14 .TH XScreenSaver 1 "18-Nov-99 (3.21)" "X Version 11"
16 xscreensaver-demo - interactively control the background xscreensaver daemon
19 [\-display \fIhost:display.screen\fP] [\-prefs] [\-xrm \fIresources\fP]
21 The \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP program is a graphical front-end for
22 setting the parameters used by the background
25 It is essentially two things: a tool for editing the \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP
26 file; and a tool for demoing the various graphics hacks that
27 the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon will launch.
30 this manual describes the Gtk version of the \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP
31 command. The UI of the Motif and Athena versions of \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP
32 is a bit different (for now.)
34 The main window consists of a menu bar and two tabbed pages. The first page
35 is for editing the list of demos, and the second is for editing various other
36 parameters of the screensaver.
38 All of these commands are on either the \fBFile\fP or \fBHelp\fP menus:
41 Activates the background \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon, which will then run
42 a demo at random. This is the same as running
43 .BR xscreensaver-command (1)
44 with the \fI\-activate\fP option.
47 Just like \fBBlank Screen Now\fP, except the screen will be locked as
48 well (even if it is not configured to lock all the time.) This is the
50 .BR xscreensaver-command (1)
51 with the \fI\-lock\fP option.
54 If the xscreensaver daemon is running on this screen, kill it.
55 This is the same as running
56 .BR xscreensaver-command (1)
57 with the \fI\-exit\fP option.
60 If the xscreensaver daemon is running on this screen, kill it.
61 Then launch it again. This is the same as doing
62 ``\fIxscreensaver-command -exit\fP'' followed by ``\fIxscreensaver\fP''.
64 Note that it is \fInot\fP the same as doing
65 ``\fIxscreensaver-command -restart\fP''.
68 Exits the \fIxscreensaver-demo\fP program (this program) without
69 affecting the background \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon, if any.
72 Displays the version number of this program, \fIxscreensaver-demo\fP.
75 Opens up a web browser looking at the XScreenSaver web page, where you
76 can find online copies of the
78 .BR xscreensaver\-demo (1),
80 .BR xscreensaver\-command (1)
82 .SH GRAPHICS DEMOS TAB
83 On the left is a list of the names of the various display modes, and
84 on the right are some fields that let you edit their behavior.
87 Double-clicking in the list on the left will let you try out the indicated
88 demo. The screen will go black, and the program will run in full-screen
89 mode, just as it would if the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon had launched it.
90 Clicking the mouse again will stop the demo and un-blank the screen, making
91 the dialog box visible again.
93 Single-clicking in the list will populate the fields on the right side of
97 Beneath the list are a pair of up and down arrows. Clicking on the down
98 arrow will select the next item in the list, and then run it in full-screen
99 mode, just as if you had double-clicked on it. The up arrow goes the other
100 way. This is just a shortcut for trying out all of the display modes in turn.
102 .B Program Description
103 At the top will be a brief description of the program. Below that is a
104 text field where you can edit the arguments to the program as xscreensaver
105 will invoke it. (Note that most of these programs have their own man pages
106 that describe the command-line options they take.)
109 The \fIEnabled\fI checkbox controls whether xscreensaver will use this
110 display mode at all. This way, all the modes can remain available, but
111 you can choose which ones will be automatically run.
114 The \fIVisual\fI field is where you can select the X visual type that this
115 demo will require. If you specify one (other than \fIAny\fP) then the
116 program will only be run on that kind of visual. For example, you can
117 specify that a particular program should only be run if color is available,
118 and another should only be run in monochrome. See the discussion of the
119 \fIprograms\fP parameter in the \fIConfiguration\fP section of the
123 This is a combo-box, so you can either select an item from the popup menu,
124 or type in a specific visual's hexadecimal ID.
127 This button runs the demo in full-screen mode so that you can try it out.
128 Click the mouse to dismiss it.
131 Since each of the display modes is actually a separate program, they each
132 may have their own manual. This opens a window viewing the man page of
133 this program, if it has one.
134 .SH SCREENSAVER OPTIONS TAB
135 This tab lets you change various settings used by the xscreensaver daemon
136 itself, rather than its sub-programs.
139 After the user has been idle this long, the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon
140 will blank the screen.
143 After the screensaver has been running for this long, the currently
144 running graphics demo will be killed, and a new one started.
145 If this is 0, then the graphics demo will never be changed:
146 only one demo will run until the screensaver is deactivated by user
150 Whether to print lots of debugging information.
153 Whether to install a private colormap while the screensaver is active, so
154 that the graphics hacks can get as many colors as possible. (This only
155 applies when the screen's default visual is being used, since non-default
156 visuals get their own colormaps automatically.) This can also be overridden
160 If selected, then when the screensaver activates, the current contents
161 of the screen will fade to black instead of simply winking out. This only
162 works on displays with writable colormaps, that is, if the screen's default
163 visual is a PseudoColor visual. A fade will also be done when
164 switching graphics hacks (when the \fICycle Timeout\fP expires.)
167 The complement to \fIFade Colormap\fP: if selected, then when the screensaver
168 deactivates, the original contents of the screen will fade in from black
169 instead of appearing immediately. This only works on displays with writable
170 colormaps, and when \fIFade Colormap\fP is also selected.
173 When fading or unfading are selected, this controls how long the fade will
177 This controls how many times a second the colormap will be changed to
178 effect a fade. Higher numbers yield smoother fades, but may make the
179 fades take longer than the specified number of seconds, if your server
180 isn't fast enough to keep up.
183 Whether the screen saver should lock the screen when it activates.
186 If \fIRequire Password\fP is selected, this controls the length of
187 the ``grace period'' between when the screensaver activates, and when the
188 screen becomes locked. For example, if this is 0:05:00,
189 and \fISaver Timeout\fP is 0:10:00, then after 10 minutes, the screen
190 would blank. If there was user activity at 12 minutes, no password
191 would be required to un-blank the screen. But, if there was user activity
192 at 15 minutes or later (that is, \fILock Timeout\fP minutes after
193 activation) then a password would be required. The default is 0, meaning
194 that if locking is enabled, then a password will be required as soon as the
198 When the screensaver is prompting for a password, the prompt dialog box will
199 stay on the screen for this long before giving up, and reverting to
202 There are more settings than these available, but these are the most
203 commonly used ones; see the manual for
205 for other parameters that can be set by editing the \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP
206 file, or the X resource database.
207 .SH COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
208 .I xscreensaver\-demo
209 accepts the following command line options.
211 .B \-display \fIhost:display.screen\fP
212 The X display to use. The \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP program will open its
213 window on that display, and also control the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon that
214 is managing that same display.
217 Start up with the \fBScreensaver Options\fP tab selected by default
218 instead of the \fBGraphics Demos\fP tab.
220 It is important that the \fIxscreensaver\fP and \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP
221 processes be running on the same machine, or at least, on two machines
222 that share a file system. When \fIxscreensaver\-demo\fP writes a new version
223 of the \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP file, it's important that the \fIxscreensaver\fP
224 see that same file. If the two processes are seeing
225 different \fI~/.xscreensaver\fP files, things will malfunction.
230 to get the default host and display number.
233 to find the sub-programs to run. However, note that the sub-programs
234 are actually launched by the \fIxscreensaver\fP daemon, not
235 by \fIxscreensaver-demo\fP itself. So, what matters is what \fB$PATH\fP
236 the \fIxscreensaver\fP program sees.
239 for the directory in which to read and write the \fI.xscreensaver\fP file.
242 to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources
243 stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
245 The latest version can always be found at
246 http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/
249 .BR xscreensaver (1),
250 .BR xscreensaver\-command (1)
252 Copyright \(co 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999
253 by Jamie Zawinski. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell
254 this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without
255 fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
256 both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting
257 documentation. No representations are made about the suitability of this
258 software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied
261 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>, 13-aug-92.
263 Please let me know if you find any bugs or make any improvements.
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