AfterStep(1)AfterStep X11 window manager AfterStep(1)NAMEAfterStep - X11 window manager AfterStep AutoExec Base Configuration
Function
STANDARD OPTIONS
The following is the list of command line options supported by all
AfterStep modules and applications.
-v | --version
Display version information and stop.
-c | --config
Display Config information and stop.
-h | --help
Display uasge information and stop.
--debug
Debugging: Run in Synchronous mode.
-s | --single
Run on single screen only.
-r | --restart
Run as if it was restarted. same as regular startup, only runs
RestartFunctioninstead of InitFunction.
-d | --displayval
Specify what X display we should connect to. Overrides $DISPLAY
environment variable.
-f | --config-fileval
Read all config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
.steprc instead of standard config files.
-p | --user-dirval
Read all the config from requested dir. Use it to override con‐
fig location requested in compile time.
-g | --global-dirval
Use requested dir as a shared config dir. Use it to override
shared config location requested in compile time.
-V | --verbosity-levelval
Change verbosity of the AfterStep output. 0 - will disable any
output; 1 - will allow only error messages; 5 - both errors and
warnings(default).
--windowval
Internal Use: Window in which action occured. interface part
which has triggered our startup.
--contextval
Internal Use: Context in which action occured. interface part
which has triggered our startup.
--lookval
Read look config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
different look instead of what was selected from the menu.
--feelval
Read feel config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
different feel instead of what was selected from the menu.
--themeval
Read theme config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
different theme instead of what was selected from the menu.
-l | --logval
Save all output into the file. (instead of printing it to con‐
sole).
-L | --localeval
Set language locale. to be used while displaying text.
--mynameval
Overrides module name. will be used while parsing config files
and reporting to AfterStep.
--geometryval
Overrides module's geometry.
--gravityval
Overrides module's gravity.
SYNOPSIS
afterstep [ standard options ]
AfterStep has been almost entirely rewritten in this new incarnation.
Here is the short list of new architectural changes:
1.1. New high performance and high quality image handling engine has
been developed to fulfill GUI needs. It includes different image trans‐
formations, such as scaling, tiling, cropping, blurring, blending of
arbitrary number of layers, in-memory image compression, support for 12
different file formats, including its own parser/writer of XPM files,
capable of achieving much better performance then default libXpm. Sup‐
ported image formats are :
XPM, PNG, JPEG, XCF(GIMP image format), PPM, PNM, BMP, ICO, CUR, GIF,
TIFF, and XML scripts. Where XML scripts allow for user to create
script of transformations to be performed on the image at the time when
it gets loaded./para> libAfterImage also provides support for TTF fonts
( using libfreetype ) and smoothed standard X raster fonts.
1.2. Window hints handling has been rewriten and reorganized, and most
of the Extended WM specs has been incorporated, as well, as better sup‐
port for Motif, ICCCM and old GNOME hints has been implemented.
1.3. All the GUI rendering code has been aggregated into libAfterStep
and now all the GUI elements are rendered using consistent approach in
every module and every part of the AfterStep proper. From now on inter‐
face is build from so called TBars. TBar is rectangular area that may
be focused(hilited) or unfocused and pressed or unpressed. Each TBar
has the following structure :
- the background of the TBar, which is defined by MyStyle and state of
the bar - there are two MyStyles assigned to each TBar - one for
focused and one for unfocused state.
- tiles of the TBar. Tiles are smaller features that gets arranged
inside the bar according to its size, alignment, position and order.
Tiles could be static icons ( cannot be pressed ); blocks of buttons -
each having two shapes - pressed and normal; Text labels; Empty space
tiles.
There could be upto 256 tiles, each residing on one of the cells in
16x16 grid. Several tiles could reside in single cell, in which case
they get superimposed on top of each other.
- bevel of the TBar. When TBar is rendered all of its tiles are super‐
imposed on top of its background, and resulting image will have a 3D
bevel drawn on it, using colors from same MyStyle as used for back‐
ground. Bevel could be switched off partially or entirely. Respective
configuration options has been added where appropriate. When TBar is
pressed - its bevel is inverted.
When TBar is rendered all of its elements gets superimposed on top of
each other using one of 13 blending methods supported by libAfterImage,
with default being simple alphablending. See MyFrame configuration for
more details. This is refrred to as "Composition Method".
1.4. Due to the fact that AfterStep is using compression to store
images in memory - there is no need to have separate root background
handler, and so asetroot has been discontinued and afterstep proper now
does all the root background loading. You could simply copy-and-paste
your asteroot config into your look file. This has an added advantage
of simplifing theme support for root backgrounds.
1.5. Significant work has been done to create libAfterConf which pro‐
vides easy means for reading configuration options, and facilitates
implementation of any configuration tool.
1.6. Some work has been done to improve support for themes. AfterStep
proper and modules now load configuration files is this order :
#1 - base config; #2 - look, feel, menu, database, autoexec and module
specific config; #3 - theme file; #4 - theme override file;
Theme override file is needed so that user may have a list of critical
options that he/she does not want to be changed by any theme. What is
missing here is a comprehensive theme building tool.
1.7. AfterStep now make extensive use of X shaped extensions ( where
available ) Everything could be shaped now - titlebars, Pager, Wharf,
etc. To make some element shaped - MyStyle with BackPixmap type 125 or
126 should be used.
1.8. Menus are now treated same as regular windows. They could be con‐
figured in database file using preset Style "ASMenu" to have different
titlebar buttons, frame decorations, stickiness, etc. MenuPinOn has
been changed to be just another titlebar button, with PinMenu function
assigned to it.
1.9. AfterStep no longer uses fixed scheme of 5 titlebar buttons on
each side, and order of buttons could be configured in look. There is
still limitation to have no more then 10 buttons total.
3rd Berkeley Distribution AfterStep v.2.2.11AfterStep(1)
