SfinxLite TWM

Actually, under SfinxLite, the window manager doesn't have to be twm any more; in fact, the user doesn't even have to use a window manager at all ! (see the documentation of the winman program)

SfinxLite xtwm program

The SfinxLite setup provides the program xtwm, which ensures some compatibility both with the OldSfinx xtwmrc method and with the standard twm program, with some small additions for easy customization, such as an easy interface to the ctwm window manager, which might very well become the new standard at the Leiden Observatory.

To reach this goal, xtwm follows this strategy to find out which files to load:

If there is a .packages file, and this file contains an entry for xtwmrc-oldstyle then the xtwmrc program, along with any options provided in .packages, is executed to create an output file, called .twmrc.xtwm, but only if it is not yet present. This saves a lot of time compares to the OldSfinx method of recreating a .twmrc file on every login.
Alternatively, the user may want to set the environment variable SFINX_XTWMRC to contain all the options that used to be in the xtwmrc entry in .packages.
However, if a user wants to get the OldSfinx behaviour (creating a new twmrc file for every session), he or she should either put xtwm -full into the .xsession file or include xtwm -remake in the .Xapplications file.
However, other means to duplicate the OldSfinx TWM look are available (see below).
Otherwise, one of the following files will be loaded :
- ~/.twmrc.m4 (run through the m4 preprocessor)
- $OSdir/lib/twmrc.lite
The file ~/.twmrc.m4 is given preference over the others, if it exists, since it is run through the m4 preprocessor, and can thus contain system-dependent settings all in one file. Moreover, this same file can be used by the ctwm window manager, an enhanced version of twm.

Because it is hard for the InstallLite script to guess which look a user will like best, the default is to install a system that resembles the OldSfinx system as good as possible, either by using the old xtwmrc program, if specified in .packages, or by defining a variable OLDSFINX in .twmrc.m4 (see below).
If a user wants to obtain the SfinxLite look that is described in these documents, he or she has to go through the following steps: Edit .twmrc.m4 and remove the line that says define(OLDSFINX,1) (or place a # to make it a comment). Then select reread twmrc from your menus, and that is all.

If you really insist on using the - now unsupported - old xtwmrc program, edit .packages replace the line that starts with xtwmrc by one that starts with xtwmrc-oldstyle.

SfinxLite .twmrc.m4 file

As mentioned before, a file named .twmrc.m4 can be used for both the twm and ctwm window managers, and this file is processed by the m4 preprocessor first.

A default .twmrc.m4 file is included in the SfinxLite setup, which offers the user many possibilities. In fact, the number of possibilities is so large, that I need a separate document to describe them all.

SfinxLite default setup

Under the standard SfinxLite TWM configuration, which resembles Sun OpenWindows and Motif to some extent, the following items can be identified on your screen :

the root window (usually a background color, pattern or image)
application windows (with a title bar, title buttons and a window frame)
icons (iconified windows)
an optional icon manager

The 3 mouse buttons have generally the following functionality :

Left : select (raise, deiconify)
Middle : deselect (lower, iconify)
Right : menu

For all practical purposes, the titlebar and window frame are treated in exactly the same way, so when the titlebar is covered by other windows, you can still e.g. move the window.

Likewise, icons and entries in the icon manager are treated identically (thus making an icon manager superfluous).

Note that mouse or keyboard actions inside an application window or transient window or transient window are beyond the control of SfinxLite.

David.Jansen@strw.leidenuniv.nl

Last modified: Fri Feb 9 12:32:14 MET 1996