1XSEL(1) General Commands Manual XSEL(1)
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6 xsel - manipulate the X selection.
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9 xsel [OPTION]...
10
12 Retrieve and set the X selection.
13 The X server maintains three selections, called PRIMARY, SECONDARY and
15 CLIPBOARD. The PRIMARY selection is conventionally used to implement
16 copying and pasting via the middle mouse button. The SECONDARY and
17 CLIPBOARD selections are less frequently used by application programs.
18 This program operates on the PRIMARY selection unless otherwise speci‐
19 fied.
20 By default, this program outputs the selection without modification if
22 both standard input and standard output are terminals (ttys). Other‐
23 wise, the current selection is output if standard output is not a ter‐
24 minal (tty), and the selection is set from standard input if standard
25 input is not a terminal (tty). If any input or output options are given
26 then the program behaves only in the requested mode.
27 If both input and output is required then the previous selection is
29 output before being replaced by the contents of standard input.
30 Input options
33 -a, --append
35 append standard input to the selection. Implies -i.
36 -f, --follow
38 append to selection as standard input grows. Implies -i.
39 -i, --input
41 read standard input into the selection.
42 Output options
45 -o, --output
47 write the selection to standard output.
48 Action options
51 -c, --clear
53 clear the selection. Overrides all input options.
54 -d, --delete
56 Request that the current selection be deleted. This not only
57 clears the selection, but also requests to the program in which
58 the selection resides that the selected contents be deleted.
59 Overrides all input options.
60 Selection options
63 -p, --primary
65 operate on the PRIMARY selection (default).
66 -s, --secondary
68 operate on the SECONDARY selection.
69 -b, --clipboard
71 operate on the CLIPBOARD selection.
72 -k, --keep
75 Do not modify the selections, but make the PRIMARY and SECONDARY
76 selections persist even after the programs they were selected in
77 exit. (Conventionally, the CLIPBOARD selection is persisted by a
78 separate special purpose program such as xclipboard(1)). Ignores
79 all input and output options.
80 -x, --exchange
82 exchange the PRIMARY and SECONDARY selections. Ignores all input
83 and output options.
84 X options
87 -d displayname, --display displayname
89 specify the server to use; see X(1).
90 -t ms, --selectionTimeout ms
92 Specify the timeout in milliseconds within which the selection
93 must be retrieved. A value of 0 (zero) specifies no timeout
94 (default).
95 Miscellaneous options
98 -l filename, --logfile filename
100 Specify the file to log errors to when detached. (Default
101 $HOME/.xsel.log)
102 -n, --nodetach
104 Do not detach from the controlling terminal. Without this
105 option, xsel will fork to become a background process in input,
106 exchange and keep modes.
107 -h, --help
109 display usage information and exit
110 -v, --verbose
112 Print informative messages. Additional instances of -v raise the
113 debugging level, ie. print more information.
114 -v, --version
116 output version information and exit
117
119 There is no X selection buffer. The selection mechanism in X11 is an
120 interclient communication mediated by the X server each time any pro‐
121 gram wishes to know the selection contents, eg. to perform a middle
122 mouse button paste. In order to implement modification of the selec‐
123 tion(s) (in input, keep and exchange modes) this program detaches from
124 the terminal, spawning a child process to supply the new selection(s)
125 on demand. This child exits immediately when any other program takes
126 over the selection(s), eg. when the user next selects some text in a
127 terminal window or by running xsel -c.
128
130 xsel conforms to the Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual Ver‐
131 sion 2.0 (ICCCM2).
132
134 X(1), Xserver(1), xset(1), xclipboard(1), xpaste(1)
135
137 Conrad Parker <conrad@vergenet.net>, July 2001
138 July 2001 XSEL(1)