http://ftp.x.org/contrib/applications/xscreensaver-2.24.tar.gz

[xscreensaver] / driver / xscreensaver-command.man

diff --git a/driver/xscreensaver-command.man b/driver/xscreensaver-command.man
index 06e88cbfce30d9547cc3ccc5a5c312353c209660..a542d552bd56f789af1a3153ded2f49290b12b9a 100644 (file)
--- a/driver/xscreensaver-command.man
+++ b/driver/xscreensaver-command.man
@@ -11,100 +11,151 @@
 .if n .sp 1
 .if t .sp .5
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 .if n .sp 1
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-.TH XScreenSaver 1 "22-mar-93" "X Version 11"
+.TH XScreenSaver 1 "30-Jun-98 (2.24)" "X Version 11"

 .SH NAME
 xscreensaver-command - control a running xscreensaver process
 .SH SYNOPSIS
 .B xscreensaver-command
 .SH NAME
 xscreensaver-command - control a running xscreensaver process
 .SH SYNOPSIS
 .B xscreensaver-command

-[\-activate] [\-deactivate] [\-cycle] [\-next] [\-prev] [\-exit] [\-restart] [\-demo] [\-lock]
+[\-help] \
+[\-demo] \
+[\-activate] \
+[\-deactivate] \
+[\-cycle] \
+[\-next] \
+[\-prev] \
+[\-exit] \
+[\-restart] \
+[\-lock] \
+[\-version] \
+[\-time]

 .SH DESCRIPTION
 The \fIxscreensaver\-command\fP program controls a running \fIxscreensaver\fP
 process by sending it client-messages.
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 The \fIxscreensaver\-command\fP program controls a running \fIxscreensaver\fP
 process by sending it client-messages.

+
+.BR xscreensaver (1)
+has a client-server model: the xscreensaver process is a
+daemon that runs in the background; it is controlled by the 
+foreground \fIxscreensaver-command\fP program.

 .SH OPTIONS
 .I xscreensaver-command
 .SH OPTIONS
 .I xscreensaver-command

-accepts the following options:
+accepts the following command-line options:
+.TP 8
+.B \-help
+Prints a brief summary of command-line options.
+.TP 8
+.B \-demo
+Cause the screensaver to enter its interactive demo mode, in which one
+can experiment with the various graphics hacks available.  See
+.BR xscreensaver (1)
+for details.

 .TP 8
 .B \-activate
 .TP 8
 .B \-activate

-Tell the screensaver to turn on immediately (that is, pretend that the 
-user been idle for long enough.)  It will turn off as soon as there is
-any user activity, as usual.
+Tell xscreensaver to turn on immediately (that is, blank the screen, as if
+the user had been idle for long enough.)  The screensaver will deactivate as
+soon as there is any user activity, as usual.

 
 It is useful to run this from a menu; you may wish to run it as
 .EX
 sleep 5 ; xscreensaver-command -activate
 .EE
 to be sure that you have time to remove your hand from the mouse before
 
 It is useful to run this from a menu; you may wish to run it as
 .EX
 sleep 5 ; xscreensaver-command -activate
 .EE
 to be sure that you have time to remove your hand from the mouse before

-the screensaver comes on.
+the screensaver comes on.  (Because if you jiggle the mouse, xscreensaver
+will notice, and deactivate.)

 .TP 8
 .B \-deactivate
 .TP 8
 .B \-deactivate

-Tell the screensaver to turn off, as if there had been user activity.
+If the screensaver is active (the screen is blanked), this command will
+deactivate it just as if there had been keyboard or mouse activity.  

 If locking is enabled, then the screensaver will prompt for a password
 as usual.
 .TP 8
 .B \-cycle
 If locking is enabled, then the screensaver will prompt for a password
 as usual.
 .TP 8
 .B \-cycle

-Tell the screensaver to change which graphics hack it is running, just
-as if the ``cycle'' timer had expired.
+If the screensaver is active (the screen is blanked), then stop the current
+graphics demo and run a new one (chosen randomly.)

 .TP 8
 .B \-next
 This is like either \fI\-activate\fP or \fI\-cycle\fP, depending on which is
 .TP 8
 .B \-next
 This is like either \fI\-activate\fP or \fI\-cycle\fP, depending on which is

-more appropriate, except that the screenhack that will be run is the next
-one in the list of programs, instead of a randomly-chosen one.  This option
-is good for looking at a demo of each of the screensavers currently available.
-You might want to put this on a menu.
+more appropriate, except that the graphics hack that will be run is the next
+one in the list, instead of a randomly-chosen one.  In other words, 
+repeatedly executing -next will cause the xscreensaver process to invoke each
+graphics demo sequentially.  (Though using the \fI\-demo\fP option is probably
+an easier way to accomplish that.)

 .TP 8
 .B \-prev
 This is like \fI\-next\fP, but cycles in the other direction.
 .TP 8
 .TP 8
 .B \-prev
 This is like \fI\-next\fP, but cycles in the other direction.
 .TP 8

-.B \-demo
-Cause the screensaver to enter its interactive demo mode, if it has been
-compiled with support for it.
-.TP 8
-.B \-lock
-Like \fI\-activate\fP, but a password will be required before the screensaver
-turns off, even if the screensaver's \fIlock\fP resource is false.  The 
-display will be locked immediately even if the screensaver's \fIlockTimeout\fP
-resource is non-zero.
-.TP 8

 .B \-exit
 .B \-exit

-Causes the screensaver process to exit gracefully.  This is a slightly
-safer way to kill the screensaver than by using \fIkill\fP.  
+Causes the xscreensaver process to exit gracefully.  This is roughly the same
+as killing the process with
+.BR kill (1),
+but it is easier, since you don't need to first figure out the pid.  

 
 

-Never use \fIkill -9\fP with \fIxscreensaver\fP while the screensaver is
+.B Warning:
+never use \fIkill -9\fP with \fIxscreensaver\fP while the screensaver is

 active.  If you are using a virtual root window manager, that can leave
 things in an inconsistent state, and you may need to restart your window
 manager to repair the damage.
 .TP 8
 .B \-restart
 Causes the screensaver process to exit and then restart with the same command
 active.  If you are using a virtual root window manager, that can leave
 things in an inconsistent state, and you may need to restart your window
 manager to repair the damage.
 .TP 8
 .B \-restart
 Causes the screensaver process to exit and then restart with the same command

-line arguments.  This is a good way of causing the screensaver to re-read the
-resource database.
+line arguments as last time.  Do this after you've changed the resource
+database, to cause xscreensaver to notice the changes.

 
 If the screensaver is run from \fIxdm(1)\fP (that is, it is already running
 
 If the screensaver is run from \fIxdm(1)\fP (that is, it is already running

-before you log in) then you may want to issue the ``restart'' command from 
+before you log in) then you may want to issue the \fI\-restart\fP command from

 one of your startup scripts, so that the screensaver gets your resource
 settings instead of the default ones.
 one of your startup scripts, so that the screensaver gets your resource
 settings instead of the default ones.

+.TP 8
+.B \-lock
+Tells the running xscreensaver process to lock the screen immediately.  
+This is like \fI\-activate\fP, but forces locking as well, even if locking
+is not the default (that is, even if xscreensaver's \fIlock\fP resource is
+false, and even if the \fIlockTimeout\fP resource is non-zero.)
+.TP 8
+.B \-version
+Prints the version of xscreensaver that is currently running on the display:
+that is, the actual version number of the running xscreensaver background 
+process, rather than the version number of xscreensaver-command.  (To see
+the version number of \fIxscreensaver-command\fP itself, use 
+the \fI\-help\fP option.)
+.TP 8
+.B \-time
+Prints the time at which the screensaver last activated or 
+deactivated (roughly, how long the user has been idle or non-idle: but 
+not quite, since it only tells you when the screen became blanked or
+un-blanked.)

 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
 .TP 8
 .B DISPLAY
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .PP
 .TP 8
 .B DISPLAY

-to get the default host and display number.
+to get the host and display number of the screen whose saver is
+to be manipulated.

 .TP 8
 .B PATH
 .TP 8
 .B PATH

-to find the executable to restart.
+to find the executable to restart (for the \fI\-restart\fP command).  
+Note that this variable is consulted in the environment of 
+the \fIxscreensaver\fP process, not the \fIxscreensaver-command\fP process.
+.SH UPGRADES
+The latest version of
+.BR xscreensaver (1)
+and \fIxscreensaver\-command\fP can always be found at 
+http://people.netscape.com/jwz/xscreensaver/

 .SH "SEE ALSO"
 .BR X (1),
 .BR xscreensaver (1)
 .SH BUGS
 .SH "SEE ALSO"
 .BR X (1),
 .BR xscreensaver (1)
 .SH BUGS

-Diagnostics are reported on the \fBstderr\fP of the \fIxscreensaver\fP
+Some diagnostics are reported on the stderr of the \fIxscreensaver\fP

 process, not this process, so the caller of \fIxscreensaver-command\fP
 may not see the error messages.
 .SH COPYRIGHT
 process, not this process, so the caller of \fIxscreensaver-command\fP
 may not see the error messages.
 .SH COPYRIGHT

-Copyright \(co 1992, 1993 by Jamie Zawinski.  Permission to use, copy, modify, 
-distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is 
-hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear 
-in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice
-appear in supporting documentation.  No representations are made about the 
-suitability of this software for any purpose.  It is provided "as is" without
-express or implied warranty.
+Copyright \(co 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998
+by Jamie Zawinski.  Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell
+this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without
+fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
+both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting
+documentation.  No representations are made about the suitability of this
+software for any purpose.  It is provided "as is" without express or implied
+warranty.

 .SH AUTHOR
 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@netscape.com>, 13-aug-92.
 .SH AUTHOR
 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@netscape.com>, 13-aug-92.

+
+Please let me know if you find any bugs or make any improvements.