XCUCKOO(1)XCUCKOO(1)NAMExcuckoo - cuckoo clock for X
SYNOPSISxcuckoo [-display display] [-window name] [-icon]
[-command command] [-mode replace|append|prepend]
[-separator string] [-update seconds] [-wait seconds]
[-version]
DESCRIPTIONxcuckoo is an X application, which, like its avian cousin, lays its
eggs in another's nest. In its basic form xcuckoo is a clock, display‐
ing the time in the form hh:mm. Alternatively, the display may be the
1-line output of an arbitrary command pipeline. The nest that is used
is the title bar of some window. xcuckoo runs until terminated via a
SIGHUP, SIGINT, SIGQUIT or SIGTERM signal, when the original contents
of the title bar are reinstated, or the host window no longer exists at
the time an update is due.
OPTIONSxcuckoo accepts the following command line options:
-display display
The display to open.
-window name
The name of the window whose title bar is to be used.
-icon If the window's icon name should be updated too.
-command command
The command whose output is to be displayed.
-mode replace|append|prepend
How the output should be related to the current title bar con‐
tents.
-separator string
How the output should be separated from the existing title bar
contents if the mode is append or prepend.
-update seconds
The frequency with which to execute the command and update the
title bar.
-wait seconds
How long to wait before abandoning attempts to locate the target
window - useful in startup scripts when the target can't be
guaranteed to be available immediatley.
-version
Print the version number on standard output and exit.
Executing xcuckoo with no options is equivalent to executing
xcuckoo-window 'TWM Icon Manager' -command 'date "+%H:%M"'
-mode replace -update 60 -wait 0
except that date isn't actually executed - localtime is called.
RESOURCESxcuckoo recognises top level resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER
property of the server's root window that have the same names as the
option keywords, except for display, since the display has to be opened
in order to read the property, and version. They are, with their
defaults:
window: TWM Icon Manager
icon: false
command: date "+%H:%M"
mode: replace
separator: <space>
update: 60
wait: 0
Any value other than true for the icon resource is equivalent to false.
EXAMPLESxcuckoo-window mailbox -command date -mode append -wait 30
xcuckoo-command 'echo `who | wc -l` users' -update 3000
ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY
the default host and display number.
BUGS
Just like real cuckoos, xcuckoo may lay its eggs in more than one nest.
If the host application is terminated and its window ID reallocated
before the next update takes place then xcuckoo will be unaware that
anything has happened and proceed to impose on the new owner. Of
course, you are at liberty to interpret this behaviour as a feature.
AUTHOR
Jim Wight (j.k.wight@newcastle.ac.uk)
Computing Laboratory, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, NE1 7RU
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gerry M Tomlinson <gerry.tomlinson@newcastle.ac.uk> for the initial
idea; in fact an early version was called xgmt. Simon Marshall <S.Mar‐
shall@uk.ac.hull.seq> and Malcolm Strickland <chuck-strick‐
land@orl.mmc.com> for ideas for enhancements.
local XCUCKOO(1)
