mwm(user cmd) mwm(user cmd)
NAMEmwm — The Motif Window Manager
SYNOPSISmwm [options]
DESCRIPTION
The mwm window manager provides functions that facilitate control (by
the user and the programmer) of elements of window state such as place‐
ment, size, icon/normal display, and input-focus ownership.
The stand-alone window manager is not an integral part of CDE and does
not support communication with other components in the CDE environment,
such as the Style Manager and the Session Manager.
Options
-display display
This option specifies the display to use; see X(1).
-xrm resourcestring
This option specifies a resource string to use.
-multiscreen
This option causes mwm to manage all screens on the display.
The default is to manage only a single screen.
-name name
This option causes mwm to retrieve its resources using the
specified name, as in name*resource.
-screens name [name [...]]
This option specifies the resource names to use for the
screens managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen,
only the first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing
multiple screens, the names are assigned to the screens in
order, starting with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name,
screen 1 the second name, and so on.
Appearance
The following sections describe the basic default behaviors of windows,
icons, the icon box, input focus, and window stacking. The appearance
and behavior of the window manager can be altered by changing the con‐
figuration of specific resources. Resources are defined under the head‐
ing "X DEFAULTS."
Screens
By default, mwm manages only the single screen specified by the -dis‐
play option or the DISPLAY environment variable (by default, screen 0).
If the -multiscreen option is specified or if the multiScreen resource
is True, mwm tries to manage all the screens on the display.
When mwm is managing multiple screens, the -screens option can be used
to give each screen a unique resource name. The names are separated by
blanks, for example, -screens scr0 scr1. If there are more screens than
names, resources for the remaining screens will be retrieved using the
first name. By default, the screen number is used for the screen name.
Windows
Default mwm window frames have distinct components with associated
functions:
Title Area
In addition to displaying the client's title, the title area
is used to move the window. To move the window, place the
pointer over the title area, press button 1 and drag the win‐
dow to a new location. By default, a wire frame is moved dur‐
ing the drag to indicate the new location. When the button is
released, the window is moved to the new location.
Title Bar The title bar includes the title area, the minimize button,
the maximize button, and the window menu button. In shaped
windows, such as round windows, the title bar floats above
the window.
Minimize Button
To turn the window into an icon, click button 1 on the mini‐
mize button (the frame box with a small square in it).
Maximize Button
To make the window fill the screen (or enlarge to the largest
size allowed by the configuration files), click button 1 on
the maximize button (the frame box with a large square in
it).
Window Menu Button
The window menu button is the frame box with a horizontal bar
in it. To pull down the window menu, press button 1. While
pressing, drag the pointer on the menu to your selection,
then release the button when your selection is highlighted.
Pressing button 3 in the title bar or resize border handles
also posts the window menu. Alternately, you can click button
1 to pull down the menu and keep it posted; then position the
pointer and select. You can also post the window menu by
pressing <Shift> <Esc> or <Alt> <Space>. Double-clicking
button 1 with the pointer on the window menu button closes
the window.
The following table lists the contents of the window menu.
Default Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
Restore Restores the window to its size
before minimizing or maximizing.
Move Allows the window to be moved
with keys or mouse.
Size Allows the window to be resized.
Minimize Turns the window into an icon.
Maximize Makes the window fill the screen.
Lower Moves window to bottom of window
stack.
Close Alt+F4 Causes client to terminate.
Resize Border Handles
To change the size of a window, move the pointer over a
resize border handle (the cursor changes), press button 1,
and drag the window to a new size. When the button is
released, the window is resized. While dragging is being
done, a rubber-band outline is displayed to indicate the new
window size.
Matte An optional matte decoration can be added between the client
area and the window frame (see the matteWidth resource). A
matte is not actually part of the window frame. There is no
functionality associated with a matte.
Icons
Icons are small graphic representations of windows. A window can be
minimized (iconified) using the minimize button on the window frame.
Icons provide a way to reduce clutter on the screen.
Pressing mouse button 1 when the pointer is over an icon causes the
icon's window menu to pop up. Releasing the button (press + release
without moving mouse = click) causes the menu to stay posted. The menu
contains the following selections:
Icon Window Menu
Selection Accelerator Description
Restore Opens the associated window.
Move Allows the icon to be moved with
keys.
Size Inactive (not an option for icons).
Minimize Inactive (not an option for icons).
Maximize Opens the associated window and
makes it fill the screen.
Lower Moves icon to bottom of icon stack.
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management.
Note that pressing button 3 over an icon also causes the icon's window
menu to pop up. To make a menu selection, drag the pointer over the
menu and release button 3 when the desired item is highlighted.
Double-clicking button 1 on an icon invokes the f.restore_and_raise
function and restores the icon's associated window to its previous
state. For example, if a maximized window is iconified, double-clicking
button 1 restores it to its maximized state. Double-clicking button 1
on the icon box's icon opens the icon box and allows access to the con‐
tained icons. (In general, double-clicking a mouse button is a quick
way to perform a function.) Pressing <Shift> <Esc> or <Menu> (the pop-
up menu key) causes the icon window menu of the currently selected icon
to pop up.
Icon Box
When icons begin to clutter the screen, they can be packed into an icon
box. (To use an icon box, mwm must be started with the icon box config‐
uration already set.) The icon box is a mwm window that holds client
icons. It includes one or more scroll bars when there are more window
icons than the icon box can show at the same time.
Icons in the icon box can be manipulated with the mouse. The following
table summarizes the behavior of this interface. Button actions apply
whenever the pointer is on any part of the icon. Note that double-
clicking an icon in the icon box invokes the f.restore_and_raise func‐
tion.
Button Action Description
Button 1 click Selects the icon.
Button 1 double-click Normalizes (opens) the associated
window. Raises an already open win‐
dow to the top of the stack.
Button 1 drag Moves the icon.
Button 3 press Causes the menu for that icon to pop
up.
Button 3 drag Highlights items as the pointer
moves across the menu.
Pressing mouse button 3 when the pointer is over an icon causes the
menu for that icon to pop up.
Icon Menu for the Icon Box
Selection Accelerator Description
Restore Opens the associated window (if not
already open).
Move Allows the icon to be moved with
keys.
Size Inactive.
Minimize Inactive.
Maximize Opens the associated window (if not
already open) and maximizes its
size.
Lower Inactive.
Close Alt+F4 Removes client from mwm management.
To pull down the window menu for the icon box itself, press button 1
with the pointer over the menu button for the icon box. The window menu
of the icon box differs from the window menu of a client window: The
"Close" selection is replaced with the "PackIcons Shift+Alt+F7" selec‐
tion. When selected, PackIcons packs the icons in the box to achieve
neat rows with no empty slots.
You can also post the window menu by pressing <Shift>, <Esc> or <Alt>
<Space>. Pressing <Menu> (the pop-up menu key) causes the icon window
menu of the currently selected icon to pop up.
Input Focus
The mwm window manager supports (by default) a keyboard input focus
policy of explicit selection. This means when a window is selected to
get keyboard input, it continues to get keyboard input until the window
is withdrawn from window management, another window is explicitly
selected to get keyboard input, or the window is iconified. Several
resources control the input focus. The client window with the keyboard
input focus has the active window appearance with a visually distinct
window frame.
The following tables summarize the keyboard input focus selection
behavior:
Button Action Object Function Description
Button 1 press Window / window frame Keyboard focus selection.
Button 1 press Icon Keyboard focus selection.
Key Action Function Description
[Alt][Tab] Move input focus to next window in window
stack (available only in explicit focus
mode).
[Alt][Shift][Tab] Move input focus to previous window in
window stack (available only in explicit
focus mode).
Window Stacking
There are two types of window stacks: global window stacks and an
application's local family window stack.
The global stacking order of windows may be changed as a result of set‐
ting the keyboard input focus, iconifying a window, or performing a
window manager window stacking function. When keyboard focus policy is
explicit the default value of the focusAutoRaise resource is True. This
causes a window to be raised to the top of the stack when it receives
input focus, for example, by pressing button 1 on the title bar. The
key actions defined in the previous table will thus raise the window
receiving focus to the top of the stack.
In pointer mode, the default value of focusAutoRaise is False, that is,
the window stacking order is not changed when a window receives key‐
board input focus. The following key actions can be used to cycle
through the global window stack.
Key Action Function Description
[Alt][ESC] Place top window on bottom of stack.
[Alt][Shift][ESC] Place bottom window on top of stack.
By default, a window's icon is placed on the bottom of the stack when
the window is iconified; however, the default can be changed by the
lowerOnIconify resource.
Transient windows (secondary windows such a dialog boxes) stay above
their parent windows by default; however, an application's local family
stacking order may be changed to allow a transient window to be placed
below its parent top-level window. The following arguments show the
modification of the stacking order for the f.lower function.
f.lower Lowers the transient window within the family (staying above
the parent) and lowers the family in the global window stack.
f.lower [ within]
Lowers the transient window within the family (staying above
the parent) but does not lower the family in the global win‐
dow stack.
f.lower [freeFamily ]
Lowers the window free from its family stack (below the par‐
ent), but does not lower the family in the global window
stack.
The arguments within and freeFamily can also be used with f.raise and
f.raise_lower.
Session Management
The window manager is an X Session Management Protocol aware client. It
responds to SaveYourself (and other associated messages) by saving the
geometries of its clients to a state file. mwm can then be restarted
by the XSMP session manager. The default location for the state file
is $HOME/.mwmclientdb. This location can be overriden with the
resource sessionClientDB.
X Resources
The mwm command is configured from its resource database. This database
is built from the following sources. They are listed in order of prece‐
dence, low to high:
/usr/share/X11/app-defaults/Mwm
$HOME/Mwm
RESOURCE_MANAGER root window property or $HOME/.Xdefaults
XENVIRONMENT variable or $HOME/.Xdefaults-host
mwm command line options
The file names /usr/share/X11/app-defaults/Mwm and $HOME/Mwm represent
customary locations for these files. The actual location of the system-
wide class resource file may depend on the XFILESEARCHPATH environment
variable and the current language environment. The actual location of
the user-specific class resource file may depend on the XUSERFILE‐
SEARCHPATH and XAPPLRESDIR environment variables and the current lan‐
guage environment.
Entries in the resource database may refer to other resource files for
specific types of resources. These include files that contain bitmaps,
fonts, and mwm specific resources such as menus and behavior specifica‐
tions (for example, button and key bindings).
Mwm is the resource class name of mwm and mwm is the default resource
name used by mwm to look up resources. the -screens command line option
specifies resource names, such as "mwm_b+w" and "mwm_color".) In the
following discussion of resource specification, "Mwm" and "mwm" (and
the aliased mwm resource names) can be used interchangeably, but "mwm"
takes precedence over "Mwm".
The mwm command uses the following types of resources:
Component Appearance Resources:
These resources specify appearance attributes of window man‐
ager user interface components. They can be applied to the
appearance of window manager menus, feedback windows (for
example, the window reconfiguration feedback window), client
window frames, and icons.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources:
These resources specify mwm appearance and behavior (for
example, window management policies). They are not set sepa‐
rately for different mwm user interface components. They
apply to all screens and workspaces.
Screen Specific Appearance and Behavior Resources:
These resources specify the appearance and behavior of mwm
elements that are settable on a per-screen basis.
Client Specific Resources:
These mwm resources can be set for a particular client window
or class of client windows. They specify client-specific icon
and client window frame appearance and behavior.
Resource identifiers can be either a resource name (for example, fore‐
ground) or a resource class (for example, Foreground). If the value of
a resource is a filename and if the filename is prefixed by "~/", then
it is relative to the path contained in the HOME environment variable
(generally the user's home directory).
Component Appearance Resources
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply to
window manager icons, menus, and client window frames is Mwm*
resource_id
For example, Mwm*foreground is used to specify the foreground color for
mwm menus, icons, client window frames, and feedback dialogs.
The syntax for specifying component appearance resources that apply to
a particular mwm component is Mwm*[menu|icon|client|feedback]
*resource_id
If menu is specified, the resource is applied only to mwm menus; if
icon is specified, the resource is applied to icons; and if client is
specified, the resource is applied to client window frames. For exam‐
ple, Mwm*icon*foreground is used to specify the foreground color for
mwm icons, Mwm*menu*foreground specifies the foreground color for mwm
menus, and Mwm*client*foreground is used to specify the foreground
color for mwm client window frames.
The appearance of the title area of a client window frame (including
window management buttons) can be separately configured. The syntax for
configuring the title area of a client window frame is
Mwm*client*title* resource_id
For example, Mwm*client*title*foreground specifies the foreground color
for the title area. Defaults for title area resources are based on the
values of the corresponding client window frame resources.
The appearance of menus can be configured based on the name of the
menu. The syntax for specifying menu appearance by name is Mwm*menu*
menu_name*resource_id
For example, Mwm*menu*my_menu*foreground specifies the foreground color
for the menu named my_menu. The user can also specify resources for
window manager menu components, that is, the gadgets that comprise the
menu. These may include for example, a menu title, title separator, one
or more buttons, and separators. If a menu contains more than one
instance of a class, such as multiple PushButtonGadgets, the name of
the first instance is "PushButtonGadget1", the second is "PushButton‐
Gadget2", and so on. The following list identifies the naming conven‐
tion used for window manager menu components:
· Menu Title LabelGadget - "TitleName"
· Menu Title SeparatorGadget - "TitleSeparator"
· CascadeButtonGadget - "CascadeButtonGadget<n>"
· PushButtonGadget - "PushButtonGadget<n>"
· SeparatorGadget - "SeparatorGadget<n>"
Refer to the man page for each class for a list of resources that can
be specified.
The following component appearance resources that apply to all window
manager parts can be specified:
Component Appearance Resources - All Window Manager Parts
Name Class Value Type Default
background Background color varies†
backgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string†† varies†
bottomShadowColor Foreground color varies†
bottomShadowPixmap Foreground string†† varies†
fontList FontList string††† "fixed"
foreground Foreground color varies†
saveUnder SaveUnder T/F F
topShadowColor Background color varies†
topShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string†† varies†
†The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen. ††Image
name. See XmInstallImage(3). †††X11 X Logical Font Description
background (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color. Any legal X
color may be specified. The default value is chosen based on
the visual type of the screen.
backgroundPixmap (class BackgroundPixmap)
This resource specifies the background Pixmap of the mwm dec‐
oration when the window is inactive (does not have the key‐
board focus). The default value is chosen based on the vis‐
ual type of the screen.
bottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color. This color
is used for the lower and right bevels of the window manager
decoration. Any legal X color may be specified. The default
value is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
bottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap. This Pixmap
is used for the lower and right bevels of the window manager
decoration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
fontList (class FontList)
This resource specifies the font used in the window manager
decoration. The character encoding of the font should match
the character encoding of the strings that are used. The
default is "fixed."
foreground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color. The default is
chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
saveUnder (class SaveUnder)
This is used to indicate whether "save unders" are used for
mwm components. For this to have any effect, save unders must
be implemented by the X server. If save unders are imple‐
mented, the X server saves the contents of windows obscured
by windows that have the save under attribute set. If the
saveUnder resource is True, mwm will set the save under
attribute on the window manager frame of any client that has
it set. If saveUnder is False, save unders will not be used
on any window manager frames. The default value is False.
topShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color. This color is
used for the upper and left bevels of the window manager dec‐
oration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
topShadowPixmap ( class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap. This Pixmap is
used for the upper and left bevels of the window manager dec‐
oration. The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
The following component appearance resources that apply to frame and
icons can be specified:
Frame and Icon Components
Name Class Value Type Default
activeBackground Background color varies†
activeBackgroundPixmap BackgroundPixmap string†† varies†
activeBottomShadowColor Foreground color varies†
activeBottomShadowPixmap BottomShadowPixmap string†† varies†
activeForeground Foreground color varies†
activeTopShadowColor Background color varies†
activeTopShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap string†† varies†
†The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen. ††See
XmInstallImage(3).
activeBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the mwm deco‐
ration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBackgroundPixmap (class ActiveBackgroundPixmap)
This resource specifies the background Pixmap of the mwm dec‐
oration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the mwm
decoration when the window is active (has the keyboard
focus). The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
activeBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the mwm
decoration when the window is active (has the keyboard
focus). The default is chosen based on the visual type of
the screen.
activeForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the mwm deco‐
ration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the mwm deco‐
ration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
activeTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap of the mwm dec‐
oration when the window is active (has the keyboard focus).
The default is chosen based on the visual type of the screen.
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
The syntax for specifying general appearance and behavior resources is
Mwm*resource_id
For example, Mwm*keyboardFocusPolicy specifies the window manager pol‐
icy for setting the keyboard focus to a particular client window.
The following general appearance and behavior resources can be speci‐
fied:
General Appearance and Behavior Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
autoKeyFocus AutoKeyFocus T/F T
autoRaiseDelay AutoRaiseDelay millisec 500
bitmap- Bitmap- directory /usr/include-
Directory Directory /X11/bitmaps
clientAutoPlace ClientAutoPlace T/F T
colormapFocus- ColormapFocus- string keyboard
Policy Policy
configFile ConfigFile file $HOME/mwmrc
deiconifyKeyFocus DeiconifyKeyFocus T/F T
doubleClick- DoubleClick- millisec. multi-click
Time Time time†
enableWarp enableWarp T/F T
enforceKeyFocus EnforceKeyFocus T/F T
frameStyle FrameStyle string recessed
iconAutoPlace IconAutoPlace T/F T
iconClick IconClick T/F T
interactivePlacement InteractivePlacement T/F T
keyboardFocus- KeyboardFocus- string explicit
Policy Policy
lowerOnIconify LowerOnIconify T/F T
moveThreshold MoveThreshold pixels 4
multiScreen MultiScreen T/F F
passButtons PassButtons T/F F
passSelectButton PassSelectButton T/F T
positionIsFrame PositionIsFrame T/F T
positionOnScreen PositionOnScreen T/F T
quitTimeout QuitTimeout millisec. 1000
raiseKeyFocus RaiseKeyFocus T/F F
refreshByClearing RefreshByClearing T/F T
rootButtonClick RootButtonClick T/F F
screens Screens string varies
sessionClientDB SessionClientDB string $HOME/.mwmclientdb
showFeedback ShowFeedback string all
startupKeyFocus StartupKeyFocus T/F T
wMenuButtonClick WMenuButtonClick T/F T
wMenuButtonClick2 WMenuButtonClick2 T/F T
†The resource doubleClickTime is included for backward compatibility.
Use of the Xt resource multiClickTime is preferred.
autoKeyFocus (class AutoKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. If autoKeyFocus is given a value of True,
then when a window with the keyboard input focus is withdrawn
from window management or is iconified, the focus is set to
the previous window that had the focus. If the value given is
False, there is no automatic setting of the keyboard input
focus. It is recommended that both autoKeyFocus and startup‐
KeyFocus be True to work with tear off menus. The default
value is True.
autoRaiseDelay (class AutoRaiseDelay)
This resource is available only when the focusAutoRaise
resource is True and the keyboard focus policy is pointer.
The autoRaiseDelay resource specifies the amount of time (in
milliseconds) that mwm will wait before raising a window
after it gets the keyboard focus. The default value of this
resource is 500 (ms).
bitmapDirectory (class BitmapDirectory)
This resource identifies a directory to be searched for bit‐
maps referenced by mwm resources. This directory is searched
if a bitmap is specified without an absolute pathname. The
default value for this resource is /usr/include/X11/bitmaps.
The directory /usr/include/X11/bitmaps represents the custom‐
ary locations for this directory. The actual location of this
directory may vary on some systems. If the bitmap is not
found in the specified directory, XBMLANGPATH is searched.
clientAutoPlace (class ClientAutoPlace)
This resource determines the position of a window when the
window has not been given a program- or user-specified posi‐
tion. With a value of True, windows are positioned with the
top left corners of the frames offset horizontally and verti‐
cally. A value of False causes the currently configured posi‐
tion of the window to be used. In either case, mwm will
attempt to place the windows totally on-screen. The default
value is True.
colormapFocusPolicy (class ColormapFocusPolicy)
This resource indicates the colormap focus policy that is to
be used. If the resource value is explicit, a colormap
selection action is done on a client window to set the col‐
ormap focus to that window. If the value is pointer, the
client window containing the pointer has the colormap focus.
If the value is keyboard, the client window that has the key‐
board input focus has the colormap focus. The default value
for this resource is keyboard.
configFile (class ConfigFile)
The resource value is the pathname for a mwm resource
description file. If the pathname begins with "~/", mwm con‐
siders it to be relative to the user's home directory (as
specified by the HOME environment variable). If the LANG
environment variable is set, mwm looks for $HOME/$LANG/ con‐
figFile. If that file does not exist or if LANG is not set,
mwm looks for $HOME/configFile. If the configFile pathname
does not begin with "~/" or "/", mwm considers it to be rela‐
tive to the current working directory. If the configFile
resource is not specified or if that file does not exist, mwm
uses several default paths to find a configuration file. The
order of the search is shown below: /etc/X11/mwm/$LANG/sys‐
tem.mwmrc† /etc/X11/mwm/system.mwmrc† Paths marked with '†'
are implementation dependent.
deiconifyKeyFocus (class DeiconifyKeyFocus)
This resource applies only when the keyboard input focus pol‐
icy is explicit. If a value of True is used, a window
receives the keyboard input focus when it is normalized
(deiconified). True is the default value.
doubleClickTime (class DoubleClickTime)
This resource is used to set the maximum time (in ms) between
the clicks (button presses) that make up a double-click. The
use of this resource is deprecated. Use the Xt resource mul‐
tiClickTime instead. The value of doubleClickTime dynami‐
cally defaults to the value of multiClickTime.
enableWarp (class EnableWarp)
The default value of this resource, True, causes mwm to warp
the pointer to the center of the selected window during key‐
board-controlled resize and move operations. Setting the
value to False causes mwm to leave the pointer at its origi‐
nal place on the screen, unless the user explicitly moves it
with the cursor keys or pointing device.
enforceKeyFocus (class EnforceKeyFocus)
If this resource is given a value of True, the keyboard input
focus is always explicitly set to selected windows even if
there is an indication that they are "globally active" input
windows. (An example of a globally active window is a scroll
bar that can be operated without setting the focus to that
client.) If the resource is False, the keyboard input focus
is not explicitly set to globally active windows. The default
value is True.
frameStyle (class frameStyle)
If this resource is given a value of "slab", the the window
manager frame is drawn such that the client area appears to
be at the same height as the top of the window frame. If the
resource is set to "recessed", the window frame is drawn such
that the client area appears lower than the top of the window
frame. The default value is "recessed".
iconAutoPlace (class IconAutoPlace)
This resource indicates whether the window manager arranges
icons in a particular area of the screen or places each icon
where the window was when it was iconified. The value True
indicates that icons are arranged in a particular area of the
screen, determined by the iconPlacement resource. The value
False indicates that an icon is placed at the location of the
window when it is iconified. The default is True.
iconClick (class IconClick)
When this resource is given the value of True, the system
menu is posted and left posted when an icon is clicked. The
default value is True.
interactivePlacement (class InteractivePlacement)
This resource controls the initial placement of new windows
on the screen. If the value is True, the pointer shape
changes before a new window is placed on the screen to indi‐
cate to the user that a position should be selected for the
upper-left hand corner of the window. If the value is False,
windows are placed according to the initial window configura‐
tion attributes. The default value of this resource is False.
keyboardFocusPolicy (class KeyboardFocusPolicy)
If set to pointer, the keyboard focus policy is to have the
keyboard focus set to the client window that contains the
pointer (the pointer could also be in the client window deco‐
ration that mwm adds). If set to explicit, the policy is to
have the keyboard focus set to a client window when the user
presses button 1 with the pointer on the client window or any
part of the associated mwm decoration. The default value for
this resource is explicit.
lowerOnIconify (class LowerOnIconify)
If this resource is given the default value of True, a win‐
dow's icon appears on the bottom of the window stack when the
window is minimized (iconified). A value of False places the
icon in the stacking order at the same place as its associ‐
ated window. The default value of this resource is True.
moveThreshold (class MoveThreshold)
This resource is used to control the sensitivity of dragging
operations that move windows and icons. The value of this
resource is the number of pixels that the locator is moved
with a button down before the move operation is initiated.
This is used to prevent window/icon movement when you click
or double-click and there is unintentional pointer movement
with the button down. The default value of this resource is
4 (pixels).
multiScreen (class MultiScreen)
This resource, if True, causes mwm to manage all the screens
on the display. If False, mwm manages only a single screen.
The default value is False.
passButtons (class PassButtons)
This resource indicates whether or not button press events
are passed to clients after they are used to do a window man‐
ager function in the client context. If the resource value is
False, the button press is not passed to the client. If the
value is True, the button press is passed to the client win‐
dow. The window manager function is done in either case. The
default value for this resource is False.
passSelectButton (class PassSelectButton)
This resource indicates whether or not to pass the select
button press events to clients after they are used to do a
window manager function in the client context. If the
resource value is False, then the button press will not be
passed to the client. If the value is True, the button press
is passed to the client window. The window manager function
is done in either case. The default value for this resource
is True.
positionIsFrame (class PositionIsFrame)
This resource indicates how client window position informa‐
tion (from the WM_NORMAL_HINTS property and from configura‐
tion requests) is to be interpreted. If the resource value is
True, the information is interpreted as the position of the
mwm client window frame. If the value is False, it is inter‐
preted as being the position of the client area of the win‐
dow. The default value of this resource is True.
positionOnScreen (class PositionOnScreen)
This resource is used to indicate that windows should ini‐
tially be placed (if possible) so that they are not clipped
by the edge of the screen (if the resource value is True). If
a window is larger than the size of the screen, at least the
upper-left corner of the window is on-screen. If the resource
value is False, windows are placed in the requested position
even if totally off-screen. The default value of this
resource is True.
quitTimeout (class QuitTimeout)
This resource specifies the amount of time (in milliseconds)
that mwm will wait for a client to update the WM_COMMAND
property after mwm has sent the WM_SAVE_YOURSELF message. The
default value of this resource is 1000 (ms). (Refer to the
f.kill function description for additional information.)
raiseKeyFocus (class RaiseKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When set to True, this resource specifies
that a window raised by means of the f.normalize_and_raise
function also receives the input focus. The default value of
this resource is False.
refreshByClearing (class RefreshByClearing)
This resource determines the mechanism used to refresh a win‐
dow (or the screen) when the f.refresh_win (f.refresh) func‐
tion is executed. When set to True, an XClearArea is per‐
formed over the window for f.refresh_win. When set to False,
a covering window is created and destroyed over the top of
the window to be refreshed. If the function is f.refresh and
this resource is set to True, then an XClearArea is performed
over every window on the screen. If the resource is set to
False, then one large window covering the entire screen is
created and destroyed. The default value of this resource is
True.
rootButtonClick (class RootButtonClick)
The rootButtonClick resource controls whether the a click on
the root window will post the root menu in a "sticky" mode.
If this resource is set to True, a button click on the root
window will post the menu bound to the button down event for
that button in a "sticky" fashion. If this resource is set
to False, then the same button click would only cause the
menu to flash as it would be unposted once the button up
event is seen. The criterion used to determine if it is a
button click is if the pointer doesn't move between the but‐
ton down and button up events. The default value for this
resource is True.
screens (class Screens)
This resource specifies the resource names to use for the
screens managed by mwm. If mwm is managing a single screen,
only the first name in the list is used. If mwm is managing
multiple screens, the names are assigned to the screens in
order, starting with screen 0. Screen 0 gets the first name,
screen 1 the second name, and so on. The default screen names
are 0, 1, and so on.
sessionClientDB (class SessionClientDB)
This resource identifies a file name to use as a root when
saving state at the request of an XSMP session manager. When
the session is saved, the window manager will then reuse the
file name by automatically incrementing a suffix.
showFeedback (class ShowFeedback)
This resource controls whether or not feedback windows or
confirmation dialogs are displayed. A feedback window shows a
client window's initial placement and shows position and size
during move and resize operations. Confirmation dialogs can
be displayed for certain operations. The value for this
resource is a list of names of the feedback options to be
enabled or disabled; the names must be separated by a space.
If an option is preceded by a minus sign, that option is
excluded from the list. The sign of the first item in the
list determines the initial set of options. If the sign of
the first option is minus, mwm assumes all options are
present and starts subtracting from that set. If the sign of
the first decoration is plus (or not specified), mwm starts
with no options and builds up a list from the resource.
The names of the feedback options are shown below:
Name Description
all Show all feedback (Default value).
behavior Confirm behavior switch.
kill Confirm on receipt of KILL signal.
move Show position during move.
none Show no feedback.
placement Show position and size during initial place‐
ment.
quit Confirm quitting mwm.
resize Show size during resize.
restart Confirm mwm restart.
The following command line illustrates the syntax for showFeedback:
Mwm*showFeedback: placement resize behavior restart
This resource specification provides feedback for initial client place‐
ment and resize, and enables the dialog boxes to confirm the restart
and set behavior functions. It disables feedback for the move function.
The default value for this resource is all.
startupKeyFocus (class StartupKeyFocus)
This resource is available only when the keyboard input focus
policy is explicit. When given the default value of True, a
window gets the keyboard input focus when the window is
mapped (that is, initially managed by the window manager). It
is recommended that both autoKeyFocus and startupKeyFocus be
True to work with tear off menus. The default value is True.
wMenuButtonClick (class WMenuButtonClick)
This resource indicates whether a click of the mouse when the
pointer is over the window menu button posts and leaves
posted the window menu. If the value given this resource is
True, the menu remains posted. True is the default value for
this resource.
wMenuButtonClick2 (class WMenuButtonClick2)
When this resource is given the default value of True, a dou‐
ble-click action on the window menu button does an f.kill
function.
Screen Specific Appearance and Behavior Resources
The syntax for specifying screen specific resources is Mwm*
screen_name*resource_id For example, Mwm*1*keyBindings specifies the
key bindings to use for screen "1".
Screen Specific Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
buttonBindings ButtonBindings string DefaultButtonBindings
cleanText CleanText T/F T
fadeNormalIcon FadeNormalIcon T/F F
feedbackGeometry FeedbackGeometry string center on screen
frameBorderWidth FrameBorderWidth pixels varies
iconBoxGeometry IconBoxGeometry string 6x1+0-0
iconBoxName IconBoxName string iconbox
iconBoxSBDisplayPolicy IconBoxSBDisplayPolicy string all
iconBoxTitle IconBoxTitle XmString Icons
iconDecoration IconDecoration string varies
iconImageMaximum IconImageMaximum wxh 48x48
iconImageMinimum IconImageMinimum wxh 16x16
iconPlacement IconPlacement string left bottom
iconPlacementMargin IconPlacementMargin pixels varies
keyBindings KeyBindings string DefaultKeyBindings
limitResize LimitResize T/F T
maximumMaximumSize MaximumMaximumSize wxh (pixels) 2X screen w&h
moveOpaque MoveOpaque T/F F
resizeBorderWidth ResizeBorderWidth pixels varies
resizeCursors ResizeCursors T/F T
transientDecoration TransientDecoration string menu title
transientFunctions TransientFunctions string -minimize-maximize
useIconBox UseIconBox T/F F
buttonBindings (class ButtonBindings)
This resource identifies the set of button bindings for win‐
dow management functions. The named set of button bindings is
specified in the mwm resource description file. These button
bindings are merged with the built-in default bindings. The
default value for this resource is "DefaultButtonBindings".
cleanText (class CleanText)
This resource controls the display of window manager text in
the client title and feedback windows. If the default value
of True is used, the text is drawn with a clear (no stipple)
background. This makes text easier to read on monochrome sys‐
tems where a backgroundPixmap is specified. Only the stip‐
pling in the area immediately around the text is cleared. If
False, the text is drawn directly on top of the existing
background.
fadeNormalIcon (class FadeNormalIcon)
If this resource is given a value of True, an icon is grayed
out whenever it has been normalized (its window has been
opened). The default value is False.
feedbackGeometry (class FeedbackGeometry)
This resource sets the position of the move and resize feed‐
back window. If this resource is not specified, the default
is to place the feedback window at the center of the screen.
The value of the resource is a standard window geometry
string with the following syntax: [=]{ +-}xoffset{+-} yoff‐
set]
frameBorderWidth (class FrameBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client
window frame border without resize handles. The border width
includes the 3-D shadows. The default value is based on the
size and resolution of the screen.
iconBoxGeometry (class IconBoxGeometry)
This resource indicates the initial position and size of the
icon box. The value of the resource is a standard window
geometry string with the following syntax: [=][width
xheight][{+-}xoffset {+-}yoffset] If the offsets are not pro‐
vided, the iconPlacement policy is used to determine the ini‐
tial placement. The units for width and height are columns
and rows. The actual screen size of the icon box window
depends on the iconImageMaximum (size) and iconDecoration
resources. The default value for size is (6 * iconWidth +
padding) wide by (1 * iconHeight + padding) high. The default
value of the location is +0 -0.
iconBoxName (class IconBoxName)
This resource specifies the name that is used to look up icon
box resources. The default name is iconbox.
iconBoxSBDisplayPolicy (class IconBoxSBDisplayPolicy)
This resource specifies the scroll bar display policy of the
window manager in the icon box. The resource has three possi‐
ble values: all, vertical, and horizontal. The default value,
"all", causes both vertical and horizontal scroll bars always
to appear. The value "vertical" causes a single vertical
scroll bar to appear in the icon box and sets the orientation
of the icon box to horizontal (regardless of the iconBoxGeom‐
etry specification). The value "horizontal" causes a single
horizontal scroll bar to appear in the icon box and sets the
orientation of the icon box to vertical (regardless of the
iconBoxGeometry specification).
iconBoxTitle (class IconBoxTitle)
This resource specifies the name that is used in the title
area of the icon box frame. The default value is Icons.
iconDecoration (class IconDecoration)
This resource specifies the general icon decoration. The
resource value is label (only the label part is displayed) or
image (only the image part is displayed) or label image (both
the label and image parts are displayed). A value of active‐
label can also be specified to get a label (not truncated to
the width of the icon) when the icon is selected. The default
icon decoration for icon box icons is that each icon has a
label part and an image part (label image). The default icon
decoration for stand alone icons is that each icon has an
active label part, a label part, and an image part (activela‐
bel label image).
iconImageMaximum (class IconImageMaximum)
This resource specifies the maximum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthx height (for example, 64x64). The
maximum supported size is 128x128. The default value of this
resource is 50x50.
iconImageMinimum (class IconImageMinimum)
This resource specifies the minimum size of the icon image.
The resource value is widthx height (for example, 32x50). The
minimum supported size is 16x16. The default value of this
resource is 16x16.
iconPlacement (class IconPlacement)
This resource specifies the icon placement scheme to be used.
The resource value has the following syntax:
primary_layout secondary_layout [tight]
The layout values are one of the following:
Value Description
top Lay the icons out top to bottom.
bottom Lay the icons out bottom to top.
left Lay the icons out left to right.
right Lay the icons out right to left.
A horizontal (vertical) layout value should not be used for both the
primary_layout and the secondary_layout (for example, don't use top for
the primary_layout and bottom for the secondary_layout).
The primary_layout indicates whether, when an icon placement is done,
the icon is placed in a row or a column and the direction of placement.
The secondary_layout indicates where to place new rows or columns. For
example, top right indicates that icons should be placed top to bottom
on the screen and that columns should be added from right to left on
the screen.
The default placement is left bottom (icons are placed left to right on
the screen, with the first row on the bottom of the screen, and new
rows added from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen). A
tight value places icons with zero spacing in between icons. This value
is useful for aesthetic reasons, as well as X-terminals with small
screens.
iconPlacementMargin (class IconPlacementMargin)
This resource sets the distance between the edge of the
screen and the icons that are placed along the edge of the
screen. The value should be greater than or equal to 0. A
default value (see below) is used if the value specified is
invalid. The default value for this resource is equal to the
space between icons as they are placed on the screen (this
space is based on maximizing the number of icons in each row
and column).
keyBindings (class KeyBindings)
This resource identifies the set of key bindings for window
management functions. If specified, these key bindings
replace the built-in default bindings. The named set of key
bindings is specified in mwm resource description file. The
default value for this resource is "DefaultKeyBindings".
limitResize (class LimitResize)
If this resource is True, the user is not allowed to resize a
window to greater than the maximum size. The default value
for this resource is True.
maximumMaximumSize (class MaximumMaximumSize)
This resource is used to limit the maximum size of a client
window as set by the user or client. The resource value is
widthxheight (for example, 1024x1024) where the width and
height are in pixels. The default value of this resource is
twice the screen width and height.
moveOpaque (class MoveOpaque)
This resource controls whether the actual window is moved or
a rectangular outline of the window is moved. A default value
of False displays a rectangular outline on moves.
resizeBorderWidth (class ResizeBorderWidth)
This resource specifies the width (in pixels) of a client
window frame border with resize handles. The specified border
width includes the 3-D shadows. The default value is based
on the size and resolution of the screen.
resizeCursors (class ResizeCursors)
This is used to indicate whether the resize cursors are
always displayed when the pointer is in the window size bor‐
der. If True, the cursors are shown, otherwise the window
manager cursor is shown. The default value is True.
transientDecoration (class TransientDecoration)
This controls the amount of decoration that mwm puts on tran‐
sient windows. The decoration specification is exactly the
same as for the clientDecoration (client specific) resource.
Transient windows are identified by the WM_TRANSIENT_FOR
property, which is added by the client to indicate a rela‐
tively temporary window. The default value for this resource
is menu title (that is, transient windows have frame borders
and a titlebar with a window menu button).
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the tran‐
sientDecoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the decora‐
tions indicated by the transientDecoration resource. For more
information see the description of XmNmwmDecorations on the
VendorShell(3) reference page.
transientFunctions (class TransientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which window management
functions are applicable (or not applicable) to transient
windows. The function specification is exactly the same as
for the clientFunctions (client specific) resource. The
default value for this resource is -minimize -maximize.
An application can also specify which functions mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
functions indicated by both the application and the tran‐
sientFunctions resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the functions
indicated by the transientFunctions resource. For more infor‐
mation see the description of XmNmwmFunctions on the Vendor‐
Shell(3) reference page.
useIconBox (class UseIconBox)
If this resource is given a value of True, icons are placed
in an icon box. When an icon box is not used, the icons are
placed on the root window (default value).
Client Specific Resources
The syntax for specifying client specific resources is
Mwm*client_name_or_class *resource_id
For example, Mwm*mterm*windowMenu is used to specify the window menu to
be used with mterm clients. The syntax for specifying client specific
resources for all classes of clients is
Mwm*resource_id
Specific client specifications take precedence over the specifications
for all clients. For example, Mwm*windowMenu is used to specify the
window menu to be used for all classes of clients that don't have a
window menu specified.
The syntax for specifying resource values for windows that have an
unknown name and class (that is, windows that do not have a WM_CLASS
property associated with them) is
Mwm*defaults*resource_id
For example, Mwm*defaults*iconImage is used to specify the icon image
to be used for windows that have an unknown name and class.
The following client specific resources can be specified:
Client Specific Resources
Name Class Value Type Default
clientDecoration ClientDecoration string all.
clientFunctions ClientFunctions string all.
focusAutoRaise FocusAutoRaise T/F varies
iconImage IconImage pathname (image)
iconImage- Background color icon background
Background
iconImageBottom- Foreground color icon
ShadowColor bottom shadow
iconImageBottom- BottomShadow- color icon bottom
ShadowPixmap Pixmap shadow pixmap
iconImageForeground Foreground color varies
iconImageTopShadowColor Background color icon top
shadow color
iconImageTop- TopShadowPixmap color icon top
ShadowPixmap shadow pixmap
matteBackground Background color background
matteBottom- Foreground color bottom
ShadowColor shadow color
matteBottom- BottomShadow- color bottom
ShadowPixmap Pixmap shadow pixmap
matteForeground Foreground color foreground
matteTopShadowColor Background color top
shadow color
matteTopShadowPixmap TopShadowPixmap color top
shadow pixmap
matteWidth MatteWidth pixels 0
maximumClientSize MaximumClientSize wxh
vertical horizontal fill the screen
useClientIcon UseClientIcon T/F T
usePPosition UsePPosition string nonzero
windowMenu WindowMenu string DefaultWindowMenu
clientDecoration (class ClientDecoration)
This resource controls the amount of window frame decoration.
The resource is specified as a list of decorations to specify
their inclusion in the frame. If a decoration is preceded by
a minus sign, that decoration is excluded from the frame. The
sign of the first item in the list determines the initial
amount of decoration. If the sign of the first decoration is
minus, mwm assumes all decorations are present and starts
subtracting from that set. If the sign of the first decora‐
tion is plus (or not specified), then mwm starts with no dec‐
oration and builds up a list from the resource.
An application can also specify which decorations mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
decorations indicated by both the application and the client‐
Decoration resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the decorations
indicated by the clientDecoration resource. For more infor‐
mation see the description of XmNmwmDecorations on the Ven‐
dorShell(3) reference page.
Name Description
all Include all decorations (default value).
border Window border.
maximize Maximize button (includes title bar).
minimize Minimize button (includes title bar).
none No decorations.
resizeh Border resize handles (includes border).
menu Window menu button (includes title bar).
title Title bar (includes border).
Examples: Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: -resizeh -maximize This removes
the resize handles and maximize button from XClock windows.
Mwm*XClock.clientDecoration: menu minimize border This does the same
thing as above. Note that either menu or minimize implies title.
clientFunctions (class ClientFunctions)
This resource is used to indicate which mwm functions are
applicable (or not applicable) to the client window. The
value for the resource is a list of functions. If the first
function in the list has a minus sign in front of it, then
mwm starts with all functions and subtracts from that set. If
the first function in the list has a plus sign in front of
it, then mwm starts with no functions and builds up a list.
Each function in the list must be preceded by the appropriate
plus or minus sign and separated from the next function by a
space.
An application can also specify which functions mwm should
apply to its windows. If it does so, mwm applies only those
functions indicated by both the application and the client‐
Functions resource. Otherwise, mwm applies the functions
indicated by the clientFunctions resource. For more informa‐
tion see the description of XmNmwmFunctions on the Vendor‐
Shell(3) reference page.
The following table lists the functions available for this resource:
Name Description
all Include all functions (default value).
none No functions.
resize f.resize†.
move f.move†.
minimize f.minimize†.
maximize f.maximize†.
close f.kill†.
†See mwmrc(4).
focusAutoRaise (class FocusAutoRaise)
When the value of this resource is True, clients are raised
when they get the keyboard input focus. If the value is
False, the stacking of windows on the display is not changed
when a window gets the keyboard input focus. The default
value is True when the keyboardFocusPolicy is explicit and
False when the keyboardFocusPolicy is pointer.
iconImage (class IconImage)
This resource can be used to specify an icon image for a
client (for example, "Mwm*myclock*iconImage"). The resource
value is a pathname for a pixmap or bitmap file. The value of
the (client specific) useClientIcon resource is used to
determine whether or not user supplied icon images are used
instead of client supplied icon images. The default value is
to display a built-in window manager icon image.
iconImageBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon background color
(that is, specified by "Mwm*background or Mwm*icon*back‐
ground).
iconImageBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow
color (that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowColor).
iconImageBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon bottom shadow
Pixmap (that is, specified by Mwm*icon*bottomShadowPixmap).
iconImageForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource varies depending on the icon
background.
iconImageTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon top shadow color
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*topShadowColor).
iconImageTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow Pixmap of the icon
image that is displayed in the image part of an icon. The
default value of this resource is the icon top shadow pixmap
(that is, specified by Mwm*icon*topShadowPixmap).
matteBackground (class Background)
This resource specifies the background color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client background color (that is, specified
by "Mwm*background or Mwm*client*background).
matteBottomShadowColor (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client bottom shadow color (that is, speci‐
fied by Mwm*bottomShadowColor or Mwm*client*bottomShadow‐
Color).
matteBottomShadowPixmap (class BottomShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the bottom shadow Pixmap of the
matte, when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client bottom shadow pixmap (that is, speci‐
fied by Mwm*bottomShadowPixmap or Mwm*client*bottomShadow‐
Pixmap).
matteForeground (class Foreground)
This resource specifies the foreground color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client foreground color (that is, specified
by Mwm*foreground or Mwm*client*foreground).
matteTopShadowColor (class Background)
This resource specifies the top shadow color of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client top shadow color (that is, specified
by Mwm*topShadowColor or Mwm*client*topShadowColor).
matteTopShadowPixmap (class TopShadowPixmap)
This resource specifies the top shadow pixmap of the matte,
when matteWidth is positive. The default value of this
resource is the client top shadow pixmap (that is, specified
by "Mwm*topShadowPixmap or Mwm*client*topShadowPixmap).
matteWidth (class MatteWidth)
This resource specifies the width of the optional matte. The
default value is 0, which effectively disables the matte.
maximumClientSize (class MaximumClientSize)
This resource is either a size specification or a direction
that indicates how a client window is to be maximized. The
resource value can be specified as a size specification
widthxheight. The width and height are interpreted in the
units that the client uses (for example, for terminal emula‐
tors this is generally characters). Alternately, "vertical"
or "horizontal" can be specified to indicate the direction in
which the client maximizes.
If this resource is not specified, the maximum size from the
WM_NORMAL_HINTS property is used if set. Otherwise the
default value is the size where the client window with window
management borders fills the screen. When the maximum client
size is not determined by the maximumClientSize resource, the
maximumMaximumSize resource value is used as a constraint on
the maximum size.
useClientIcon (class UseClientIcon)
If the value given for this resource is True, a client-sup‐
plied icon image takes precedence over a user-supplied icon
image. The default value is True, giving the client-supplied
icon image higher precedence than the user-supplied icon
image.
usePPosition (class UsePPosition)
This resource specifies whether Mwm honors program specified
position PPosition specified in the WM_NORMAL_HINTS property
in the absence of an user specified position. Setting this
resource to on, causes mwm to always honor program specified
position. Setting this resource to off, causes mwm to always
ignore program specified position. Setting this resource to
the default value of nonzero cause mwm to honor program spec‐
ified position other than (0,0).
windowMenu (class WindowMenu)
This resource indicates the name of the menu pane that is
posted when the window menu is popped up (usually by pressing
button 1 on the window menu button on the client window
frame). Menu panes are specified in the mwm resource descrip‐
tion file. Window menus can be customized on a client class
basis by creating custom menus in your mwmrc file (see
mwmrc(4) and specifying resources to activate the custom
menus. The resources have the form Mwm*
client_name_or_class*windowMenu. The default value of this
resource is DefaultWindowMenu.
Resource Description File
The mwm resource description file is a supplementary resource file that
contains resource descriptions that are referred to by entries in the
resource manager property (see xrdb(1) and the defaults files (.Xde‐
faults, app-defaults/Mwm ). It contains descriptions of resources that
are to be used by mwm, and that cannot be easily encoded in the
defaults files (a bitmap file is an analogous type of resource descrip‐
tion file). A particular mwm resource description file can be selected
using the configFile resource.
The following types of resources can be described in the mwm resource
description file:
Buttons Window manager functions can be bound (associated) with but‐
ton events.
Keys Window manager functions can be bound (associated) with key
press events.
Menus Menu panes can be used for the window menu and other menus
posted with key bindings and button bindings.
The mwm resource description file is described in mwmrc(4).
Environment
The mwm window manager uses the environment variable HOME specifying
the user's home directory.
The mwm window manager uses the environment variable LANG specifying
the user's choice of language for the mwm message catalog and the mwm
resource description file.
The mwm window uses the environment variable XFILESEARCHPATH, XUSER‐
FILESEARCHPATH, XAPPLRESDIR, XENVIRONMENT, LANG, and HOME in determin‐
ing search paths for resource defaults files. The mwm window manager
may also us XBMLANGPATH to search for bitmap files.
The mwm window manager reads the $HOME/.motifbind file if it exists to
install a virtual key bindings property on the root window. For more
information on the content of the .motifbind file, see
The mwm window manager uses the environment variable MWMSHELL (or
SHELL, if MWMSHELL is not set), specifying the shell to use when exe‐
cuting commands via the f.exec function.
Files
/etc/X11/mwm/$LANG/system.mwmrc
/etc/X11/mwm/system.mwmrc
/usr/share/X11/app-defaults/Mwm
$HOME/Mwm
$HOME/$LANG/.mwmrc
$HOME/.mwmrc
RELATED INFORMATION
VendorShell(3), VirtualBindings(3), X(1), XmInstallImage(3), xrdb(1).
mwm(user cmd)
