bold fonts bounding boxes to ensure they are compatible. It
437 sets the freeBoldBox resource to “true”.
438 -fbx This option indicates that xterm should not assume that the
440 normal and bold fonts have VT100 line-drawing characters. If
441 any are missing, xterm will draw the characters directly. It
442 sets the forceBoxChars resource to “false”.
443 +fbx This option indicates that xterm should assume that the normal
445 and bold fonts have VT100 line-drawing characters. It sets the
446 forceBoxChars resource to “true”.
447 -fc fontchoice
449 Specify the initial font chosen from the font menu. The option
450 value corresponds to the initialFont resource.
451 -fd pattern
453 This option sets the pattern for double-width fonts selected
454 from the FreeType library if support for that library was
455 compiled into xterm. This corresponds to the
456 faceNameDoublesize resource.
457 -fi font
459 This option sets the font for active icons if that feature was
460 compiled into xterm.
461 See also the discussion of the iconFont resource.
463 -fs size
465 This option sets the pointsize for fonts selected from the
466 FreeType library if support for that library was compiled into
467 xterm. This corresponds to the faceSize resource.
468 -fullscreen
470 This option indicates that xterm should ask the window manager
471 to let it use the full-screen for display, e.g., without window
472 decorations. It sets the fullscreen resource to “true”.
473 +fullscreen
475 This option indicates that xterm should not ask the window
476 manager to let it use the full-screen for display. It sets the
477 fullscreen resource to “false”.
478 -fw font
480 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying wide
481 text. By default, it will attempt to use a font twice as wide
482 as the font that will be used to draw normal text. If no
483 double-width font is found, it will improvise, by stretching
484 the normal font. This corresponds to the wideFont resource.
485 -fwb font
487 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying bold
488 wide text. By default, it will attempt to use a font twice as
489 wide as the font that will be used to draw bold text. If no
490 double-width font is found, it will improvise, by stretching
491 the bold font. This corresponds to the wideBoldFont resource.
492 -fx font
494 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying the
495 preedit string in the “OverTheSpot” input method.
496 See also the discussion of the ximFont resource.
498 -hc color
500 (see -selbg).
501 -hf This option indicates that HP function key escape codes should
503 be generated for function keys. It sets the hpFunctionKeys
504 resource to “true”.
505 +hf This option indicates that HP function key escape codes should
507 not be generated for function keys. It sets the hpFunctionKeys
508 resource to “false”.
509 -hm Tells xterm to use highlightTextColor and highlightColor to
511 override the reversed foreground/background colors in a
512 selection. It sets the highlightColorMode resource to “true”.
513 +hm Tells xterm not to use highlightTextColor and highlightColor to
515 override the reversed foreground/background colors in a
516 selection. It sets the highlightColorMode resource to “false”.
517 -hold Turn on the hold resource, i.e., xterm will not immediately
519 destroy its window when the shell command completes. It will
520 wait until you use the window manager to destroy/kill the
521 window, or if you use the menu entries that send a signal,
522 e.g., HUP or KILL.
523 +hold Turn off the hold resource, i.e., xterm will immediately
525 destroy its window when the shell command completes.
526 -ie Turn on the ptyInitialErase resource, i.e., use the pseudo-
528 terminal's sense of the stty erase value.
529 +ie Turn off the ptyInitialErase resource, i.e., set the stty erase
531 value using the kb string from the termcap entry as a
532 reference, if available.
533 -im Turn on the useInsertMode resource, which forces use of insert
535 mode by adding appropriate entries to the TERMCAP environment
536 variable. (This option is ignored on most systems, because
537 TERMCAP is not used).
538 +im Turn off the useInsertMode resource.
540 -into windowId
542 Given an X window identifier (an integer, which can be
543 hexadecimal, octal or decimal according to whether it begins
544 with "0x", "0" or neither), xterm will reparent its top-level
545 shell widget to that window. This is used to embed xterm
546 within other applications.
547 For instance, there are scripts for Tcl/Tk and Gtk which can be
549 used to demonstrate the feature. When using Gtk, there is a
550 limitation of that toolkit which requires that xterm's
551 allowSendEvents resource is enabled.
552 -itc Set the vt100 resource colorITMode to “false”, disabling the
554 display of characters with italic attribute as color.
555 +itc Set the vt100 resource colorITMode to “true”, enabling the
557 display of characters with italic attribute as color rather
558 than italic.
559 -j This option indicates that xterm should do jump scrolling. It
561 corresponds to the jumpScroll resource. Normally, text is
562 scrolled one line at a time; this option allows xterm to move
563 multiple lines at a time so that it does not fall as far
564 behind. Its use is strongly recommended since it makes xterm
565 much faster when scanning through large amounts of text. The
566 VT100 escape sequences for enabling and disabling smooth scroll
567 as well as the VT Options menu can be used to turn this feature
568 on or off.
569 +j This option indicates that xterm should not do jump scrolling.
571 -jf When doing jump-scrolling or related indexing, e.g., carriage
573 returns, xterm will defer flushing screen-updates, to improve
574 speed. This corresponds to the fastScroll resource.
575 +jf When doing jump-scrolling or related indexing, e.g., carriage
577 returns, xterm will not defer flushing screen-updates, to
578 improve speed. This corresponds to the fastScroll resource.
579 -k8 This option sets the allowC1Printable resource. When
581 allowC1Printable is set, xterm overrides the mapping of C1
582 control characters (code 128–159) to treat them as printable.
583 +k8 This option resets the allowC1Printable resource.
585 -kt keyboardtype
587 This option sets the keyboardType resource. Possible values
588 include: “unknown”, “default”, “legacy”, “hp”, “sco”, “sun”,
589 “tcap” and “vt220”.
590 The value “unknown”, causes the corresponding resource to be
592 ignored.
593 The value “default”, suppresses the associated resources
595 hpFunctionKeys,
597 scoFunctionKeys,
598 sunFunctionKeys,
599 tcapFunctionKeys,
600 oldXtermFKeys and
601 sunKeyboard,
602 using the Sun/PC keyboard layout.
604 -l Turn logging on, unless disabled by the logInhibit resource.
606 Some versions of xterm may have logging enabled. However,
608 normally logging is not supported, due to security concerns in
609 the early 1990s. That was a problem in X11R4 xterm (1989)
610 which was addressed by a patch to X11R5 late in 1993. X11R6
611 included these fixes. The older version (when running with
612 root privilege) would create the log file using root privilege.
613 The reason why xterm ran with root privileges was to open
614 pseudo-terminals. Those privileges are now needed only on very
615 old systems: Unix98 pseudo-terminals made the BSD scheme
616 unnecessary.
617 Unless overridden by the -lf option or the logFile resource:
619 • If the filename is “-”, then logging is sent to the
621 standard output.
622 • Otherwise a filename is generated, and the log file is
624 written to the directory from which xterm is invoked.
625 • The generated filename is of the form
627 XtermLog.XXXXXX
629 or
631 Xterm.log.hostname.yyyy.mm.dd.hh.mm.ss.XXXXXX
633 depending on how xterm was built.
635 +l Turn logging off.
637 -lc Turn on support of various encodings according to the users'
639 locale setting, i.e., LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, or LANG environment
640 variables. This is achieved by turning on UTF-8 mode and by
641 invoking luit for conversion between locale encodings and
642 UTF-8. (luit is not invoked in UTF-8 locales.) This
643 corresponds to the locale resource.
644 The actual list of encodings which are supported is determined
646 by luit. Consult the luit manual page for further details.
647 See also the discussion of the -u8 option which supports UTF-8
649 locales.
650 +lc Turn off support of automatic selection of locale encodings.
652 Conventional 8bit mode or, in UTF-8 locales or with -u8 option,
653 UTF-8 mode will be used.
654 -lcc path
656 File name for the encoding converter from/to locale encodings
657 and UTF-8 which is used with -lc option or locale resource.
658 This corresponds to the localeFilter resource.
659 -leftbar
661 Force scrollbar to the left side of VT100 screen. This is the
662 default, unless you have set the rightScrollBar resource.
663 -lf filename
665 Specify the log filename. This sets the logFile resource. If
666 set to “-”, xterm writes its log to the standard output. See
667 the -l option.
668 -ls This option indicates that the shell that is started in the
670 xterm window will be a login shell (i.e., the first character
671 of argv[0] will be a dash, indicating to the shell that it
672 should read the user's .login or .profile).
673 The -ls flag and the loginShell resource are ignored if -e is
675 also given, because xterm does not know how to make the shell
676 start the given command after whatever it does when it is a
677 login shell - the user's shell of choice need not be a Bourne
678 shell after all. Also, xterm -e is supposed to provide a
679 consistent functionality for other applications that need to
680 start text-mode programs in a window, and if loginShell were
681 not ignored, the result of ~/.profile might interfere with
682 that.
683 If you do want the effect of -ls and -e simultaneously, you may
685 get away with something like
686 xterm -e /bin/bash -l -c "my command here"
688 Finally, -ls is not completely ignored, because xterm -ls -e
690 does write a wtmp entry (if configured to do so), whereas
691 xterm -e does not.
692 +ls This option indicates that the shell that is started should not
694 be a login shell (i.e., it will be a normal “subshell”).
695 -maximized
697 This option indicates that xterm should ask the window manager
698 to maximize its layout on startup. This corresponds to the
699 maximized resource.
700 Maximizing is not the reverse of iconifying; it is possible to
702 do both with certain window managers.
703 +maximized
705 This option indicates that xterm should ask the window manager
706 to not maximize its layout on startup.
707 -mb This option indicates that xterm should ring a margin bell when
709 the user types near the right end of a line.
710 +mb This option indicates that margin bell should not be rung.
712 -mc milliseconds
714 This option specifies the maximum time between multi-click
715 selections.
716 -mesg Turn off the messages resource, i.e., disallow write access to
718 the terminal.
719 +mesg Turn on the messages resource, i.e., allow write access to the
721 terminal.
722 -mk_width
724 Set the mkWidth resource to “true”. This makes xterm use a
725 built-in version of the wide-character width calculation. The
726 default is “false”
727 +mk_width
729 Reset the mkWidth resource.
730 -ms color
732 This option specifies the color to be used for the pointer
733 cursor. The default is to use the foreground color. This sets
734 the pointerColor resource.
735 -nb number
737 This option specifies the number of characters from the right
738 end of a line at which the margin bell, if enabled, will ring.
739 The default is “10”.
740 -nul This option disables the display of underlining.
742 +nul This option enables the display of underlining.
744 -pc This option enables the PC-style use of bold colors (see
746 boldColors resource).
747 +pc This option disables the PC-style use of bold colors.
749 -pf font
751 This option specifies the font to be used for the pointer. The
752 corresponding resource name is pointerFont. The resource value
753 default is cursor.
754 -pob This option indicates that the window should be raised whenever
756 a Control-G is received.
757 +pob This option indicates that the window should not be raised
759 whenever a Control-G is received.
760 -report-charclass
762 Print a report to the standard output showing information about
763 the character-classes which can be altered using the charClass
764 resource.
765 -report-colors
767 Print a report to the standard output showing information about
768 colors as xterm allocates them. This corresponds to the
769 reportColors resource.
770 -report-fonts
772 Print a report to the standard output showing information about
773 fonts which are loaded. This corresponds to the reportFonts
774 resource.
775 -report-icons
777 Print a report to the standard output showing information about
778 pixmap-icons which are loaded. This corresponds to the
779 reportIcons resource.
780 -report-xres
782 Print a report to the standard output showing the values of
783 boolean, numeric or string X resources for the VT100 widget
784 when initialization is complete. This corresponds to the
785 reportXRes resource.
786 -rightbar
788 Force scrollbar to the right side of VT100 screen.
789 -rvc This option disables the display of characters with reverse
791 attribute as color.
792 +rvc This option enables the display of characters with reverse
794 attribute as color.
795 -rw This option indicates that reverse-wraparound should be
797 allowed. This allows the cursor to back up from the leftmost
798 column of one line to the rightmost column of the previous
799 line. This is very useful for editing long shell command lines
800 and is encouraged. This option can be turned on and off from
801 the VT Options menu.
802 +rw This option indicates that reverse-wraparound should not be
804 allowed.
805 -s This option indicates that xterm may scroll asynchronously,
807 meaning that the screen does not have to be kept completely up
808 to date while scrolling. This allows xterm to run faster when
809 network latencies are very high and is typically useful when
810 running across a very large internet or many gateways.
811 +s This option indicates that xterm should scroll synchronously.
813 -samename
815 Does not send title and icon name change requests when the
816 request would have no effect: the name is not changed. This
817 has the advantage of preventing flicker and the disadvantage of
818 requiring an extra round trip to the server to find out the
819 previous value. In practice this should never be a problem.
820 +samename
822 Always send title and icon name change requests.
823 -sb This option indicates that some number of lines that are
825 scrolled off the top of the window should be saved and that a
826 scrollbar should be displayed so that those lines can be
827 viewed. This option may be turned on and off from the VT
828 Options menu.
829 +sb This option indicates that a scrollbar should not be displayed.
831 -selbg color
833 This option specifies the color to use for the background of
834 selected text. If not specified, reverse video is used. See
835 the discussion of the highlightColor resource.
836 -selfg color
838 This option specifies the color to use for selected text. If
839 not specified, reverse video is used. See the discussion of
840 the highlightTextColor resource.
841 -sf This option indicates that Sun function key escape codes should
843 be generated for function keys.
844 +sf This option indicates that the standard escape codes should be
846 generated for function keys.
847 -sh number
849 scale line-height values by the given number. See the
850 discussion of the scaleHeight resource.
851 -si This option indicates that output to a window should not
853 automatically reposition the screen to the bottom of the
854 scrolling region. This option can be turned on and off from
855 the VT Options menu.
856 +si This option indicates that output to a window should cause it
858 to scroll to the bottom.
859 -sk This option indicates that pressing a key while using the
861 scrollbar to review previous lines of text should cause the
862 window to be repositioned automatically in the normal position
863 at the bottom of the scroll region.
864 +sk This option indicates that pressing a key while using the
866 scrollbar should not cause the window to be repositioned.
867 -sl number
869 This option specifies the number of lines to save that have
870 been scrolled off the top of the screen. This corresponds to
871 the saveLines resource. The default is “1024”.
872 -sm This option, corresponding to the sessionMgt resource,
874 indicates that xterm should set up session manager callbacks.
875 +sm This option indicates that xterm should not set up session
877 manager callbacks.
878 -sp This option indicates that Sun/PC keyboard should be assumed,
880 providing mapping for keypad “+” to “,”, and CTRL-F1 to F13,
881 CTRL-F2 to F14, etc.
882 +sp This option indicates that the standard escape codes should be
884 generated for keypad and function keys.
885 -t This option indicates that xterm should start in Tektronix
887 mode, rather than in VTxxx mode. Switching between the two
888 windows is done using the “Options” menus.
889 Terminal database (terminfo (5) or termcap (5)) entries that
891 work with xterm are:
892 “tek4014”,
894 “tek4015”,
895 “tek4012”,
896 “tek4013”,
897 “tek4010”, and
898 “dumb”.
899 Xterm automatically searches the terminal database in this
901 order for these entries and then sets the “TERM” variable (and
902 the “TERMCAP” environment variable, if relevant).
903 +t This option indicates that xterm should start in VTxxx mode.
905 -tb This option, corresponding to the toolBar resource, indicates
907 that xterm should display a toolbar (or menubar) at the top of
908 its window. The buttons in the toolbar correspond to the popup
909 menus, e.g., control/left/mouse for Main Options.
910 +tb This option indicates that xterm should not set up a toolbar.
912 -ti term_id
914 Specify the name used by xterm to select the correct response
915 to terminal ID queries. It also specifies the emulation level,
916 used to determine the type of response to a DA control
917 sequence. Valid values include vt52, vt100, vt101, vt102,
918 vt220, and vt240 (the “vt” is optional). The default is
919 “vt420”. The term_id argument specifies the terminal ID to
920 use. (This is the same as the decTerminalID resource).
921 -tm string
923 This option specifies a series of terminal setting keywords
924 followed by the characters that should be bound to those
925 functions, similar to the stty program. The keywords and their
926 values are described in detail in the ttyModes resource.
927 -tn name
929 This option specifies the name of the terminal type to be set
930 in the TERM environment variable. It corresponds to the
931 termName resource. This terminal type must exist in the
932 terminal database (termcap or terminfo, depending on how xterm
933 is built) and should have li# and co# entries. If the terminal
934 type is not found, xterm uses the built-in list “xterm”,
935 “vt102”, etc.
936 -u8 This option sets the utf8 resource. When utf8 is set, xterm
938 interprets incoming data as UTF-8. This sets the wideChars
939 resource as a side-effect, but the UTF-8 mode set by this
940 option prevents it from being turned off. If you must turn
941 UTF-8 encoding on and off, use the -wc option or the
942 corresponding wideChars resource, rather than the -u8 option.
943 This option and the utf8 resource are overridden by the -lc and
945 -en options and locale resource. That is, if xterm has been
946 compiled to support luit, and the locale resource is not
947 “false” this option is ignored. We recommend using the -lc
948 option or the “locale: true” resource in UTF-8 locales when
949 your operating system supports locale, or -en UTF-8 option or
950 the “locale: UTF-8” resource when your operating system does
951 not support locale.
952 +u8 This option resets the utf8 resource.
954 -uc This option, corresponding to the cursorUnderline resource,
956 makes the cursor underlined instead of a box.
957 +uc This option m, corresponding to the cursorUnderline resource,
959 akes the cursor a box instead of underlined.
960 -ulc This option disables the display of characters with underline
962 attribute as color rather than with underlining.
963 +ulc This option enables the display of characters with underline
965 attribute as color rather than with underlining.
966 -ulit This option, corresponding to the italicULMode resource,
968 disables the display of characters with underline attribute as
969 italics rather than with underlining.
970 +ulit This option, corresponding to the italicULMode resource,
972 enables the display of characters with underline attribute as
973 italics rather than with underlining.
974 -ut This option indicates that xterm should not write a record into
976 the system utmp log file.
977 +ut This option indicates that xterm should write a record into the
979 system utmp log file.
980 -vb This option indicates that a visual bell is preferred over an
982 audible one. Instead of ringing the terminal bell whenever a
983 Control-G is received, the window will be flashed.
984 +vb This option indicates that a visual bell should not be used.
986 -wc This option sets the wideChars resource.
988 When wideChars is set, xterm maintains internal structures for
990 16-bit characters. If xterm is not started in UTF-8 mode (or
991 if this resource is not set), initially it maintains those
992 structures to support 8-bit characters. Xterm can later be
993 switched, using a menu entry or control sequence, causing it to
994 reallocate those structures to support 16-bit characters.
995 The default is “false”.
997 +wc This option resets the wideChars resource.
999 -wf This option indicates that xterm should wait for the window to
1001 be mapped the first time before starting the subprocess so that
1002 the initial terminal size settings and environment variables
1003 are correct. It is the application's responsibility to catch
1004 subsequent terminal size changes.
1005 +wf This option indicates that xterm should not wait before
1007 starting the subprocess.
1008 -ziconbeep percent
1010 Same as zIconBeep resource. If percent is non-zero, xterms
1011 that produce output while iconified will cause an XBell sound
1012 at the given volume and have “***” prepended to their icon
1013 titles. Most window managers will detect this change
1014 immediately, showing you which window has the output. (A
1015 similar feature was in x10 xterm.)
1016 -C This option indicates that this window should receive console
1018 output. This is not supported on all systems. To obtain
1019 console output, you must be the owner of the console device,
1020 and you must have read and write permission for it. If you are
1021 running X under xdm on the console screen you may need to have
1022 the session startup and reset programs explicitly change the
1023 ownership of the console device in order to get this option to
1024 work.
1025 -Sccn This option allows xterm to be used as an input and output
1027 channel for an existing program and is sometimes used in
1028 specialized applications. The option value specifies the last
1029 few letters of the name of a pseudo-terminal to use in slave
1030 mode, plus the number of the inherited file descriptor. If the
1031 option contains a “/” character, that delimits the characters
1032 used for the pseudo-terminal name from the file descriptor.
1033 Otherwise, exactly two characters are used from the option for
1034 the pseudo-terminal name, the remainder is the file descriptor.
1035 Examples (the first two are equivalent since the descriptor
1036 follows the last “/”):
1037 -S/dev/pts/123/45
1039 -S123/45
1040 -Sab34
1041 Note that xterm does not close any file descriptor which it did
1043 not open for its own use. It is possible (though probably not
1044 portable) to have an application which passes an open file
1045 descriptor down to xterm past the initialization or the -S
1046 option to a process running in the xterm.
1047 Old Options
1049 The following command line arguments are provided for compatibility
1050 with older versions. They may not be supported in the next release as
1051 the X Toolkit provides standard options that accomplish the same task.
1052 %geom This option specifies the preferred size and position of the
1054 Tektronix window. It is shorthand for specifying the
1055 “tekGeometry” resource.
1056 #geom This option specifies the preferred position of the icon
1058 window. It is shorthand for specifying the “iconGeometry”
1059 resource.
1060 -T string
1062 This option specifies the title for xterm's windows. It is
1063 equivalent to -title.
1064 -n string
1066 This option specifies the icon name for xterm's windows. It is
1067 shorthand for specifying the “iconName” resource. Note that
1068 this is not the same as the X Toolkit option -name. The
1069 default icon name is the application name.
1070 If no suitable icon is found, xterm provides a compiled-in
1072 pixmap.
1073 X Toolkit sets the WM_ICON_NAME property using this value.
1075 -r This option indicates that reverse video should be simulated by
1077 swapping the foreground and background colors. It is
1078 equivalent to -rv.
1079 -w number
1081 This option specifies the width in pixels of the border
1082 surrounding the window. It is equivalent to -borderwidth or
1083 -bw.
1084 X Toolkit Options
1086 The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are commonly
1087 used with xterm:
1088 -bd color
1090 This option specifies the color to use for the border of the
1091 window. The corresponding resource name is borderColor. Xterm
1092 uses the X Toolkit default, which is “XtDefaultForeground”.
1093 Xterm's VT100 window has two borders: the inner border
1095 internalBorder and the outer border borderWidth, managed by the
1096 X Toolkit.
1097 Normally xterm fills the inner border using the VT100 window's
1099 background color. If the colorInnerBorder resource is enabled,
1100 then xterm may fill the inner border using the borderColor
1101 resource.
1102 -bg color
1104 This option specifies the color to use for the background of
1105 the window. The corresponding resource name is background.
1106 The default is “XtDefaultBackground”.
1107 -bw number
1109 This option specifies the width in pixels of the border
1110 surrounding the window.
1111 This appears to be a legacy of older X releases. It sets the
1113 borderWidth resource of the shell widget, and may provide
1114 advice to your window manager to set the thickness of the
1115 window frame. Most window managers do not use this
1116 information. See the -b option, which controls the inner
1117 border of the xterm window.
1118 -display display
1120 This option specifies the X server to contact; see X(7).
1121 -fg color
1123 This option specifies the color to use for displaying text.
1124 The corresponding resource name is foreground. The default is
1125 “XtDefaultForeground”.
1126 -fn font
1128 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying normal
1129 text. The corresponding resource name is font. The resource
1130 value default is fixed.
1131 Xterm's -fn option accepts a comma-separated list like -fa, for
1133 the VT100 widget, using the first bitmap font (and discarding
1134 additional fonts). However, other widgets (such as the
1135 toolbar) will be confused by this and give a warning.
1136 -font font
1138 This is the same as -fn.
1139 -geometry geometry
1141 This option specifies the preferred size and position of the
1142 VTxxx window; see X(7).
1143 The normal geometry specification can be suffixed with @
1145 followed by a Xinerama screen specification; it can be either g
1146 for the global screen (default), c for the current screen or a
1147 screen number.
1148 -iconic
1150 This option indicates that xterm should ask the window manager
1151 to start it as an icon rather than as the normal window. The
1152 corresponding resource name is iconic.
1153 -name name
1155 This option specifies the application name under which
1156 resources are to be obtained, rather than the default
1157 executable file name. Name should not contain “.” or “*”
1158 characters.
1159 -rv This option indicates that reverse video should be simulated by
1161 swapping the foreground and background colors. The
1162 corresponding resource name is reverseVideo.
1163 +rv Disable the simulation of reverse video by swapping foreground
1165 and background colors.
1166 -title string
1168 This option specifies the window title string, which may be
1169 displayed by window managers if the user so chooses. It is
1170 shorthand for specifying the “title” resource. The default
1171 title is the command line specified after the -e option, if
1172 any, otherwise the application name.
1173 X Toolkit sets the WM_NAME property using this value.
1175 -xrm resourcestring
1177 This option specifies a resource string to be used. This is
1178 especially useful for setting resources that do not have
1179 separate command line options.
1180 X Toolkit accepts alternate names for a few of these options, e.g.,
1182 • “-background” for “-bg”
1184 • “-font” for “-fn”
1186 • “-foreground” for “-fg”
1188 Abbreviated options also are supported, e.g., “-v” for “-version.”
1190
1192 Xterm understands all of the core X Toolkit resource names and classes.
1193 It also uses the X Toolkit resource types (such as booleans, colors,
1194 fonts, integers, and strings) along with their respective converters.
1195 Those resource types are not always sufficient:
1196 • Xterm's resource values may be lists of names. X Toolkit resource
1198 types do not include lists. Xterm uses a string for the resource,
1199 and parses it.
1200 Comma-separated lists of names ignore case.
1202 • Xterm may defer processing a resource until it is needed. For
1204 example, font2 through font7 are loaded as needed, to start faster.
1205 Again, the actual resource type is a string, parsed and used when
1206 needed.
1207 Application specific resources (e.g., “XTerm.NAME”) follow:
1209 Application Resources
1211 backarrowKeyIsErase (class BackarrowKeyIsErase)
1212 Tie the VTxxx backarrowKey and ptyInitialErase resources
1213 together by setting the DECBKM state according to whether the
1214 initial erase character is a backspace (8) or delete (127)
1215 character. A “false” value disables this feature. The default
1216 is “False”.
1217 Here are tables showing how the initial settings for
1219 • backarrowKeyIsErase (BKIE),
1221 • backarrowKey (BK), and
1223 • ptyInitialErase (PIE), along with the
1225 • stty erase character (^H for backspace, ^? for delete)
1227 will affect DECBKM. First, xterm obtains the initial erase
1229 character:
1230 • xterm's internal value is ^H
1232 • xterm asks the operating system for the value which stty
1234 shows
1235 • the ttyModes resource may override erase
1237 • if ptyInitialErase is false, xterm will look in the
1239 terminal database
1240 Summarizing that as a table:
1242 PIE stty termcap erase
1244 ───────────────────────────────
1245 false ^H ^H ^H
1246 false ^H ^? ^?
1247 false ^? ^H ^H
1248 false ^? ^? ^?
1249 true ^H ^H ^H
1250 true ^H ^? ^H
1251 true ^? ^H ^?
1252 true ^? ^? ^?
1253 Using that erase character, xterm allows further choices:
1255 • if backarrowKeyIsErase is true, xterm uses the erase
1257 character for the initial state of DECBKM
1258 • if backarrowKeyIsErase is false, xterm sets DECBKM to 2
1260 (internal). This ties together backarrowKey and the
1261 control sequence for DECBKM.
1262 • applications can send a control sequence to set/reset
1264 DECBKM control set
1265 • the “Backarrow Key (BS/DEL)” menu entry toggles DECBKM
1267 Summarizing the initialization details:
1269 erase BKIE BK DECBKM result
1271 ────────────────────────────────────────
1272 ^? false false 2 ^H
1273 ^? false true 2 ^?
1274 ^? true false 0 ^?
1275 ^? true true 1 ^?
1276 ^H false false 2 ^H
1277 ^H false true 2 ^?
1278 ^H true false 0 ^H
1279 ^H true true 1 ^H
1280 buffered (class Buffered)
1282 Normally xterm is built with double-buffer support. This
1283 resource can be used to turn it on or off. Setting the
1284 resource to “true” turns double-buffering on. The default
1285 value is “False”.
1286 bufferedFPS (class BufferedFPS)
1288 When xterm is built with double-buffer support, this gives the
1289 maximum number of frames/second. The default is “40” and is
1290 limited to the range 1 through 100.
1291 cursorTheme (class CursorTheme)
1293 The Xcursor(7) library provides a way to change the pointer
1294 shape and size. The X11 library uses this library to extend
1295 the font- and glyph-cursor calls used by applications such as
1296 xterm to substitute external files for the built-in “core”
1297 cursors provided by X.
1298 Xterm uses the pointerShape resource to select the X cursor
1300 shape. Most of the available sets of cursor themes provide an
1301 incomplete set of “core” cursors (while possibly adding other
1302 cursors). Because of this limitation, xterm disables the
1303 feature by default.
1304 The cursor theme feature can be useful because X cursors are
1306 not scalable and on a high-resolution display, the cursors are
1307 hard to find. Some of the cursor themes include larger cursors
1308 to work around this limitation:
1309 • The default core cursors are 8x8 pixels;
1311 • Some cursor themes include cursors up to the X server limit
1313 of 64x64 pixels.
1314 At startup, xterm sets the XCURSOR_THEME environment variable
1316 to enable or disable the cursor theme feature. The default
1317 value is “none”. Other values (including “default”) are passed
1318 to the Xcursor library to select a cursor theme.
1319 fullscreen (class Fullscreen)
1321 Specifies whether or not xterm should ask the window manager to
1322 use a fullscreen layout on startup. Xterm accepts either a
1323 keyword (ignoring case) or the number shown in parentheses:
1324 false (0)
1326 Fullscreen layout is not used initially, but may be later
1327 via menu-selection or control sequence.
1328 true (1)
1330 Fullscreen layout is used initially, but may be disabled
1331 later via menu-selection or control sequence.
1332 always (2)
1334 Fullscreen layout is used initially, and cannot be disabled
1335 later via menu-selection or control sequence.
1336 never (3)
1338 Fullscreen layout is not used, and cannot be enabled later
1339 via menu-selection or control sequence.
1340 The default is “false”.
1342 hold (class Hold)
1344 If true, xterm will not immediately destroy its window when the
1345 shell command completes. It will wait until you use the window
1346 manager to destroy/kill the window, or if you use the menu
1347 entries that send a signal, e.g., HUP or KILL. You may scroll
1348 back, select text, etc., to perform most graphical operations.
1349 Resizing the display will lose data, however, since this
1350 involves interaction with the shell which is no longer running.
1351 hpFunctionKeys (class HpFunctionKeys)
1353 Specifies whether or not HP function key escape codes should be
1354 generated for function keys. The default is “false”, i.e.,
1355 this feature is disabled.
1356 The keyboardType resource is the preferred mechanism for
1358 selecting this mode.
1359 iconGeometry (class IconGeometry)
1361 Specifies the preferred size and position of the application
1362 when iconified. It is not necessarily obeyed by all window
1363 managers.
1364 iconHint (class IconHint)
1366 Specifies an icon which will be added to the window manager
1367 hints. Xterm provides no default value.
1368 Set this resource to “none” to omit the hint entirely, using
1370 whatever the window manager may decide.
1371 If the iconHint resource is given (or is set via the -n option)
1373 xterm searches for a pixmap file with that name, in the current
1374 directory as well as in /usr/share/pixmaps. if the resource
1375 does not specify an absolute pathname. In each case, xterm
1376 adds “_48x48” and/or “.xpm” to the filename after trying
1377 without those suffixes. If it is able to load the file, xterm
1378 sets the window manager hint for the icon-pixmap. These
1379 pixmaps are distributed with xterm, and can optionally be
1380 compiled-in:
1381 • mini.xterm_16x16, mini.xterm_32x32, mini.xterm_48x48
1383 • filled-xterm_16x16, filled-xterm_32x32, filled-xterm_48x48
1385 • xterm_16x16, xterm_32x32, xterm_48x48
1387 • xterm-color_16x16, xterm-color_32x32, xterm-color_48x48
1389 In either case, xterm allows for adding a “_48x48” to specify
1391 the largest of the pixmaps as a default. That is, “mini.xterm”
1392 is the same as “mini.xterm_48x48”.
1393 If no explicit iconHint resource is given (or if none of the
1395 compiled-in names matches), xterm uses “mini.xterm” (which is
1396 always compiled-in).
1397 The iconHint resource has no effect on “desktop” files,
1399 including “panel” and “menu”. Those are typically set via a
1400 “.desktop” file; xterm provides samples for itself (and the
1401 uxterm script). The more capable desktop systems allow
1402 changing the icon on a per-user basis.
1403 iconName (class IconName)
1405 Specifies a label for xterm when iconified. Xterm provides no
1406 default value; some window managers may assume the application
1407 name, e.g., “xterm”.
1408 Setting the iconName resource sets the icon label unless
1410 overridden by zIconBeep or the control sequences which change
1411 the window and icon labels.
1412 keyboardType (class KeyboardType)
1414 Enables one (or none) of the various keyboard-type resources:
1415 hpFunctionKeys, scoFunctionKeys, sunFunctionKeys,
1416 tcapFunctionKeys, oldXtermFKeys and sunKeyboard.
1417 The resource's value should be one of the corresponding strings
1419 “hp”, “sco”, “sun”, “tcap”, “legacy” or “vt220”, respectively.
1420 The individual resources are provided for legacy support; this
1422 resource is simpler to use. Xterm will use only one keyboard-
1423 type, but if multiple resources are set, it warns and uses the
1424 last one it checks.
1425 The default is “unknown”, i.e., none of the associated
1427 resources are set via this resource.
1428 maxBufSize (class MaxBufSize)
1430 Specify the maximum size of the input buffer. The default is
1431 “32768”. You cannot set this to a value less than the
1432 minBufSize resource. It will be increased as needed to make
1433 that value evenly divide this one.
1434 On some systems you may want to increase one or both of the
1436 maxBufSize and minBufSize resource values to achieve better
1437 performance if the operating system prefers larger buffer
1438 sizes.
1439 maximized (class Maximized)
1441 Specifies whether or not xterm should ask the window manager to
1442 maximize its layout on startup. The default is “false”.
1443 menuHeight (class MenuHeight)
1445 Specifies the height of the toolbar, which may be increased by
1446 the X Toolkit Layout widget depending upon the fontsize used.
1447 The default is “25”.
1448 menuLocale (class MenuLocale)
1450 Specify the locale used for character-set computations when
1451 loading the popup menus. Use this to improve initialization
1452 performance of the Athena popup menus, which may load
1453 unnecessary (and very large) fonts, e.g., in a locale having
1454 UTF-8 encoding. The default is “C” (POSIX).
1455 To use the current locale (only useful if you have localized
1457 the resource settings for the menu entries), set the resource
1458 to an empty string.
1459 messages (class Messages)
1461 Specifies whether write access to the terminal is allowed
1462 initially. See mesg(1). The default is “true”.
1463 minBufSize (class MinBufSize)
1465 Specify the minimum size of the input buffer, i.e., the amount
1466 of data that xterm requests on each read. The default is
1467 “4096”. You cannot set this to a value less than 64.
1468 omitTranslation (class OmitTranslation)
1470 Selectively omit one or more parts of xterm's default
1471 translations at startup. The resource value is a comma-
1472 separated list of keywords, which may be abbreviated:
1473 default
1475 ignore (mouse) button-down events which were not handled
1476 by other translations
1477 fullscreen
1479 assigns a key-binding to the fullscreen() action.
1480 keypress
1482 assigns keypresses by default to the insert-seven-bit()
1483 and insert-eight-bit() actions.
1484 paging assigns key bindings to the scroll-back() and
1486 scroll-forw() actions.
1487 pointer
1489 assigns pointer motion and button events to the
1490 pointer-motion() and pointer-button() actions
1491 respectively.
1492 popup-menu
1494 assigns mouse-buttons with the control modifier to the
1495 popup-menus.
1496 reset assigns mouse-button 2 with the meta modifier to the
1498 clear-saved-lines action.
1499 scroll-lock
1501 assigns a key-binding to the scroll-lock() action.
1502 select assigns mouse- and keypress-combinations to actions
1504 which manipulate the selection.
1505 Xterm also uses these actions to capture mouse button
1507 and motion events which can be manipulated with the
1508 mouse protocol control sequences. If the select
1509 translations are omitted, then the pointer-motion and
1510 pointer-button handle these mouse protocol control
1511 sequences instead.
1512 shift-fonts
1514 assigns key-bindings to larger-vt-font() and
1515 smaller-vt-font() actions.
1516 wheel-mouse
1518 assigns buttons 4 and 5 with different modifiers to the
1519 scroll-back() and scroll-forw() actions.
1520 ptyHandshake (class PtyHandshake)
1522 If “true”, xterm will perform handshaking during initialization
1523 to ensure that the parent and child processes update the utmp
1524 and stty state.
1525 See also waitForMap which waits for the pseudo-terminal's
1527 notion of the screen size, and ptySttySize which resets the
1528 screen size after other terminal initialization is complete.
1529 The default is “true”.
1530 ptyInitialErase (class PtyInitialErase)
1532 If “true”, xterm will use the pseudo-terminal's sense of the
1533 stty erase value. If “false”, xterm will set the stty erase
1534 value to match its own configuration, using the kb string from
1535 the termcap entry as a reference, if available.
1536 In either case, the result is applied to the TERMCAP variable
1538 which xterm sets, if the system uses TERMCAP.
1539 See also the ttyModes resource, which may override this. The
1541 default is “False”.
1542 ptySttySize (class PtySttySize)
1544 If “true”, xterm will reset the screen size after terminal
1545 initialization is complete. This is needed for some systems
1546 whose pseudo-terminals cannot propagate terminal
1547 characteristics. Where it is not needed, it can interfere with
1548 other methods for setting the initial screen size, e.g., via
1549 window manager interaction.
1550 See also waitForMap which waits for a handshake-message giving
1552 the pseudo-terminal's notion of the screen size. The default
1553 is “false” on Linux and macOS systems, “true” otherwise.
1554 reportColors (class ReportColors)
1556 If true, xterm will print to the standard output a summary of
1557 colors as it allocates them. The default is “false”.
1558 reportFonts (class ReportFonts)
1560 If true, xterm will print to the standard output a summary of
1561 each font's metrics (size, number of glyphs, etc.), as it loads
1562 them. The default is “false”.
1563 reportIcons (class ReportIcons)
1565 If true, xterm will print to the standard output a summary of
1566 each pixmap icon as it loads them. The default is “false”.
1567 reportXRes (class ReportXRes)
1569 If true, xterm will print to the standard output a list of the
1570 boolean, numeric and string X resources for the VT100 widget
1571 after initialization. The default is “false”.
1572 sameName (class SameName)
1574 If the value of this resource is “true”, xterm does not send
1575 title and icon name change requests when the request would have
1576 no effect: the name is not changed. This has the advantage of
1577 preventing flicker and the disadvantage of requiring an extra
1578 round trip to the server to find out the previous value. In
1579 practice this should never be a problem. The default is
1580 “true”.
1581 scaleHeight (class ScaleHeight)
1583 Scale line-height values by the resource value, which is
1584 limited to “0.9” to “1.5”. The default value is “1.0”,
1585 While this resource applies to either bitmap or TrueType fonts,
1587 its main purpose is to help work around incompatible changes in
1588 the Xft library's font metrics. Xterm checks the font metrics
1589 to find what the library claims are the bounding boxes for each
1590 glyph (character). However, some of Xft's features (such as
1591 the autohinter) can cause the glyphs to be scaled larger than
1592 the bounding boxes, and be partly overwritten by the next row.
1593 See useClipping for a related resource.
1595 scoFunctionKeys (class ScoFunctionKeys)
1597 Specifies whether or not SCO function key escape codes should
1598 be generated for function keys. The default is “false”, i.e.,
1599 this feature is disabled.
1600 The keyboardType resource is the preferred mechanism for
1602 selecting this mode.
1603 sessionMgt (class SessionMgt)
1605 If the value of this resource is “true”, xterm sets up session
1606 manager callbacks for XtNdieCallback and XtNsaveCallback. The
1607 default is “true”.
1608 sunFunctionKeys (class SunFunctionKeys)
1610 Specifies whether or not Sun function key escape codes should
1611 be generated for function keys. The default is “false”, i.e.,
1612 this feature is disabled.
1613 The keyboardType resource is the preferred mechanism for
1615 selecting this mode.
1616 sunKeyboard (class SunKeyboard)
1618 Xterm translates certain key symbols based on its assumptions
1619 about your keyboard. This resource specifies whether or not
1620 Sun/PC keyboard layout (i.e., the PC keyboard's numeric keypad
1621 together with 12 function keys) should be assumed rather than
1622 DEC VT220. This causes the keypad “+” to be mapped to “,”.
1623 and CTRL F1-F10 to F11-F20, depending on the setting of the
1624 ctrlFKeys resource, so xterm emulates a DEC VT220 more
1625 accurately. Otherwise (the default, with sunKeyboard set to
1626 “false”), xterm uses PC-style bindings for the function keys
1627 and keypad.
1628 PC-style bindings use the Shift, Alt, Control and Meta keys as
1630 modifiers for function-keys and keypad (see Xterm Control
1631 Sequences for details). The PC-style bindings are analogous to
1632 PCTerm, but not the same thing. Normally these bindings do not
1633 conflict with the use of the Meta key as described for the
1634 eightBitInput resource. If they do, note that the PC-style
1635 bindings are evaluated first.
1636 See also the keyboardType resource.
1638 tcapFunctionKeys (class TcapFunctionKeys)
1640 Specifies whether or not function key escape codes read from
1641 the termcap/terminfo entry corresponding to the TERM
1642 environment variable should be generated for function keys
1643 instead of those configured using sunKeyboard and keyboardType.
1644 The default is “false”, i.e., this feature is disabled.
1645 The keyboardType resource is the preferred mechanism for
1647 selecting this mode.
1648 termName (class TermName)
1650 Specifies the terminal type name to be set in the TERM
1651 environment variable.
1652 title (class Title)
1654 Specifies a string that may be used by the window manager when
1655 displaying this application.
1656 toolBar (class ToolBar)
1658 Specifies whether or not the toolbar should be displayed. The
1659 default is “true”.
1660 ttyModes (class TtyModes)
1662 Specifies a string containing terminal setting keywords.
1663 Except where noted, they may be bound to characters. Other
1664 keywords set modes. Not all keywords are supported on a given
1665 system. Allowable keywords include:
1666 Keyword POSIX? Notes
1668 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1669 brk no CHAR may send an “interrupt” signal, as well
1670 as ending the input-line.
1671 dsusp no CHAR will send a terminal “stop” signal
1672 after input is flushed.
1673 eof yes CHAR will terminate input (i.e., an end of
1674 file).
1675 eol yes CHAR will end the line.
1676 eol2 no alternate CHAR for ending the line.
1677 erase yes CHAR will erase the last character typed.
1678 erase2 no alternate CHAR for erasing the last input-
1679 character.
1680 flush no CHAR will cause output to be discarded until
1681 another flush character is typed.
1682 intr yes CHAR will send an “interrupt” signal.
1683 kill yes CHAR will erase the current line.
1684 lnext no CHAR will enter the next character quoted.
1685 quit yes CHAR will send a “quit” signal.
1686 rprnt no CHAR will redraw the current line.
1687 start yes CHAR will restart the output after stopping
1688 it.
1689 status no CHAR will cause a system-generated status
1690 line to be printed.
1691 stop yes CHAR will stop the output.
1692 susp yes CHAR will send a terminal “stop” signal
1693 swtch no CHAR will switch to a different shell layer.
1694 tabs yes Mode disables tab-expansion.
1695 -tabs yes Mode enables tab-expansion.
1696 weras no CHAR will erase the last word typed.
1697 Control characters may be specified as ^char (e.g., ^c or ^u)
1699 and ^? may be used to indicate delete (127). Use ^- to denote
1700 undef. Use \034 to represent ^\, since a literal backslash in
1701 an X resource escapes the next character.
1702 This is very useful for overriding the default terminal
1704 settings without having to run stty every time an xterm is
1705 started. Note, however, that the stty program on a given host
1706 may use different keywords; xterm's table is built in. The
1707 POSIX column in the table indicates which keywords are
1708 supported by a standard stty program.
1709 If the ttyModes resource specifies a value for erase, that
1711 overrides the ptyInitialErase resource setting, i.e., xterm
1712 initializes the terminal to match that value.
1713 useInsertMode (class UseInsertMode)
1715 Force use of insert mode by adding appropriate entries to the
1716 TERMCAP environment variable. This is useful if the system
1717 termcap is broken. (This resource is ignored on most systems,
1718 because TERMCAP is not used). The default is “false”.
1719 utmpDisplayId (class UtmpDisplayId)
1721 Specifies whether or not xterm should try to record the display
1722 identifier (display number and screen number) as well as the
1723 hostname in the system utmp log file. The default is “true”.
1724 utmpInhibit (class UtmpInhibit)
1726 Specifies whether or not xterm should try to record the user's
1727 terminal in the system utmp log file. If true, xterm will not
1728 try. The default is “false”.
1729 validShells (class ValidShells)
1731 Augment (add to) the system's /etc/shells, when determining
1732 whether to set the “SHELL” environment variable when running a
1733 given program.
1734 The resource value is a list of lines (separated by newlines).
1736 Each line holds one pathname. Xterm ignores any line beginning
1737 with “#” after trimming leading/trailing whitespace from each
1738 line.
1739 The default is an empty string.
1741 waitForMap (class WaitForMap)
1743 Specifies whether or not xterm should wait for the initial
1744 window map before starting the subprocess. This is part of the
1745 ptyHandshake logic. When xterm is directed to wait in this
1746 fashion, it passes the terminal size from the display end of
1747 the pseudo-terminal to the terminal I/O connection, e.g., using
1748 the size according to the window manager. Otherwise, it uses
1749 the size as given in resource values or command-line option
1750 -geometry. The default is “false”.
1751 zIconBeep (class ZIconBeep)
1753 Same as -ziconbeep command line argument. If the value of this
1754 resource is non-zero, xterms that produce output while
1755 iconified will cause an XBell sound at the given volume and
1756 have “*** ” prepended to their icon titles. Most window
1757 managers will detect this change immediately, showing you which
1758 window has the output. (A similar feature was in x10 xterm.)
1759 The default is “false”.
1760 zIconTitleFormat (class ZIconTitleFormat)
1762 Allow customization of the string used in the zIconBeep
1763 feature. The default value is “*** %s”.
1764 If the resource value contains a “%s”, then xterm inserts the
1766 icon title at that point rather than prepending the string to
1767 the icon title. (Only the first “%s” is used).
1768 VT100 Widget Resources
1770 The following resources are specified as part of the vt100 widget
1771 (class VT100). They are specified by patterns such as
1772 “XTerm.vt100.NAME”.
1773 If your xterm is configured to support the “toolbar”, then those
1775 patterns need an extra level for the form-widget which holds the
1776 toolbar and vt100 widget. A wildcard between the top-level “XTerm” and
1777 the “vt100” widget makes the resource settings work for either, e.g.,
1778 “XTerm*vt100.NAME”.
1779 activeIcon (class ActiveIcon)
1781 Specifies whether or not active icon windows are to be used
1782 when the xterm window is iconified, if this feature is compiled
1783 into xterm. The active icon is a miniature representation of
1784 the content of the window and will update as the content
1785 changes. Not all window managers necessarily support
1786 application icon windows. Some window managers will allow you
1787 to enter keystrokes into the active icon window. The default
1788 is “default”.
1789 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
1791 shown in parentheses:
1792 false (0)
1794 No active icon is shown.
1795 true (1)
1797 The active icon is shown. If you are using twm, use
1798 this setting to enable active-icons.
1799 default (2)
1801 Xterm checks at startup, and shows an active icon only
1802 for window managers which it can identify and which are
1803 known to support the feature. These are fvwm (full
1804 support), and window maker (limited). A few other
1805 window managers (such as twm and ctwm) support active
1806 icons, but do not support the extensions which allow
1807 xterm to identify the window manager.
1808 allowBoldFonts (class AllowBoldFonts)
1810 When set to “false”, xterm will not use bold fonts. This
1811 overrides both the alwaysBoldMode and the boldMode resources.
1812 allowC1Printable (class AllowC1Printable)
1814 If true, overrides the mapping of C1 controls (codes 128–159)
1815 to make them be treated as if they were printable characters.
1816 Although this corresponds to no particular standard, some users
1817 insist it is a VT100. The default is “false”.
1818 allowColorOps (class AllowColorOps)
1820 Specifies whether control sequences that set/query the dynamic
1821 colors should be allowed. ANSI colors are unaffected by this
1822 resource setting. The default is “true”.
1823 allowFontOps (class AllowFontOps)
1825 Specifies whether control sequences that set/query the font
1826 should be allowed. The default is “true”.
1827 allowMouseOps (class AllowMouseOps)
1829 Specifies whether control sequences that enable xterm to send
1830 escape sequences to the host on mouse-clicks and movement. The
1831 default is “true”.
1832 allowPasteControls (class AllowPasteControls)
1834 If true, allow control characters such as BEL and CAN to be
1835 pasted. Formatting characters (tab, newline) are normally
1836 allowed, unless suppressed via the disallowedPasteControls
1837 resource. Other C0 control characters are suppressed unless
1838 this resource is enabled. The exact set of control characters
1839 (C0 and C1) depends upon whether UTF-8 encoding is used, as
1840 well as the allowC1Printable and disallowedPasteControls
1841 resources. The default is “false”.
1842 allowScrollLock (class AllowScrollLock)
1844 Specifies whether control sequences that set/query the Scroll
1845 Lock key should be allowed, as well as whether the Scroll Lock
1846 key responds to user's keypress. The default is “false”.
1847 When this feature is enabled, xterm will sense the state of the
1849 Scroll Lock key each time it acquires focus. Pressing the
1850 Scroll Lock key toggles xterm's internal state, as well as
1851 toggling the associated LED. While the Scroll Lock is active,
1852 xterm attempts to keep a viewport on the same set of lines. If
1853 the current viewport is scrolled past the limit set by the
1854 saveLines resource, then Scroll Lock has no further effect.
1855 The reason for setting the default to “false” is to avoid user
1857 surprise. This key is generally unused in keyboard
1858 configurations, and has not acquired a standard meaning even
1859 when it is used in that manner. Consequently, users have
1860 assigned it for ad hoc purposes.
1861 See also the autoScrollLock resource.
1863 allowSendEvents (class AllowSendEvents)
1865 Specifies whether or not synthetic key and button events
1866 (generated using the X protocol SendEvent request) should be
1867 interpreted or discarded. The default is “false” meaning they
1868 are discarded. Note that allowing such events would create a
1869 very large security hole, therefore enabling this resource
1870 forcefully disables the allowXXXOps resources. The default is
1871 “false”.
1872 allowTcapOps (class AllowTcapOps)
1874 Specifies whether control sequences that query the terminal's
1875 notion of its function-key strings, as termcap or terminfo
1876 capabilities should be allowed. The default is “true”.
1877 A few programs, e.g., vim, use this feature to get an accurate
1879 description of the terminal's capabilities, independent of the
1880 termcap/terminfo setting:
1881 • Xterm can tell the querying program how many colors it
1883 supports. This is a constant, depending on how it is
1884 compiled, typically 16. It does not change if you alter
1885 resource settings, e.g., the boldColors resource.
1886 • Xterm can tell the querying program what strings are sent
1888 by modified (shift-, control-, alt-) function- and keypad-
1889 keys. Reporting control- and alt-modifiers is a feature
1890 that relies on the ncurses extended naming.
1891 allowTitleOps (class AllowTitleOps)
1893 Specifies whether control sequences that modify the window
1894 title or icon name should be allowed. The default is “true”.
1895 allowWindowOps (class AllowWindowOps)
1897 Specifies whether extended window control sequences (as used in
1898 dtterm) should be allowed. These include several control
1899 sequences which manipulate the window size or position, as well
1900 as reporting these values and the title or icon name. Each of
1901 these can be abused in a script; curiously enough most terminal
1902 emulators that implement these restrict only a small part of
1903 the repertoire. For fine-tuning, see disallowedWindowOps. The
1904 default is “false”.
1905 altIsNotMeta (class AltIsNotMeta)
1907 If “true”, treat the Alt-key as if it were the Meta-key. Your
1908 keyboard may happen to be configured so they are the same. But
1909 if they are not, this allows you to use the same prefix- and
1910 shifting operations with the Alt-key as with the Meta-key. See
1911 altSendsEscape and metaSendsEscape. The default is “false”.
1912 altSendsEscape (class AltSendsEscape)
1914 This is an additional keyboard operation that may be processed
1915 after the logic for metaSendsEscape. It is only available if
1916 the altIsNotMeta resource is set.
1917 • If “true”, Alt characters (a character combined with the
1919 modifier associated with left/right Alt-keys) are converted
1920 into a two-character sequence with the character itself
1921 preceded by ESC. This applies as well to function key
1922 control sequences, unless xterm sees that Alt is used in
1923 your key translations.
1924 • If “false”, Alt characters input from the keyboard cause a
1926 shift to 8-bit characters (just like metaSendsEscape). By
1927 combining the Alt- and Meta-modifiers, you can create
1928 corresponding combinations of ESC-prefix and 8-bit
1929 characters.
1930 The default is “False”. Xterm provides a menu option for
1932 toggling this resource.
1933 alternateScroll (class ScrollCond)
1935 If “true”, the scroll-back and scroll-forw actions send
1936 cursor-up and -down keys when xterm is displaying the alternate
1937 screen. The default is “false”.
1938 The alternateScroll state can also be set using a control
1940 sequence.
1941 alwaysBoldMode (class AlwaysBoldMode)
1943 Specifies whether xterm should check if the normal and bold
1944 fonts are distinct before deciding whether to use overstriking
1945 to simulate bold fonts. If this resource is true, xterm does
1946 not make the check for distinct fonts when deciding how to
1947 handle the boldMode resource. The default is “false”.
1948 boldMode alwaysBoldMode Comparison Action
1950 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1951 false false ignored use font
1952 false true ignored use font
1953 true false same overstrike
1954 true false different use font
1955 true true ignored overstrike
1956 This resource is used only for bitmap fonts:
1958 • When using bitmap fonts, it is possible that the font
1960 server will approximate the bold font by rescaling it from
1961 a different font size than expected. The alwaysBoldMode
1962 resource allows the user to override the (sometimes poor)
1963 resulting bold font with overstriking (which is at least
1964 consistent).
1965 • The problem does not occur with TrueType fonts (though
1967 there can be other unnecessary issues such as different
1968 coverage of the normal and bold fonts).
1969 As an alternative, setting the allowBoldFonts resource to false
1971 overrides both the alwaysBoldMode and the boldMode resources.
1972 alwaysHighlight (class AlwaysHighlight)
1974 Specifies whether or not xterm should always display a
1975 highlighted text cursor. By default (if this resource is
1976 false), a hollow text cursor is displayed whenever the pointer
1977 moves out of the window or the window loses the input focus.
1978 The default is “false”.
1979 alwaysUseMods (class AlwaysUseMods)
1981 Override the numLock resource, telling xterm to use the Alt and
1982 Meta modifiers to construct parameters for function key
1983 sequences even if those modifiers appear in the translations
1984 resource. Normally xterm checks if Alt or Meta is used in a
1985 translation that would conflict with function key modifiers,
1986 and will ignore these modifiers in that special case. The
1987 default is “false”.
1988 answerbackString (class AnswerbackString)
1990 Specifies the string that xterm sends in response to an ENQ
1991 (control/E) character from the host. The default is a blank
1992 string, i.e., “”. A hardware VT100 implements this feature as
1993 a setup option.
1994 appcursorDefault (class AppcursorDefault)
1996 If “true”, the cursor keys are initially in application mode.
1997 This is the same as the VT102 private DECCKM mode, The default
1998 is “false”.
1999 appkeypadDefault (class AppkeypadDefault)
2001 If “true”, the keypad keys are initially in application mode.
2002 The default is “false”.
2003 assumeAllChars (class AssumeAllChars)
2005 If “true”, this enables a special case in bitmap fonts to allow
2006 the font server to choose how to display missing glyphs. The
2007 default is “true”.
2008 The reason for this resource is to help with certain quasi-
2010 automatically generated fonts (such as the ISO-10646-1 encoding
2011 of Terminus) which have incorrect font-metrics.
2012 autoScrollLock (class AutoScrollLock)
2014 If “true”, xterm will maintain its viewport of displayed lines
2015 whenever displaying scrollback, as if allowScrollLock were
2016 enabled and the Scroll Lock key had been pressed. The default
2017 is “false”. This feature is only useful if the scrollTtyOutput
2018 resource is set to “false”.
2019 autoWrap (class AutoWrap)
2021 Specifies whether or not auto-wraparound should be enabled.
2022 This is the same as the VT102 DECAWM. The default is “true”.
2023 awaitInput (class AwaitInput)
2025 Specifies whether or not xterm uses a 50 millisecond timeout to
2026 await input (i.e., to support the Xaw3d arrow scrollbar). The
2027 default is “false”.
2028 backarrowKey (class BackarrowKey)
2030 Specifies whether the backarrow key transmits a backspace (8)
2031 or delete (127) character. This corresponds to the DECBKM
2032 control sequence. A “true” value specifies backspace. The
2033 default is “False”. Pressing the control key toggles this
2034 behavior.
2035 background (class Background)
2037 Specifies the color to use for the background of the window.
2038 The default is “XtDefaultBackground”.
2039 bellIsUrgent (class BellIsUrgent)
2041 Specifies whether to set the Urgency hint for the window
2042 manager when making a bell sound. The default is “false”.
2043 bellOnReset (class BellOnReset)
2045 Specifies whether to sound a bell when doing a hard reset. The
2046 default is “true”.
2047 bellSuppressTime (class BellSuppressTime)
2049 Number of milliseconds after a bell command is sent during
2050 which additional bells will be suppressed. Default is 200. If
2051 set non-zero, additional bells will also be suppressed until
2052 the server reports that processing of the first bell has been
2053 completed; this feature is most useful with the visible bell.
2054 boldColors (class ColorMode)
2056 Specifies whether to combine bold attribute with colors like
2057 the IBM PC, i.e., map colors 0 through 7 to colors 8 through
2058 15. These normally are the brighter versions of the first 8
2059 colors, hence bold. The default is “true”.
2060 boldFont (class BoldFont)
2062 Specifies the name of the bold font to use instead of
2063 overstriking. There is no default for this resource.
2064 This font must be the same height and width as the normal font,
2066 otherwise it is ignored. If only one of the normal or bold
2067 fonts is specified, it will be used as the normal font and the
2068 bold font will be produced by overstriking this font.
2069 See also the discussion of boldMode and alwaysBoldMode
2071 resources.
2072 boldMode (class BoldMode)
2074 This specifies whether or not text with the bold attribute
2075 should be overstruck to simulate bold fonts if the resolved
2076 bold font is the same as the normal font. It may be desirable
2077 to disable bold fonts when color is being used for the bold
2078 attribute.
2079 Note that xterm has one bold font which you may set explicitly.
2081 Xterm attempts to derive a bold font for the other font
2082 selections (font1 through font7). If it cannot find a bold
2083 font, it will use the normal font. In each case (whether the
2084 explicit resource or the derived font), if the normal and bold
2085 fonts are distinct, this resource has no effect. The default
2086 is “true”.
2087 See the alwaysBoldMode resource which can modify the behavior
2089 of this resource.
2090 Although xterm attempts to derive a bold font for other font
2092 selections, the font server may not cooperate. Since X11R6,
2093 bitmap fonts have been scaled. The font server claims to
2094 provide the bold font that xterm requests, but the result is
2095 not always readable. XFree86 introduced a feature which can be
2096 used to suppress the scaling. In the X server's configuration
2097 file (e.g., “/etc/X11/xorg.conf”), you can add “:unscaled” to
2098 the end of the directory specification for the “misc” fonts,
2099 which comprise the fixed-pitch fonts that are used by xterm.
2100 For example
2101 FontPath "/usr/share/X11/fonts/misc/"
2103 would become
2105 FontPath "/usr/share/X11/fonts/misc/:unscaled"
2107 Depending on your configuration, the font server may have its
2109 own configuration file. The same “:unscaled” can be added to
2110 its configuration file at the end of the directory
2111 specification for “misc”.
2112 The bitmap scaling feature is also used by xterm to implement
2114 VT102 double-width and double-height characters.
2115 brokenLinuxOSC (class BrokenLinuxOSC)
2117 If true, xterm applies a workaround to ignore malformed control
2118 sequences that a Linux script might send. Compare the palette
2119 control sequences documented in console_codes with ECMA-48.
2120 The default is “true”.
2121 brokenSelections (class BrokenSelections)
2123 If true, xterm in 8-bit mode will interpret STRING selections
2124 as carrying text in the current locale's encoding. Normally
2125 STRING selections carry ISO-8859-1 encoded text. Setting this
2126 resource to “true” violates the ICCCM; it may, however, be
2127 useful for interacting with some broken X clients. The default
2128 is “false”.
2129 brokenStringTerm (class BrokenStringTerm)
2131 provides a work-around for some ISDN routers which start an
2132 application control string without completing it. Set this to
2133 “true” if xterm appears to freeze when connecting. The default
2134 is “false”.
2135 Xterm's state parser recognizes several types of control
2137 strings which can contain text, e.g.,
2138 APC (Application Program Command),
2140 DCS (Device Control String),
2141 OSC (Operating System Command),
2142 PM (Privacy Message), and
2143 SOS (Start of String),
2144 Each should end with a string-terminator (a special character
2146 which cannot appear in these strings). Ordinary control
2147 characters found within the string are not ignored; they are
2148 processed without interfering with the process of accumulating
2149 the control string's content. Xterm recognizes these controls
2150 in all modes, although some of the functions may be suppressed
2151 after parsing the control.
2152 When enabled, this feature allows the user to exit from an
2154 unterminated control string when any of these ordinary control
2155 characters are found:
2156 control/D (used as an end of file in many shells),
2158 control/H (backspace),
2159 control/I (tab-feed),
2160 control/J (line feed aka newline),
2161 control/K (vertical tab),
2162 control/L (form feed),
2163 control/M (carriage return),
2164 control/N (shift-out),
2165 control/O (shift-in),
2166 control/Q (XOFF),
2167 control/X (cancel)
2168 c132 (class C132)
2170 Specifies whether or not the VT102 DECCOLM escape sequence,
2171 used to switch between 80 and 132 columns, should be honored.
2172 The default is “false”.
2173 cacheDoublesize (class CacheDoublesize)
2175 Tells whether to cache double-sized fonts by xterm. Set this
2176 to zero to disable double-sized fonts altogether.
2177 cdXtraScroll (class CdXtraScroll)
2179 Specifies whether xterm should scroll to a new page when
2180 clearing the whole screen. Like tiXtraScroll, the intent of
2181 this option is to provide a picture of the full-screen
2182 application's display on the scrollback before wiping out the
2183 text.
2184 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
2186 shown in parentheses:
2187 false (0)
2189 nothing is added to the scrollback.
2190 true (1)
2192 the current screen is added to the scrollback.
2193 trim (2)
2195 the current screen is added to the scrollback, but
2196 repeated blank lines are trimmed (reduced to a single
2197 blank line).
2198 The default for this resource is “false”.
2200 charClass (class CharClass)
2202 Specifies comma-separated lists of character class bindings of
2203 the form
2204 low[-high][:value].
2206 These are used in determining which sets of characters should
2208 be treated the same when doing cut and paste. See the
2209 CHARACTER CLASSES section.
2210 checksumExtension (class ChecksumExtension)
2212 DEC VT420 and up support a control sequence DECRQCRA which
2213 reports the checksum of the characters in a rectangle. Xterm
2214 supports this, with extensions that can be configured with bits
2215 of the checksumExtension:
2216 0 do not negate the result.
2218 1 do not report the VT100 video attributes.
2220 2 do not omit checksum for blanks.
2222 3 omit checksum for cells not explicitly initialized.
2224 4 do not mask cell value to 8 bits or ignore combining
2226 characters.
2227 5 do not mask cell value to 7 bits.
2229 With the default value (0), xterm matches the behavior of DEC's
2231 terminals. To use all extensions, set all bits, “-1” for
2232 example.
2233 cjkWidth (class CjkWidth)
2235 Specifies whether xterm should follow the traditional East
2236 Asian width convention. When turned on, characters with East
2237 Asian Ambiguous (A) category in UTR 11 have a column width of
2238 2. You may have to set this option to “true” if you have some
2239 old East Asian terminal based programs that assume that line-
2240 drawing characters have a column width of 2. If this resource
2241 is false, the mkWidth resource controls the choice between the
2242 system's wcwidth and xterm's built-in tables. The default is
2243 “false”.
2244 color0 (class Color0)
2246 color1 (class Color1)
2248 color2 (class Color2)
2250 color3 (class Color3)
2252 color4 (class Color4)
2254 color5 (class Color5)
2256 color6 (class Color6)
2258 color7 (class Color7)
2260 These specify the colors for the ISO-6429 extension. The
2261 defaults are, respectively, black, red3, green3, yellow3, a
2262 customizable dark blue, magenta3, cyan3, and gray90. The
2263 default shades of color are chosen to allow the colors 8–15 to
2264 be used as brighter versions.
2265 color8 (class Color8)
2267 color9 (class Color9)
2269 color10 (class Color10)
2271 color11 (class Color11)
2273 color12 (class Color12)
2275 color13 (class Color13)
2277 color14 (class Color14)
2279 color15 (class Color15)
2281 These specify the colors for the ISO-6429 extension if the bold
2282 attribute is also enabled. The default resource values are
2283 respectively, gray50, red, green, yellow, a customized light
2284 blue, magenta, cyan, and white.
2285 color16 (class Color16)
2287 through
2289 color255 (class Color255)
2291 These specify the colors for the 256-color extension. The
2292 default resource values are for
2293 • colors 16 through 231 to make a 6x6x6 color cube, and
2295 • colors 232 through 255 to make a grayscale ramp.
2297 Resources past color15 are available as a compile-time option.
2299 Due to a hardcoded limit in the X libraries on the total number
2300 of resources (to 400), the resources for 256-colors are omitted
2301 when wide-character support and luit are enabled. Besides
2302 inconsistent behavior if only part of the resources were
2303 allowed, determining the exact cutoff is difficult, and the X
2304 libraries tend to crash if the number of resources exceeds the
2305 limit. The color palette is still initialized to the same
2306 default values, and can be modified via control sequences.
2307 On the other hand, the resource limit does permit including the
2309 entire range for 88-colors.
2310 colorAttrMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2312 Specifies whether colorBD, colorBL, colorRV, and colorUL should
2313 override ANSI colors. If not, these are displayed only when no
2314 ANSI colors have been set for the corresponding position. The
2315 default is “false”.
2316 colorBD (class ColorBD)
2318 This specifies the color to use to display bold characters if
2319 the “colorBDMode” resource is enabled. The default is
2320 “XtDefaultForeground”.
2321 See also the veryBoldColors resource which allows combining
2323 bold and color.
2324 colorBDMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2326 Specifies whether characters with the bold attribute should be
2327 displayed in color or as bold characters. Note that setting
2328 colorMode off disables all colors, including bold. The default
2329 is “false”.
2330 colorBL (class ColorBL)
2332 This specifies the color to use to display blink characters if
2333 the “colorBLMode” resource is enabled. The default is
2334 “XtDefaultForeground”.
2335 See also the veryBoldColors resource which allows combining
2337 underline and color.
2338 colorBLMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2340 Specifies whether characters with the blink attribute should be
2341 displayed in color. Note that setting colorMode off disables
2342 all colors, including this. The default is “false”.
2343 colorIT (class ColorIT)
2345 This specifies the color to use to display italic characters if
2346 the “colorITMode” resource is enabled. The default is
2347 “XtDefaultForeground”.
2348 See also the veryBoldColors resource which allows combining
2350 attributes and color.
2351 colorITMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2353 Specifies whether characters with the italic attribute should
2354 be displayed in color or as italic characters. The default is
2355 “false”.
2356 Note that:
2358 • Setting colorMode off disables all colors, including
2360 italic.
2361 • The italicULMode resource overrides colorITMode.
2363 colorInnerBorder (class ColorInnerBorder)
2365 Normally, xterm fills the VT100 window's inner border using the
2366 background color.
2367 If the colorInnerBorder resource is enabled, at startup xterm
2369 will compare the borderColor and the window's background color.
2370 If those are different, xterm will use the borderColor resource
2371 to fill the inner border. Otherwise, it will use the window's
2372 background color.
2373 The default is “false”.
2375 colorMode (class ColorMode)
2377 Specifies whether or not recognition of ANSI (ISO-6429) color
2378 change escape sequences should be enabled. The default is
2379 “true”.
2380 colorRV (class ColorRV)
2382 This specifies the color to use to display reverse characters
2383 if the “colorRVMode” resource is enabled. The default is
2384 “XtDefaultForeground”.
2385 See also the veryBoldColors resource which allows combining
2387 reverse and color.
2388 colorRVMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2390 Specifies whether characters with the reverse attribute should
2391 be displayed in color. Note that setting colorMode off
2392 disables all colors, including this. The default is “false”.
2393 colorUL (class ColorUL)
2395 This specifies the color to use to display underlined
2396 characters if the “colorULMode” resource is enabled. The
2397 default is “XtDefaultForeground”.
2398 See also the veryBoldColors resource which allows combining
2400 underline and color.
2401 colorULMode (class ColorAttrMode)
2403 Specifies whether characters with the underline attribute
2404 should be displayed in color or as underlined characters. Note
2405 that setting colorMode off disables all colors, including
2406 underlining. The default is “false”.
2407 combiningChars (class CombiningChars)
2409 Specifies the number of wide-characters which can be stored in
2410 a cell to overstrike (combine) with the base character of the
2411 cell. This can be set to values in the range 0 to 5. The
2412 default is “2”.
2413 ctrlFKeys (class CtrlFKeys)
2415 In VT220 keyboard mode (see sunKeyboard resource), specifies
2416 the amount by which to shift F1-F12 given a control modifier
2417 (CTRL). This allows you to generate key symbols for F10-F20 on
2418 a Sun/PC keyboard. The default is “10”, which means that CTRL
2419 F1 generates the key symbol for F11.
2420 curses (class Curses)
2422 Specifies whether or not the last column bug in more(1) should
2423 be worked around. See the -cu option for details. The default
2424 is “false”.
2425 cursorBar (class CursorBar)
2427 Specifies whether to make the cursor a left-bar or a box,
2428 unless the cursorUnderline resource is set. The default is
2429 “false”.
2430 cursorBlink (class CursorBlink)
2432 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. Xterm accepts
2433 either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number shown in
2434 parentheses:
2435 false (0)
2437 The cursor will not blink, but may be combined with escape
2438 sequences according to the cursorBlinkXOR resource.
2439 true (1)
2441 The cursor will blink, but may be combined with escape
2442 sequences according to the cursorBlinkXOR resource.
2443 always (2)
2445 The cursor will always blink, ignoring escape sequences.
2446 The menu entry will be disabled.
2447 never (3)
2449 The cursor will never blink, ignoring escape sequences. The
2450 menu entry will be disabled.
2451 The default is “false”.
2453 cursorBlinkXOR (class CursorBlinkXOR)
2455 Xterm uses two inputs to determine whether the cursor blinks:
2456 • The cursorBlink resource (which can be altered with a menu
2458 entry).
2459 • Control sequences (private mode 12 and DECSCUSR).
2461 The cursorBlinkXOR resource determines how those inputs are
2463 combined:
2464 false
2466 Xterm uses the logical-OR of the two variables. If either
2467 is set, xterm makes the cursor blink.
2468 true
2470 Xterm uses the logical-XOR of the two variables. If only
2471 one is set, xterm makes the cursor blink.
2472 The default is “true”.
2474 cursorColor (class CursorColor)
2476 Specifies the color to use for the text cursor. The default is
2477 “XtDefaultForeground”. By default, xterm attempts to keep this
2478 color from being the same as the background color, since it
2479 draws the cursor by filling the background of a text cell. The
2480 same restriction applies to control sequences which may change
2481 this color.
2482 Setting this resource overrides most of xterm's adjustments to
2484 cursor color. It will still use reverse-video to disallow some
2485 cases, such as a black cursor on a black background.
2486 cursorOffTime (class CursorOffTime)
2488 Specifies the duration of the “off” part of the cursor blink
2489 cycle-time in milliseconds. The same timer is used for text
2490 blinking. The default is “300”.
2491 cursorOnTime (class CursorOnTime)
2493 Specifies the duration of the “on” part of the cursor blink
2494 cycle-time, in milliseconds. The same timer is used for text
2495 blinking. The default is “600”.
2496 cursorUnderLine (class CursorUnderLine)
2498 Specifies whether to make the cursor underlined or a box. If
2499 unset (false), the cursorBar resource may set the cursor shape.
2500 The default is “false”.
2501 cutNewline (class CutNewline)
2503 If “false”, triple clicking to select a line does not include
2504 the newline at the end of the line. If “true”, the Newline is
2505 selected. The default is “true”.
2506 cutToBeginningOfLine (class CutToBeginningOfLine)
2508 If “false”, triple clicking to select a line selects only from
2509 the current word forward. If “true”, the entire line is
2510 selected. The default is “true”.
2511 decGraphicsID (class DecGraphicsID)
2513 Allows a way to combine the graphics feature from certain DEC
2514 terminals (125, 240, 241, 330, 340 or 382) with other emulation
2515 levels which did not provide the graphics feature. As in
2516 decTerminalID, leading non-digit characters are ignored, e.g.,
2517 “vt340” and “340” are the same.
2518 If the resource value is nonzero, xterm uses that emulation
2520 level when initializing the drawing region and decoding control
2521 sequences to draw graphics.
2522 The default is “0”.
2524 decTerminalID (class DecTerminalID)
2526 Specifies the emulation level (100=VT100, 220=VT220, etc.),
2527 used to determine the type of response to a DA control
2528 sequence. Leading non-digit characters are ignored, e.g.,
2529 “vt100” and “100” are the same. The default is “420”.
2530 defaultString (class DefaultString)
2532 Specify the character (or string) which xterm will substitute
2533 when pasted text includes a character which cannot be
2534 represented in the current encoding. For instance, pasting
2535 UTF-8 text into a display of ISO-8859-1 characters will only be
2536 able to display codes 0–255, while UTF-8 text can include
2537 Unicode values above 255. The default is “#” (a single pound
2538 sign).
2539 If the undisplayable text would be double-width, xterm will add
2541 a space after the “#” character, to give roughly the same
2542 layout on the screen as the original text.
2543 deleteIsDEL (class DeleteIsDEL)
2545 Specifies what the Delete key on the editing keypad should send
2546 when pressed. The resource value is a string, evaluated as a
2547 boolean after startup. Xterm uses it in conjunction with the
2548 keyboardType resource:
2549 • If the keyboard type is “default”, or “vt220” and the
2551 resource is either “true” or “maybe” send the VT220-style
2552 Remove escape sequence. Otherwise, send DEL (127).
2553 • If the keyboard type is “legacy”, and the resource is
2555 “true” send DEL. Otherwise, send the Remove sequence.
2556 • Otherwise, if the keyboard type is none of these special
2558 cases, send DEL (127).
2559 The default is “Maybe”. The resource is allowed to be a non-
2561 boolean “maybe” so that the popup menu Delete is DEL entry does
2562 not override the keyboard type.
2563 directColor (class DirectColor)
2565 Specifies whether to handle direct-color control sequences
2566 using the X server's available colors, or to approximate those
2567 using a color map with 256 entries. A “true” value enables the
2568 former. The default is “true”.
2569 disallowedColorOps (class DisallowedColorOps)
2571 Specify which features will be disabled if allowColorOps is
2572 false. This is a comma-separated list of names. The default
2573 value is
2574 SetColor,GetColor,GetAnsiColor
2575 The names are listed below. Xterm ignores capitalization, but
2577 they are shown in mixed-case for clarity.
2578 SetColor
2580 Set a specific dynamic color.
2581 GetColor
2583 Report the current setting of a given dynamic color.
2584 GetAnsiColor
2586 Report the current setting of a given ANSI color (actually
2587 any of the colors set via ANSI-style controls).
2588 disallowedFontOps (class DisallowedFontOps)
2590 Specify which features will be disabled if allowFontOps is
2591 false. This is a comma-separated list of names. The default
2592 value is
2593 SetFont,GetFont
2595 The names are listed below. Xterm ignores capitalization, but
2597 they are shown in mixed-case for clarity.
2598 SetFont
2600 Set the specified font.
2601 GetFont
2603 Report the specified font.
2604 disallowedMouseOps (class DisallowedMouseOps)
2606 Specify which features will be disabled if allowMouseOps is
2607 false. This is a comma-separated list of names. The default
2608 value is “*” which matches all names. The names are listed
2609 below. Xterm ignores capitalization, but they are shown in
2610 mixed-case for clarity.
2611 X10 The original X10 mouse protocol.
2613 Locator
2615 DEC locator mode
2616 VT200Click
2618 X11 mouse-clicks only.
2619 VT200Hilite
2621 X11 mouse-clicks and highlighting.
2622 AnyButton
2624 XFree86 xterm any-button mode sends button-clicks as well
2625 as motion events while the button is pressed.
2626 AnyEvent
2628 XFree86 xterm any-event mode sends button-clicks as well
2629 as motion events whether or not a button is pressed.
2630 FocusEvent
2632 Send FocusIn/FocusOut events.
2633 Extended
2635 The first extension beyond X11 mouse protocol, this
2636 encodes the coordinates in UTF-8. It is deprecated in
2637 favor of SGR, but provided for compatibility.
2638 SGR This is the recommended extension for mouse-coordinates
2640 URXVT
2642 Like Extended, this is provided for compatibility.
2643 AlternateScroll
2645 This overrides the alternateScroll resource.
2646 disallowedPasteControls (class DisallowedPasteControls)
2648 Use this resource to disallow pasting specific C0 control
2649 characters when the allowPasteControls resource is false (i.e.,
2650 the default). This resource defines the set of control
2651 characters which cannot be pasted, converting each into a
2652 space. Other C0 controls are pasted without change.
2653 The resource value is a comma-separated list of names. Xterm
2655 ignores capitalization. The default value is
2656 BS,DEL,ENQ,EOT,ESC,NUL
2658 The names are listed below:
2660 C0 all ASCII control characters.
2662 Individual C0 characters
2664 NUL, SOH, STX, ETX, EOT, ENQ, ACK, BEL, BS, HT, LF, VT,
2665 FF, CR, SO, SI, DLE, DC1, DC2, DC3, DC4, NAK, SYN, ETB,
2666 CAN, EM, SUB, ESC, FS, GS, RS, US
2667 DEL ASCII delete
2669 NL ASCII line-feed, i.e., “newline” is the same as LF.
2671 disallowedTcapOps (class DisallowedTcapOps)
2673 Specify which features will be disabled if allowTcapOps is
2674 false. This is a comma-separated list of names. The default
2675 value is
2676 SetTcap,GetTcap
2678 The names are listed below. Xterm ignores capitalization, but
2680 they are shown in mixed-case for clarity.
2681 SetTcap
2683 (not implemented)
2684 GetTcap
2686 Report specified function- and other special keys.
2687 disallowedWindowOps (class DisallowedWindowOps)
2689 Specify which features will be disabled if allowWindowOps is
2690 false. This is a comma-separated list of names, or (for the
2691 controls adapted from dtterm the operation number). The
2692 default value is
2693 20,21,SetXprop,SetSelection
2695 (i.e., all except a few “dangerous” operations are allowed).
2696 The names are listed below. Xterm ignores capitalization, but
2698 they are shown in mixed-case for clarity. Where a number can
2699 be used as an alternative, it is given in parentheses after the
2700 name.
2701 GetChecksum
2703 Report checksum of characters in a rectangular region.
2704 GetIconTitle (20)
2706 Report xterm window's icon label as a string.
2707 GetScreenSizeChars (19)
2709 Report the size of the screen in characters as numbers.
2710 GetSelection
2712 Report selection data as a base64 string.
2713 GetWinPosition (13)
2715 Report xterm window position as numbers.
2716 GetWinSizeChars (18)
2718 Report the size of the text area in characters as numbers.
2719 GetWinSizePixels (14)
2721 Report xterm window in pixels as numbers.
2722 GetWinState (11)
2724 Report xterm window state as a number.
2725 GetWinTitle (21)
2727 Report xterm window's title as a string.
2728 LowerWin (6)
2730 Lower the xterm window to the bottom of the stacking
2731 order.
2732 MaximizeWin (9)
2734 Maximize window (i.e., resize to screen size).
2735 FullscreenWin (10)
2737 Use full screen (i.e., resize to screen size, without
2738 window decorations).
2739 MinimizeWin (2)
2741 Iconify window.
2742 PopTitle (23)
2744 Pop title from internal stack.
2745 PushTitle (22)
2747 Push title to internal stack.
2748 RaiseWin (5)
2750 Raise the xterm window to the front of the stacking order.
2751 RefreshWin (7)
2753 Refresh the xterm window.
2754 RestoreWin (1)
2756 De-iconify window.
2757 SetChecksum
2759 Modify algorithm for reporting checksum of characters in a
2760 rectangular region.
2761 SetSelection
2763 Set selection data.
2764 SetWinLines
2766 Resize to a given number of lines, at least 24.
2767 SetWinPosition (3)
2769 Move window to given coordinates.
2770 SetWinSizeChars (8)
2772 Resize the text area to given size in characters.
2773 SetWinSizePixels (4)
2775 Resize the xterm window to given size in pixels.
2776 SetXprop
2778 Set X property on top-level window.
2779 dynamicColors (class DynamicColors)
2781 Specifies whether or not escape sequences to change colors
2782 assigned to different attributes are recognized.
2783 eightBitControl (class EightBitControl)
2785 Specifies whether or not control sequences sent by the terminal
2786 should be eight-bit characters or escape sequences. The
2787 default is “false”.
2788 eightBitInput (class EightBitInput)
2790 If “true”, Meta characters (a single-byte character combined
2791 with the Meta modifier key) input from the keyboard are
2792 presented as a single character, modified according to the
2793 eightBitMeta resource. If “false”, Meta characters are
2794 converted into a two-character sequence with the character
2795 itself preceded by ESC. The default is “true”.
2796 The metaSendsEscape and altSendsEscape resources may override
2798 this feature. Generally keyboards do not have a key labeled
2799 “Meta”, but “Alt” keys are common, and they are conventionally
2800 used for “Meta”. If they were synonymous, it would have been
2801 reasonable to name this resource “altSendsEscape”, reversing
2802 its sense. For more background on this, see the meta(3x)
2803 function in curses.
2804 Note that the Alt key is not necessarily the same as the Meta
2806 modifier. The xmodmap utility lists your key modifiers. X
2807 defines modifiers for shift, (caps) lock and control, as well
2808 as 5 additional modifiers which are generally used to configure
2809 key modifiers. Xterm inspects the same information to find the
2810 modifier associated with either Meta key (left or right), and
2811 uses that key as the Meta modifier. It also looks for the
2812 NumLock key, to recognize the modifier which is associated with
2813 that.
2814 If your xmodmap configuration uses the same keycodes for Alt-
2816 and Meta-keys, xterm will only see the Alt-key definitions,
2817 since those are tested before Meta-keys. NumLock is tested
2818 first. It is important to keep these keys distinct; otherwise
2819 some of xterm's functionality is not available.
2820 The eightBitInput resource is tested at startup time. If
2822 “true”, the xterm tries to put the terminal into 8-bit mode.
2823 If “false”, on startup, xterm tries to put the terminal into
2824 7-bit mode. For some configurations this is unsuccessful;
2825 failure is ignored. After startup, xterm does not change the
2826 terminal between 8-bit and 7-bit mode.
2827 As originally implemented in X11, the resource value did not
2829 change after startup. However (since patch #216 in 2006) xterm
2830 can modify eightBitInput after startup via a control sequence.
2831 The corresponding terminfo capabilities smm (set meta mode) and
2832 rmm (reset meta mode) have been recognized by bash for some
2833 time. Interestingly enough, bash's notion of “meta mode”
2834 differs from the standard definition (in the terminfo manual),
2835 which describes the change to the eighth bit of a character.
2836 It happens that bash views “meta mode” as the ESC character
2837 that xterm puts before a character when a special meta key is
2838 pressed. bash's early documentation talks about the ESC
2839 character and ignores the eighth bit.
2840 eightBitMeta (class EightBitMeta)
2842 This controls the way xterm modifies the eighth bit of a
2843 single-byte key when the eightBitInput resource is set. The
2844 default is “locale”.
2845 The resource value is a string, evaluated as a boolean after
2847 startup.
2848 false
2850 The key is sent unmodified.
2851 locale
2853 The key is modified only if the locale uses eight-bit
2854 encoding.
2855 true The key is sent modified.
2857 never
2859 The key is always sent unmodified.
2860 Except for the never choice, xterm honors the terminfo
2862 capabilities smm (set meta mode) and rmm (reset meta mode),
2863 allowing the feature to be turned on or off dynamically.
2864 If eightBitMeta is enabled when the locale uses UTF-8, xterm
2866 encodes the value as UTF-8 (since patch #183 in 2003).
2867 eightBitOutput (class EightBitOutput)
2869 Specifies whether or not eight-bit characters sent from the
2870 host should be accepted as is or stripped when printed. The
2871 default is “true”, which means that they are accepted as is.
2872 eightBitSelectTypes (class EightBitSelectTypes)
2874 Override xterm's default selection target list (see
2875 SELECT/PASTE) for selections in normal (ISO-8859-1) mode. The
2876 default is an empty string, i.e., “”, which does not override
2877 anything.
2878 eraseSavedLines (class EraseSavedLines)
2880 Specifies whether or not to allow xterm extended ED/DECSED
2881 control sequences to erase the saved-line buffer. The default
2882 is “true”.
2883 faceName (class FaceName)
2885 Specify the pattern for scalable fonts selected from the
2886 FreeType library if support for that library was compiled into
2887 xterm. There is no default value.
2888 One or more fonts can be specified, separated by commas. If
2890 prefixed with “x:” or “x11:” the specification applies to the
2891 XLFD font resource. A “xft:” prefix is accepted but
2892 unnecessary since a missing prefix for faceName means that it
2893 will be used for TrueType. For example,
2894 XTerm*faceName: x:fixed,xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono
2896 Two TrueType fonts can be specified in this way. The first is
2898 the primary font; the second acts as a manual override to the
2899 fontconfig fontset.
2900 If no faceName resource is specified, or if there is no match
2902 for both TrueType normal and bold fonts, xterm uses the XLFD
2903 (bitmap) font and related resources.
2904 It is possible to select suitable bitmap fonts using a script
2906 such as this:
2907 #!/bin/sh
2909 FONT=`xfontsel -print`
2910 test -n "$FONT" && xfd -fn "$FONT"
2911 However (even though xfd accepts a “-fa” option to denote
2913 FreeType fonts), xfontsel has not been similarly extended. As
2914 a workaround, you may try
2915 fc-list :scalable=true:spacing=mono: family
2917 to find a list of scalable fixed-pitch fonts which may be used
2919 for the faceName resource value.
2920 faceNameDoublesize (class FaceNameDoublesize)
2922 Specify a double-width scalable font for cases where an
2923 application requires this, e.g., in CJK applications. There is
2924 no default value.
2925 Like the faceName resource, this allows one or more comma-
2927 separated font specifications to be applied to the wide
2928 TrueType or XLFD fonts.
2929 If the application uses double-wide characters and this
2931 resource is not given, xterm will use a scaled version of the
2932 font given by faceName.
2933 faceSize (class FaceSize)
2935 Specify the pointsize for fonts selected from the FreeType
2936 library if support for that library was compiled into xterm.
2937 The default is “8.0” On the VT Fonts menu, this corresponds to
2938 the Default entry.
2939 Although the default is “8.0”, this may not be the same as the
2941 pointsize for the default bitmap font, i.e., that assigned with
2942 the -fn option, or the font resource. The default value of
2943 faceSize is chosen to match the size of the “fixed” font,
2944 making switching between bitmap and TrueType fonts via the font
2945 menu give comparable sizes for the window. If your -fn option
2946 uses a different pointsize, you might want to adjust the
2947 faceSize resource to match.
2948 You can specify the pointsize for TrueType fonts selected with
2950 the other size-related menu entries such as Medium, Huge, etc.,
2951 by using one of the following resource values. If you do not
2952 specify a value, they default to “0.0”, which causes xterm to
2953 use the ratio of font sizes from the corresponding bitmap font
2954 resources to obtain a TrueType pointsize.
2955 If all of the faceSize resources are set, then xterm will use
2957 this information to determine the next smaller/larger TrueType
2958 font for the larger-vt-font() and smaller-vt-font() actions.
2959 If any are not set, xterm will use only the areas of the bitmap
2960 fonts.
2961 faceSize1 (class FaceSize1)
2963 Specifies the pointsize of the first alternative font.
2964 faceSize2 (class FaceSize2)
2966 Specifies the pointsize of the second alternative font.
2967 faceSize3 (class FaceSize3)
2969 Specifies the pointsize of the third alternative font.
2970 faceSize4 (class FaceSize4)
2972 Specifies the pointsize of the fourth alternative font.
2973 faceSize5 (class FaceSize5)
2975 Specifies the pointsize of the fifth alternative font.
2976 faceSize6 (class FaceSize6)
2978 Specifies the pointsize of the sixth alternative font.
2979 faceSize7 (class FaceSize7)
2981 Specifies the pointsize of the seventh alternative font.
2982 faintIsRelative (class FaintIsRelative)
2984 Faint colors are derived from the current text color, e.g., the
2985 ANSI colors, by scaling the red, green and blue components.
2986 Use this resource to specify whether that is done relative to
2987 the current background color, or as an absolute value. The
2988 default is “false”.
2989 fastScroll (class FastScroll)
2991 Modifies the effect of jump scroll (jumpScroll) by suppressing
2992 screen refreshes for the special case when output to the screen
2993 has completely shifted the contents off-screen. Likewise,
2994 screen refreshes for related actions, e.g., carriage returns,
2995 are suppressed.
2996 For instance, cat'ing a large file to the screen normally
2998 results in a large number of screen refreshes. By suppressing
2999 the corresponding refreshes, scrolling speed improves.
3000 The default is “true”.
3002 font (class Font)
3004 Specifies the name of the normal font. The default is “fixed”.
3005 See the discussion of the locale resource, which describes how
3007 this font may be overridden.
3008 NOTE: some resource files use patterns such as
3010 *font: fixed
3012 which are overly broad, affecting both
3014 xterm.vt100.font
3016 and
3018 xterm.vt100.utf8Fonts.font
3020 which is probably not what you intended.
3022 font1 (class Font1)
3024 Specifies the name of the first alternative font, corresponding
3025 to “Unreadable” in the standard menu.
3026 font2 (class Font2)
3028 Specifies the name of the second alternative font,
3029 corresponding to “Tiny” in the standard menu.
3030 font3 (class Font3)
3032 Specifies the name of the third alternative font, corresponding
3033 to “Small” in the standard menu.
3034 font4 (class Font4)
3036 Specifies the name of the fourth alternative font,
3037 corresponding to “Medium” in the standard menu.
3038 font5 (class Font5)
3040 Specifies the name of the fifth alternative font, corresponding
3041 to “Large” in the standard menu.
3042 font6 (class Font6)
3044 Specifies the name of the sixth alternative font, corresponding
3045 to “Huge” in the standard menu.
3046 font7 (class Font7)
3048 Specifies the name of the seventh alternative font,
3049 corresponding to “Enormous” in the standard menu.
3050 fontDoublesize (class FontDoublesize)
3052 Specifies whether xterm should attempt to use font scaling to
3053 draw double-sized characters. Some older font servers cannot
3054 do this properly, will return misleading font metrics. The
3055 default is “true”. If disabled, xterm will simulate double-
3056 sized characters by drawing normal characters with spaces
3057 between them.
3058 fontWarnings (class FontWarnings)
3060 Specify whether xterm should report an error if it fails to
3061 load a font:
3062 0 Never report an error (though the X libraries may).
3064 1 Report an error if the font name was given as a resource
3066 setting.
3067 2 Always report an error on failure to load a font.
3069 The default is “1”.
3071 forceBoxChars (class ForceBoxChars)
3073 Specifies whether xterm should assume the normal and bold fonts
3074 have VT100 line-drawing characters:
3075 • The fixed-pitch ISO-8859-*-encoded fonts used by xterm
3077 normally have the VT100 line-drawing glyphs in cells 1–31.
3078 Other fixed-pitch fonts may be more attractive, but lack
3079 these glyphs.
3080 • When using an ISO-10646-1 font and the wideChars resource
3082 is true, xterm uses the Unicode glyphs which match the
3083 VT100 line-drawing glyphs.
3084 If “false”, xterm checks for missing glyphs in the font and
3086 makes line-drawing characters directly as needed. If “true”,
3087 xterm assumes the font does not contain the line-drawing
3088 characters, and draws them directly. The default is “false”.
3089 The VT100 line-drawing character set (also known as the DEC
3091 Special Character and Line Drawing Set) is shown in this table.
3092 It includes a few special characters which are not used for
3093 drawing lines:
3094 Cell Unicode Description
3096 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
3097 0 U+25AE black vertical rectangle
3098 1 U+25C6 black diamond
3099 2 U+2592 medium shade
3100 3 U+2409 symbol for horizontal tabulation
3101 4 U+240C symbol for form feed
3102 5 U+240D symbol for carriage return
3103 6 U+240A symbol for line feed
3104 7 U+00B0 degree sign
3105 8 U+00B1 plus-minus sign
3106 9 U+2424 symbol for newline
3107 10 U+240B symbol for vertical tabulation
3108 11 U+2518 box drawings light up and left
3109 12 U+2510 box drawings light down and left
3110 13 U+250C box drawings light down and right
3111 14 U+2514 box drawings light up and right
3112 15 U+253C box drawings light vertical and horizontal
3113 16 U+23BA box drawings scan 1
3114 17 U+23BB box drawings scan 3
3115 18 U+2500 box drawings light horizontal
3116 19 U+23BC box drawings scan 7
3117 20 U+23BD box drawings scan 9
3118 21 U+251C box drawings light vertical and right
3119 22 U+2524 box drawings light vertical and left
3120 23 U+2534 box drawings light up and horizontal
3121 24 U+252C box drawings light down and horizontal
3122 25 U+2502 box drawings light vertical
3123 26 U+2264 less-than or equal to
3124 27 U+2265 greater-than or equal to
3125 28 U+03C0 greek small letter pi
3126 29 U+2260 not equal to
3127 30 U+00A3 pound sign
3128 31 U+00B7 middle dot
3129 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
3130 forcePackedFont (class ForcePackedFont)
3132 Specifies whether xterm should use the maximum or minimum glyph
3133 width when displaying using a bitmap font. Use the maximum
3134 width to help with proportional fonts. The default is “true”,
3135 denoting the minimum width.
3136 forceXftHeight (class ForceXftHeight)
3138 Specifies whether xterm should use the given font metrics for
3139 TrueType fonts, or amend the ascent/descent to total no more
3140 than the given font-height. This optional feature is used to
3141 work around inconsistencies in FreeType's rounding computation.
3142 The default is “false”, denoting the given metrics.
3143 foreground (class Foreground)
3145 Specifies the color to use for displaying text in the window.
3146 Setting the class name instead of the instance name is an easy
3147 way to have everything that would normally appear in the text
3148 color change color. The default is “XtDefaultForeground”.
3149 formatOtherKeys (class FormatOtherKeys)
3151 Overrides the format of the escape sequence used to report
3152 modified keys with the modifyOtherKeys resource.
3153 0 send modified keys as parameters for function-key 27
3155 (default).
3156 1 send modified keys as parameters for CSI u.
3158 freeBoldBox (class FreeBoldBox)
3160 Specifies whether xterm should assume the bounding boxes for
3161 normal and bold fonts are compatible. If “false”, xterm
3162 compares them and will reject choices of bold fonts that do not
3163 match the size of the normal font. The default is “false”,
3164 which means that the comparison is performed.
3165 geometry (class Geometry)
3167 Specifies the preferred size and position of the VTxxx window.
3168 There is no default for this resource.
3169 highlightColor (class HighlightColor)
3171 Specifies the color to use for the background of selected
3172 (highlighted) text. If not specified (i.e., matching the
3173 default foreground), reverse video is used. The default is
3174 “XtDefaultForeground”.
3175 highlightColorMode (class HighlightColorMode)
3177 Specifies whether xterm should use highlightTextColor and
3178 highlightColor to override the reversed foreground/background
3179 colors in a selection. The default is unspecified: at startup,
3180 xterm checks if those resources are set to something other than
3181 the default foreground and background colors. Setting this
3182 resource disables the check.
3183 The following table shows the interaction of the highlighting
3185 resources, abbreviated as shown to fit in this page:
3186 HCM
3188 highlightColorMode
3189 HR highlightReverse
3191 HBG
3193 highlightColor
3194 HFG
3196 highlightTextColor
3197 HCM HR HBG HFG Highlight
3199 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3200 false false default default bg/fg
3201 false false default set bg/fg
3202 false false set default fg/HBG
3203 false false set set fg/HBG
3204 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3205 false true default default bg/fg
3206 false true default set bg/fg
3207 false true set default fg/HBG
3208 false true set set fg/HBG
3209 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3210 true false default default bg/fg
3211 true false default set HFG/fg
3212 true false set default bg/HBG
3213 true false set set HFG/HBG
3214 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3215 true true default default bg/fg
3216 true true default set HFG/fg
3217 true true set default fg/HBG
3218 true true set set HFG/HBG
3219 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3220 default false default default bg/fg
3221 default false default set bg/fg
3222 default false set default fg/HBG
3223 default false set set HFG/HBG
3224 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3225 default true default default bg/fg
3226 default true default set bg/fg
3227 default true set default fg/HBG
3228 default true set set HFG/HBG
3229 ────────────────────────────────────────────────
3230 highlightReverse (class HighlightReverse)
3232 Specifies whether xterm should reverse the selection foreground
3233 and background colors when selecting text with reverse-video
3234 attribute. This applies only to the highlightColor and
3235 highlightTextColor resources, e.g., to match the color scheme
3236 of xwsh. If “true”, xterm reverses the colors, If “false”,
3237 xterm does not reverse colors, The default is “true”.
3238 highlightSelection (class HighlightSelection)
3240 Tells xterm whether to highlight all of the selected positions,
3241 or only the selected text:
3242 • If “false”, selecting with the mouse highlights all
3244 positions on the screen between the beginning of the
3245 selection and the current position.
3246 • If “true”, xterm highlights only the positions that contain
3248 text that can be selected.
3249 The default is “false”.
3251 Depending on the way your applications write to the screen,
3253 there may be trailing blanks on a line. Xterm stores data as
3254 it is shown on the screen. Erasing the display changes the
3255 internal state of each cell so it is not considered a blank for
3256 the purpose of selection. Blanks written since the last erase
3257 are selectable. If you do not wish to have trailing blanks in
3258 a selection, use the trimSelection resource.
3259 highlightTextColor (class HighlightTextColor)
3261 Specifies the color to use for the foreground of selected
3262 (highlighted) text. If not specified (i.e., matching the
3263 default background), reverse video is used. The default is
3264 “XtDefaultBackground”.
3265 hpLowerleftBugCompat (class HpLowerleftBugCompat)
3267 Specifies whether to work around a bug in HP's xdb, which
3268 ignores termcap and always sends ESC F to move to the lower
3269 left corner. “true” causes xterm to interpret ESC F as a
3270 request to move to the lower left corner of the screen. The
3271 default is “false”.
3272 i18nSelections (class I18nSelections)
3274 If false, xterm will not request the targets COMPOUND_TEXT or
3275 TEXT. The default is “true”. It may be set to false in order
3276 to work around ICCCM violations by other X clients.
3277 iconBorderColor (class BorderColor)
3279 Specifies the border color for the active icon window if this
3280 feature is compiled into xterm. Not all window managers will
3281 make the icon border visible.
3282 iconBorderWidth (class BorderWidth)
3284 Specifies the border width for the active icon window if this
3285 feature is compiled into xterm. The default is “2”. Not all
3286 window managers will make the border visible.
3287 iconFont (class IconFont)
3289 Specifies the font for the miniature active icon window, if
3290 this feature is compiled into xterm. The default is “nil2”.
3291 indicatorFormat (class IndicatorFormat)
3293 When displaying the status line using the indicator mode (i.e.,
3294 selecting DECSSDT line type 1), format the status using this
3295 resource.
3296 The default value of the resource displays the version of
3298 xterm, the cursor position and the time/date:
3299 “%{version%} %{position%} %{unixtime%}”
3301 If a “%” marker does not match any of the three special tokens
3303 used in the default resource setting, xterm uses strftime to
3304 interpret it.
3305 initialFont (class InitialFont)
3307 Specifies which of the VT100 fonts to use initially. Values
3308 are the same as for the set-vt-font action. The default is
3309 “d”, i.e., “default”.
3310 inputMethod (class InputMethod)
3312 Tells xterm which type of input method to use. There is no
3313 default method.
3314 internalBorder (class BorderWidth)
3316 Specifies the number of pixels between the characters and the
3317 window border. The default is “2”.
3318 italicULMode (class ColorAttrMode)
3320 Specifies whether characters with the underline attribute
3321 should be displayed in an italic font or as underlined
3322 characters. It is implemented only for TrueType fonts.
3323 jumpScroll (class JumpScroll)
3325 Specifies whether or not jump scroll should be used. This
3326 corresponds to the VT102 DECSCLM private mode. The default is
3327 “true”. See fastScroll for a variation.
3328 keepClipboard (class KeepClipboard)
3330 Specifies whether xterm will reuse the selection data which it
3331 copied to the clipboard rather than asking the clipboard for
3332 its current contents when told to provide the selection. The
3333 default is “false”.
3334 If compiled into xterm, the menu entry Keep Clipboard allows
3336 you to change this at runtime.
3337 keepSelection (class KeepSelection)
3339 Specifies whether xterm will keep the selection even after the
3340 selected area was touched by some output to the terminal. The
3341 default is “true”.
3342 The menu entry Keep Selection allows you to change this at
3344 runtime.
3345 keyboardDialect (class KeyboardDialect)
3347 Specifies the initial keyboard dialect, as well as the default
3348 value when the terminal is reset. The value given is the same
3349 as the final character in the control sequences which change
3350 character sets. The default is “B”, which corresponds to US
3351 ASCII.
3352 limitFontsets (class LimitFontsets)
3354 Limits the number of TrueType fallback fonts (i.e., fontset)
3355 which can be tested. The default is “50”. No more than “255”
3356 will be scanned.
3357 This limits the number of fallback fonts which xterm uses to
3359 display characters. Because TrueType fonts typically are
3360 small, xterm may open several fonts for good coverage, and may
3361 open additional fonts to obtain information. You can see which
3362 font-files xterm opens by setting the environment variable
3363 XFT_DEBUG to 3. The Xft library and xterm write this debugging
3364 trace to the standard output.
3365 Set this to “0” to disable fallbacks entirely.
3367 limitFontHeight (class LimitFontHeight)
3369 When scaling a TrueType font to provide the parts for a double-
3370 high character, xterm compares the scaled font with the
3371 original to ensure that it is taller.
3372 The default is “10” (percent).
3374 limitFontWidth (class LimitFontWidth)
3376 When looking for fallback fonts, xterm checks to see that the
3377 the character to be displayed is the same width as the primary
3378 font. If a character extends outside the font's bounding box,
3379 xterm will clip it, to fit.
3380 This resource controls the amount by which the character can
3382 extend outside its bounding box before xterm looks further for
3383 a better font.
3384 This resource is also used in scaling TrueType fonts for
3386 double-wide characters, like limitFontHeight for double-wide
3387 characters.
3388 The default is “10” (percent).
3390 limitResize (class LimitResize)
3392 Limits resizing of the screen via control sequence to a given
3393 multiple of the display dimensions. The default is “1”.
3394 limitResponse (class LimitResponse)
3396 Limits the buffer-size used when xterm replies to various
3397 control sequences. The default is “1024”. The minimum value
3398 is “256”.
3399 locale (class Locale)
3401 Specifies how to use luit, an encoding converter between UTF-8
3402 and locale encodings. The resource value (ignoring case) may
3403 be:
3404 true
3406 Xterm will use the encoding specified by the users'
3407 LC_CTYPE locale (i.e., LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, or LANG variables)
3408 as far as possible. This is realized by always enabling
3409 UTF-8 mode and invoking luit in non-UTF-8 locales.
3410 medium
3412 Xterm will follow users' LC_CTYPE locale only for UTF-8,
3413 east Asian, and Thai locales, where the encodings were not
3414 supported by conventional 8bit mode with changing fonts.
3415 For other locales, xterm will use conventional 8bit mode.
3416 checkfont
3418 If mini-luit is compiled-in, xterm will check if a Unicode
3419 font has been specified. If so, it checks if the character
3420 encoding for the current locale is POSIX, Latin-1 or
3421 Latin-9, uses the appropriate mapping to support those with
3422 the Unicode font. For other encodings, xterm assumes that
3423 UTF-8 encoding is required.
3424 false
3426 Xterm will use conventional 8bit mode or UTF-8 mode
3427 according to utf8 resource or -u8 option.
3428 Any other value, e.g., “UTF-8” or “ISO8859-2”, is assumed to be
3430 an encoding name; luit will be invoked to support the encoding.
3431 The actual list of supported encodings depends on luit. The
3432 default is “medium”.
3433 Regardless of your locale and encoding, you need an ISO-10646-1
3435 font to display the result. Your configuration may not include
3436 this font, or locale-support by xterm may not be needed.
3437 At startup, xterm uses a mechanism equivalent to the
3439 load-vt-fonts(utf8Fonts, Utf8Fonts) action to load font name
3440 subresources of the VT100 widget. That is, resource patterns
3441 such as “*vt100.utf8Fonts.font” will be loaded, and (if this
3442 resource is enabled), override the normal fonts. If no
3443 subresources are found, the normal fonts such as “*vt100.font”,
3444 etc., are used.
3445 For instance, you could have this in your resource file:
3447 *VT100.font: 12x24
3449 *VT100.utf8Fonts.font:9x15
3450 When started with a UTF-8 locale, xterm would use 9x15, but
3452 allow you to switch to the 12x24 font using the menu entry
3453 “UTF-8 Fonts”.
3454 The resource files distributed with xterm use ISO-10646-1
3456 fonts, but do not rely on them unless you are using the locale
3457 mechanism.
3458 localeFilter (class LocaleFilter)
3460 Specifies the file name for the encoding converter from/to
3461 locale encodings and UTF-8 which is used with the -lc option or
3462 locale resource. The help message shown by “xterm -help” lists
3463 the default value, which depends on your system configuration.
3464 If the encoding converter requires command-line parameters, you
3466 can add those after the command, e.g.,
3467 *localeFilter: xterm-filter -p
3469 Alternatively, you may put those parameters within a shell
3471 script to execute the converter, and set this resource to point
3472 to the shell script.
3473 When using a locale-filter, e.g., with the -e option, or the
3475 shell, xterm first tries passing control via that filter. If
3476 it fails, xterm will retry without the locale-filter. Xterm
3477 warns about the failure before retrying.
3478 logFile (class Logfile)
3480 Specify the name for xterm's log file. If no name is
3481 specified, xterm will generate a name when logging is enabled,
3482 as described in the -l option.
3483 logInhibit (class LogInhibit)
3485 If “true”, prevent the logging feature from being enabled,
3486 whether by the command-line option -l, or the menu entry Log to
3487 File. The default is “false”.
3488 logging (class Logging)
3490 If “true”, (and if logInhibit is not set) enable the logging
3491 feature. This resource is set/updated by the -l option and the
3492 menu entry Log to File. The default is “false”.
3493 loginShell (class LoginShell)
3495 Specifies whether or not the shell to be run in the window
3496 should be started as a login shell. The default is “false”.
3497 marginBell (class MarginBell)
3499 Specifies whether or not the bell should be rung when the user
3500 types near the right margin. The default is “false”.
3501 maxGraphicSize (class MaxGraphicSize)
3503 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS or SIXEL graphics, this
3504 resource controls the maximum size of a graph which can be
3505 displayed.
3506 The default is “1000x1000” (given as width by height).
3508 If the resource is “auto” then xterm will use the decGraphicsID
3510 resource (or decTerminalID if that is not set):
3511 Result decGraphicsID
3513 ────────────────────────
3514 768x400 125
3515 800x460 240
3516 800x460 241
3517 800x480 330
3518 800x480 340
3519 860x750 382
3520 800x480 other
3521 metaSendsEscape (class MetaSendsEscape)
3523 Tells xterm what to do with input-characters modified by Meta:
3524 • If “true”, Meta characters (a character combined with the
3526 Meta modifier key) are converted into a two-character
3527 sequence with the character itself preceded by ESC. This
3528 applies as well to function key control sequences, unless
3529 xterm sees that Meta is used in your key translations.
3530 • If “false”, Meta characters input from the keyboard are
3532 handled according to the eightBitInput resource.
3533 The default is “True”.
3535 mkSamplePass (class MkSamplePass)
3537 If mkSampleSize is nonzero, and mkWidth (and cjkWidth) are
3538 false, on startup xterm compares its built-in tables to the
3539 system's wide character width data to decide if it will use the
3540 system's data. It tests the first mkSampleSize character
3541 values, and allows up to mkSamplePass mismatches before the
3542 test fails. The default (for the allowed number of mismatches)
3543 is 655 (one percent of the default value for mkSampleSize).
3544 mkSampleSize (class MkSampleSize)
3546 With mkSamplePass, this specifies a startup test used for
3547 initializing wide character width calculations. The default
3548 (number of characters to check) is 65536.
3549 mkWidth (class MkWidth)
3551 Specifies whether xterm should use a built-in version of the
3552 wide character width calculation. See also the cjkWidth
3553 resource which can override this. The default is “false”.
3554 Here is a summary of the resources which control the choice of
3556 wide character width calculation:
3557 cjkWidth mkWidth Action
3559 ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
3560 false false use system tables subject to mkSamplePass
3561 false true use built-in tables
3562 true false use built-in CJK tables
3563 true true use built-in CJK tables
3564 To disable mkWidth, and use the system's tables, set both
3566 mkSampleSize and mkSamplePass to “0”. Doing that may make
3567 xterm more consistent with applications running in xterm, but
3568 may omit some font glyphs whose width correctly differs from
3569 the system's character tables.
3570 modifyCursorKeys (class ModifyCursorKeys)
3572 Tells how to handle the special case where Control-, Shift-,
3573 Alt- or Meta-modifiers are used to add a parameter to the
3574 escape sequence returned by a cursor-key. The default is “2”:
3575 -1 disables the feature.
3577 0 uses the old/obsolete behavior, i.e., the modifier is the
3579 first parameter.
3580 1 prefixes modified sequences with CSI.
3582 2 forces the modifier to be the second parameter if it would
3584 otherwise be the first.
3585 3 marks the sequence with a “>” to hint that it is private.
3587 modifyFunctionKeys (class ModifyFunctionKeys)
3589 Tells how to handle the special case where Control-, Shift-,
3590 Alt- or Meta-modifiers are used to add a parameter to the
3591 escape sequence returned by a (numbered) function-key. The
3592 default is “2”. The resource values are similar to
3593 modifyCursorKeys:
3594 -1 permits the user to use shift- and control-modifiers to
3596 construct function-key strings using the normal encoding
3597 scheme.
3598 0 uses the old/obsolete behavior, i.e., the modifier is the
3600 first parameter.
3601 1 prefixes modified sequences with CSI.
3603 2 forces the modifier to be the second parameter if it would
3605 otherwise be the first.
3606 3 marks the sequence with a “>” to hint that it is private.
3608 If modifyFunctionKeys is zero, xterm uses Control- and Shift-
3610 modifiers to allow the user to construct numbered function-keys
3611 beyond the set provided by the keyboard:
3612 Control
3614 adds the value given by the ctrlFKeys resource.
3615 Shift
3617 adds twice the value given by the ctrlFKeys resource.
3618 Control/Shift
3620 adds three times the value given by the ctrlFKeys
3621 resource.
3622 modifyKeyboard (class ModifyKeyboard)
3624 Normally xterm makes a special case regarding modifiers (shift,
3625 control, etc.) to handle special keyboard layouts (legacy and
3626 vt220). This is done to provide compatible keyboards for DEC
3627 VT220 and related terminals that implement user-defined keys
3628 (UDK).
3629 The bits of the resource value selectively enable modification
3631 of the given category when these keyboards are selected. The
3632 default is “0”:
3633 0 The legacy/vt220 keyboards interpret only the Control-
3635 modifier when constructing numbered function-keys. Other
3636 special keys are not modified.
3637 1 allows modification of the numeric keypad
3639 2 allows modification of the editing keypad
3641 4 allows modification of function-keys, overrides use of
3643 Shift-modifier for UDK.
3644 8 allows modification of other special keys
3646 modifyOtherKeys (class ModifyOtherKeys)
3648 Like modifyCursorKeys, tells xterm to construct an escape
3649 sequence for ordinary (i.e., “other”) keys (such as “2”) when
3650 modified by Shift-, Control-, Alt- or Meta-modifiers. This
3651 feature does not apply to special keys, i.e., cursor-, keypad-,
3652 function- or control-keys which are labeled on your keyboard.
3653 Those have key symbols which XKB identifies uniquely.
3654 For example, this feature does not apply to special control-
3656 keys (e.g., Escape, Tab, Enter, Backspace) Other control keys
3657 (e.g., Control-I, Control-M, Control-H) may send escape
3658 sequences when this feature is enabled.
3659 The default is “0”:
3661 0 disables this feature.
3663 1 enables this feature for keys except for those with well-
3665 known behavior, e.g., Tab, Backarrow and some special
3666 control character cases which are built into the X11
3667 library, e.g., Control-Space to make a NUL, or Control-3
3668 to make an Escape character.
3669 Except for those special cases built into the X11 library,
3671 the Shift- and Control- modifiers are treated normally.
3672 The Alt- and Meta- modifiers do not cause xterm to send
3673 escape sequences. Those modifier keys are interpreted
3674 according to other resources, e.g., the metaSendsEscape
3675 resource.
3676 2 enables this feature for keys including the exceptions
3678 listed. Xterm ignores the special cases built into the
3679 X11 library. Any shifted (modified) ordinary key sends an
3680 escape sequence. The Alt- and Meta- modifiers cause xterm
3681 to send escape sequences.
3682 The Xterm FAQ has an extended discussion of this feature, with
3684 examples:
3685 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/modified-keys.html
3687 multiClickTime (class MultiClickTime)
3689 Specifies the maximum time in milliseconds between multi-click
3690 select events. The default is “250” milliseconds.
3691 multiScroll (class MultiScroll)
3693 Specifies whether or not scrolling should be done
3694 asynchronously. The default is “false”.
3695 nMarginBell (class Column)
3697 Specifies the number of characters from the right margin at
3698 which the margin bell should be rung, when enabled by the
3699 marginBell resource. The default is “10”.
3700 nameKeymap (class NameKeymap)
3702 See the discussion of the keymap() action.
3703 nextEventDelay (class NextEventDelay)
3705 Specifies a delay time in milliseconds before checking for new
3706 X events. The default is “1”.
3707 numColorRegisters (class NumColorRegisters)
3709 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS or SIXEL graphics, this
3710 specifies the number of color-registers which are available.
3711 If this resource is not specified, xterm uses a value
3713 determined by the decTerminalID resource:
3714 Result decTerminalID
3716 ───────────────────────
3717 4 125
3718 4 240
3719 4 241
3720 4 330
3721 16 340
3722 2 382
3723 1024 other
3724 numLock (class NumLock)
3726 If “true”, xterm checks if NumLock is used as a modifier (see
3727 xmodmap(1)). If so, this modifier is used to simplify the
3728 logic when implementing special NumLock for the sunKeyboard
3729 resource. Also (when sunKeyboard is false), similar logic is
3730 used to find the modifier associated with the left and right
3731 Alt keys. The default is “true”.
3732 oldXtermFKeys (class OldXtermFKeys)
3734 If “true”, xterm will use old-style (X11R5) escape sequences
3735 for function keys F1 to F4, for compatibility with X Consortium
3736 xterm. Otherwise, it uses the VT100 codes for PF1 to PF4. The
3737 default is “false”.
3738 Setting this resource has the same effect as setting the
3740 keyboardType to legacy. The keyboardType resource is the
3741 preferred mechanism for selecting this mode.
3742 The old-style escape sequences resemble VT220 keys, but appear
3744 to have been invented for xterm in X11R4.
3745 on2Clicks (class On2Clicks)
3747 on3Clicks (class On3Clicks)
3749 on4Clicks (class On4Clicks)
3751 on5Clicks (class On5Clicks)
3753 Specify selection behavior in response to multiple mouse
3754 clicks. A single mouse click is always interpreted as
3755 described in the Selection Functions section (see POINTER
3756 USAGE). Multiple mouse clicks (using the button which
3757 activates the select-start action) are interpreted according to
3758 the resource values of on2Clicks, etc. The resource value can
3759 be one of these:
3760 word
3762 Select a “word” as determined by the charClass resource.
3763 See the CHARACTER CLASSES section.
3764 If the pointer is on a “word” then xterm searches back to
3766 the beginning of the word, and then to the end.
3767 If the pointer is not on a “word” then the result depends on
3769 whether it is on whitespace (including a newline), or past
3770 the end of the line. In the latter case xterm may select a
3771 “word” beginning after the newline, if there is no
3772 additional whitespace.
3773 line
3775 Select a line (counting wrapping).
3776 group
3778 Select a group of adjacent lines (counting wrapping). The
3779 selection stops on a blank line, and does not extend outside
3780 the current page.
3781 page
3783 Select all visible lines, i.e., the page.
3784 all
3786 Select all lines, i.e., including the saved lines.
3787 regex
3789 Select the best match for the POSIX extended regular
3790 expression (ERE) which follows in the resource value:
3791 • Xterm matches the regular expression against a byte
3793 array for the entire (possibly wrapped) line. That byte
3794 array may be UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1, depending on the mode
3795 in which xterm is running.
3796 • Xterm steps through each byte-offset in this array,
3798 keeping track of the best (longest) match. If more than
3799 one match ties for the longest length, the first is
3800 used.
3801 Xterm does this to make it convenient to click anywhere
3803 in the area of interest and cause the regular expression
3804 to match the entire word, etc.
3805 • The “^” and “$” anchors in a regular expression denote
3807 the ends of the entire line.
3808 • If the regular expression contains backslashes “\” those
3810 should be escaped “\\” because the X libraries interpret
3811 backslashes in resource strings.
3812 none
3814 No selection action is associated with this resource. Xterm
3815 interprets it as the end of the list. For example, you may
3816 use it to disable triple (and higher) clicking by setting
3817 on3Clicks to “none”.
3818 The default values for on2Clicks and on3Clicks are “word” and
3820 “line”, respectively. There is no default value for on4Clicks
3821 or on5Clicks, making those inactive. On startup, xterm
3822 determines the maximum number of clicks by the onXClicks
3823 resource values which are set.
3824 openIm (class OpenIm)
3826 Tells xterm whether to open the input method at startup. The
3827 default is “true”.
3828 pointerColor (class PointerColor)
3830 Specifies the foreground color of the pointer. The default is
3831 “XtDefaultForeground”.
3832 pointerColorBackground (class PointerColorBackground)
3834 Specifies the background color of the pointer. The default is
3835 “XtDefaultBackground”.
3836 pointerFont (class PointerFont)
3838 Specifies the font to be used for the pointer. The shapes
3839 specified by pointerShape are glyphs in this font. The
3840 resource value default is cursor.
3841 pointerMode (class PointerMode)
3843 Specifies when the pointer may be hidden as the user types. It
3844 will be redisplayed if the user moves the mouse, or clicks one
3845 of its buttons.
3846 0 never
3848 1 the application running in xterm has not activated mouse
3850 mode. This is the default.
3851 2 always.
3853 pointerShape (class Cursor)
3855 Specifies the name of the shape of the pointer. The default is
3856 “xterm”.
3857 Other shapes can be selected. Here is a list of the “core”
3859 (i.e., standard) names extracted from <X11/cursorfont.h>:
3860 X_cursor, arrow, based_arrow_down, based_arrow_up, boat,
3862 bogosity, bottom_left_corner, bottom_right_corner,
3863 bottom_side, bottom_tee, box_spiral, center_ptr, circle,
3864 clock, coffee_mug, cross, cross_reverse, crosshair,
3865 diamond_cross, dot, dotbox, double_arrow, draft_large,
3866 draft_small, draped_box, exchange, fleur, gobbler, gumby,
3867 hand1, hand2, heart, icon, iron_cross, left_ptr, left_side,
3868 left_tee, leftbutton, ll_angle, lr_angle, man,
3869 middlebutton, mouse, pencil, pirate, plus, question_arrow,
3870 right_ptr, right_side, right_tee, rightbutton, rtl_logo,
3871 sailboat, sb_down_arrow, sb_h_double_arrow, sb_left_arrow,
3872 sb_right_arrow, sb_up_arrow, sb_v_double_arrow, shuttle,
3873 sizing, spider, spraycan, star, target, tcross,
3874 top_left_arrow, top_left_corner, top_right_corner,
3875 top_side, top_tee, trek, ul_angle, umbrella, ur_angle,
3876 watch, xterm
3877 If you are using a cursor theme, expect it to provide about a
3879 third of those names, while adding others.
3880 popOnBell (class PopOnBell)
3882 Specifies whether the window would be raised when Control-G is
3883 received. The default is “false”.
3884 If the window is iconified, this has no effect. However, the
3886 zIconBeep resource provides you with the ability to see which
3887 iconified windows have sounded a bell.
3888 precompose (class Precompose)
3890 Tells xterm whether to precompose UTF-8 data into Normalization
3891 Form C, which combines commonly-used accents onto base
3892 characters. If it does not do this, accents are left as
3893 separate characters. The default is “true”.
3894 preeditType (class PreeditType)
3896 Tells xterm which types of preedit (preconversion) string to
3897 display. The default is “OverTheSpot,Root”.
3898 printAttributes (class PrintAttributes)
3900 Specifies whether to print graphic attributes along with the
3901 text. A real DEC VTxxx terminal will print the underline,
3902 highlighting codes but your printer may not handle these.
3903 • “0” disables the attributes.
3905 • “1” prints the normal set of attributes (bold, underline,
3907 inverse and blink) as VT100-style control sequences.
3908 • “2” prints ANSI color attributes as well.
3910 The default is “1”.
3912 printFileImmediate (class PrintFileImmediate)
3914 When the print-immediate action is invoked, xterm prints the
3915 screen contents directly to a file. Set this resource to the
3916 prefix of the filename (a timestamp will be appended to the
3917 actual name).
3918 The default is an empty string, i.e., “”, However, when the
3920 print-immediate action is invoked, if the string is empty, then
3921 “XTerm” is used.
3922 printFileOnXError (class PrintFileOnXError)
3924 If xterm exits with an X error, e.g., your connection is broken
3925 when the server crashes, it can be told to write the contents
3926 of the screen to a file. To enable the feature, set this
3927 resource to the prefix of the filename (a timestamp will be
3928 appended to the actual name).
3929 The default is an empty string, i.e., “”, which disables this
3931 feature. However, when the print-on-error action is invoked,
3932 if the string is empty, then “XTermError” is used.
3933 These error codes are handled: ERROR_XERROR, ERROR_XIOERROR and
3935 ERROR_ICEERROR.
3936 printModeImmediate (class PrintModeImmediate)
3938 When the print-immediate action is invoked, xterm prints the
3939 screen contents directly to a file. You can use the
3940 printModeImmediate resource to tell it to use escape sequences
3941 to reconstruct the video attributes and colors. This uses the
3942 same values as the printAttributes resource. The default is
3943 “0”.
3944 printModeOnXError (class PrintModeOnXError)
3946 Xterm implements the printFileOnXError feature using the
3947 printer feature, although the output is written directly to a
3948 file. You can use the printModeOnXError resource to tell it to
3949 use escape sequences to reconstruct the video attributes and
3950 colors. This uses the same values as the printAttributes
3951 resource. The default is “0”.
3952 printOptsImmediate (class PrintOptsImmediate)
3954 Specify the range of text which is printed to a file when the
3955 print-immediate action is invoked.
3956 • If zero (0), then this selects the current (visible screen)
3958 plus the saved lines, except if the alternate screen is
3959 being used. In that case, only the alternate screen is
3960 selected.
3961 • If nonzero, the bits of this resource value (checked in
3963 descending order) select the range:
3964 8 selects the saved lines.
3966 4 selects the alternate screen.
3968 2 selects the normal screen.
3970 1 selects the current screen, which can be either the
3972 normal or alternate screen.
3973 The default is “9”, which selects the current visible screen
3975 plus saved lines, with no special case for the alternated
3976 screen.
3977 printOptsOnXError (class PrintOptsOnXError)
3979 Specify the range of text which is printed to a file when the
3980 print-on-error action is invoked. The resource value is
3981 interpreted the same as in printOptsImmediate.
3982 The default is “9”, which selects the current visible screen
3984 plus saved lines, with no special case for the alternated
3985 screen.
3986 printerAutoClose (class PrinterAutoClose)
3988 If “true”, xterm will close the printer (a pipe) when the
3989 application switches the printer offline with a Media Copy
3990 command. The default is “false”.
3991 printerCommand (class PrinterCommand)
3993 Specifies a shell command to which xterm will open a pipe when
3994 the first MC (Media Copy) command is initiated. The default is
3995 an empty string, i.e., “”. If the resource value is given as
3996 an empty string, the printer is disabled.
3997 printerControlMode (class PrinterControlMode)
3999 Specifies the printer control mode. A “1” selects autoprint
4000 mode, which causes xterm to print a line from the screen when
4001 • you move the cursor off that line with a line feed, form
4003 feed or vertical tab character, or
4004 • an autowrap occurs.
4006 Autoprint mode is overridden by printer controller mode (a
4008 “2”), which causes all of the output to be directed to the
4009 printer. The default is “0”.
4010 printerExtent (class PrinterExtent)
4012 Controls whether a print page function will print the entire
4013 page (true), or only the portion within the scrolling margins
4014 (false). The default is “false”.
4015 printerFormFeed (class PrinterFormFeed)
4017 Controls whether a form feed is sent to the printer at the end
4018 of a print page function. The default is “false”.
4019 printerNewLine (class PrinterNewLine)
4021 Controls whether a newline is sent to the printer at the end of
4022 a print page function. The default is “true”.
4023 privateColorRegisters (class PrivateColorRegisters)
4025 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS or SIXEL graphics, this
4026 controls whether xterm allocates separate color registers for
4027 each sixel device control string, e.g., for DECGCI. If not
4028 true, color registers are allocated only once, when the
4029 terminal is reset, and color changes in any graphic affect
4030 all graphics. The default is “true”.
4031 quietGrab (class QuietGrab)
4033 Controls whether the cursor is repainted when NotifyGrab and
4034 NotifyUngrab event types are received during change of focus.
4035 The default is “false”.
4036 regisDefaultFont (class RegisDefaultFont)
4038 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS graphics, this resource
4039 tells xterm which font to use if the ReGIS data does not
4040 specify one. No default value is specified; xterm accepts a
4041 TrueType font specification as in the faceName resource.
4042 If no value is specified, xterm draws a bitmap indicating a
4044 missing character.
4045 regisScreenSize (class RegisScreenSize)
4047 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS graphics, this resource
4048 tells xterm the default size (in pixels) for these graphics,
4049 which also sets the default coordinate space to [0,0] (upper-
4050 left) and [width,height] (lower-right).
4051 The application using ReGIS may use the “A” option of the “S”
4053 command to adjust the coordinate space or change the
4054 addressable portion of the screen.
4055 Xterm accepts a special resource value “auto”, which tells
4057 xterm to use the decGraphicsID and decTerminalID resources to
4058 set the default size based on the hardware terminal's limits.
4059 Those limits are the same as for the maxGraphicSize resource.
4060 The default is “auto”.
4062 renderFont (class RenderFont)
4064 If xterm is built with the Xft library, this controls whether
4065 the faceName resource is used. The default is “default”.
4066 The resource values are strings, evaluated as booleans after
4068 startup.
4069 false
4071 disable the feature and use the normal (bitmap) font.
4072 true
4074 startup using the TrueType font specified by the faceName
4075 and faceSize resource settings. If there is no value for
4076 faceName, disable the feature and use the normal (bitmap)
4077 font.
4078 After startup, you can still switch to/from the bitmap
4080 font using the “TrueType Fonts” menu entry.
4081 default
4083 Enable the “TrueType Fonts” menu entry to allow runtime
4084 switching to/from TrueType fonts. The initial font used
4085 depends upon whether the faceName resource is set:
4086 • If the faceName resource is not set, start by using
4088 the normal (bitmap) font. Xterm has a separate
4089 compiled-in value for faceName for this special case.
4090 That is normally “mono”.
4091 • If the faceName resource is set, then start by using
4093 the TrueType font rather than the bitmap font.
4094 defaultOff
4096 Enable the “TrueType Fonts” menu entry to allow runtime
4097 switching to/from TrueType fonts, but allow it to be
4098 initially unselected if no faceName resource was given.
4099 resizeByPixel (class ResizeByPixel)
4101 Set this “true” to disable hints to the window manager that
4102 request resizing by character rather than pixels.
4103 Most window managers provide visual feedback showing the size
4105 of a window as you resize it, using these hints. When you
4106 maximize xterm, it disables those hints to allow the window
4107 manager to make better use of fractional rows or columns.
4108 Setting this resource disables the hints all the time.
4109 The default is “false”.
4111 resizeGravity (class ResizeGravity)
4113 Affects the behavior when the window is resized to be taller or
4114 shorter. NorthWest specifies that the top line of text on the
4115 screen stay fixed. If the window is made shorter, lines are
4116 dropped from the bottom; if the window is made taller, blank
4117 lines are added at the bottom. This is compatible with the
4118 behavior in X11R4. SouthWest (the default) specifies that the
4119 bottom line of text on the screen stay fixed. If the window is
4120 made taller, additional saved lines will be scrolled down onto
4121 the screen; if the window is made shorter, lines will be
4122 scrolled off the top of the screen, and the top saved lines
4123 will be dropped.
4124 retryInputMethod (class RetryInputMethod)
4126 Tells xterm how many times to retry, in case the input-method
4127 server is not responding. This is a different issue than
4128 unsupported preedit type, etc. You may encounter retries if
4129 your X configuration (and its libraries) are missing pieces.
4130 Setting this resource to zero “0” will cancel the retrying.
4131 The default is “3”.
4132 reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
4134 Specifies whether or not reverse video should be simulated.
4135 The default is “false”.
4136 There are several aspects to reverse video in xterm:
4138 • The command-line -rv option tells the X libraries to
4140 reverse the foreground and background colors. Xterm's
4141 command-line options set resource values. In particular,
4142 the X Toolkit sets the reverseVideo resource when the -rv
4143 option is used.
4144 • If the user has also used command-line options -fg or -bg
4146 to set the foreground and background colors, xterm does not
4147 see these options directly. Instead, it examines the
4148 resource values to reconstruct the command-line options,
4149 and determine which of the colors is the user's intended
4150 foreground, etc. Their actual values are irrelevant to the
4151 reverse video function; some users prefer the X defaults
4152 (black text on a white background), others prefer white
4153 text on a black background.
4154 • After startup, the user can toggle the “Enable Reverse
4156 Video” menu entry. This exchanges the current foreground
4157 and background colors of the VT100 widget, and repaints the
4158 screen. Because of the X resource hierarchy, the
4159 reverseVideo resource applies to more than the VT100
4160 widget.
4161 Programs running in an xterm can also use control sequences to
4163 enable the VT100 reverse video mode. These are independent of
4164 the reverseVideo resource and the menu entry. Xterm exchanges
4165 the current foreground and background colors when drawing text
4166 affected by these control sequences.
4167 Other control sequences can alter the foreground and background
4169 colors which are used:
4170 • Programs can also use the ANSI color control sequences to
4172 set the foreground and background colors.
4173 • Extensions to the ANSI color controls (such as 16-, 88- or
4175 256-colors) are treated similarly to the ANSI control.
4176 • Using other control sequences (the “dynamic colors”
4178 feature), a program can change the foreground and
4179 background colors.
4180 reverseWrap (class ReverseWrap)
4182 Specifies whether or not reverse-wraparound should be enabled.
4183 This corresponds to xterm's private mode 45. The default is
4184 “false”.
4185 rightScrollBar (class RightScrollBar)
4187 Specifies whether or not the scrollbar should be displayed on
4188 the right rather than the left. The default is “false”.
4189 saveLines (class SaveLines)
4191 Specifies the number of lines to save beyond the top of the
4192 screen when a scrollbar is turned on. The default is “1024”.
4193 scrollBar (class ScrollBar)
4195 Specifies whether or not the scrollbar should be displayed.
4196 The default is “false”.
4197 scrollBarBorder (class ScrollBarBorder)
4199 Specifies the width of the scrollbar border. Note that this is
4200 drawn to overlap the border of the xterm window. Modifying the
4201 scrollbar's border affects only the line between the VT100
4202 widget and the scrollbar. The default value is 1.
4203 scrollKey (class ScrollCond)
4205 Specifies whether or not pressing a key should automatically
4206 cause the scrollbar to go to the bottom of the scrolling
4207 region. This corresponds to xterm's private mode 1011. The
4208 default is “false”.
4209 scrollLines (class ScrollLines)
4211 Specifies the number of lines that the scroll-back and
4212 scroll-forw actions should use as a default. The default value
4213 is 1.
4214 scrollTtyOutput (class ScrollCond)
4216 Specifies whether or not output to the terminal should
4217 automatically cause the scrollbar to go to the bottom of the
4218 scrolling region. The default is “true”.
4219 selectToClipboard (class SelectToClipboard)
4221 Tells xterm whether to use the PRIMARY or CLIPBOARD for SELECT
4222 tokens in the selection mechanism. The set-select action can
4223 change this at runtime, allowing the user to work with programs
4224 that handle only one of these mechanisms. The default is
4225 “false”, which tells it to use PRIMARY.
4226 shiftEscape (class ShiftEscape)
4228 Xterm uses the translations resource to determine how to invoke
4229 actions for selecting and copying text using the pointer (e.g.,
4230 a mouse). It also provides a mouse protocol which can be used
4231 by applications running in an xterm to detect mouse button
4232 clicks.
4233 The mouse protocol causes xterm to send special escape
4235 sequences which allow an application to determine if modifiers
4236 (i.e., one or more of shift, control, alt, and meta) were used.
4237 Xterm provides this mouse protocol by interpreting button- and
4239 motion-events in the functions which the translations resource
4240 calls for selecting and copying text:
4241 insert-selection
4243 select-end
4244 select-extend
4245 select-start
4246 start-extend
4247 While the mouse protocol is active, xterm reserves most of the
4249 mouse button events for sending special escape sequences to the
4250 application. Xterm normally allows you to use the shift-key to
4251 temporarily override this mouse protocol, permitting the
4252 selection and copying actions to be used.
4253 The shiftEscape resource setting allows you to tell xterm
4255 whether to use the shift-key in this way (i.e., overriding the
4256 mouse protocol). Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring
4257 case) or the number shown in parentheses:
4258 false (0)
4260 Mouse protocol does not send special escapes when shift-key
4261 is used.
4262 true (1)
4264 Mouse protocol may send special escapes when shift-key is
4265 used.
4266 At startup, xterm analyzes the translations to see which
4268 buttons are used in the (mouse) button-related bindings for
4269 selection and copying text. If the shift-key is not
4270 mentioned explicitly in a button's binding, xterm allows
4271 that button with shift-key for overriding the mouse
4272 protocol.
4273 always (2)
4275 Mouse protocol can always send special escapes when shift-
4276 key is used.
4277 never (3)
4279 Mouse protocol will never send special escapes when shift-
4280 key is used.
4281 Xterm interprets a control sequence which can change this
4283 setting between “true” and “false”. The default is “false”.
4284 shiftFonts (class ShiftFonts)
4286 Specifies whether to enable the actions larger-vt-font() and
4287 smaller-vt-font(), which are normally bound to the shifted
4288 KP_Add and KP_Subtract. The default is “true”.
4289 showBlinkAsBold (class ShowBlinkAsBold)
4291 Tells xterm whether to display text with blink-attribute the
4292 same as bold. If xterm has not been configured to support
4293 blinking text, the default is “true”, which corresponds to
4294 older versions of xterm, otherwise the default is “false”.
4295 showMissingGlyphs (class ShowMissingGlyphs)
4297 Tells xterm whether to display a box outlining places where a
4298 character has been used that the font does not represent. The
4299 default is “true”.
4300 showWrapMarks (class ShowWrapMarks)
4302 For debugging xterm and applications that may manipulate the
4303 wrapped-line flag by writing text at the right margin, show a
4304 mark on the right inner-border of the window. The mark shows
4305 which lines have the flag set.
4306 signalInhibit (class SignalInhibit)
4308 Specifies whether or not the entries in the Main Options menu
4309 for sending signals to xterm should be disallowed. The default
4310 is “false”.
4311 sixelScrolling (class SixelScrolling)
4313 If xterm is configured to support SIXEL graphics, this resource
4314 tells it whether to scroll up one line at a time when sixels
4315 would be written past the bottom line on the window. The
4316 default is “true” which enables scrolling.
4317 Sixel scrolling is the opposite of DEC Sixel Display Mode
4319 (DECSDM): when one is on, the other is off.
4320 sixelScrollsRight (class SixelScrollsRight)
4322 If xterm is configured to support SIXEL graphics, this resource
4323 tells it whether to scroll to the right as needed to keep the
4324 current position visible rather than truncate the plot on the
4325 on the right. The default is “false” which disables scrolling.
4326 tekGeometry (class Geometry)
4328 Specifies the preferred size and position of the Tektronix
4329 window. There is no default for this resource.
4330 tekInhibit (class TekInhibit)
4332 Specifies whether or not the escape sequence to enter Tektronix
4333 mode should be ignored. The default is “false”.
4334 tekSmall (class TekSmall)
4336 Specifies whether or not the Tektronix mode window should start
4337 in its smallest size if no explicit geometry is given. This is
4338 useful when running xterm on displays with small screens. The
4339 default is “false”.
4340 tekStartup (class TekStartup)
4342 Specifies whether or not xterm should start up in Tektronix
4343 mode. The default is “false”.
4344 tiXtraScroll (class TiXtraScroll)
4346 Specifies whether xterm should scroll to a new page when
4347 processing the ti or te termcap strings, i.e., the private
4348 modes 47, 1047 or 1049. This is only in effect if titeInhibit
4349 is “true”, because the intent of this option is to provide a
4350 picture of the full-screen application's display on the
4351 scrollback without wiping out the text that would be shown
4352 before the application was initialized.
4353 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
4355 shown in parentheses:
4356 false (0)
4358 nothing is added to the scrollback.
4359 true (1)
4361 the current screen is added to the scrollback.
4362 trim (2)
4364 the current screen is added to the scrollback, but
4365 repeated blank lines are trimmed (reduced to a single
4366 blank line).
4367 The default for this resource is “false”.
4369 titeInhibit (class TiteInhibit)
4371 Originally specified whether or not xterm should remove ti and
4372 te termcap entries (used to switch between alternate screens on
4373 startup of many screen-oriented programs) from the TERMCAP
4374 string.
4375 TERMCAP is used rarely now, but xterm supports the feature on
4377 modern systems:
4378 • If set, xterm also ignores the escape sequence to switch to
4380 the alternate screen.
4381 • Xterm supports terminfo in a different way, supporting
4383 composite control sequences (also known as private modes)
4384 1047, 1048 and 1049 which have the same effect as the
4385 original 47 control sequence.
4386 The default for this resource is “false”.
4388 titleModes (class TitleModes)
4390 Tells xterm whether to accept or return window- and icon-labels
4391 in ISO-8859-1 (the default) or UTF-8. Either can be encoded in
4392 hexadecimal:
4393 • UTF-8 titles require special treatment, because they may
4395 contain bytes which can be mistaken for control characters.
4396 Hexadecimal-encoding is supported to eliminate that
4397 possibility.
4398 • As an alternative, you could use the allowC1Printable
4400 resource, which suppresses xterm's parsing of the relevant
4401 control characters (and as a result, treats those bytes as
4402 data).
4403 The default for this resource is “0”.
4405 Each bit (bit “0” is 1, bit “1” is 2, etc.) corresponds to one
4407 of the parameters set by the title modes control sequence:
4408 0 Set window/icon labels using hexadecimal
4410 1 Query window/icon labels using hexadecimal
4412 2 Set window/icon labels using UTF-8 (gives the same effect
4414 as the utf8Title resource).
4415 3 Query window/icon labels using UTF-8
4417 translations (class Translations)
4419 Specifies the key and button bindings for menus, selections,
4420 “programmed strings”, etc. The translations resource, which
4421 provides much of xterm's configurability, is a feature of the X
4422 Toolkit Intrinsics library (Xt). See the Actions section.
4423 trimSelection (class TrimSelection)
4425 If you set highlightSelection, you can see the text which is
4426 selected, including any trailing spaces. Clearing the screen
4427 (or a line) resets it to a state containing no spaces. Some
4428 lines may contain trailing spaces when an application writes
4429 them to the screen. However, you may not wish to paste lines
4430 with trailing spaces. If this resource is true, xterm will
4431 trim trailing spaces from text which is selected. It does not
4432 affect spaces which result in a wrapped line, nor will it trim
4433 the trailing newline from your selection. The default is
4434 “false”.
4435 underLine (class UnderLine)
4437 This specifies whether or not text with the underline attribute
4438 should be underlined. It may be desirable to disable
4439 underlining when color is being used for the underline
4440 attribute. The default is “true”.
4441 useBorderClipping (class UseBorderClipping)
4443 Tell xterm whether to apply clipping when useClipping is false.
4444 Unlike useClipping, this simply limits text to keep it within
4445 the window borders, e.g., as a refinement to the scaleHeight
4446 workaround. The default is “false”.
4447 useClipping (class UseClipping)
4449 Tell xterm whether to use clipping to keep from producing dots
4450 outside the text drawing area. Originally used to work around
4451 for overstriking effects, this is also needed to work with some
4452 incorrectly-sized fonts. The default is “true”.
4453 utf8 (class Utf8)
4455 This specifies whether xterm will run in UTF-8 mode. If you
4456 set this resource, xterm also sets the wideChars resource as a
4457 side-effect. The resource can be set via the menu entry “UTF-8
4458 Encoding”. The default is “default”.
4459 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
4461 shown in parentheses:
4462 false (0)
4464 UTF-8 mode is initially off. The command-line option +u8
4465 sets the resource to this value. Escape sequences for
4466 turning UTF-8 mode on/off are allowed.
4467 true (1)
4469 UTF-8 mode is initially on. Escape sequences for turning
4470 UTF-8 mode on/off are allowed.
4471 always (2)
4473 The command-line option -u8 sets the resource to this value.
4474 Escape sequences for turning UTF-8 mode on/off are ignored.
4475 default (3)
4477 This is the default value of the resource. It is changed
4478 during initialization depending on whether the locale
4479 resource was set, to false (0) or always (2). See the
4480 locale resource for additional discussion of non-UTF-8
4481 locales.
4482 If you want to set the value of utf8, it should be in this
4484 range. Other nonzero values are treated the same as “1”, i.e.,
4485 UTF-8 mode is initially on, and escape sequences for turning
4486 UTF-8 mode on/off are allowed.
4487 utf8Fonts (class Utf8Fonts)
4489 See the discussion of the locale resource. This specifies
4490 whether xterm will use UTF-8 fonts specified via resource
4491 patterns such as “*vt100.utf8Fonts.font” or normal (ISO-8859-1)
4492 fonts via patterns such as “*vt100.font”. The resource can be
4493 set via the menu entry “UTF-8 Fonts”. The default is
4494 “default”.
4495 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
4497 shown in parentheses:
4498 false (0)
4500 Use the ISO-8859-1 fonts. The menu entry is enabled,
4501 allowing the choice of fonts to be changed at runtime.
4502 true (1)
4504 Use the UTF-8 fonts. The menu entry is enabled,
4505 allowing the choice of fonts to be changed at runtime.
4506 always (2)
4508 Always use the UTF-8 fonts. This also disables the menu
4509 entry.
4510 default (3)
4512 At startup, the resource is set to true or false,
4513 according to the effective value of the utf8 resource.
4514 utf8Latin1 (class Utf8Latin1)
4516 If true, allow an ISO-8859-1 normal font to be combined with an
4517 ISO-10646-1 font if the latter is given via the -fw option or
4518 its corresponding resource value. The default is “false”.
4519 utf8SelectTypes (class Utf8SelectTypes)
4521 Override xterm's default selection target list (see
4522 SELECT/PASTE) for selections in wide-character (UTF-8) mode.
4523 The default is an empty string, i.e., “”, which does not
4524 override anything.
4525 utf8Title (class Utf8Title)
4527 Applications can set xterm's title by writing a control
4528 sequence. Normally this control sequence follows the VT220
4529 convention, which encodes the string in ISO-8859-1 and allows
4530 for an 8-bit string terminator. If xterm is started in a UTF-8
4531 locale, it translates the ISO-8859-1 string to UTF-8 to work
4532 with the X libraries which assume the string is UTF-8.
4533 However, some users may wish to write a title string encoded in
4535 UTF-8. The window manager is responsible for drawing window
4536 titles. Some window managers (not all) support UTF-8 encoding
4537 of window titles. Set this resource to “true” to also set
4538 UTF-8 encoded title strings using the EWMH properties.
4539 This feature is available as a menu entry, since it is related
4541 to the particular applications you are running within xterm.
4542 You can also use a control sequence (see the discussion of
4543 “Title Modes” in Xterm Control Sequences), to set an equivalent
4544 flag (which can also be set using the titleModes resource).
4545 Xterm accepts either a keyword (ignoring case) or the number
4547 shown in parentheses:
4548 false (0)
4550 Set only ISO-8859-1 title strings, e.g., using the ICCCM
4551 WM_NAME STRING property. The menu entry is enabled,
4552 allowing the choice of title-strings to be changed at
4553 runtime.
4554 true (1)
4556 Set both the EWMH (UTF-8 strings) and the ICCCM WM_NAME,
4557 etc. The menu entry is enabled, allowing the choice to
4558 be changed at runtime.
4559 always (2)
4561 Always set both the EWMH (UTF-8 strings) and the ICCCM
4562 WM_NAME, etc. This also disables the menu entry.
4563 default (3)
4565 At startup, the resource is set to true or false,
4566 according to the effective value of the utf8 resource.
4567 The default is “default”.
4569 utf8Weblike (class Utf8Weblike)
4571 Provide an alternate error-handling scheme for ill-formed UTF-8
4572 as recommended in a W3C document. The Unicode standard does
4573 not require this for conformance. Some additional information
4574 can be found here:
4575 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/bad-utf8/
4577 The default is “false”.
4579 veryBoldColors (class VeryBoldColors)
4581 Specifies whether to combine video attributes with colors
4582 specified by colorBD, colorBL, colorIT, colorRV, and colorUL.
4583 The resource value is the sum of values for each attribute:
4584 1 for reverse,
4585 2 for underline,
4586 4 for bold,
4587 8 for blink, and
4588 512 for italic
4589 The default is “0”.
4591 visualBell (class VisualBell)
4593 Specifies whether or not a visible bell (i.e., flashing) should
4594 be used instead of an audible bell when Control-G is received.
4595 The default is “false”, which tells xterm to use an audible
4596 bell.
4597 visualBellDelay (class VisualBellDelay)
4599 Number of milliseconds to delay when displaying a visual bell.
4600 Default is 100. If set to zero, no visual bell is displayed.
4601 This is useful for very slow displays, e.g., an LCD display on
4602 a laptop.
4603 visualBellLine (class VisualBellLine)
4605 Specifies whether to flash only the current line when
4606 displaying a visual bell rather than flashing the entire
4607 screen: The default is “false”, which tells xterm to flash the
4608 entire screen.
4609 vt100Graphics (class VT100Graphics)
4611 This specifies whether xterm will interpret VT100 graphic
4612 character escape sequences while in UTF-8 mode. This feature
4613 also applies to code-pages (e.g., for VT320 and VT520) and
4614 National Replacement Character Sets (VT220 and up), but not US-
4615 ASCII (the initially selected character set), to avoid conflict
4616 with UTF-8. The default is “true”, to provide support for
4617 various legacy applications.
4618 wideBoldFont (class WideBoldFont)
4620 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying bold
4621 wide text. By default, it will attempt to use a font twice as
4622 wide as the font that will be used to draw bold text. If no
4623 double-width font is found, it will improvise, by stretching
4624 the bold font.
4625 wideChars (class WideChars)
4627 Specifies if xterm should respond to control sequences that
4628 process 16-bit characters. The default is “false”.
4629 wideFont (class WideFont)
4631 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying wide
4632 text. By default, it will attempt to use a font twice as wide
4633 as the font that will be used to draw normal text. If no
4634 double-width font is found, it will improvise, by stretching
4635 the normal font.
4636 xftMaxGlyphMemory (class XftMaxGlyphMemory)
4638 Set the Xft library's limit on glyph memory (typically 4Mb).
4639 When it reaches this limit, it discards “randomly chosen”
4640 glyphs to make room for new ones. The default is “0” to use
4641 Xft's default value.
4642 xftMaxUnrefFonts (class XftMaxUnrefFonts)
4644 Set the Xft library's limit on fonts which have been loaded
4645 (typically 16), e.g., matching patterns for fallback searches,
4646 but are not actually used. The default is “0” to use Xft's
4647 default value.
4648 xftTrackMemUsage (class XftTrackMemUsage)
4650 Enables glyph memory tracking (introduced in Xft 2.3.5), which
4651 allows Xft to efficiently discard obsolete data when running
4652 short of memory. The default is “false”.
4653 ximFont (class XimFont)
4655 This option specifies the font to be used for displaying the
4656 preedit string in the “OverTheSpot” input method.
4657 In “OverTheSpot” preedit type, the preedit (preconversion)
4659 string is displayed at the position of the cursor. It is the
4660 XIM server's responsibility to display the preedit string. The
4661 XIM client must inform the XIM server of the cursor position.
4662 For best results, the preedit string must be displayed with a
4663 proper font. Therefore, xterm informs the XIM server of the
4664 proper font. The font is be supplied by a "fontset", whose
4665 default value is “*”. This matches every font, the X library
4666 automatically chooses fonts with proper charsets. The ximFont
4667 resource is provided to override this default font setting.
4668 Tek4014 Widget Resources
4670 The following resources are specified as part of the tek4014 widget
4671 (class Tek4014). These are specified by patterns such as
4672 “XTerm.tek4014.NAME”:
4673 font2 (class Font)
4675 Specifies font number 2 to use in the Tektronix window.
4676 font3 (class Font)
4678 Specifies font number 3 to use in the Tektronix window.
4679 fontLarge (class Font)
4681 Specifies the large font to use in the Tektronix window.
4682 fontSmall (class Font)
4684 Specifies the small font to use in the Tektronix window.
4685 ginTerminator (class GinTerminator)
4687 Specifies what character(s) should follow a GIN report or
4688 status report. The possibilities are “none”, which sends no
4689 terminating characters, “CRonly”, which sends CR, and “CR&EOT”,
4690 which sends both CR and EOT. The default is “none”.
4691 height (class Height)
4693 Specifies the height of the Tektronix window in pixels.
4694 initialFont (class InitialFont)
4696 Specifies which of the four Tektronix fonts to use initially.
4697 Values are the same as for the set-tek-text action. The
4698 default is “large”.
4699 width (class Width)
4701 Specifies the width of the Tektronix window in pixels.
4702 Menu Resources
4704 The resources that may be specified for the various menus are described
4705 in the documentation for the Athena SimpleMenu widget. The name and
4706 classes of the entries in each of the menus are listed below.
4707 Resources named “lineN” where N is a number are separators with class
4708 SmeLine.
4709 As with all X resource-based widgets, the labels mentioned are
4711 customary defaults for the application.
4712 The Main Options menu (widget name mainMenu) has the following entries:
4714 toolbar (class SmeBSB)
4716 This entry invokes the set-toolbar(toggle) action.
4717 securekbd (class SmeBSB)
4719 This entry invokes the secure() action.
4720 allowsends (class SmeBSB)
4722 This entry invokes the allow-send-events(toggle) action.
4723 redraw (class SmeBSB)
4725 This entry invokes the redraw() action.
4726 logging (class SmeBSB)
4728 This entry invokes the logging(toggle) action.
4729 print-immediate (class SmeBSB)
4731 This entry invokes the print-immediate() action.
4732 print-on-error (class SmeBSB)
4734 This entry invokes the print-on-error() action.
4735 print (class SmeBSB)
4737 This entry invokes the print() action.
4738 print-redir (class SmeBSB)
4740 This entry invokes the print-redir() action.
4741 dump-html (class SmeBSB)
4743 This entry invokes the dump-html() action.
4744 dump-svg (class SmeBSB)
4746 This entry invokes the dump-svg() action.
4747 8-bit-control (class SmeBSB)
4749 This entry invokes the set-8-bit-control(toggle) action.
4750 backarrow key (class SmeBSB)
4752 This entry invokes the set-backarrow(toggle) action.
4753 num-lock (class SmeBSB)
4755 This entry invokes the set-num-lock(toggle) action.
4756 alt-esc (class SmeBSB)
4758 This entry invokes the alt-sends-escape(toggle) action.
4759 meta-esc (class SmeBSB)
4761 This entry invokes the meta-sends-escape(toggle) action.
4762 delete-is-del (class SmeBSB)
4764 This entry invokes the delete-is-del(toggle) action.
4765 oldFunctionKeys (class SmeBSB)
4767 This entry invokes the set-old-function-keys(toggle) action.
4768 hpFunctionKeys (class SmeBSB)
4770 This entry invokes the set-hp-function-keys(toggle) action.
4771 scoFunctionKeys (class SmeBSB)
4773 This entry invokes the set-sco-function-keys(toggle) action.
4774 sunFunctionKeys (class SmeBSB)
4776 This entry invokes the set-sun-function-keys(toggle) action.
4777 sunKeyboard (class SmeBSB)
4779 This entry invokes the sunKeyboard(toggle) action.
4780 suspend (class SmeBSB)
4782 This entry invokes the send-signal(tstp) action on systems that
4783 support job control.
4784 continue (class SmeBSB)
4786 This entry invokes the send-signal(cont) action on systems that
4787 support job control.
4788 interrupt (class SmeBSB)
4790 This entry invokes the send-signal(int) action.
4791 hangup (class SmeBSB)
4793 This entry invokes the send-signal(hup) action.
4794 terminate (class SmeBSB)
4796 This entry invokes the send-signal(term) action.
4797 kill (class SmeBSB)
4799 This entry invokes the send-signal(kill) action.
4800 quit (class SmeBSB)
4802 This entry invokes the quit() action.
4803 The VT Options menu (widget name vtMenu) has the following entries:
4805 scrollbar (class SmeBSB)
4807 This entry invokes the set-scrollbar(toggle) action.
4808 jumpscroll (class SmeBSB)
4810 This entry invokes the set-jumpscroll(toggle) action.
4811 reversevideo (class SmeBSB)
4813 This entry invokes the set-reverse-video(toggle) action.
4814 autowrap (class SmeBSB)
4816 This entry invokes the set-autowrap(toggle) action.
4817 reversewrap (class SmeBSB)
4819 This entry invokes the set-reversewrap(toggle) action.
4820 autolinefeed (class SmeBSB)
4822 This entry invokes the set-autolinefeed(toggle) action.
4823 appcursor (class SmeBSB)
4825 This entry invokes the set-appcursor(toggle) action.
4826 appkeypad (class SmeBSB)
4828 This entry invokes the set-appkeypad(toggle) action.
4829 scrollkey (class SmeBSB)
4831 This entry invokes the set-scroll-on-key(toggle) action.
4832 scrollttyoutput (class SmeBSB)
4834 This entry invokes the set-scroll-on-tty-output(toggle) action.
4835 allow132 (class SmeBSB)
4837 This entry invokes the set-allow132(toggle) action.
4838 cursesemul (class SmeBSB)
4840 This entry invokes the set-cursesemul(toggle) action.
4841 keepSelection (class SmeBSB)
4843 This entry invokes the set-keep-selection(toggle) action.
4844 selectToClipboard (class SmeBSB)
4846 This entry invokes the set-keep-clipboard(toggle) action.
4847 visualbell (class SmeBSB)
4849 This entry invokes the set-visual-bell(toggle) action.
4850 bellIsUrgent (class SmeBSB)
4852 This entry invokes the set-bellIsUrgent(toggle) action.
4853 poponbell (class SmeBSB)
4855 This entry invokes the set-pop-on-bell(toggle) action.
4856 cursorblink (class SmeBSB)
4858 This entry invokes the set-cursorblink(toggle) action.
4859 titeInhibit (class SmeBSB)
4861 This entry invokes the set-titeInhibit(toggle) action.
4862 activeicon (class SmeBSB)
4864 This entry toggles active icons on and off if this feature was
4865 compiled into xterm. It is enabled only if xterm was started
4866 with the command line option +ai or the activeIcon resource is
4867 set to “true”.
4868 softreset (class SmeBSB)
4870 This entry invokes the soft-reset() action.
4871 hardreset (class SmeBSB)
4873 This entry invokes the hard-reset() action.
4874 clearsavedlines (class SmeBSB)
4876 This entry invokes the clear-saved-lines() action.
4877 tekshow (class SmeBSB)
4879 This entry invokes the set-visibility(tek,toggle) action.
4880 tekmode (class SmeBSB)
4882 This entry invokes the set-terminal-type(tek) action.
4883 vthide (class SmeBSB)
4885 This entry invokes the set-visibility(vt,off) action.
4886 altscreen (class SmeBSB)
4888 This entry invokes the set-altscreen(toggle) action.
4889 sixelScrolling (class SmeBSB)
4891 This entry invokes the set-sixel-scrolling(toggle) action.
4892 privateColorRegisters (class SmeBSB)
4894 This entry invokes the set-private-colors(toggle) action.
4895 The VT Fonts menu (widget name fontMenu) has the following entries:
4897 fontdefault (class SmeBSB)
4899 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(d) action, setting the font
4900 using the font (default) resource, e.g., “Default” in the menu.
4901 font1 (class SmeBSB)
4903 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(1) action, setting the font
4904 using the font1 resource, e.g., “Unreadable” in the menu.
4905 font2 (class SmeBSB)
4907 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(2) action, setting the font
4908 using the font2 resource, e.g., “Tiny” in the menu.
4909 font3 (class SmeBSB)
4911 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(3) action, setting the font
4912 using the font3 resource, e.g., “Small” in the menu.
4913 font4 (class SmeBSB)
4915 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(4) action, letting the font
4916 using the font4 resource, e.g., “Medium” in the menu.
4917 font5 (class SmeBSB)
4919 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(5) action, letting the font
4920 using the font5 resource, e.g., “Large” in the menu.
4921 font6 (class SmeBSB)
4923 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(6) action, letting the font
4924 using the font6 resource, e.g., “Huge” in the menu.
4925 font7 (class SmeBSB)
4927 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(7) action, letting the font
4928 using the font7 resource, e.g., “Enormous” in the menu.
4929 fontescape (class SmeBSB)
4931 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(e) action.
4932 fontsel (class SmeBSB)
4934 This entry invokes the set-vt-font(s) action.
4935 allow-bold-fonts (class SmeBSB)
4937 This entry invokes the allow-bold-fonts(toggle) action.
4938 font-linedrawing (class SmeBSB)
4940 This entry invokes the set-font-linedrawing(s) action.
4941 font-packed (class SmeBSB)
4943 This entry invokes the set-font-packed(s) action.
4944 font-doublesize (class SmeBSB)
4946 This entry invokes the set-font-doublesize(s) action.
4947 render-font (class SmeBSB)
4949 This entry invokes the set-render-font(s) action.
4950 utf8-fonts (class SmeBSB)
4952 This entry invokes the set-utf8-fonts(s) action.
4953 utf8-mode (class SmeBSB)
4955 This entry invokes the set-utf8-mode(s) action.
4956 utf8-title (class SmeBSB)
4958 This entry invokes the set-utf8-title(s) action.
4959 allow-color-ops (class SmeBSB)
4961 This entry invokes the allow-color-ops(toggle) action.
4962 allow-font-ops (class SmeBSB)
4964 This entry invokes the allow-fonts-ops(toggle) action.
4965 allow-tcap-ops (class SmeBSB)
4967 This entry invokes the allow-tcap-ops(toggle) action.
4968 allow-title-ops (class SmeBSB)
4970 This entry invokes the allow-title-ops(toggle) action.
4971 allow-window-ops (class SmeBSB)
4973 This entry invokes the allow-window-ops(toggle) action.
4974 The Tek Options menu (widget name tekMenu) has the following entries:
4976 tektextlarge (class SmeBSB)
4978 This entry invokes the set-tek-text(large) action.
4979 tektext2 (class SmeBSB)
4981 This entry invokes the set-tek-text(2) action.
4982 tektext3 (class SmeBSB)
4984 This entry invokes the set-tek-text(3) action.
4985 tektextsmall (class SmeBSB)
4987 This entry invokes the set-tek-text(small) action.
4988 tekpage (class SmeBSB)
4990 This entry invokes the tek-page() action.
4991 tekreset (class SmeBSB)
4993 This entry invokes the tek-reset() action.
4994 tekcopy (class SmeBSB)
4996 This entry invokes the tek-copy() action.
4997 vtshow (class SmeBSB)
4999 This entry invokes the set-visibility(vt,toggle) action.
5000 vtmode (class SmeBSB)
5002 This entry invokes the set-terminal-type(vt) action.
5003 tekhide (class SmeBSB)
5005 This entry invokes the set-visibility(tek,toggle) action.
5006 Scrollbar Resources
5008 The following resources are useful when specified for the Athena
5009 Scrollbar widget:
5010 background (class Background)
5012 Specifies the color to use for the background of the scrollbar.
5013 foreground (class Foreground)
5015 Specifies the color to use for the foreground of the scrollbar.
5016 thickness (class Thickness)
5018 Specifies the width in pixels of the scrollbar (default: 14).
5019 This may be overridden by the width resource.
5021 thumb (class Thumb)
5023 The default “thumb” pixmap used for the scrollbar is a simple
5024 checkerboard pattern alternating pixels for foreground and
5025 background color.
5026 width (class Width)
5028 Specifies the width in pixels of the scrollbar (default: 0).
5029 The widget checks the width resource first, using the thickness
5031 value if the width is zero.
5032
5034 Once the VTxxx window is created, xterm allows you to select text and
5035 copy it within the same or other windows using the pointer or the
5036 keyboard.
5037 A “pointer” could be a mouse, touchpad or similar device. X
5039 applications generally do not care, since they see only button events
5040 which have
5041 • position and
5043 • button up/down state
5045 Xterm can see these events as long as it has focus.
5047 The keyboard also supplies events, but it is less flexible than the
5049 pointer for selecting/copying text.
5050 Events are applied to actions using the translations resource. See
5052 Actions for a complete list, and Default Key Bindings for the built-in
5053 set of translations resources.
5054 Selection Functions
5056 By default, the selection functions are invoked when the pointer
5057 buttons are used with no modifiers, and when they are used with the
5058 “shift” key. The “shift” key is special, because xterm uses that to
5059 ensure that selection functions are still available when it is
5060 programmed to send escape sequences in one of the mouse modes (see
5061 Xterm Control Sequences, as well as the resource disallowedMouseOps).
5062 At startup, xterm inspects the translations resource to see which
5064 pointer buttons may be used in this way, and remembers these buttons
5065 when deciding whether to send escape sequences or perform selection
5066 when those buttons are used with the “shift” modifier. Other pointer
5067 buttons, e.g., typically those sent for wheel mouse events, are not
5068 affected.
5069 The assignment of the functions described below to keys and buttons may
5071 be changed through the resource database; see Actions below.
5072 Pointer button one (usually left)
5074 is used to save text into the cut buffer:
5075 ~Meta <Btn1Down>:select-start()
5077 Move the cursor to beginning of the text, and then hold the button
5079 down while moving the cursor to the end of the region and
5080 releasing the button. The selected text is highlighted and is
5081 saved in the global cut buffer and made the selection when the
5082 button is released:
5083 <BtnUp>:select-end(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0) \n
5085 Normally (but see the discussion of on2Clicks, etc):
5087 • Double-clicking selects by words.
5089 • Triple-clicking selects by lines.
5091 • Quadruple-clicking goes back to characters, etc.
5093 Multiple-click is determined by the time from button up to button
5095 down, so you can change the selection unit in the middle of a
5096 selection. Logical words and lines selected by double- or triple-
5097 clicking may wrap across more than one screen line if lines were
5098 wrapped by xterm itself rather than by the application running in
5099 the window. If the key/button bindings specify that an X
5100 selection is to be made, xterm will leave the selected text
5101 highlighted for as long as it is the selection owner.
5102 Pointer button two (usually middle)
5104 “types” (pastes) the text from the given selection, if any,
5105 otherwise from the cut buffer, inserting it as keyboard input:
5106 ~Ctrl ~Meta <Btn2Up>:insert-selection(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0)
5108 Pointer button three (usually right)
5110 extends the current selection.
5111 ~Ctrl ~Meta <Btn3Down>:start-extend()
5113 (Without loss of generality, you can swap “right” and “left”
5115 everywhere in the rest of this paragraph.) If pressed while
5116 closer to the right edge of the selection than the left, it
5117 extends/contracts the right edge of the selection. If you
5118 contract the selection past the left edge of the selection, xterm
5119 assumes you really meant the left edge, restores the original
5120 selection, then extends/contracts the left edge of the selection.
5121 Extension starts in the selection unit mode that the last
5122 selection or extension was performed in; you can multiple-click to
5123 cycle through them.
5124 By cutting and pasting pieces of text without trailing new lines, you
5126 can take text from several places in different windows and form a
5127 command to the shell, for example, or take output from a program and
5128 insert it into your favorite editor. Since cut buffers are globally
5129 shared among different applications, you may regard each as a “file”
5130 whose contents you know. The terminal emulator and other text programs
5131 should be treating it as if it were a text file, i.e., the text is
5132 delimited by new lines.
5133 Scrolling
5135 The scroll region displays the position and amount of text currently
5136 showing in the window (highlighted) relative to the amount of text
5137 actually saved. As more text is saved (up to the maximum), the size of
5138 the highlighted area decreases.
5139 Clicking button one with the pointer in the scroll region moves the
5141 adjacent line to the top of the display window.
5142 Clicking button three moves the top line of the display window down to
5144 the pointer position.
5145 Clicking button two moves the display to a position in the saved text
5147 that corresponds to the pointer's position in the scrollbar.
5148 Tektronix Pointer
5150 Unlike the VTxxx window, the Tektronix window does not allow the
5151 copying of text. It does allow Tektronix GIN mode, and in this mode
5152 the cursor will change from an arrow to a cross. Pressing any key will
5153 send that key and the current coordinate of the cross cursor. Pressing
5154 button one, two, or three will return the letters “l”, “m”, and “r”,
5155 respectively. If the “shift” key is pressed when a pointer button is
5156 pressed, the corresponding upper case letter is sent. To distinguish a
5157 pointer button from a key, the high bit of the character is set (but
5158 this is bit is normally stripped unless the terminal mode is RAW; see
5159 tty(4) for details).
5160
5162 X clients provide select and paste support by responding to requests
5163 conveyed by the X server. The X server holds data in “atoms” which
5164 correspond to the different types of selection (PRIMARY, SECONDARY,
5165 CLIPBOARD) as well as the similar cut buffer mechanism (CUT_BUFFER0 to
5166 CUT_BUFFER7). Those are documented in the ICCCM.
5167 The ICCCM deals with the underlying mechanism for select/paste. It
5169 does not mention highlighting. The selection is not the same as
5170 highlighting. Xterm (like many applications) uses highlighting to show
5171 you the currently selected text. An X application may own a selection,
5172 which allows it to be the source of data copied using a given selection
5173 atom Xterm may continue owning a selection after it stops highlighting
5174 (see keepSelection).
5175 PRIMARY
5177 When configured to use the primary selection (the default), xterm can
5178 provide the selection data in ways which help to retain character
5179 encoding information as it is pasted.
5180 The PRIMARY token is a standard X feature, documented in the ICCCM
5182 (Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual), which states
5183 The selection named by the atom PRIMARY is used for all commands
5185 that take only a single argument and is the principal means of
5186 communication between clients that use the selection mechanism.
5187 A user “selects” text on xterm, which highlights the selected text. A
5189 subsequent “paste” to another client forwards a request to the client
5190 owning the selection. If xterm owns the primary selection, it makes
5191 the data available in the form of one or more “selection targets”. If
5192 it does not own the primary selection, e.g., if it has released it or
5193 another client has asserted ownership, it relies on cut-buffers to pass
5194 the data. But cut-buffers handle only ISO-8859-1 data (officially -
5195 some clients ignore the rules).
5196 CLIPBOARD
5198 When configured to use the clipboard (using the selectToClipboard
5199 resource), the problem with persistence of ownership is bypassed.
5200 Otherwise, there is no difference regarding the data which can be
5201 passed via selection.
5202 The selectToClipboard resource is a compromise, allowing CLIPBOARD to
5204 be treated almost like PRIMARY, unlike the ICCCM, which describes
5205 CLIPBOARD in different terms than PRIMARY or SECONDARY. Its lengthy
5206 explanation begins with the essential points:
5207 The selection named by the atom CLIPBOARD is used to hold data that
5209 is being transferred between clients, that is, data that usually is
5210 being cut and then pasted or copied and then pasted. Whenever a
5211 client wants to transfer data to the clipboard:
5212 • It should assert ownership of the CLIPBOARD.
5214 • If it succeeds in acquiring ownership, it should be prepared to
5216 respond to a request for the contents of the CLIPBOARD in the
5217 usual way (retaining the data to be able to return it). The
5218 request may be generated by the clipboard client described
5219 below.
5220 SELECT
5222 However, many applications use CLIPBOARD in imitation of other
5223 windowing systems. The selectToClipboard resource (and corresponding
5224 menu entry Select to Clipboard) introduce the SELECT token (known only
5225 to xterm) which chooses between the PRIMARY and CLIPBOARD tokens.
5226 Without using this feature, one can use workarounds such as the xclip
5228 program to show the contents of the X clipboard within an xterm window.
5229 SECONDARY
5231 This is used less often than PRIMARY or CLIPBOARD. According to the
5232 ICCCM, it is used
5233 • As the second argument to commands taking two arguments (for
5235 example, “exchange primary and secondary selections”)
5236 • As a means of obtaining data when there is a primary selection and
5238 the user does not want to disturb it
5239 Selection Targets
5241 The different types of data which are passed depend on what the
5242 receiving client asks for. These are termed selection targets.
5243 When asking for the selection data, xterm tries the following types in
5245 this order:
5246 UTF8_STRING
5248 This is an XFree86 extension, which denotes that the data is
5249 encoded in UTF-8. When xterm is built with wide-character
5250 support, it both accepts and provides this type.
5251 TEXT the text is in the encoding which corresponds to your current
5253 locale.
5254 COMPOUND_TEXT
5256 this is a format for multiple character set data, such as
5257 multi-lingual text. It can store UTF-8 data as a special
5258 case.
5259 STRING
5261 This is Latin 1 (ISO-8859-1) data.
5262 The middle two (TEXT and COMPOUND_TEXT) are added if xterm is
5264 configured with the i18nSelections resource set to “true”.
5265 UTF8_STRING is preferred (therefore first in the list) since xterm
5267 stores text as Unicode data when running in wide-character mode, and no
5268 translation is needed. On the other hand, TEXT and COMPOUND_TEXT may
5269 require translation. If the translation is incomplete, they will
5270 insert X's “defaultString” whose value cannot be set, and may simply be
5271 empty. Xterm's defaultString resource specifies the string to use for
5272 incomplete translations of the UTF8_STRING.
5273 You can alter the types which xterm tries using the eightBitSelectTypes
5275 or utf8SelectTypes resources. For instance, you might have some
5276 specific locale setting which does not use UTF-8 encoding. The
5277 resource value is a comma-separated list of the selection targets,
5278 which consist of the names shown. You can use the special name I18N to
5279 denote the optional inclusion of TEXT and COMPOUND_TEXT. The names are
5280 matched ignoring case, and can be abbreviated. The default list can be
5281 expressed in several ways, e.g.,
5282 UTF8_STRING,I18N,STRING
5284 utf8,i18n,string
5285 u,i,s
5286 Mouse Protocol
5288 Applications can send escape sequences to xterm to cause it to send
5289 escape sequences back to the computer when you press a pointer button,
5290 or even (depending on which escape sequence) send escape sequences back
5291 to the computer as you move the pointer.
5292 These escape sequences and the responses, called the mouse protocol,
5294 are documented in XTerm Control Sequences. They do not appear in the
5295 actions invoked by the translations resource because the resource does
5296 not change while you run xterm, whereas applications can change the
5297 mouse prototol (i.e., enable, disable, use different modes).
5298 However, the mouse protocol is interpreted within the actions that are
5300 usually associated with the pointer buttons. Xterm ignores the mouse
5301 protocol in the insert-selection action if the shift-key is pressed at
5302 the same time. It also modifies a few other actions if the shift-key
5303 is pressed, e.g., suppressing the response with the pointer position,
5304 though not eliminating changes to the selected text.
5305
5307 Xterm has four menus, named mainMenu, vtMenu, fontMenu, and tekMenu.
5308 Each menu pops up under the correct combinations of key and button
5309 presses. Each menu is divided into sections, separated by a horizontal
5310 line. Some menu entries correspond to modes that can be altered. A
5311 check mark appears next to a mode that is currently active. Selecting
5312 one of these modes toggles its state. Other menu entries are commands;
5313 selecting one of these performs the indicated function.
5314 All of the menu entries correspond to X actions. In the list below,
5316 the menu label is shown followed by the action's name in parenthesis.
5317 Main Options
5319 The xterm mainMenu pops up when the “control” key and pointer button
5320 one are pressed in a window. This menu contains items that apply to
5321 both the VTxxx and Tektronix windows. There are several sections:
5322 Commands for managing X events:
5324 Toolbar (resource toolbar)
5326 Clicking on the “Toolbar” menu entry hides the toolbar if
5327 it is visible, and shows it if it is not.
5328 Secure Keyboard (resource securekbd)
5330 The Secure Keyboard mode is helpful when typing in
5331 passwords or other sensitive data in an unsecure
5332 environment (see SECURITY below, but read the limitations
5333 carefully).
5334 Allow SendEvents (resource allowsends)
5336 Specifies whether or not synthetic key and button events
5337 generated using the X protocol SendEvent request should
5338 be interpreted or discarded. This corresponds to the
5339 allowSendEvents resource.
5340 Redraw Window (resource redraw)
5342 Forces the X display to repaint; useful in some
5343 environments.
5344 Commands for capturing output:
5346 Log to File (resource logging)
5348 Captures text sent to the screen in a log file, as in the
5349 -l logging option.
5350 Print-All Immediately (resource print-immediate)
5352 Invokes the print-immediate action, sending the text of
5353 the current window directly to a file, as specified by
5354 the printFileImmediate, printModeImmediate and
5355 printOptsImmediate resources.
5356 Print-All on Error (resource print-on-error)
5358 Invokes the print-on-error action, which toggles a flag
5359 telling xterm that if it exits with an X error, to send
5360 the text of the current window directly to a file, as
5361 specified by the printFileOnXError, printModeOnXError and
5362 printOptsOnXError resources.
5363 Print Window (resource print)
5365 Sends the text of the current window to the program given
5366 in the printerCommand resource.
5367 Redirect to Printer (resource print-redir)
5369 This sets the printerControlMode to 0 or 2. You can use
5370 this to turn the printer on as if an application had sent
5371 the appropriate control sequence. It is also useful for
5372 switching the printer off if an application turns it on
5373 without resetting the print control mode.
5374 XHTML Screen Dump (resource dump-html)
5376 Available only when compiled with screen dump support.
5377 Invokes the dump-html action. This creates an XHTML file
5378 matching the contents of the current screen, including
5379 the border, internal border, colors and most attributes:
5380 bold, italic, underline, faint, strikeout, reverse; blink
5381 is rendered as white-on-red; double underline is rendered
5382 the same as underline since there is no portable
5383 equivalent in CSS 2.2.
5384 The font is whatever your browser uses for preformatted
5386 (<pre>) elements. The XHTML file references a cascading
5387 style sheet (CSS) named “xterm.css” that you can create
5388 to select a font or override properties.
5389 The following CSS selectors are used with the expected
5391 default behavior in the XHTML file:
5392 .ul for underline,
5394 .bd for bold,
5395 .it for italic,
5396 .st for strikeout,
5397 .lu for strikeout combined with underline.
5398 In addition you may use
5400 .ev to affect even numbered lines and
5402 .od to affect odd numbered lines.
5403 Attributes faint, reverse and blink are implemented as
5405 style attributes setting color properties. All colors
5406 are specified as RGB percentages in order to support
5407 displays with 10 bits per RGB.
5408 The name of the file will be
5410 xterm.yyyy.MM.dd.hh.mm.ss.xhtml
5412 where yyyy, MM, dd, hh, mm and ss are the year, month,
5414 day, hour, minute and second when the screen dump was
5415 performed (the file is created in the directory xterm is
5416 started in, or the home directory for a login xterm).
5417 The dump-html action can also be triggered using the
5419 Media Copy control sequence CSI 1 0 i, for example from a
5420 shell script with
5421 printf '\033[10i'
5423 Only the UTF-8 encoding is supported.
5425 SVG Screen Dump (resource dump-svg)
5427 Available only when compiled with screen dump support.
5428 Invokes the dump-svg action. This creates a Scalable
5429 Vector Graphics (SVG) file matching the contents of the
5430 current screen, including the border, internal border,
5431 colors and most attributes: bold, italic, underline,
5432 double underline, faint, strikeout, reverse; blink is
5433 rendered as white-on-red. The font is whatever your
5434 renderer uses for the monospace font-family. All colors
5435 are specified as RGB percentages in order to support
5436 displays with 10 bits per RGB.
5437 The name of the file will be
5439 xterm.yyyy.MM.dd.hh.mm.ss.svg
5441 where yyyy, MM, dd, hh, mm and ss are the year, month,
5443 day, hour, minute and second when the screen dump was
5444 performed (the file is created in the directory xterm is
5445 started in, or the home directory for a login xterm).
5446 The dump-svg action can also be triggered using the Media
5448 Copy control sequence CSI 1 1 i, for example from a shell
5449 script with
5450 printf '\033[11i'
5452 Only the UTF-8 encoding is supported.
5454 Modes for setting keyboard style:
5456 8-Bit Controls (resource 8-bit-control)
5458 Enabled for VT220 emulation, this controls whether xterm
5459 will send 8-bit control sequences rather than using 7-bit
5460 (ASCII) controls, e.g., sending a byte in the range
5461 128–159 rather than the escape character followed by a
5462 second byte. Xterm always interprets both 8-bit and
5463 7-bit control sequences (see Xterm Control Sequences).
5464 This corresponds to the eightBitControl resource.
5465 Backarrow Key (BS/DEL) (resource backarrow key)
5467 Modifies the behavior of the backarrow key, making it
5468 transmit either a backspace (8) or delete (127)
5469 character. This corresponds to the backarrowKey
5470 resource.
5471 Alt/NumLock Modifiers (resource num-lock)
5473 Controls the treatment of Alt- and NumLock-key modifiers.
5474 This corresponds to the numLock resource.
5475 Meta Sends Escape (resource meta-esc)
5477 Controls whether Meta keys are converted into a two-
5478 character sequence with the character itself preceded by
5479 ESC. This corresponds to the metaSendsEscape resource.
5480 Delete is DEL (resource delete-is-del)
5482 Controls whether the Delete key on the editing keypad
5483 should send DEL (127) or the VT220-style Remove escape
5484 sequence. This corresponds to the deleteIsDEL resource.
5485 Old Function-Keys (resource oldFunctionKeys)
5487 HP Function-Keys (resource hpFunctionKeys)
5489 SCO Function-Keys (resource scoFunctionKeys)
5491 Sun Function-Keys (resource sunFunctionKeys)
5493 VT220 Keyboard (resource sunKeyboard)
5495 These act as a radio-button, selecting one style for the
5496 keyboard layout. The layout corresponds to more than one
5497 resource setting: sunKeyboard, sunFunctionKeys,
5498 scoFunctionKeys and hpFunctionKeys.
5499 Commands for process signalling:
5501 Send STOP Signal (resource suspend)
5503 Send CONT Signal (resource continue)
5505 Send INT Signal (resource interrupt)
5507 Send HUP Signal (resource hangup)
5509 Send TERM Signal (resource terminate)
5511 Send KILL Signal (resource kill)
5513 These send the SIGTSTP, SIGCONT, SIGINT, SIGHUP, SIGTERM
5514 and SIGKILL signals respectively, to the process group of
5515 the process running under xterm (usually the shell). The
5516 SIGCONT function is especially useful if the user has
5517 accidentally typed CTRL-Z, suspending the process.
5518 Quit (resource quit)
5520 Stop processing X events except to support the -hold
5521 option, and then send a SIGHUP signal to the process
5522 group of the process running under xterm (usually the
5523 shell).
5524 VT Options
5526 The xterm vtMenu sets various modes in the VTxxx emulation, and is
5527 popped up when the “control” key and pointer button two are pressed in
5528 the VTxxx window.
5529 VTxxx Modes:
5531 Enable Scrollbar (resource scrollbar)
5533 Enable (or disable) the scrollbar. This corresponds to
5534 the -sb option and the scrollBar resource.
5535 Enable Jump Scroll (resource jumpscroll)
5537 Enable (or disable) jump scrolling. This corresponds to
5538 the -j option and the jumpScroll resource.
5539 Enable Reverse Video (resource reversevideo)
5541 Enable (or disable) reverse-video. This corresponds to
5542 the -rv option and the reverseVideo resource.
5543 Enable Auto Wraparound (resource autowrap)
5545 Enable (or disable) auto-wraparound. This corresponds to
5546 the -aw option and the autoWrap resource.
5547 Enable Reverse Wraparound (resource reversewrap)
5549 Enable (or disable) reverse wraparound. This corresponds
5550 to the -rw option and the reverseWrap resource.
5551 Enable Auto Linefeed (resource autolinefeed)
5553 Enable (or disable) auto-linefeed. This is the VT102 NEL
5554 function, which causes the emulator to emit a line feed
5555 after each carriage return. There is no corresponding
5556 command-line option or resource setting.
5557 Enable Application Cursor Keys (resource appcursor)
5559 Enable (or disable) application cursor keys. This
5560 corresponds to the appcursorDefault resource. There is
5561 no corresponding command-line option.
5562 Enable Application Keypad (resource appkeypad)
5564 Enable (or disable) application keypad keys. This
5565 corresponds to the appkeypadDefault resource. There is
5566 no corresponding command-line option.
5567 Scroll to Bottom on Key Press (resource scrollkey)
5569 Enable (or disable) scrolling to the bottom of the
5570 scrolling region on a keypress. This corresponds to the
5571 -sk option and the scrollKey resource.
5572 As a special case, the XON / XOFF keys (control/S and
5574 control/Q) are ignored.
5575 Scroll to Bottom on Tty Output (resource scrollttyoutput)
5577 Enable (or disable) scrolling to the bottom of the
5578 scrolling region on output to the terminal. This
5579 corresponds to the -si option and the scrollTtyOutput
5580 resource.
5581 Allow 80/132 Column Switching (resource allow132)
5583 Enable (or disable) switching between 80 and 132 columns.
5584 This corresponds to the -132 option and the c132
5585 resource.
5586 Keep Selection (resource keepSelection)
5588 Tell xterm whether to disown the selection when it stops
5589 highlighting it, e.g., when an application modifies the
5590 display so that it no longer matches the text which has
5591 been highlighted. As long as xterm continues to own the
5592 selection for a given atom, it can provide the
5593 corresponding text to other clients which request the
5594 selection using that atom.
5595 This corresponds to the keepSelection resource. There is
5597 no corresponding command-line option.
5598 Telling xterm to not disown the selection does not
5600 prevent other applications from taking ownership of the
5601 selection. When that happens, xterm receives
5602 notification that this has happened, and removes its
5603 highlighting.
5604 See SELECT/PASTE for more information.
5606 Select to Clipboard (resource selectToClipboard)
5608 Tell xterm whether to use the PRIMARY or CLIPBOARD for
5609 SELECT tokens in the translations resource which maps
5610 keyboard and mouse actions to select/paste actions.
5611 This corresponds to the selectToClipboard resource.
5613 There is no corresponding command-line option.
5614 The keepSelection resource setting applies to CLIPBOARD
5616 selections just as it does for PRIMARY selections.
5617 However some window managers treat the clipboard
5618 specially. For instance, XQuartz's synchronization
5619 between the OSX pasteboard and the X11 clipboard causes
5620 applications to lose the selection ownership for that
5621 atom when a selection is copied to the clipboard.
5622 See SELECT/PASTE for more information.
5624 Enable Visual Bell (resource visualbell)
5626 Enable (or disable) visible bell (i.e., flashing) instead
5627 of an audible bell. This corresponds to the -vb option
5628 and the visualBell resource.
5629 Enable Bell Urgency (resource bellIsUrgent)
5631 Enable (or disable) Urgency window manager hint when
5632 Control-G is received. This corresponds to the
5633 bellIsUrgent resource.
5634 Enable Pop on Bell (resource poponbell)
5636 Enable (or disable) raising of the window when Control-G
5637 is received. This corresponds to the -pop option and the
5638 popOnBell resource.
5639 Enable Blinking Cursor (resource cursorblink)
5641 Enable (or disable) the blinking-cursor feature. This
5642 corresponds to the -bc option and the cursorBlink
5643 resource. There are also escape sequences (see Xterm
5644 Control Sequences):
5645 • If the cursorBlinkXOR resource is set, the menu entry
5647 and the escape sequence states will be XOR'd: if both
5648 are enabled, the cursor will not blink, if only one
5649 is enabled, the cursor will blink.
5650 • If the cursorBlinkXOR is not set; if either the menu
5652 entry or the escape sequence states are set, the
5653 cursor will blink.
5654 In either case, the checkbox for the menu shows the state
5656 of the cursorBlink resource, which may not correspond to
5657 what the cursor is actually doing.
5658 Enable Alternate Screen Switching (resource titeInhibit)
5660 Enable (or disable) switching between the normal and
5661 alternate screens. This corresponds to the titeInhibit
5662 resource. There is no corresponding command-line option.
5663 Enable Active Icon (resource activeicon)
5665 Enable (or disable) the active-icon feature. This
5666 corresponds to the -ai option and the activeIcon
5667 resource.
5668 Sixel Scrolling (resource sixelScrolling)
5670 This corresponds to the sixelScrolling resource. It can
5671 also be turned off and on using the private mode DECSDM
5672 (Sixel Display Mode).
5673 • When enabled, xterm draws sixel graphics at the
5675 current text cursor location, scrolling the image
5676 vertically if it is larger than the screen, and
5677 leaving the text cursor at the same column in the
5678 next complete line after the image when returning to
5679 text mode
5680 This is the default, which corresponds to the reset
5682 state of DECSDM.
5683 • When disabled, xterm draws sixel graphics starting at
5685 the upper left of the screen, cropping to fit the
5686 screen, and does not alter the text cursor location.
5687 This corresponds to the set state of DECSDM.
5689 There is no corresponding command-line option.
5691 Private Color Registers (resource privateColorRegisters)
5693 If xterm is configured to support ReGIS graphics, this
5694 controls whether a private color palette can be used.
5695 When enabled, each graphic image uses a separate set of
5697 color registers, so that it essentially has a private
5698 palette (this is the default). If it is not set, all
5699 graphics images share a common set of registers which is
5700 how sixel and ReGIS graphics worked on actual hardware.
5701 The default is likely a more useful mode on modern
5702 TrueColor hardware.
5703 This corresponds to the privateColorRegisters resource.
5705 There is no corresponding command-line option.
5706 VTxxx Commands:
5708 Do Soft Reset (resource softreset)
5710 This corresponds to the VT220 DECSTR control sequence. A
5711 soft reset leaves the contents of the window intact, but
5712 resets modes which affect subsequent updates:
5713 Soft reset differs from full reset in a minor detail:
5715 • Set the saved cursor position to the upper-left
5717 corner of the window.
5718 • Exit from the status-line without erasing it.
5720 Both soft/full resets do the following:
5722 • Make the cursor visible, with shape reset according
5724 to the cursorUnderLine and cursorBar resources.
5725 • Enable or disable the cursor-blinking state according
5727 to the cursorBlink resource, and set the Enable
5728 Blinking Cursor menu checkmark to match.
5729 • Reset video attributes, e.g., bold, italic,
5731 underline, blink.
5732 • Reset the ANSI color mode to the xterm default
5734 foreground and background.
5735 • Reset the 256-color palette to its initial state.
5737 • Reset the selected character set, e.g., ASCII,
5739 alternate character set. The UTF-8 modes are not
5740 changed.
5741 • Reset ECMA-48 KAM.
5743 • Reset DECCKM and DECKPAM per resources
5745 appcursorDefault and appkeypadDefault.
5746 • Reset the key-modifier modes to the values set by
5748 resources formatOtherKeys, modifyCursorKeys,
5749 modifyFunctionKeys, modifyKeyboard, and
5750 modifyOtherKeys.
5751 • Reset origin mode (DECOM).
5753 • Reset all margins (i.e., top/bottom and left/right).
5755 This can be convenient when some program has left the
5756 scroll regions set incorrectly (often a problem when
5757 using VMS or TOPS-20).
5758 • Set autowrap and reverse wrapping according to the
5760 resource values autoWrap and reverseWrap.
5761 • Reset checksum extension to the checksumExtension
5763 resource.
5764 Do Full Reset (resource hardreset)
5766 A full reset does this in addition to a soft reset:
5767 • Clear the window.
5769 • Reset tab stops to every eight columns.
5771 • Reset the screen to match the reverseVideo resource.
5773 • Resize the screen to 80 columns if 132-column mode
5775 was initially enabled with the c132 resource.
5776 • Reset scrolling (jump versus smooth) per the
5778 jumpScroll resource.
5779 • Enable linefeed mode (ECMA-48 LNM) and send/receive
5781 mode (ECMA-48 SRM).
5782 • Reset DEC user-defined keys (DECUDK).
5784 • Disable application mode for cursor- and keypad-keys
5786 (DECCKM, DECKPAM).
5787 • Reset menu entry 8-bit Controls, per resource
5789 eightBitControl.
5790 • Reset interpretation of the backarrow key, per
5792 initial resource settings.
5793 • Set the keyboard type according to the resources
5795 keyboardType, hpFunctionKeys, scoFunctionKeys,
5796 sunFunctionKeys, tcapFunctionKeys, oldXtermFKeys and
5797 sunKeyboard.
5798 • Turn mouse tracking off.
5800 • Reset title and pointer modes per resources
5802 titleModes and pointerMode.
5803 • Reset the readline and bracketed paste modes.
5805 • Discard all SIXEL and ReGIS graphics data from
5807 memory.
5808 • Reset sixelScrolling and privateColorRegisters from
5810 initial resource values.
5811 • Set DECSDM if the sixelScrolling resource is true.
5813 Otherwise, reset DECSDM.
5814 A full reset does this, unlike a soft reset:
5816 • Move the cursor to the upper-left corner of the
5818 window, and then save that position.
5819 • Hide the status-line, setting its display-type to
5821 “none”.
5822 Reset and Clear Saved Lines (resource clearsavedlines)
5824 Perform a full reset, and also clear the saved lines.
5825 This corresponds to the VT102 RIS control sequence, with
5827 a few obvious differences. For example, your session is
5828 not disconnected as a real VT102 would do.
5829 Commands for setting the current screen:
5831 Show Tek Window (resource tekshow)
5833 When enabled, pops the Tektronix 4014 window up (makes it
5834 visible). When disabled, hides the Tektronix 4014
5835 window.
5836 Switch to Tek Mode (resource tekmode)
5838 When enabled, pops the Tektronix 4014 window up if it is
5839 not already visible, and switches the input stream to
5840 that window. When disabled, hides the Tektronix 4014
5841 window and switches input back to the VTxxx window.
5842 Hide VT Window (resource vthide)
5844 When enabled, hides the VTxxx window, shows the Tektronix
5845 4014 window if it was not already visible and switches
5846 the input stream to that window. When disabled, shows
5847 the VTxxx window, and switches the input stream to that
5848 window.
5849 Show Alternate Screen (resource altscreen)
5851 When enabled, shows the alternate screen. When disabled,
5852 shows the normal screen. Note that the normal screen may
5853 have saved lines; the alternate screen does not.
5854 VT Fonts
5856 The xterm fontMenu pops up when the “control” key and pointer button
5857 three are pressed in a window. It sets the font used in the VTxxx
5858 window, or modifies the way the font is specified or displayed. There
5859 are several sections.
5860 The first section allows you to select the font from a set of
5862 alternatives:
5863 Default (resource fontdefault)
5865 Set the font to the default, i.e., that given by the
5866 *VT100.font resource.
5867 Unreadable (resource font1)
5869 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font1 resource.
5870 Tiny (resource font2)
5872 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font2 resource.
5873 Small (resource font3)
5875 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font3 resource.
5876 Medium (resource font4)
5878 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font4 resource.
5879 Large (resource font5)
5881 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font5 resource.
5882 Huge (resource font6)
5884 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font6 resource.
5885 Enormous (resource font7)
5887 Set the font to that given by the *VT100.font7 resource.
5888 Escape Sequence (resource fontescape)
5890 This allows you to set the font last specified by the Set
5891 Font escape sequence (see Xterm Control Sequences).
5892 Selection (resource fontsel)
5894 This allows you to set the font specified the current
5895 selection as a font name (if the PRIMARY selection is
5896 owned).
5897 The second section allows you to modify the way it is displayed:
5899 Bold Fonts (resource allow-bold-fonts)
5901 This is normally checked (enabled). When unchecked,
5902 xterm will not use bold fonts. The setting corresponds
5903 to the allowBoldFonts resource.
5904 Line-Drawing Characters (resource font-linedrawing)
5906 When set, tells xterm to draw its own line-drawing
5907 characters. Otherwise it relies on the font containing
5908 these. Compare to the forceBoxChars resource.
5909 Packed Font (resource font-packed)
5911 When set, tells xterm to use the minimum glyph-width from
5912 a font when displaying characters. Use the maximum width
5913 (unchecked) to help display proportional fonts. Compare
5914 to the forcePackedFont resource.
5915 Doublesized Characters (resource font-doublesize)
5917 When set, xterm may ask the font server to produce scaled
5918 versions of the normal font, for VT102 double-size
5919 characters.
5920 The third section allows you to modify the way it is specified:
5922 TrueType Fonts (resource render-font)
5924 If the renderFont and corresponding resources were set,
5925 this is a further control whether xterm will actually use
5926 the Xft library calls to obtain a font.
5927 UTF-8 Encoding (resource utf8-mode)
5929 This controls whether xterm uses UTF-8 encoding of
5930 input/output. It is useful for temporarily switching
5931 xterm to display text from an application which does not
5932 follow the locale settings. It corresponds to the utf8
5933 resource.
5934 UTF-8 Fonts (resource utf8-fonts)
5936 This controls whether xterm uses UTF-8 fonts for display.
5937 It is useful for temporarily switching xterm to display
5938 text from an application which does not follow the locale
5939 settings. It combines the utf8 and utf8Fonts resources,
5940 subject to the locale resource.
5941 UTF-8 Titles (resource utf8-title)
5943 This controls whether xterm accepts UTF-8 encoding for
5944 title control sequences. It corresponds to the utf8Fonts
5945 resource.
5946 Initially the checkmark is set according to both the utf8
5948 and utf8Fonts resource values. If the latter is set to
5949 “always”, the checkmark is disabled. Likewise, if there
5950 are no fonts given in the utf8Fonts subresources, then
5951 the checkmark also is disabled.
5952 The standard XTerm app-defaults file defines both sets of
5954 fonts, while the UXTerm app-defaults file defines only
5955 one set. Assuming the standard app-defaults files, this
5956 command will launch xterm able to switch between UTF-8
5957 and ISO-8859-1 encoded fonts:
5958 uxterm -class XTerm
5960 The fourth section allows you to enable or disable special operations
5962 which can be controlled by writing escape sequences to the terminal.
5963 These are disabled if the SendEvents feature is enabled:
5964 Allow Color Ops (resource allow-color-ops)
5966 This corresponds to the allowColorOps resource. Enable
5967 or disable control sequences that set/query the colors.
5968 Allow Font Ops (resource allow-font-ops)
5970 This corresponds to the allowFontOps resource. Enable or
5971 disable control sequences that set/query the font.
5972 Allow Mouse Ops (resource allow-mouse-ops)
5974 Enable or disable control sequences that cause the
5975 terminal to send escape sequences on pointer-clicks and
5976 movement. This corresponds to the allowMouseOps
5977 resource.
5978 Allow Tcap Ops (resource allow-tcap-ops)
5980 Enable or disable control sequences that query the
5981 terminal's notion of its function-key strings, as termcap
5982 or terminfo capabilities. This corresponds to the
5983 allowTcapOps resource.
5984 Allow Title Ops (resource allow-title-ops)
5986 Enable or disable control sequences that modify the
5987 window title or icon name. This corresponds to the
5988 allowTitleOps resource.
5989 Allow Window Ops (resource allow-window-ops)
5991 Enable or disable extended window control sequences (as
5992 used in dtterm). This corresponds to the allowWindowOps
5993 resource.
5994 Tek Options
5996 The xterm tekMenu sets various modes in the Tektronix emulation, and is
5997 popped up when the “control” key and pointer button two are pressed in
5998 the Tektronix window. The current font size is checked in the modes
5999 section of the menu.
6000 Large Characters (resource tektextlarge)
6002 #2 Size Characters (resource tektext2)
6004 #3 Size Characters (resource tektext3)
6006 Small Characters (resource tektextsmall)
6008 Commands:
6010 PAGE (resource tekpage)
6012 Simulates the Tektronix “PAGE” button by
6013 • clearing the window,
6015 • cancelling the graphics input-mode, and
6017 • moving the cursor to the home position.
6019 RESET (resource tekreset)
6021 Unlike the similarly-named Tektronix “RESET” button, this
6022 does everything that PAGE does as well as resetting the
6023 line-type and font-size to their default values.
6024 COPY (resource tekcopy)
6026 Simulates the Tektronix “COPY” button (which makes a
6027 hard-copy of the screen) by writing the information to a
6028 text file.
6029 Windows:
6031 Show VT Window (resource vtshow)
6033 Switch to VT Mode (resource vtmode)
6035 Hide Tek Window (resource tekhide)
6037
6039 X environments differ in their security consciousness.
6040 • Most servers, run under xdm, are capable of using a “magic cookie”
6042 authorization scheme that can provide a reasonable level of
6043 security for many people. If your server is only using a host-
6044 based mechanism to control access to the server (see xhost(1)),
6045 then if you enable access for a host and other users are also
6046 permitted to run clients on that same host, it is possible that
6047 someone can run an application which uses the basic services of the
6048 X protocol to snoop on your activities, potentially capturing a
6049 transcript of everything you type at the keyboard.
6050 • Any process which has access to your X display can manipulate it in
6052 ways that you might not anticipate, even redirecting your keyboard
6053 to itself and sending events to your application's windows. This
6054 is true even with the “magic cookie” authorization scheme. While
6055 the allowSendEvents provides some protection against rogue
6056 applications tampering with your programs, guarding against a
6057 snooper is harder.
6058 • The X input extension for instance allows an application to bypass
6060 all of the other (limited) authorization and security features,
6061 including the GrabKeyboard protocol.
6062 • The possibility of an application spying on your keystrokes is of
6064 particular concern when you want to type in a password or other
6065 sensitive data. The best solution to this problem is to use a
6066 better authorization mechanism than is provided by X.
6067 Subject to all of these caveats, a simple mechanism exists for
6069 protecting keyboard input in xterm.
6070 The xterm menu (see MENUS above) contains a Secure Keyboard entry
6072 which, when enabled, attempts to ensure that all keyboard input is
6073 directed only to xterm (using the GrabKeyboard protocol request). When
6074 an application prompts you for a password (or other sensitive data),
6075 you can enable Secure Keyboard using the menu, type in the data, and
6076 then disable Secure Keyboard using the menu again.
6077 • This ensures that you know which window is accepting your
6079 keystrokes.
6080 • It cannot ensure that there are no processes which have access to
6082 your X display that might be observing the keystrokes as well.
6083 Only one X client at a time can grab the keyboard, so when you attempt
6085 to enable Secure Keyboard it may fail. In this case, the bell will
6086 sound. If the Secure Keyboard succeeds, the foreground and background
6087 colors will be exchanged (as if you selected the Enable Reverse Video
6088 entry in the Modes menu); they will be exchanged again when you exit
6089 secure mode. If the colors do not switch, then you should be very
6090 suspicious that you are being spoofed. If the application you are
6091 running displays a prompt before asking for the password, it is safest
6092 to enter secure mode before the prompt gets displayed, and to make sure
6093 that the prompt gets displayed correctly (in the new colors), to
6094 minimize the probability of spoofing. You can also bring up the menu
6095 again and make sure that a check mark appears next to the entry.
6096 Secure Keyboard mode will be disabled automatically if your xterm
6098 window becomes iconified (or otherwise unmapped), or if you start up a
6099 reparenting window manager (that places a title bar or other decoration
6100 around the window) while in Secure Keyboard mode. (This is a feature
6101 of the X protocol not easily overcome.) When this happens, the
6102 foreground and background colors will be switched back and the bell
6103 will sound in warning.
6104
6106 Clicking the left pointer button twice in rapid succession (double-
6107 clicking) causes all characters of the same class (e.g., letters, white
6108 space, punctuation) to be selected as a “word”. Since different people
6109 have different preferences for what should be selected (for example,
6110 should filenames be selected as a whole or only the separate subnames),
6111 the default mapping can be overridden through the use of the charClass
6112 (class CharClass) resource.
6113 This resource is a series of comma-separated range:value pairs.
6115 • The range is either a single number or low-high in the range of 0
6117 to 65535, corresponding to the code for the character or characters
6118 to be set.
6119 • The value is arbitrary. For example, the default table uses the
6121 character number of the first character occurring in the set. When
6122 not in UTF-8 mode, only the first 256 entries of this table will be
6123 used.
6124 The default table starts as follows -
6126 static int charClass[256] = {
6128 /* NUL SOH STX ETX EOT ENQ ACK BEL */
6129 32, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6130 /* BS HT NL VT NP CR SO SI */
6131 1, 32, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6132 /* DLE DC1 DC2 DC3 DC4 NAK SYN ETB */
6133 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6134 /* CAN EM SUB ESC FS GS RS US */
6135 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6136 /* SP ! " # $ % & ' */
6137 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,
6138 /* ( ) * + , - . / */
6139 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47,
6140 /* 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 */
6141 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6142 /* 8 9 : ; < = > ? */
6143 48, 48, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63,
6144 /* @ A B C D E F G */
6145 64, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6146 /* H I J K L M N O */
6147 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6148 /* P Q R S T U V W */
6149 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6150 /* X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ */
6151 48, 48, 48, 91, 92, 93, 94, 48,
6152 /* ` a b c d e f g */
6153 96, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6154 /* h i j k l m n o */
6155 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6156 /* p q r s t u v w */
6157 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6158 /* x y z { | } ~ DEL */
6159 48, 48, 48, 123, 124, 125, 126, 1,
6160 /* x80 x81 x82 x83 IND NEL SSA ESA */
6161 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6162 /* HTS HTJ VTS PLD PLU RI SS2 SS3 */
6163 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6164 /* DCS PU1 PU2 STS CCH MW SPA EPA */
6165 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6166 /* x98 x99 x9A CSI ST OSC PM APC */
6167 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
6168 /* - i c/ L ox Y- | So */
6169 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167,
6170 /* .. c0 ip << _ R0 - */
6171 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175,
6172 /* o +- 2 3 ' u q| . */
6173 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183,
6174 /* , 1 2 >> 1/4 1/2 3/4 ? */
6175 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191,
6176 /* A` A' A^ A~ A: Ao AE C, */
6177 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6178 /* E` E' E^ E: I` I' I^ I: */
6179 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6180 /* D- N~ O` O' O^ O~ O: X */
6181 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 215,
6182 /* O/ U` U' U^ U: Y' P B */
6183 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6184 /* a` a' a^ a~ a: ao ae c, */
6185 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6186 /* e` e' e^ e: i` i' i^ i: */
6187 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48,
6188 /* d n~ o` o' o^ o~ o: -: */
6189 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 247,
6190 /* o/ u` u' u^ u: y' P y: */
6191 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48, 48};
6192 For example, the string “33:48,37:48,45-47:48,38:48” indicates
6194 that the exclamation mark, percent sign, dash, period, slash,
6195 and ampersand characters should be treated the same way as
6196 characters and numbers. This is useful for cutting and pasting
6197 electronic mailing addresses and filenames.
6198
6200 It is possible to rebind keys (or sequences of keys) to arbitrary
6201 strings for input, by changing the translations resources for the vt100
6202 or tek4014 widgets. Changing the translations resource for events
6203 other than key and button events is not expected, and will cause
6204 unpredictable behavior.
6205 Actions
6207 The following actions are provided for use within the vt100 or tek4014
6208 translations resources:
6209 allow-bold-fonts(on/off/toggle)
6211 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowBoldFonts resource
6212 and is also invoked by the allow-bold-fonts entry in fontMenu.
6213 allow-color-ops(on/off/toggle)
6215 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowColorOps resource
6216 and is also invoked by the allow-color-ops entry in fontMenu.
6217 allow-font-ops(on/off/toggle)
6219 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowFontOps resource
6220 and is also invoked by the allow-font-ops entry in fontMenu.
6221 allow-mouse-ops(on/off/toggle)
6223 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowMousepOps resource
6224 and is also invoked by the allow-mouse-ops entry in fontMenu.
6225 allow-send-events(on/off/toggle)
6227 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowSendEvents
6228 resource and is also invoked by the allowsends entry in
6229 mainMenu.
6230 allow-tcap-ops(on/off/toggle)
6232 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowTcapOps resource
6233 and is also invoked by the allow-tcap-ops entry in fontMenu.
6234 allow-title-ops(on/off/toggle)
6236 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowTitleOps resource
6237 and is also invoked by the allow-title-ops entry in fontMenu.
6238 allow-window-ops(on/off/toggle)
6240 This action sets, unsets or toggles the allowWindowOps resource
6241 and is also invoked by the allow-window-ops entry in fontMenu.
6242 alt-sends-escape()
6244 This action toggles the state of the altSendsEscape resource.
6245 bell([percent])
6247 This action rings the keyboard bell at the specified percentage
6248 above or below the base volume.
6249 clear-saved-lines()
6251 This action does hard-reset() and also clears the history of
6252 lines saved off the top of the screen. It is also invoked from
6253 the clearsavedlines entry in vtMenu. The effect is identical
6254 to a hardware reset (RIS) control sequence.
6255 copy-selection(destname [, ...])
6257 This action puts the currently selected text into all of the
6258 selections or cutbuffers specified by destname. Unlike
6259 select-end, it does not send a mouse position or otherwise
6260 modify the internal selection state.
6261 create-menu(m/v/f/t)
6263 This action creates one of the menus used by xterm, if it has
6264 not been previously created. The parameter values are the menu
6265 names: mainMenu, vtMenu, fontMenu, tekMenu, respectively.
6266 dabbrev-expand()
6268 Expands the word before cursor by searching in the preceding
6269 text on the screen and in the scrollback buffer for words
6270 starting with that abbreviation. Repeating dabbrev-expand()
6271 several times in sequence searches for an alternative expansion
6272 by looking farther back. Lack of more matches is signaled by a
6273 bell. Attempts to expand an empty word (i.e., when cursor is
6274 preceded by a space) yield successively all previous words.
6275 Consecutive identical expansions are ignored. The word here is
6276 defined as a sequence of non-whitespace characters. This
6277 feature partially emulates the behavior of “dynamic
6278 abbreviation” expansion in Emacs (bound there to M-/). Here is
6279 a resource setting for xterm which will do the same thing:
6280 *VT100*translations: #override \n\
6282 Meta <KeyPress> /:dabbrev-expand()
6283 deiconify()
6285 Changes the window state back to normal, if it was iconified.
6286 delete-is-del()
6288 This action toggles the state of the deleteIsDEL resource.
6289 dired-button()
6291 Handles a button event (other than press and release) by
6292 echoing the event's position (i.e., character line and column)
6293 in the following format:
6294 ^X ESC G <line+“ ”> <col+“ ”>
6296 dump-html()
6298 Invokes the XHTML Screen Dump feature.
6299 dump-svg()
6301 Invokes the SVG Screen Dump feature.
6302 exec-formatted(format, sourcename [, ...])
6304 Execute an external command, using the current selection for
6305 part of the command's parameters. The first parameter, format
6306 gives the basic command. Succeeding parameters specify the
6307 selection source as in insert-selection.
6308 The format parameter allows these substitutions:
6310 %% inserts a "%".
6312 %P the screen-position at the beginning of the highlighted
6314 region, as a semicolon-separated pair of integers using
6315 the values that the CUP control sequence would use.
6316 %p the screen-position after the beginning of the highlighted
6318 region, using the same convention as “%P”.
6319 %S the length of the string that “%s” would insert.
6321 %s the content of the selection, unmodified.
6323 %T the length of the string that “%t” would insert.
6325 %t the selection, trimmed of leading/trailing whitespace.
6327 Embedded spaces (and newlines) are copied as is.
6328 %R the length of the string that “%r” would insert.
6330 %r the selection, trimmed of trailing whitespace.
6332 %V the video attributes at the beginning of the highlighted
6334 region, as a semicolon-separated list of integers using
6335 the values that the SGR control sequence would use.
6336 %v the video attributes after the end of the highlighted
6338 region, using the same convention as “%V”.
6339 After constructing the command-string, xterm forks a subprocess
6341 and executes the command, which completes independently of
6342 xterm.
6343 For example, this translation would invoke a new xterm process
6345 to view a file whose name is selected while holding the shift
6346 key down. The new process is started when the mouse button is
6347 released:
6348 *VT100*translations: #override Shift \
6350 <Btn1Up>:exec-formatted("xterm -e view '%t'", SELECT)
6351 exec-selectable(format, onClicks)
6353 Execute an external command, using data copied from the screen
6354 for part of the command's parameters. The first parameter,
6355 format gives the basic command as in exec-formatted. The
6356 second parameter specifies the method for copying the data as
6357 in the on2Clicks resource.
6358 fullscreen(on/off/toggle)
6360 This action sets, unsets or toggles the fullscreen resource.
6361 hard-reset()
6363 This action resets the scrolling region, tabs, window size, and
6364 cursor keys and clears the screen. It is also invoked from the
6365 hardreset entry in vtMenu.
6366 iconify()
6368 Iconifies the window.
6369 ignore()
6371 This action ignores the event but checks for special pointer
6372 position escape sequences.
6373 insert()
6375 This action inserts the character or string associated with the
6376 key that was pressed.
6377 insert-eight-bit()
6379 This action inserts an eight-bit (Meta) version of the
6380 character or string associated with the key that was pressed.
6381 Only single-byte values are treated specially. The exact
6382 action depends on the value of the altSendsEscape and the
6383 metaSendsEscape and the eightBitInput resources. The
6384 metaSendsEscape resource is tested first. See the
6385 eightBitInput resource for a full discussion.
6386 The term “eight-bit” is misleading: xterm checks if the key is
6388 in the range 128 to 255 (the eighth bit is set). If the value
6389 is in that range, depending on the resource values, xterm may
6390 then do one of the following:
6391 • add 128 to the value, setting its eighth bit,
6393 • send an ESC byte before the key, or
6395 • send the key unaltered.
6397 insert-formatted(format, sourcename [, ...])
6399 Insert the current selection or data related to it, formatted.
6400 The first parameter, format gives the template for the data as
6401 in exec-formatted. Succeeding parameters specify the selection
6402 source as in insert-selection.
6403 insert-selectable(format, onClicks)
6405 Insert data copied from the screen, formatted. The first
6406 parameter, format gives the template for the data as in
6407 exec-formatted. The second parameter specifies the method for
6408 copying the data as in the on2Clicks resource.
6409 insert-selection(sourcename [, ...])
6411 This action inserts the string found in the selection or
6412 cutbuffer indicated by sourcename. Sources are checked in the
6413 order given (case is significant) until one is found.
6414 Commonly-used selections include: PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and
6415 CLIPBOARD. Cut buffers are typically named CUT_BUFFER0 through
6416 CUT_BUFFER7.
6417 insert-seven-bit()
6419 This action is a synonym for insert(). The term “seven-bit” is
6420 misleading: it only implies that xterm does not try to add 128
6421 to the key's value as in insert-eight-bit().
6422 interpret(control-sequence)
6424 Interpret the given control sequence locally, i.e., without
6425 passing it to the host. This works by inserting the control
6426 sequence at the front of the input buffer. Use “\” to escape
6427 octal digits in the string. Xt does not allow you to put a
6428 null character (i.e., “\000”) in the string.
6429 keymap(name)
6431 This action dynamically defines a new translation table whose
6432 resource name is name with the suffix “Keymap” (i.e.,
6433 nameKeymap, where case is significant). The name None restores
6434 the original translation table.
6435 larger-vt-font()
6437 Set the font to the next larger one, based on the font
6438 dimensions. See also set-vt-font().
6439 load-vt-fonts(name[,class])
6441 Load fontnames from the given subresource name and class. That
6442 is, load the “*VT100.name.font”, resource as “*VT100.font” etc.
6443 If no name is given, the original set of fontnames is restored.
6444 Unlike set-vt-font(), this does not affect the escape- and
6446 select-fonts, since those are not based on resource values. It
6447 does affect the fonts loosely organized under the “Default”
6448 menu entry, including font, boldFont, wideFont and
6449 wideBoldFont.
6450 maximize()
6452 Resizes the window to fill the screen.
6453 meta-sends-escape()
6455 This action toggles the state of the metaSendsEscape resource.
6456 pointer-button()
6458 Use this action as a fall-back to handle button press- and
6459 release-events for the mouse control sequence protocol when the
6460 selection-related translations are suppressed with the
6461 omitTranslation resource.
6462 pointer-motion()
6464 Use this action as a fall-back to handle motion-events for the
6465 mouse control sequence protocol when the selection-related
6466 translations are suppressed with the omitTranslation resource.
6467 popup-menu(menuname)
6469 This action displays the specified popup menu. Valid names
6470 (case is significant) include: mainMenu, vtMenu, fontMenu, and
6471 tekMenu.
6472 print(printer-flags)
6474 This action prints the window. It is also invoked by the print
6475 entry in mainMenu.
6476 The action accepts optional parameters, which temporarily
6478 override resource settings. The parameter values are matched
6479 ignoring case:
6480 noFormFeed
6482 no form feed will be sent at the end of the last line
6483 printed (i.e., printerFormFeed is “false”).
6484 FormFeed
6486 a form feed will be sent at the end of the last line
6487 printed (i.e., printerFormFeed is “true”).
6488 noNewLine
6490 no newline will be sent at the end of the last line
6491 printed, and wrapped lines will be combined into long
6492 lines (i.e., printerNewLine is “false”).
6493 NewLine
6495 a newline will be sent at the end of the last line
6496 printed, and each line will be limited (by adding a
6497 newline) to the screen width (i.e., printerNewLine is
6498 “true”).
6499 noAttrs
6501 the page is printed without attributes (i.e.,
6502 printAttributes is “0”).
6503 monoAttrs
6505 the page is printed with monochrome (vt220) attributes
6506 (i.e., printAttributes is “1”).
6507 colorAttrs
6509 the page is printed with ANSI color attributes (i.e.,
6510 printAttributes is “2”).
6511 print-everything(printer-flags)
6513 This action sends the entire text history, in addition to the
6514 text currently visible, to the program given in the
6515 printerCommand resource. It allows the same optional
6516 parameters as the print action. With a suitable printer
6517 command, the action can be used to load the text history in an
6518 editor.
6519 print-immediate()
6521 Sends the text of the current window directly to a file, as
6522 specified by the printFileImmediate, printModeImmediate and
6523 printOptsImmediate resources.
6524 print-on-error()
6526 Toggles a flag telling xterm that if it exits with an X error,
6527 to send the text of the current window directly to a file, as
6528 specified by the printFileOnXError, printModeOnXError and
6529 printOptsOnXError resources.
6530 print-redir()
6532 This action toggles the printerControlMode between 0 and 2.
6533 The corresponding popup menu entry is useful for switching the
6534 printer off if you happen to change your mind after deciding to
6535 print random binary files on the terminal.
6536 quit()
6538 This action sends a SIGHUP to the subprogram and exits. It is
6539 also invoked by the quit entry in mainMenu.
6540 readline-button()
6542 Supports the optional readline feature by echoing repeated
6543 cursor forward or backward control sequences on button release
6544 event, to request that the host application update its notion
6545 of the cursor's position to match the button event.
6546 redraw()
6548 This action redraws the window. It is also invoked by the
6549 redraw entry in mainMenu.
6550 restore()
6552 Restores the window to the size before it was last maximized.
6553 scroll-back(count [,units [,mouse] ])
6555 This action scrolls the text window backward so that text that
6556 had previously scrolled off the top of the screen is now
6557 visible.
6558 The count argument indicates the number of units (which may be
6560 page, halfpage, pixel, or line) by which to scroll. If no
6561 count parameter is given, xterm uses the number of lines given
6562 by the scrollLines resource.
6563 An adjustment can be specified for the page or halfpage units
6565 by appending a “+” or “-” sign followed by a number, e.g.,
6566 page-2 to specify 2 lines less than a page.
6567 If the second parameter is omitted “lines” is used.
6569 If the third parameter mouse is given, the action is ignored
6571 when mouse reporting is enabled.
6572 scroll-forw(count [,units [,mouse] ])
6574 This action is similar to scroll-back except that it scrolls in
6575 the other direction.
6576 scroll-lock(on/off/toggle)
6578 This action sets, unsets or toggles internal state which tells
6579 xterm whether Scroll Lock is active, subject to the
6580 allowScrollLock resource.
6581 scroll-to(count)
6583 Scroll to the given line relative to the beginning of the
6584 saved-lines. For instance, “scroll-to(0)” would scroll to the
6585 beginning. Two special nonnumeric parameters are recognized:
6586 scroll-to(begin)
6588 Scroll to the beginning of the saved lines.
6589 scroll-to(end)
6591 Scroll to the end of the saved lines, i.e., to the
6592 currently active page.
6593 secure()
6595 This action toggles the Secure Keyboard mode (see SECURITY),
6596 and is invoked from the securekbd entry in mainMenu.
6597 select-cursor-end(destname [, ...])
6599 This action is similar to select-end except that it should be
6600 used with select-cursor-start.
6601 select-cursor-extend()
6603 This action is similar to select-extend except that it should
6604 be used with select-cursor-start.
6605 select-cursor-start()
6607 This action is similar to select-start except that it begins
6608 the selection at the current text cursor position.
6609 select-end(destname [, ...])
6611 This action puts the currently selected text into all of the
6612 selections or cutbuffers specified by destname. It also sends
6613 a mouse position and updates the internal selection state to
6614 reflect the end of the selection process.
6615 select-extend()
6617 This action tracks the pointer and extends the selection. It
6618 should only be bound to Motion events.
6619 select-set()
6621 This action stores text that corresponds to the current
6622 selection, without affecting the selection mode.
6623 select-start()
6625 This action begins text selection at the current pointer
6626 location. See the section on POINTER USAGE for information on
6627 making selections.
6628 send-signal(signame)
6630 This action sends the signal named by signame to the xterm
6631 subprocess (the shell or program specified with the -e command
6632 line option). It is also invoked by the suspend, continue,
6633 interrupt, hangup, terminate, and kill entries in mainMenu.
6634 Allowable signal names are (case is not significant): tstp (if
6635 supported by the operating system), suspend (same as tstp),
6636 cont (if supported by the operating system), int, hup, term,
6637 quit, alrm, alarm (same as alrm) and kill.
6638 set-8-bit-control(on/off/toggle)
6640 This action sets, unsets or toggles the eightBitControl
6641 resource. It is also invoked from the 8-bit-control entry in
6642 vtMenu.
6643 set-allow132(on/off/toggle)
6645 This action sets, unsets or toggles the c132 resource. It is
6646 also invoked from the allow132 entry in vtMenu.
6647 set-altscreen(on/off/toggle)
6649 This action sets, unsets or toggles between the alternate and
6650 current screens.
6651 set-appcursor(on/off/toggle)
6653 This action sets, unsets or toggles the handling Application
6654 Cursor Key mode and is also invoked by the appcursor entry in
6655 vtMenu.
6656 set-appkeypad(on/off/toggle)
6658 This action sets, unsets or toggles the handling of Application
6659 Keypad mode and is also invoked by the appkeypad entry in
6660 vtMenu.
6661 set-autolinefeed(on/off/toggle)
6663 This action sets, unsets or toggles automatic insertion of line
6664 feeds. It is also invoked by the autolinefeed entry in vtMenu.
6665 set-autowrap(on/off/toggle)
6667 This action sets, unsets or toggles automatic wrapping of long
6668 lines. It is also invoked by the autowrap entry in vtMenu.
6669 set-backarrow(on/off/toggle)
6671 This action sets, unsets or toggles the backarrowKey resource.
6672 It is also invoked from the backarrow key entry in vtMenu.
6673 set-bellIsUrgent(on/off/toggle)
6675 This action sets, unsets or toggles the bellIsUrgent resource.
6676 It is also invoked by the bellIsUrgent entry in vtMenu.
6677 set-cursesemul(on/off/toggle)
6679 This action sets, unsets or toggles the curses resource. It is
6680 also invoked from the cursesemul entry in vtMenu.
6681 set-cursorblink(on/off/toggle)
6683 This action sets, unsets or toggles the cursorBlink resource.
6684 It is also invoked from the cursorblink entry in vtMenu.
6685 set-font-doublesize(on/off/toggle)
6687 This action sets, unsets or toggles the fontDoublesize
6688 resource. It is also invoked by the font-doublesize entry in
6689 fontMenu.
6690 set-font-linedrawing(on/off/toggle)
6692 This action sets, unsets or toggles the xterm's state regarding
6693 whether the current font has line-drawing characters and
6694 whether it should draw them directly. It is also invoked by
6695 the font-linedrawing entry in fontMenu.
6696 set-font-packed(on/off/toggle)
6698 This action sets, unsets or toggles the forcePackedFont
6699 resource which controls use of the font's minimum or maximum
6700 glyph width. It is also invoked by the font-packed entry in
6701 fontMenu.
6702 set-hp-function-keys(on/off/toggle)
6704 This action sets, unsets or toggles the hpFunctionKeys
6705 resource. It is also invoked by the hpFunctionKeys entry in
6706 mainMenu.
6707 set-jumpscroll(on/off/toggle)
6709 This action sets, unsets or toggles the jumpscroll resource.
6710 It is also invoked by the jumpscroll entry in vtMenu.
6711 set-keep-clipboard(on/off/toggle)
6713 This action sets, unsets or toggles the keepClipboard resource.
6714 set-keep-selection(on/off/toggle)
6716 This action sets, unsets or toggles the keepSelection resource.
6717 It is also invoked by the keepSelection entry in vtMenu.
6718 set-logging(on/off/toggle)
6720 This action sets, unsets or toggles the state of the logging
6721 option.
6722 set-marginbell(on/off/toggle)
6724 This action sets, unsets or toggles the marginBell resource.
6725 set-num-lock(on/off/toggle)
6727 This action toggles the state of the numLock resource.
6728 set-old-function-keys(on/off/toggle)
6730 This action sets, unsets or toggles the state of legacy
6731 function keys. It is also invoked by the oldFunctionKeys entry
6732 in mainMenu.
6733 set-pop-on-bell(on/off/toggle)
6735 This action sets, unsets or toggles the popOnBell resource. It
6736 is also invoked by the poponbell entry in vtMenu.
6737 set-private-colors(on/off/toggle)
6739 This action sets, unsets or toggles the privateColorRegisters
6740 resource.
6741 set-render-font(on/off/toggle)
6743 This action sets, unsets or toggles the renderFont resource.
6744 It is also invoked by the render-font entry in fontMenu.
6745 set-reverse-video(on/off/toggle)
6747 This action sets, unsets or toggles the reverseVideo resource.
6748 It is also invoked by the reversevideo entry in vtMenu.
6749 set-reversewrap(on/off/toggle)
6751 This action sets, unsets or toggles the reverseWrap resource.
6752 It is also invoked by the reversewrap entry in vtMenu.
6753 set-sco-function-keys(on/off/toggle)
6755 This action sets, unsets or toggles the scoFunctionKeys
6756 resource. It is also invoked by the scoFunctionKeys entry in
6757 mainMenu.
6758 set-scroll-on-key(on/off/toggle)
6760 This action sets, unsets or toggles the scrollKey resource. It
6761 is also invoked from the scrollkey entry in vtMenu.
6762 set-scroll-on-tty-output(on/off/toggle)
6764 This action sets, unsets or toggles the scrollTtyOutput
6765 resource. It is also invoked from the scrollttyoutput entry in
6766 vtMenu.
6767 set-scrollbar(on/off/toggle)
6769 This action sets, unsets or toggles the scrollbar resource. It
6770 is also invoked by the scrollbar entry in vtMenu.
6771 set-select(on/off/toggle)
6773 This action sets, unsets or toggles the selectToClipboard
6774 resource. It is also invoked by the selectToClipboard entry in
6775 vtMenu.
6776 set-sixel-scrolling(on/off/toggle)
6778 This action toggles between inline (sixel scrolling) and
6779 absolute positioning. It can also be controlled via DEC
6780 private mode 80 (DECSDM) or from the sixelScrolling entry in
6781 the btMenu.
6782 set-sun-function-keys(on/off/toggle)
6784 This action sets, unsets or toggles the sunFunctionKeys
6785 resource. It is also invoked by the sunFunctionKeys entry in
6786 mainMenu.
6787 set-sun-keyboard(on/off/toggle)
6789 This action sets, unsets or toggles the sunKeyboard resource.
6790 It is also invoked by the sunKeyboard entry in mainMenu.
6791 set-tek-text(large/2/3/small)
6793 This action sets the font used in the Tektronix window to the
6794 value of the selected resource according to the argument. The
6795 argument can be either a keyword or single-letter alias, as
6796 shown in parentheses:
6797 large (l)
6799 Use resource fontLarge, same as menu entry tektextlarge.
6800 two (2)
6802 Use resource font2, same as menu entry tektext2.
6803 three (3)
6805 Use resource font3, same as menu entry tektext3.
6806 small (s)
6808 Use resource fontSmall, same as menu entry tektextsmall.
6809 set-terminal-type(type)
6811 This action directs output to either the vt or tek windows,
6812 according to the type string. It is also invoked by the
6813 tekmode entry in vtMenu and the vtmode entry in tekMenu.
6814 set-titeInhibit(on/off/toggle)
6816 This action sets, unsets or toggles the titeInhibit resource,
6817 which controls switching between the alternate and current
6818 screens.
6819 set-toolbar(on/off/toggle)
6821 This action sets, unsets or toggles the toolbar feature. It is
6822 also invoked by the toolbar entry in mainMenu.
6823 set-utf8-fonts(on/off/toggle)
6825 This action sets, unsets or toggles the utf8Fonts resource. It
6826 is also invoked by the utf8-fonts entry in fontMenu.
6827 set-utf8-mode(on/off/toggle)
6829 This action sets, unsets or toggles the utf8 resource. It is
6830 also invoked by the utf8-mode entry in fontMenu.
6831 set-utf8-title(on/off/toggle)
6833 This action sets, unsets or toggles the utf8Title resource. It
6834 is also invoked by the utf8-title entry in fontMenu.
6835 set-visibility(vt/tek,on/off/toggle)
6837 This action sets, unsets or toggles whether or not the vt or
6838 tek windows are visible. It is also invoked from the tekshow
6839 and vthide entries in vtMenu and the vtshow and tekhide entries
6840 in tekMenu.
6841 set-visual-bell(on/off/toggle)
6843 This action sets, unsets or toggles the visualBell resource.
6844 It is also invoked by the visualbell entry in vtMenu.
6845 set-vt-font(d/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/e/s [,normalfont [, boldfont]])
6847 This action sets the font or fonts currently being used in the
6848 VTxxx window. The first argument is a single character that
6849 specifies the font to be used:
6850 d or D indicate the default font (the font initially used when
6852 xterm was started),
6853 1 through 7 indicate the fonts specified by the font1 through
6855 font7 resources,
6856 e or E indicate the normal and bold fonts that have been set
6858 through escape codes (or specified as the second and
6859 third action arguments, respectively), and
6860 s or S indicate the font selection (as made by programs such as
6862 xfontsel(1)) indicated by the second action argument.
6863 If xterm is configured to support wide characters, an
6865 additional two optional parameters are recognized for the e
6866 argument: wide font and wide bold font.
6867 smaller-vt-font()
6869 Set the font to the next smaller one, based on the font
6870 dimensions. See also set-vt-font().
6871 soft-reset()
6873 This action resets the scrolling region. It is also invoked
6874 from the softreset entry in vtMenu. The effect is identical to
6875 a soft reset (DECSTR) control sequence.
6876 spawn-new-terminal(params)
6878 Spawn a new xterm process. This is available on systems which
6879 have a modern version of the process filesystem, e.g., “/proc”,
6880 which xterm can read.
6881 Use the “cwd” process entry, e.g., /proc/12345/cwd to obtain
6883 the working directory of the process which is running in the
6884 current xterm.
6885 On systems which have the “exe” process entry, e.g.,
6887 /proc/12345/exe, use this to obtain the actual executable.
6888 Otherwise, use the $PATH variable to find xterm.
6889 If parameters are given in the action, pass them to the new
6891 xterm process.
6892 start-cursor-extend()
6894 This action is similar to select-extend except that the
6895 selection is extended to the current text cursor position.
6896 start-extend()
6898 This action is similar to select-start except that the
6899 selection is extended to the current pointer location.
6900 string(string)
6902 This action inserts the specified text string as if it had been
6903 typed. Quotation is necessary if the string contains
6904 whitespace or non-alphanumeric characters. If the string
6905 argument begins with the characters “0x”, it is interpreted as
6906 a hex character constant.
6907 tek-copy()
6909 This action copies the escape codes used to generate the
6910 current window contents to a file in the current directory
6911 beginning with the name COPY. It is also invoked from the
6912 tekcopy entry in tekMenu.
6913 tek-page()
6915 This action clears the Tektronix window. It is also invoked by
6916 the tekpage entry in tekMenu.
6917 tek-reset()
6919 This action resets the Tektronix window. It is also invoked by
6920 the tekreset entry in tekMenu.
6921 vi-button()
6923 Handles a button event (other than press and release) by
6924 echoing a control sequence computed from the event's line
6925 number in the screen relative to the current line:
6926 ESC ^P
6928 or
6930 ESC ^N
6932 according to whether the event is before, or after the current
6934 line, respectively. The ^N (or ^P) is repeated once for each
6935 line that the event differs from the current line. The control
6936 sequence is omitted altogether if the button event is on the
6937 current line.
6938 visual-bell()
6940 This action flashes the window quickly.
6941 The Tektronix window also has the following action:
6943 gin-press(l/L/m/M/r/R)
6945 This action sends the indicated graphics input code.
6946 Default Key Bindings
6948 The default bindings in the VTxxx window use the SELECT token, which is
6949 set by the selectToClipboard resource. These are for the vt100 widget:
6950 Shift <KeyPress> Prior:scroll-back(1,halfpage) \n\
6952 Shift <KeyPress> Next:scroll-forw(1,halfpage) \n\
6953 Shift <KeyPress> Select:select-cursor-start() \
6954 select-cursor-end(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
6955 Shift <KeyPress> Insert:insert-selection(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
6956 Alt <Key>Return:fullscreen() \n\
6957 <KeyRelease> Scroll_Lock:scroll-lock() \n\
6958 Shift~Ctrl <KeyPress> KP_Add:larger-vt-font() \n\
6959 Shift Ctrl <KeyPress> KP_Add:smaller-vt-font() \n\
6960 Shift <KeyPress> KP_Subtract:smaller-vt-font() \n\
6961 ~Meta <KeyPress>:insert-seven-bit() \n\
6962 Meta <KeyPress>:insert-eight-bit() \n\
6963 !Ctrl <Btn1Down>:popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
6964 !Lock Ctrl <Btn1Down>:popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
6965 !Lock Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn1Down>:popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
6966 ! @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn1Down>:popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
6967 ~Meta <Btn1Down>:select-start() \n\
6968 ~Meta <Btn1Motion>:select-extend() \n\
6969 !Ctrl <Btn2Down>:popup-menu(vtMenu) \n\
6970 !Lock Ctrl <Btn2Down>:popup-menu(vtMenu) \n\
6971 !Lock Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn2Down>:popup-menu(vtMenu) \n\
6972 ! @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn2Down>:popup-menu(vtMenu) \n\
6973 ~Ctrl ~Meta <Btn2Down>:ignore() \n\
6974 Meta <Btn2Down>:clear-saved-lines() \n\
6975 ~Ctrl ~Meta <Btn2Up>:insert-selection(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
6976 !Ctrl <Btn3Down>:popup-menu(fontMenu) \n\
6977 !Lock Ctrl <Btn3Down>:popup-menu(fontMenu) \n\
6978 !Lock Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn3Down>:popup-menu(fontMenu) \n\
6979 ! @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn3Down>:popup-menu(fontMenu) \n\
6980 ~Ctrl ~Meta <Btn3Down>:start-extend() \n\
6981 ~Meta <Btn3Motion>:select-extend() \n\
6982 Ctrl <Btn4Down>:scroll-back(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6983 Lock Ctrl <Btn4Down>:scroll-back(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6984 Lock @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn4Down>:scroll-back(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6985 @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn4Down>:scroll-back(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6986 <Btn4Down>:scroll-back(5,line,m) \n\
6987 Ctrl <Btn5Down>:scroll-forw(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6988 Lock Ctrl <Btn5Down>:scroll-forw(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6989 Lock @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn5Down>:scroll-forw(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6990 @Num_Lock Ctrl <Btn5Down>:scroll-forw(1,halfpage,m) \n\
6991 <Btn5Down>:scroll-forw(5,line,m) \n\
6992 <BtnUp>:select-end(SELECT, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
6993 <BtnMotion>:pointer-motion() \n\
6994 <BtnDown>:pointer-button() \n\
6995 <BtnUp>:pointer-button() \n\
6996 <BtnDown>:ignore()
6997 The default bindings in the Tektronix window are analogous but less
6999 extensive. These are for the tek4014 widget:
7000 ~Meta<KeyPress>: insert-seven-bit() \n\
7002 Meta<KeyPress>: insert-eight-bit() \n\
7003 !Ctrl <Btn1Down>: popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
7004 !Lock Ctrl <Btn1Down>: popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
7005 !Lock Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn1Down>: popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
7006 !Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn1Down>: popup-menu(mainMenu) \n\
7007 !Ctrl <Btn2Down>: popup-menu(tekMenu) \n\
7008 !Lock Ctrl <Btn2Down>: popup-menu(tekMenu) \n\
7009 !Lock Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn2Down>: popup-menu(tekMenu) \n\
7010 !Ctrl @Num_Lock <Btn2Down>: popup-menu(tekMenu) \n\
7011 Shift ~Meta<Btn1Down>: gin-press(L) \n\
7012 ~Meta<Btn1Down>: gin-press(l) \n\
7013 Shift ~Meta<Btn2Down>: gin-press(M) \n\
7014 ~Meta<Btn2Down>: gin-press(m) \n\
7015 Shift ~Meta<Btn3Down>: gin-press(R) \n\
7016 ~Meta<Btn3Down>: gin-press(r)
7017 Custom Key Bindings
7019 You can modify the translations resource by overriding parts of it, or
7020 merging your resources with it.
7021 Here is an example which uses shifted select/paste to copy to the
7023 clipboard, and unshifted select/paste for the primary selection. In
7024 each case, a (different) cut buffer is also a target or source of the
7025 select/paste operation. It is important to remember however, that cut
7026 buffers store data in ISO-8859-1 encoding, while selections can store
7027 data in a variety of formats and encodings. While xterm owns the
7028 selection, it highlights it. When it loses the selection, it removes
7029 the corresponding highlight. But you can still paste from the
7030 corresponding cut buffer.
7031 *VT100*translations: #override \n\
7033 ~Shift~Ctrl<Btn2Up>: insert-selection(PRIMARY, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
7034 Shift~Ctrl<Btn2Up>: insert-selection(CLIPBOARD, CUT_BUFFER1) \n\
7035 ~Shift <BtnUp> : select-end(PRIMARY, CUT_BUFFER0) \n\
7036 Shift <BtnUp> : select-end(CLIPBOARD, CUT_BUFFER1)
7037 In the example, the class name VT100 is used rather than the widget
7039 name. These are different; a class name could apply to more than one
7040 widget. A leading “*” is used because the widget hierarchy above the
7041 vt100 widget depends on whether the toolbar support is compiled into
7042 xterm.
7043 Most of the predefined translations are related to the mouse, with a
7045 few that use some of the special keys on the keyboard. Applications
7046 use special keys (function-keys, cursor-keys, keypad-keys) with
7047 modifiers (shift, control, alt). If xterm defines a translation for a
7048 given combination of special key and modifier, that makes it
7049 unavailable for use by applications within the terminal. For instance,
7050 one might extend the use of Page Up and Page Down keys seen here:
7051 Shift <KeyPress> Prior : scroll-back(1,halfpage) \n\
7053 Shift <KeyPress> Next : scroll-forw(1,halfpage) \n\
7054 to the Home and End keys:
7056 Shift <KeyPress> Home : scroll-to(begin) \n\
7058 Shift <KeyPress> End : scroll-to(end)
7059 but then shift-Home and shift-End would then be unavailable to
7061 applications.
7062 Not everyone finds the three-button mouse bindings easy to use. In a
7064 wheel mouse, the middle button might be the wheel. As an alternative,
7065 you could add a binding using shifted keys:
7066 *VT100*translations: #override \n\
7068 Shift <Key>Home: copy-selection(SELECT) \n\
7069 Shift <Key>Insert: copy-selection(SELECT) \n\
7070 Ctrl Shift <Key>C: copy-selection(SELECT) \n\
7071 Ctrl Shift <Key>V: insert-selection(SELECT)
7072 You would still use the left- and right-mouse buttons (typically 1 and
7074 3) for beginning and extending selections.
7075 Besides mouse problems, there are also keyboards with inconvenient
7077 layouts. Some lack a numeric keypad, making it hard to use the shifted
7078 keypad plus and minus bindings for switching between font sizes. You
7079 can work around that by assigning the actions to more readily accessed
7080 keys:
7081 *VT100*translations: #override \n\
7083 Ctrl <Key> +: larger-vt-font() \n\
7084 Ctrl <Key> -: smaller-vt-font()
7085 The keymap feature allows you to switch between sets of translations.
7087 The sample below shows how the keymap() action may be used to add
7088 special keys for entering commonly-typed words:
7089 *VT100.Translations: #override <Key>F13: keymap(dbx)
7091 *VT100.dbxKeymap.translations: \
7092 <Key>F14: keymap(None) \n\
7093 <Key>F17: string("next") \n\
7094 string(0x0d) \n\
7095 <Key>F18: string("step") \n\
7096 string(0x0d) \n\
7097 <Key>F19: string("continue") \n\
7098 string(0x0d) \n\
7099 <Key>F20: string("print ") \n\
7100 insert-selection(PRIMARY, CUT_BUFFER0)
7101 Default Scrollbar Bindings
7103 Key bindings are normally associated with the vt100 or tek4014 widgets
7104 which act as terminal emulators. Xterm's scrollbar (and toolbar if it
7105 is configured) are separate widgets. Because all of these use the X
7106 Toolkit, they have corresponding translations resources. Those
7107 resources are distinct, and match different patterns, e.g., the
7108 differences in widget-name and number of levels of widgets which they
7109 may contain.
7110 The scrollbar widget is a child of the vt100 widget. It is positioned
7112 on top of the vt100 widget. Toggling the scrollbar on and off causes
7113 the vt100 widget to resize.
7114 The default bindings for the scrollbar widget use only mouse-button
7116 events:
7117 <Btn5Down>: StartScroll(Forward) \n\
7119 <Btn1Down>: StartScroll(Forward) \n\
7120 <Btn2Down>: StartScroll(Continuous) MoveThumb() NotifyThumb() \n\
7121 <Btn3Down>: StartScroll(Backward) \n\
7122 <Btn4Down>: StartScroll(Backward) \n\
7123 <Btn2Motion>: MoveThumb() NotifyThumb() \n\
7124 <BtnUp>: NotifyScroll(Proportional) EndScroll()
7125 Events which the scrollbar widget does not recognize at all are lost.
7127 However, at startup, xterm augments these translations with the default
7129 translations used for the vt100 widget, together with the resource
7130 “actions” which those translations use. Because the scrollbar (or
7131 menubar) widgets do not recognize these actions (but because it has a
7132 corresponding translation), they are passed on to the vt100 widget.
7133 This augmenting of the scrollbar's translations has a few limitations:
7135 • Xterm knows what the default translations are, but there is no
7137 suitable library interface for determining what customizations a
7138 user may have added to the vt100 widget. All that xterm can do is
7139 augment the scrollbar widget to give it the same starting point for
7140 further customization by the user.
7141 • Events in the gap between the widgets may be lost.
7143 • Compose sequences begun in one widget cannot be completed in the
7145 other, because the input methods for each widget do not share
7146 context information.
7147 Most customizations of the scrollbar translations do not concern key
7149 bindings. Rather, users are generally more interested in changing the
7150 bindings of the mouse buttons. For example, some people prefer using
7151 the left pointer button for dragging the scrollbar thumb. That can be
7152 set up by altering the translations resource, e.g.,
7153 *VT100.scrollbar.translations: #override \n\
7155 <Btn5Down>: StartScroll(Forward) \n\
7156 <Btn1Down>: StartScroll(Continuous) MoveThumb() NotifyThumb() \n\
7157 <Btn4Down>: StartScroll(Backward) \n\
7158 <Btn1Motion>: MoveThumb() NotifyThumb() \n\
7159 <BtnUp>: NotifyScroll(Proportional) EndScroll()
7160
7162 Applications can send sequences of characters to the terminal to change
7163 its behavior. Often they are referred to as “ANSI escape sequences” or
7164 just plain “escape sequences” but both terms are misleading:
7165 • ANSI x3.64 (obsolete) which was replaced by ISO 6429 (ECMA-48) gave
7167 rules for the format of these sequences of characters.
7168 • While the original VT100 was claimed to be ANSI-compatible (against
7170 x3.64), there is no freely available version of the ANSI standard
7171 to show where the VT100 differs. Most of the documents which
7172 mention the ANSI standard have additions not found in the original
7173 (such as those based on ansi.sys). So this discussion focuses on
7174 the ISO standards.
7175 • The standard describes only sequences sent from the host to the
7177 terminal. There is no standard for sequences sent by special keys
7178 from the terminal to the host. By convention (and referring to
7179 existing terminals), the format of those sequences usually conforms
7180 to the host-to-terminal standard.
7181 • Some of xterm's sequences do not fit into the standard scheme.
7183 Technically those are “unspecified”. As an example, DEC Screen
7184 Alignment Test (DECALN) is this three-character sequence:
7185 ESC # 8
7187 • Some sequences fit into the standard format, but are not listed in
7189 the standard. These include the sequences used for setting up
7190 scrolling margins and doing forward/reverse scrolling.
7191 • Some of the sequences (in particular, the single-character
7193 functions such as tab and backspace) do not include the escape
7194 character.
7195 With all of that in mind, the standard refers to these sequences of
7197 characters as “control sequences”.
7198 Xterm Control Sequences lists the control sequences which an
7200 application can send xterm to make it perform various operations. Most
7201 of these operations are standardized, from either the DEC or Tektronix
7202 terminals, or from more widely used standards such as ISO-6429.
7203 A few examples of usage are given in this section.
7205 Window and Icon Titles
7207 Some scripts use echo with options -e and -n to tell the shell to
7208 interpret the string “\e” as the escape character and to suppress a
7209 trailing newline on output. Those are not portable, nor recommended.
7210 Instead, use printf (POSIX).
7211 For example, to set the window title to “Hello world!”, you could use
7213 one of these commands in a script:
7214 printf '\033]2;Hello world!\033\\'
7216 printf '\033]2;Hello world!\007'
7217 printf '\033]2;%s\033\\' "Hello world!"
7218 printf '\033]2;%s\007' "Hello world!"
7219 The printf command interprets the octal value “\033” for escape, and
7221 (since it was not given in the format) omits a trailing newline from
7222 the output.
7223 Some programs (such as screen(1)) set both window- and icon-titles at
7225 the same time, using a slightly different control sequence:
7226 printf '\033]0;Hello world!\033\\'
7228 printf '\033]0;Hello world!\007'
7229 printf '\033]0;%s\033\\' "Hello world!"
7230 printf '\033]0;%s\007' "Hello world!"
7231 The difference is the parameter “0” in each command. Most window
7233 managers will honor either window title or icon title. Some will make
7234 a distinction and allow you to set just the icon title. You can tell
7235 xterm to ask for this with a different parameter in the control
7236 sequence:
7237 printf '\033]1;Hello world!\033\\'
7239 printf '\033]1;Hello world!\007'
7240 printf '\033]1;%s\033\\' "Hello world!"
7241 printf '\033]1;%s\007' "Hello world!"
7242 Special Keys
7244 Xterm, like any VT100-compatible terminal emulator, has two modes for
7245 the special keys (cursor-keys, numeric keypad, and certain function-
7246 keys):
7247 • normal mode, which makes the special keys transmit “useful”
7249 sequences such as the control sequence for cursor-up when pressing
7250 the up-arrow, and
7251 • application mode, which uses a different control sequence that
7253 cannot be mistaken for the “useful” sequences.
7254 The main difference between the two modes is that normal mode sequences
7256 start with CSI (escape [) and application mode sequences start with SS3
7257 (escape O).
7258 The terminal is initialized into one of these two modes (usually the
7260 normal mode), based on the terminal description (termcap or terminfo).
7261 The terminal description also has capabilities (strings) defined for
7262 the keypad mode used in curses applications.
7263 There is a problem in using the terminal description for applications
7265 that are not intended to be full-screen curses applications: the
7266 definitions of special keys are only correct for this keypad mode. For
7267 example, some shells (unlike ksh(1), which appears to be hard-coded,
7268 not even using termcap) allow their users to customize key-bindings,
7269 assigning shell actions to special keys.
7270 • bash(1) allows constant strings to be assigned to functions. This
7272 is only successful if the terminal is initialized to application
7273 mode by default, because bash lacks flexibility in this area. It
7274 uses a (less expressive than bash's) readline scripting language
7275 for setting up key bindings, which relies upon the user to
7276 statically enumerate the possible bindings for given values of
7277 $TERM.
7278 • zsh(1) provides an analogous feature, but it accepts runtime
7280 expressions, as well as providing a $terminfo array for scripts.
7281 In particular, one can use the terminal database, transforming when
7282 defining a key-binding. By transforming the output so that CSI and
7283 SS3 are equated, zsh can use the terminal database to obtain useful
7284 definitions for its command-line use regardless of whether the
7285 terminal uses normal or application mode initially. Here is an
7286 example:
7287 [[ "$terminfo[kcuu1]" == "^[O"* ]] && \
7289 bindkey -M viins "${terminfo[kcuu1]/O/[}" \
7290 vi-up-line-or-history
7291 Changing Colors
7293 A few shell programs provide the ability for users to add color and
7294 other video attributes to the shell prompt strings. Users can do this
7295 by setting $PS1 (the primary prompt string). Again, bash and zsh have
7296 provided features not found in ksh. There is a problem, however: the
7297 prompt's width on the screen will not necessarily be the same as the
7298 number of characters. Because there is no guidance in the POSIX
7299 standard, each shell addresses the problem in a different way:
7300 • bash treats characters within “\[” and “\]” as nonprinting (using
7302 no width on the screen).
7303 • zsh treats characters within “%{” and “%}” as nonprinting.
7305 In addition to the difference in syntax, the shells provide different
7307 methods for obtaining useful escape sequences:
7308 • As noted in Special Keys, zsh initializes the $terminfo array with
7310 the terminal capabilities.
7311 It also provides a function echoti which works like tput(1) to
7313 convert a terminal capability with its parameters into a string
7314 that can be written to the terminal.
7315 • Shells lacking a comparable feature (such as bash) can always use
7317 the program tput to do this transformation.
7318 Hard-coded escape sequences are supported by each shell, but are not
7320 recommended because those rely upon particular configurations and
7321 cannot be easily moved between different user environments.
7322
7324 Xterm sets several environment variables.
7325 System Independent
7327 Some variables are used on every system:
7328 DISPLAY
7330 is the display name, pointing to the X server (see DISPLAY NAMES
7331 in X(7)).
7332 TERM
7334 is set according to the terminfo (or termcap) entry which it is
7335 using as a reference.
7336 On some systems, you may encounter situations where the shell
7338 which you use and xterm are built using libraries with different
7339 terminal databases. In that situation, xterm may choose a
7340 terminal description not known to the shell.
7341 WINDOWID
7343 is set to the X window id number of the xterm window.
7344 XTERM_FILTER
7346 is set if a locale-filter is used. The value is the pathname of
7347 the filter.
7348 XTERM_LOCALE
7350 shows the locale which was used by xterm on startup. Some shell
7351 initialization scripts may set a different locale.
7352 XTERM_SHELL
7354 is set to the pathname of the program which is invoked. Usually
7355 that is a shell program, e.g., /bin/sh. Since it is not
7356 necessarily a shell program however, it is distinct from “SHELL”.
7357 XTERM_VERSION
7359 is set to the string displayed by the -version option. That is
7360 normally an identifier for the X Window libraries used to build
7361 xterm, followed by xterm's patch number in parenthesis. The patch
7362 number is also part of the response to a Secondary Device
7363 Attributes (DA) control sequence (see Xterm Control Sequences).
7364 System Dependent
7366 Depending on your system configuration, xterm may also set the
7367 following:
7368 COLUMNS
7370 the width of the xterm in characters (cf: “stty columns”).
7371 When this variable is set, curses applications (and most terminal
7373 programs) will assume that the terminal has this many columns.
7374 Xterm would do this for systems which have no ability to tell the
7376 size of the terminal. Those are very rare, none newer than the
7377 mid 1990s when SVR4 became prevalent.
7378 HOME
7380 when xterm is configured (at build-time) to update utmp.
7381 LINES
7383 the height of the xterm in characters (cf: “stty rows”).
7384 When this variable is set, curses applications (and most terminal
7386 programs) will assume that the terminal has this many lines
7387 (rows).
7388 Xterm would do this for systems which have no ability to tell the
7390 size of the terminal. Those are very rare, none newer than the
7391 mid 1990s when SVR4 became prevalent.
7392 LOGNAME
7394 when xterm is configured (at build-time) to update utmp.
7395 Your configuration may have set LOGNAME; xterm does not modify
7397 that. If it is unset, xterm will use USER if it is set. Finally,
7398 if neither is set, xterm will use the getlogin(3) function.
7399 SHELL
7401 when xterm is configured (at build-time) to update utmp. It is
7402 also set if you provide a valid shell name as the optional
7403 parameter.
7404 Xterm sets this to an absolute pathname. If you have set the
7406 variable to a relative pathname, xterm may set it to a different
7407 shell pathname.
7408 If you have set this to an pathname which does not correspond to a
7410 valid shell, xterm may unset it, to avoid confusion.
7411 TERMCAP
7413 the contents of the termcap entry corresponding to $TERM, with
7414 lines and columns values substituted for the actual size window
7415 you have created.
7416 This feature is, like LINES and COLUMNS, used rarely. It
7418 addresses the same limitation of a few older systems by providing
7419 a way for termcap-based applications to get the initial screen
7420 size.
7421 TERMINFO
7423 may be defined to a nonstandard location using the configure
7424 script.
7425
7427 In the output from xprop(1), there are several properties.
7428 Properties set by X Toolkit
7430 WM_CLASS
7431 This shows the instance name and the X resource class, passed to X
7432 Toolkit during initialization of xterm, e.g.,
7433 WM_CLASS(STRING) = "xterm", "UXTerm"
7435 WM_CLIENT_LEADER
7437 This shows the window-id which xterm provides with an environment
7438 variable (WINDOWID), e.g.,
7439 WM_CLIENT_LEADER(WINDOW): window id # 0x800023
7441 WM_COMMAND
7443 This shows the command-line arguments for xterm which are passed
7444 to X Toolkit during initialization, e.g.,
7445 WM_COMMAND(STRING) = { "xterm", "-class", "UXTerm", "-title", "uxterm", "-u8" }
7447 WM_ICON_NAME
7449 This holds the icon title, which different window managers handle
7450 in various ways. It is set via the iconName resource.
7451 Applications can change this using control sequences.
7452 WM_LOCALE_NAME
7454 This shows the result from the setlocale(3) function for the
7455 LC_CTYPE category, e.g.,
7456 WM_LOCALE_NAME(STRING) = "en_US.UTF-8"
7458 WM_NAME
7460 This holds the window title, normally at the top of xterm's
7461 window. It is set via the title resource. Applications can
7462 change this using control sequences.
7463 Properties set by Xterm
7465 X Toolkit does not manage EWMH properties. Xterm does this directly.
7466 _NET_WM_ICON_NAME
7468 stores the icon name.
7469 _NET_WM_NAME
7471 stores the title string.
7472 _NET_WM_PID
7474 stores the process identifier for xterm's display.
7475 Properties used by Xterm
7477 _NET_SUPPORTED
7478 Xterm checks this property on the supporting window to decide if
7479 the window manager supports specific maximizing styles. That may
7480 include other window manager hints; xterm uses the X library calls
7481 to manage those.
7482 _NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK
7484 Xterm checks this to ensure that it will only update the EWMH
7485 properties for a window manager which claims EWMH compliance.
7486 _NET_WM_STATE
7488 This tells xterm whether its window has been maximized by the
7489 window manager, and if so, what type of maximizing:
7490 _NET_WM_STATE_FULLSCREEN
7492 _NET_WM_STATE_MAXIMIZED_HORZ
7494 _NET_WM_STATE_MAXIMIZED_VERT
7496
7498 The actual pathnames given may differ on your system.
7499 /etc/shells
7501 contains a list of valid shell programs, used by xterm to decide
7502 if the “SHELL” environment variable should be set for the process
7503 started by xterm.
7504 On systems which have the getusershell function, xterm will use
7506 that function rather than directly reading the file, since the
7507 file may not be present if the system uses default settings.
7508 /var/run/utmp
7510 the system log file, which records user logins.
7511 /var/log/wtmp
7513 the system log file, which records user logins and logouts.
7514 /usr/share/X11/app-defaults/XTerm
7516 the xterm default application resources.
7517 /usr/share/X11/app-defaults/XTerm-color
7519 the xterm color application resources. If your display supports
7520 color, use this
7521 *customization: -color
7523 in your .Xdefaults file to automatically use this resource file
7525 rather than /usr/share/X11/app-defaults/XTerm. If you do not do
7526 this, xterm uses its compiled-in default resource settings for
7527 colors.
7528 /usr/share/pixmaps
7530 the directory in which xterm's pixmap icon files are installed.
7531
7533 Most of the fatal error messages from xterm use the following format:
7534 xterm: Error XXX, errno YYY: ZZZ
7536 The XXX codes (which are used by xterm as its exit-code) are listed
7538 below, with a brief explanation.
7539 1 is used for miscellaneous errors, usually accompanied by a
7541 specific message,
7542 11 ERROR_FIONBIO
7544 main: ioctl() failed on FIONBIO
7545 12 ERROR_F_GETFL
7547 main: ioctl() failed on F_GETFL
7548 13 ERROR_F_SETFL
7550 main: ioctl() failed on F_SETFL
7551 14 ERROR_OPDEVTTY
7553 spawn: open() failed on /dev/tty
7554 15 ERROR_TIOCGETP
7556 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCGETP
7557 17 ERROR_PTSNAME
7559 spawn: ptsname() failed
7560 18 ERROR_OPPTSNAME
7562 spawn: open() failed on ptsname
7563 19 ERROR_PTEM
7565 spawn: ioctl() failed on I_PUSH/"ptem"
7566 20 ERROR_CONSEM
7568 spawn: ioctl() failed on I_PUSH/"consem"
7569 21 ERROR_LDTERM
7571 spawn: ioctl() failed on I_PUSH/"ldterm"
7572 22 ERROR_TTCOMPAT
7574 spawn: ioctl() failed on I_PUSH/"ttcompat"
7575 23 ERROR_TIOCSETP
7577 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCSETP
7578 24 ERROR_TIOCSETC
7580 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCSETC
7581 25 ERROR_TIOCSETD
7583 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCSETD
7584 26 ERROR_TIOCSLTC
7586 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCSLTC
7587 27 ERROR_TIOCLSET
7589 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCLSET
7590 28 ERROR_INIGROUPS
7592 spawn: initgroups() failed
7593 29 ERROR_FORK
7595 spawn: fork() failed
7596 30 ERROR_EXEC
7598 spawn: exec() failed
7599 32 ERROR_PTYS
7601 get_pty: not enough ptys
7602 34 ERROR_PTY_EXEC
7604 waiting for initial map
7605 35 ERROR_SETUID
7607 spawn: setuid() failed
7608 36 ERROR_INIT
7610 spawn: can't initialize window
7611 46 ERROR_TIOCKSET
7613 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCKSET
7614 47 ERROR_TIOCKSETC
7616 spawn: ioctl() failed on TIOCKSETC
7617 49 ERROR_LUMALLOC
7619 luit: command-line malloc failed
7620 50 ERROR_SELECT
7622 in_put: select() failed
7623 54 ERROR_VINIT
7625 VTInit: can't initialize window
7626 57 ERROR_KMMALLOC1
7628 HandleKeymapChange: malloc failed
7629 60 ERROR_TSELECT
7631 Tinput: select() failed
7632 64 ERROR_TINIT
7634 TekInit: can't initialize window
7635 71 ERROR_BMALLOC2
7637 SaltTextAway: malloc() failed
7638 80 ERROR_LOGEXEC
7640 StartLog: exec() failed
7641 83 ERROR_XERROR
7643 xerror: XError event
7644 84 ERROR_XIOERROR
7646 xioerror: X I/O error
7647 85 ERROR_ICEERROR
7649 ICE I/O error
7650 90 ERROR_SCALLOC
7652 Alloc: calloc() failed on base
7653 91 ERROR_SCALLOC2
7655 Alloc: calloc() failed on rows
7656 102 ERROR_SAVE_PTR
7658 ScrnPointers: malloc/realloc() failed
7659
7661 Large pastes do not work on some systems. This is not a bug in xterm;
7662 it is a bug in the pseudo terminal driver of those systems. Xterm
7663 feeds large pastes to the pty only as fast as the pty will accept data,
7664 but some pty drivers do not return enough information to know if the
7665 write has succeeded.
7666 When connected to an input method, it is possible for xterm to hang if
7668 the XIM server is suspended or killed.
7669 Many of the options are not resettable after xterm starts.
7671 This program still needs to be rewritten. It should be split into very
7673 modular sections, with the various emulators being completely separate
7674 widgets that do not know about each other. Ideally, you'd like to be
7675 able to pick and choose emulator widgets and stick them into a single
7676 control widget.
7677 There needs to be a dialog box to allow entry of the Tek COPY file
7679 name.
7680
7682 resize(1), luit(1), uxterm(1), X(7), Xcursor(7), pty(4), tty(4)
7683 Xterm Control Sequences (this is the file ctlseqs.ms).
7685 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html
7687 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/manpage/xterm.html
7688 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/ctlseqs/ctlseqs.html
7689 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.faq.html
7690 https://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.log.html
7691 X Toolkit Intrinsics – C Language Interface (Xt),
7693 Joel McCormack, Paul Asente, Ralph R. Swick (1994),
7694 Thomas E. Dickey (2019).
7695 Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual (ICCCM),
7697 David Rosenthal and Stuart W. Marks (version 2.0, 1994).
7698 Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH),
7700 X Desktop Group (version 1.3, 2005).
7701 EWMH uses UTF8_STRING pervasively without defining it, but does mention
7703 the ICCCM. Version 2.0 of the ICCCM does not address UTF-8. That is
7704 an extension added in XFree86.
7705 • Markus Kuhn summarized this in UTF-8 and Unicode FAQ for Unix/Linux
7707 (2001), in the section “Is X11 ready for Unicode?”
7708 https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/unicode.html
7710 • Juliusz Chroboczek proposed the UTF8_STRING selection atom in
7712 1999/2000, which became part of the ICCCM in XFree86.
7713 https://www.irif.fr/~jch/software/UTF8_STRING/
7715 An Xorg developer removed that part of the documentation in 2004
7717 when incorporating other work from XFree86 into Xorg. The feature
7718 is still supported in Xorg, though undocumented as of 2019.
7719
7721 Far too many people.
7722 These contributed to the X Consortium: Loretta Guarino Reid (DEC-UEG-
7724 WSL), Joel McCormack (DEC-UEG-WSL), Terry Weissman (DEC-UEG-WSL),
7725 Edward Moy (Berkeley), Ralph R. Swick (MIT-Athena), Mark Vandevoorde
7726 (MIT-Athena), Bob McNamara (DEC-MAD), Jim Gettys (MIT-Athena), Bob
7727 Scheifler (MIT X Consortium), Doug Mink (SAO), Steve Pitschke
7728 (Stellar), Ron Newman (MIT-Athena), Jim Fulton (MIT X Consortium), Dave
7729 Serisky (HP), Jonathan Kamens (MIT-Athena).
7730 Beginning with XFree86, there were far more identifiable contributors.
7732 The THANKS file in xterm's source lists 243 in June 2022. Keep in mind
7733 these: Jason Bacon, Jens Schweikhardt, Ross Combs, Stephen P. Wall,
7734 David Wexelblat, and Thomas Dickey (invisible-island.net).
7735Patch #385 2023-10-01 XTERM(1)