Section 10.8. Standard X Client Arguments

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10.8. Standard X Client Arguments

Most X clients accept standard arguments that allow their size and position to be customized when started.

10.8.1. geometry

X client geometry is specified by the -geometry argument. You can specify not only the size of the client but the offset position where it will appear on the screen. The general format is "XxY" for the size followed by "+X+Y" for the offset position. For example, to start an xclock positioned 10 pixels in each direction from the upper right-hand corner of the screen and 100 pixels in both width and height, you would use the command:

$ xclock -geometry 100x100-10+10

Note that the value of the -geometry argument is a single shell token (there are no spaces imbedded in it).

10.8.2. Foreground and Background

Foreground and background colors can be set with the -foreground and -background arguments. The following xterm command will create a terminal window with cyan (a light shade of blue) letters on a black background:

$ xterm -foreground cyan -background black

I find this combination of colors very easy to work with, but everyone has his own favorite.

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10.8.3. title

The -title argument sets the title in the title bar of a window. This is often useful to label one of many terminal windows used for a remote login session to another machine to help keep them straight, such as:

$ xterm -title "Remote access to mail server"

10.8.4. iconic

The -iconic argument is used to start an X client but to have the window minimized so that only the icon representing it shows up on the desktop. This is useful for an application that you will be using but don't necessarily want to use the moment it starts up (like a mail reader or web browser).