xbiff - mailbox flag for X
xbiff [ -toolkitoption ... ] [ -option ...
]
The xbiff program displays a little image of a mailbox.
When there is no mail, the flag on the mailbox is down. When mail arrives,
the flag goes up and the mailbox beeps. By default, pressing any mouse
button in the image forces xbiff to remember the current size of the
mail file as being the ``empty'' size and to lower the flag.
Xbiff accepts all of the standard X Toolkit command line
options along with the additional options listed below:
- -help
- This option indicates that a brief summary of the allowed options should
be printed on the standard error.
- -update
seconds
- This option specifies the frequency in seconds at which xbiff
should update its display. If the mailbox is obscured and then exposed, it
will be updated immediately. The default is 30 seconds.
- -file
filename
- This option specifies the name of the file which should be monitored. By
default it watches your inbox in the default location for your system
(some examples are /var/mail/username,
/usr/spool/mail/username, /var/spool/mail/username (where
username is your login name). If the MAIL environment variable is
set, the file specified by it will be monitored.
- -volume
percentage
- This option specifies how loud the bell should be rung when new mail comes
in.
- -shape
- This option indicates that the mailbox window should be shaped if masks
for the empty or full images are given.
The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are
commonly used with xbiff:
- -display
display
- This option specifies the X server to contact.
- -geometry
geometry
- This option specifies the preferred size and position of the mailbox
window. The mailbox is 48 pixels wide and 48 pixels high and will be
centered in the window.
- -bg color
- This option specifies the color to use for the background of the
window.
- -bd color
- This option specifies the color to use for the border of the window.
- -bw number
- This option specifies the width in pixels of the border surrounding the
window.
- -fg color
- This option specifies the color to use for the foreground of the
window.
- -rv
- This option indicates that reverse video should be simulated by swapping
the foreground and background colors.
- -xrm
resourcestring
- This option specifies a resource string to be used. This is especially
useful for setting resources that do not have separate command line
options.
The application class name is XBiff. This program uses the
Mailbox widget. It understands all of the core resource names and
classes as well as:
- checkCommand
(class CheckCommand)
- Specifies a shell command to be executed to check for new mail rather than
examining the size of file. The specified string value is used as
the argument to a system(3) call and may therefore contain i/o
redirection. An exit status of 0 indicates that new mail is waiting, 1
indicates that there has been no change in size, and 2 indicates that the
mail has been cleared. By default, no shell command is provided.
- file (class
File)
- Specifies the name of the file to monitor. The default is as described
above for the -file command line option.
- onceOnly
(class Boolean)
- Specifies that the bell is only rung the first time new mail is found and
is not rung again until at least one interval has passed with no mail
waiting. The window will continue to indicate the presence of new mail
until it has been retrieved. The default is false.
- width (class
Width)
- Specifies the width of the mailbox.
- height (class
Height)
- Specifies the height of the mailbox.
- update
(class Interval)
- Specifies the frequency in seconds at which the mail should be checked.
The default is 30.
- volume
(class Volume)
- Specifies how loud the bell should be rung. The default is 33
percent.
- foreground
(class Foreground)
- Specifies the color for the foreground.
- reverseVideo
(class ReverseVideo)
- Specifies that the foreground and background should be reversed.
- flip (class
Flip)
- Specifies whether or not the image that is shown when mail has arrived
should be inverted. The default is ``true.''
- fullPixmap
(class Pixmap)
- Specifies a bitmap to be shown when new mail has arrived. The default is
flagup.
- emptyPixmap
(class Pixmap)
- Specifies a bitmap to be shown when no new mail is present. The default is
flagdown.
- shapeWindow
(class ShapeWindow)
- Specifies whether or not the mailbox window should be shaped to the given
fullPixmapMask and emptyPixmapMask. The default is false.
- fullPixmapMask
(class PixmapMask)
- Specifies a mask for the bitmap to be shown when new mail has arrived. The
default is none.
- emptyPixmapMask
(class PixmapMask)
- Specifies a mask for the bitmap to be shown when no new mail is present.
The default is none.
The Mailbox widget provides the following actions for use
in event translations:
- check()
- This action causes the widget to check for new mail and display the flag
appropriately.
- unset()
- This action causes the widget to lower the flag until new mail comes
in.
- set()
- This action causes the widget to raise the flag until the user resets
it.
The default translation is
<ButtonPress>: unset()
- DISPLAY
- to get the default host and display number.
- XENVIRONMENT
- to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources
stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
The mailbox bitmaps are ugly.
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
Additional hacks by Ralph Swick, DEC/MIT Project Athena