1XWININFO(1) General Commands Manual XWININFO(1)
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6 xwininfo - window information utility for X
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9 xwininfo [-help] [-id id] [-root] [-name name] [-int] [-children]
10 [-tree] [-stats] [-bits] [-events] [-size] [-wm] [-shape] [-frame]
11 [-all] [-english] [-metric] [-display display]
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14 Xwininfo is a utility for displaying information about windows. Vari‐
15 ous information is displayed depending on which options are selected.
16 If no options are chosen, -stats is assumed.
17 The user has the option of selecting the target window with the mouse
19 (by clicking any mouse button in the desired window) or by specifying
20 its window id on the command line with the -id option. Or instead of
21 specifying the window by its id number, the -name option may be used to
22 specify which window is desired by name. There is also a special -root
23 option to quickly obtain information on the screen's root window.
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26 -help Print out the `Usage:' command syntax summary.
27 -id id This option allows the user to specify a target window id on
29 the command line rather than using the mouse to select the tar‐
30 get window. This is very useful in debugging X applications
31 where the target window is not mapped to the screen or where
32 the use of the mouse might be impossible or interfere with the
33 application.
34 -name name
36 This option allows the user to specify that the window named
37 name is the target window on the command line rather than using
38 the mouse to select the target window.
39 -root This option specifies that X's root window is the target win‐
41 dow. This is useful in situations where the root window is
42 completely obscured.
43 -int This option specifies that all X window ids should be displayed
45 as integer values. The default is to display them as hexadeci‐
46 mal values.
47 -children
49 This option causes the root, parent, and children windows' ids
50 and names of the selected window to be displayed.
51 -tree This option is like -children but displays all children recur‐
53 sively.
54 -stats This option causes the display of various attributes pertaining
56 to the location and appearance of the selected window. Infor‐
57 mation displayed includes the location of the window, its width
58 and height, its depth, border width, class, colormap id if any,
59 map state, backing-store hint, and location of the corners.
60 -bits This option causes the display of various attributes pertaining
62 to the selected window's raw bits and how the selected window
63 is to be stored. Displayed information includes the selected
64 window's bit gravity, window gravity, backing-store hint, back‐
65 ing-planes value, backing pixel, and whether or not the window
66 has save-under set.
67 -events This option causes the selected window's event masks to be dis‐
69 played. Both the event mask of events wanted by some client
70 and the event mask of events not to propagate are displayed.
71 -size This option causes the selected window's sizing hints to be
73 displayed. Displayed information includes: for both the normal
74 size hints and the zoom size hints, the user supplied location
75 if any; the program supplied location if any; the user supplied
76 size if any; the program supplied size if any; the minimum size
77 if any; the maximum size if any; the resize increments if any;
78 and the minimum and maximum aspect ratios if any.
79 -wm This option causes the selected window's window manager hints
81 to be displayed. Information displayed may include whether or
82 not the application accepts input, what the window's icon win‐
83 dow # and name is, where the window's icon should go, and what
84 the window's initial state should be.
85 -shape This option causes the selected window's window and border
87 shape extents to be displayed.
88 -frame This option causes window manager frames to be considered when
90 manually selecting windows.
91 -metric This option causes all individual height, width, and x and y
93 positions to be displayed in millimeters as well as number of
94 pixels, based on what the server thinks the resolution is.
95 Geometry specifications that are in +x+y form are not changed.
96 -english
98 This option causes all individual height, width, and x and y
99 positions to be displayed in inches (and feet, yards, and miles
100 if necessary) as well as number of pixels. -metric and -english
101 may both be enabled at the same time.
102 -all This option is a quick way to ask for all information possible.
104 -display display
106 This option allows you to specify the server to connect to; see
107 X(7).
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110 The following is a sample summary taken with no options specified:
111 xwininfo: Window id: 0x60000f "xterm"
113 Absolute upper-left X: 2
115 Absolute upper-left Y: 85
116 Relative upper-left X: 0
117 Relative upper-left Y: 25
118 Width: 579
119 Height: 316
120 Depth: 8
121 Visual Class: PseudoColor
122 Border width: 0
123 Class: InputOutput
124 Colormap: 0x27 (installed)
125 Bit Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
126 Window Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
127 Backing Store State: NotUseful
128 Save Under State: no
129 Map State: IsViewable
130 Override Redirect State: no
131 Corners: +2+85 -699+85 -699-623 +2-623
132 -geometry 80x24+0+58
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136 DISPLAY To get the default host and display number.
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139 X(7), xprop(1)
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142 Using -stats -bits shows some redundant information.
143 The -geometry string displayed must make assumptions about the window's
145 border width and the behavior of the application and the window man‐
146 ager. As a result, the location given is not always correct.
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149 Mark Lillibridge, MIT Project Athena
150X Version 11 xwininfo 1.0.2 XWININFO(1)