xrdb(XC)

xrdb -- X server resource database utility

Syntax

xrdb [-display display] [-all] [-backupstring] [-cpp filename] [-Dname[=value]] [-edit filename] [-help] [-Idirectory] [-global] [-load] [-merge] [-n] [-nocpp] [-override] [-screen] [-screens] [-quiet] [-query] [-remove] [-retain] [-symbols] [-Uname] [filename]

Description

xrdb is used to get or set the contents of the RESOURCE_MANAGER property on the root window of screen 0, or the SCREEN_RESOURCES property on the root window of any or all screens, or everything combined. You would normally run this program from your X startup file.

Options

xrdb(XC) accepts the following options:

-display display: specifies the X server to be used; see X(X). -display also specifies the screen to use for the -screen option, and it specifies the screen from which preprocessor symbols are derived for the -global option.
-all: indicates that operation should be performed on the screen-independent resource property (RESOURCE_MANAGER), as well as the screen-specific property (SCREEN_RESOURCES) on every screen of the display. For example, when used in conjunction with -query, the contents of all properties are output. For -load, -override and -merge, the input file is processed once for each screen. The resources that occur in common in the output for every screen are collected, and these are applied as the screen-independent resources. The remaining resources are applied for each individual per-screen property. This the default mode of operation.
-backupstring: specifies a suffix to be appended to the filename used with -edit to generate a backup file.
-cpp filename: specifies the pathname of the C preprocessor program to be used. Although xrdb was designed to use CPP, any program that acts as a filter and accepts the -D, -I, and -U options may be used.
-Dname[=value]: defines symbols for use with conditionals such as #ifdef.
-edit filename: indicates that the contents of the specified properties should be edited into the given file, replacing any values already listed there. This allows you to put changes that you have made to your defaults back into your resource file, preserving any comments or preprocessor lines.
-help: describes the allowable options and parameters.
-Idirectory: specifies a directory to search for files that are referenced with #include.
-global: indicates that the operation should only be performed on the screen-independent RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
-load: indicates that the input should be loaded as the new value of the specified properties, replacing whatever was there (that is, the old contents are removed). This is the default action.
-merge: indicates that the input should be merged and lexicographically sorted with, instead of replacing, the current contents of the specified properties.
-n: indicates that changes to the specified properties (when used with -load, -override or -merge) or to the resource file (when used with -edit) should be shown on the standard output, but should not be performed.
-nocpp: indicates that xrdb should not run the input file through a preprocessor before loading it into properties.
-override: indicates that the input should be added to, instead of replacing, the current contents of the specified properties. New entries override previous entries.
-screen: indicates that the operation should only be performed on the SCREEN_RESOURCES property of the default screen of the display.
-screens: indicates that the operation should be performed on the SCREEN_RESOURCES property of each screen of the display. For -load, -override and -merge, the input file is processed for each screen.
-quiet: indicates that warnings about duplicate entries should not be displayed.
-query: This option indicates that the current contents of the specified properties should be printed onto the standard output. Note that since preprocessor commands in the input resource file are part of the input file, not part of the property, they will not appear in the output from this option. The -edit" option can be used to merge the contents of properties back into the input resource file without damaging preprocessor commands.
-remove: indicates that the specified properties should be removed from the server.
-retain: indicates that the server should be instructed not to reset if xrdb is the first client. This should never be necessary under normal conditions, because xdm and xinit always act as the first client.
-symbols: indicates that the symbols that are defined for the preprocessor should be printed onto the standard output.
-Uname: removes any definitions of specified symbol.

Keywords

Most X clients use the RESOURCE_MANAGER and SCREEN_RESOURCES properties to get user preferences about color, fonts, and so on for applications. Having this information in the server (where it is available to all clients) instead of on disk, solves the problem in previous versions of X that required you to maintain defaults files on every machine that you might use. It also allows for dynamic changing of defaults without editing files.

The RESOURCE_MANAGER property is used for resources that apply to all screens of the display. The SCREEN_RESOURCES property on each screen specifies additional (or overriding) resources to be used for that screen. (When there is only one screen, SCREEN_RESOURCES is normally not used, all resources are just placed in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.)

The file specified by filename (or the contents from standard input if ``-'' or no filename is given) is optionally passed through the C preprocessor with the following symbols defined, based on the capabilities of the server being used:

SERVERHOST=hostname: the hostname portion of the display to which you are connected
SRVR_name: the SERVERHOST hostname string changes to a legal identifier. For example, ``my-dpy.lcs.mit.edu'' becomes ``SRVR_my_dpy_lcs_mit_edu''.
HOST=hostname: the same as SERVERHOST
DISPLAY_NUM=num: the number of the display on the server host
CLIENTHOST=hostname: the name of the host on which xrdb is running.
CLNT_name: the CLIENTHOST hostname string changes to a legal identifier. For example, ``expo.lcs.mit.edu'' becomes ``CLNT_expo_lcs_mit_edu''.
RELEASE=num: the vendor release number for the server. The interpretation of this number will vary depending on VENDOR.
REVISION=num: the X protocol minor version supported by this server (currently 0)
VERSION=num: the X protocol major version supported by this server (should always be 11)
VENDOR=vendor: a string literal specifying the vendor of the server
VNDR_name: the VENDOR name string turned into a legal identifier. For example, ``MIT X Consortium'' becomes ``VNDR_MIT_X_Consortium''.
EXT_name: defined for each protocol extension supported by the server. Each extension string name is turned into a legal identifier. For example, ``X3D-PEX'' becomes ``EXT_X3D_PEX''.
NUM_SCREENS=num: the total number of screens
SCREEN_NUM=num: the number of the current screen (from zero)
BITS_PER_RGB=num: the number of significant bits in an RGB color specification. This is the log base 2 of the number of distinct shades of each primary that the hardware can generate. Note that it usually is not related to PLANES.
CLASS=visualclass: one of StaticGray, GrayScale, StaticColor, PseudoColor, TrueColor, DirectColor. This is the visual class of the root window.
CLASS_visualclass=visualid: the visual class of the root window in a form you can #ifdef on. The value is the numeric id of the visual.
COLOR: defined only if CLASS is one of StaticColor, PseudoColor, TrueColor, or DirectColor
CLASS_visualclass_depth=num: defined for each visual supported for the screen. The symbol includes the class of the visual and its depth; the value is the numeric id of the visual.
HEIGHT=num: the height of the root window in pixels
WIDTH=num: the width of the root window in pixels
PLANES=num: the number of bit planes (the depth) of the root window
X_RESOLUTION=num: the x resolution of the screen in pixels per meter
Y_RESOLUTION=num: the y resolution of the screen in pixels per meter

SRVR_name, CLNT_name, VNDR_name, and EXT_name identifiers are formed by changing all characters other than letters and digits into underscores (_).

Lines that begin with an exclamation mark (!) are ignored and may be used as comments.

NOTE: Since xrdb can read from standard input, it can be used to change the contents of properties directly from a terminal or from a shell script.

Files

~/.Xdefaults

Environment variables

DISPLAY: default host and display number

Known limitations

The default for no arguments should be to query, not to overwrite, so that it is consistent with other programs.