dtfpfile(4)
dtfpfile - format and locations of front panel configuration files
Showing IRIX 6.5.30 (default release). Added in IRIX 6.5.19.
NAME dtfpfile - format and locations of front panel configuration files SYNOPSIS set DtDbVersion=version_number set VariableName=variable_value RecordType record_name { # Comment Keyword Value Keyword Value . . . } DESCRIPTION The dtfpfile front panel database provides definitions for the components that define the content and functionality of the front panel. Files containing front panel definitions must end with the .fp suffix. Like the action and data type database, the front panel database is constructed by reading all files ending in the .fp suffix found in the search path specified by the DTDATABASESEARCHPATH environment variable. See dtdtfile(4) for a complete description of the directory locations where these database files are found and for a description of the specific syntax for the database files. File Format The general syntax of the front panel configuration files is as described above in the SYNOPSIS section of this man page. The Comments, Versions and Variables fields are described in dtdtfile(4). The front panel record types each have a set of Keyword and Value pairs. There are six record types defined: PANEL, BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH, CONTROL and ANIMATION. Each record type has a set of keywords defined for it. Many of the keywords are used for multiple record types. Record Types PANEL front panel name The PANEL record type defines the outermost container of the front panel. It can contain one or more BOXes and optionally repositioning handles, a menu and a minimize button. The keywords defined for PANEL are described in the following table. PANEL Record Type Keywords and Values ________________________________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default ________________________________________________________________________ CONTROL_BEHAVIOR (double_click/single_click) single_click DISPLAY_CONTROL_LABELS (True/False) False DISPLAY_HANDLES (True/False) True DISPLAY_MENU (True/False) True DISPLAY_MINIMIZE (True/False) True HELP_STRING string NULL HELP_TOPIC topic name NULL HELP_VOLUME volume name FPanel LOCKED (True/False) False PANEL_GEOMETRY {+-}xoffset[{+-}yoffset] NULL RESOLUTION (high/medium/low/match_display) match_display SUBPANEL_UNPOST (True/False) True BOX box name The BOX record type defines a container within a PANEL that can hold a row of CONTROLS and at most one SWITCH container. Multiple BOXes within a PANEL are stacked vertically. The keywords defined for BOX are described in the following table. BOX Record Type Keywords and Values ___________________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default ___________________________________________________________ CONTAINER_NAME front panel name NULL (required) DELETE (True/False) False HELP_STRING string NULL HELP_TOPIC topic name NULL HELP_VOLUME volume name FPanel LOCKED (True/False) False POSITION_HINTS (first/last/integer > 1) first SUBPANEL subpanel name The SUBPANEL record type defines a secondary container for CONTROLs that slide up from the front panel. SUBPANELs can also contain a drop zone where new controls can be dynamically added. The keywords defined for SUBPANEL are described in the following table. SUBPANEL Record Type Keywords and Values ________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default ________________________________________________ CONTAINER_NAME control name NULL (required) CONTROL_INSTALL (True/False) True DELETE (True/False) False HELP_STRING string NULL HELP_TOPIC topic name NULL HELP_VOLUME volume name FPanel LOCKED (True/False) False TITLE string NULL SWITCH switch name The SWITCH record type defines a container within a BOX that contains a set of push buttons, each of which give access to a corresponding workspace. See dtwm(1) for a description of the multiple workspace capabilities. Also contained within the SWITCH container is an optional set of CONTROLs. These are presented in a column on each side of the push buttons. The keywords defined for SWITCH are described in the following table. SWITCH Record Type Keywords and Values ___________________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default ___________________________________________________________ CONTAINER_NAME box name NULL (required) DELETE (True/False) False HELP_STRING string NULL HELP_TOPIC topic name NULL HELP_VOLUME volume name FPanel LOCKED (True/False) False NUMBER_OF_ROWS integer 2 POSITION_HINTS (first/last/integer > 1) first CONTROL control name The CONTROL record type defines the main functional component of the front panel. CONTROLs typically have actions defined for them that are invoked on selection or drag and drop or both. CONTROLs are displayed with icons or labels or both and can have iconic animations associated with them. The keywords defined for CONTROL are described in the following table. CONTROL Record Type Keywords and Values ____________________________________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default ____________________________________________________________________________ ALTERNATE_ICON image name NULL CLIENT_GEOMETRY width x height NULL CLIENT_NAME client name NULL CONTAINER_NAME (box name/switch name/subpanel name) NULL (required) CONTAINER_TYPE (BOX/SWITCH/SUBPANEL) NULL (required) DATE_FORMAT format string %b%n%e DELETE (True/False) False DROP_ACTION action_name NULL DROP_ANIMATION animation name NULL FILE_NAME pathname NULL HELP_STRING string NULL HELP_TOPIC topic name NULL HELP_VOLUME volume name FPanel ICON image name NULL LABEL string NULL LOCKED (True/False) False MONITOR_TYPE (none/mail/file) none POSITION_HINTS (first/last/integer > 1) first PUSH_ACTION action_name NULL PUSH_ANIMATION animation name NULL PUSH_RECALL (True/False) False TYPE (blank/busy/client/clock/date/file/icon) icon ANIMATION animation name The ANIMATION record types are a sequence of image name and time delay pairs that are displayed by a CONTROL on a PUSH_ACTION or DROP_ACTION. ANIMATION Record Type Keywords and Values _______________________________________________________ Keyword Value Default _______________________________________________________ ANIMATION image name [millisecond delay] None [200] Keyword and Value Descriptions The following list contains a description of each of the keywords defined by the front panel. ALTERNATE_ICON Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: busy and icon. ALTERNATE_ICON defines an image to be used to replace the normal image within a control with a mail or file value for the MONITOR_TYPE. The image is displayed when the file being monitored changes. For the busy control, ALTERNATE_ICON is cycled with ICON to give the blinking effect. ANIMATION Used with record types of: ANIMATION. Used with control keywords of: PUSH_ANIMATION and DROP_ANIMATION. ANIMATION defines a sequence of images to be displayed for either a PUSH_ACTION or DROP_ACTION. Each animation within the list is displayed in order with a default time separation of 200 milliseconds. For a slower or faster sequence, the image name value can be followed by the amount of time to display the image. If no time value is specified, the previously specified value is used. CLIENT_GEOMETRY Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control type of: client. Used with control keywords of: CLIENT_NAME. CLIENT_GEOMETRY specifies the size (in pixels) needed for the window of a client displayed within the front panel. CLIENT_NAME Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: client or icon. Used with control keywords of: PUSH_RECALL. CLIENT_NAME specifies a name used to associate a control with an executable. It is necessary for control types of client (an X client running within the front panel) and for icon when the keyword PUSH_RECALL is True. The value client name is the name of the executable or can be set via a command-line argument for some clients (such as xterm -name panelterm). The client name for a running client can be found by executing xprop. The first string of the WM_CLASS property is the value used. CONTAINER_NAME Used with record types of: BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. CONTAINER_NAME associates a component with its parent. For example, the CONTAINER_NAME value for a SWITCH tells the front panel into which BOX it should be placed. Since controls can reside in several different component types, CONTAINER_NAME is used in conjunction with CONTAINER_TYPE to define a control's parent. CONTAINER_TYPE Used with record types of: CONTROL. CONTAINER_TYPE defines a control's parent type. This is used to identify a control uniquely so that it can be created within the proper parent. CONTROL_BEHAVIOR Used with record types of: PANEL. CONTROL_BEHAVIOR provides the mechanism for setting the user model for front panel controls. Controls can be set to invoke their PUSH_ACTION by either a single or double click. CONTROL_INSTALL Used with record types of: SUBPANEL. CONTROL_INSTALL enables or disables dynamic control installation into subpanels. A value of True causes the control installation area to be displayed within the subpanel. DATE_FORMAT Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: date. DATE_FORMAT specifies the layout of the date string for a control of type date. The format is the same used by the UNIX strftime(3) function. DELETE Used with record types of: BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. DELETE is used to override and remove a non-locked component from the front panel. This is necessary to eliminate system default front panel components without replacing the default files. To use DELETE, a copy of the component definition with the additional DELETE keyword is stored in a file with an .fp suffix in the user's or application type's directory. DISPLAY_CONTROL_LABELS Used with record types of: PANEL. DISPLAY_CONTROL_LABELS specifies whether the controls contained within the front panel's boxes have their labels displayed. DISPLAY_HANDLES Used with record types of: PANEL. If DISPLAY_HANDLES is set to True, the move handles are displayed along the left and right edges of the front panel. DISPLAY_MENU Used with record types of: PANEL. If DISPLAY_MENU is set to True, and DISPLAY_HANDLES is also set to True, the system menu button is displayed in the upper left hand corner of the front panel. DISPLAY_MINIMIZE Used with record types of: PANEL. If DISPLAY_MINIMIZE is set to True, and DISPLAY_HANDLES is also set to True, the minimize button is displayed in the upper right hand corner of the front panel. DROP_ACTION Used with record types of: CONTROL. DROP_ACTION specifies the function that is invoked when a drop occurs on the control. DROP_ANIMATION Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with all control types except: client. DROP_ANIMATION specifies the name of an animation record to be displayed when a drop occurs on the control. The control must have a DROP_ACTION defined for the animation to be used. FILE_NAME Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: icon and file. For the control type of file, FILE_NAME is the pathname of the file to be used for the control. The file's file type, actions and images are extracted from the action database for the control. For MONITOR_TYPE mail and file, FILE_NAME specifies the pathname of the file the front panel monitors for either mail arrival or some other user-defined data. For MONITOR_TYPE file, the ALTERNATE_ICON image is displayed when the monitored file is non-empty. The ICON image is displayed if the file is empty or non-existent. For MONITOR_TYPE mail, the ALTERNATE_ICON image is displayed when the file increases in size. HELP_STRING Used with record types of: PANEL, BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. HELP_STRING specifies an on-line help string to display when help is requested over a front panel component. Since each component type can have a help string associated with it, there is a precedence used in deciding which help string to display. Control help takes precedence over box help, switch help and subpanel help. Box help takes precedence over subpanel help. The HELP_STRING value is used only if no HELP_TOPIC value is defined. HELP_TOPIC Used with record types of: PANEL, BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. HELP_TOPIC specifies an on-line help topic that is used with either the default help volume or a help volume specified by the HELP_VOLUME keyword to display help information when requested over a front panel component. Like the HELP_STRING keyword, each component type can have a help topic associated with it and the same precedence rules are used. HELP_VOLUME Used with record types of: PANEL, BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. When HELP_VOLUME is used in conjunction with HELP_TOPIC, it defines the help information to be displayed for a front panel component. ICON Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: icon, file and busy. ICON specifies the image to be displayed within a control. LABEL Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: icon, file, clock and busy. LABEL specifies the string to be displayed when a control is in a subpanel. LOCKED Used with record types of: PANEL, BOX, SUBPANEL, SWITCH and CONTROL. LOCKED provides the mechanism to prevent a component definition of identical type, name and parent from overriding (replacing) this definition. Since the front panel can be defined within multiple configuration files, it provides the flexibility to override components found earlier in the search path. Like actions and file types, this allows the front panel to be customized at several levels. MONITOR_TYPE Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control types of: icon and file MONITOR_TYPE specifies the method of checking the file being monitored, specified by the keyword FILE_NAME. NUMBER_OF_ROWS Used with record types of: SWITCH. NUMBER_OF_ROWS provides control over the layout of the workspace switch buttons. The switch buttons are arranged in a row and column layout with the NUMBER_OF_ROWS keyword defining the number of rows in the layout. The number of columns is derived from this value and the total number of switch buttons. PANEL_GEOMETRY Used with record types of: PANEL. PANEL_GEOMETRY specifies a non-default location to position the front panel when it is created. By default, the front panel is centered along the bottom of the display. POSITION_HINTS Used with record types of: BOX, SWITCH and CONTROL. POSITION_HINTS specifies the ordering of boxes in the front panel, the switch and controls in boxes, and controls in subpanels. When two components have the same value for POSITION_HINTS, the first one read from the configuration file is placed first. PUSH_ACTION Used with record types of: CONTROL. PUSH_ACTION specifies the function that is invoked when a selection occurs on the control. PUSH_ANIMATION Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with all control types except: client. PUSH_ANIMATION specifies the name of an animation record to be displayed when a selection occurs on the control. The control must have a PUSH_ACTION defined for the animation to be used. PUSH_RECALL Used with record types of: CONTROL. Used with control keywords of: CLIENT_NAME. When PUSH_RECALL is set to True, it specifies that only one process can be started by the control. If the process is already running, it is displayed within the current workspace and shuffled to the top of the window stack. The value for the CLIENT_NAME keyword is used to identify the process for push recall behavior. RESOLUTION Used with record types of: PANEL. RESOLUTION allows the icon set for the front panel to be forced to a particular set. By default, the front panel determines the display resolution at runtime and chooses the high resolution icon set if the display width is 1024 pixels or wider. SUBPANEL_UNPOST Used with record types of: PANEL. When SUBPANEL_UNPOST is set to True, it causes a subpanel to hide itself whenever a PUSH_ACTION occurs on one of the subpanel controls. If the subpanel has been torn off of the front panel, the behavior of the subpanel is forced to remain posted on PUSH_ACTION. TITLE Used with record types of: SUBPANEL. TITLE specifies the string to be displayed in the title area of the subpanel. TYPE Used with record types of: CONTROL. A number of different control types are defined by the front panel: blank Space-holder control busy Busy light client A client window clock Front panel clock date Front panel date file References a file on the file system and uses that file's actions and image icon Front panel general control FILES The default front panel configuration file is /usr/dt/appconfig/types/C/dtwm.fp. Files containing the attributes of dynamically created front panel components are in the directory $HOME/.dt/types/fp_dynamic. APPLICATION USAGE Errors encountered when loading front panel database files are written to the user's $HOME/.dt/errorlog file. SEE ALSO dtwm(1), strftime(3), dtdtfile(4).