HEPiX X11 Scripts - Variables

This page describes the different variables used by the HEPiX X11 scripts. They can be roughly classified into major switches, informational variables and miscellaneous variables.

Index: DOT_XSESSION - GROUP_DIR - HX_COLOR - HX_DESKTOP - HX_EXTENSIONS - HX_FONT_PATH - HX_GROUP_DIR - HX_HEIGHT - HX_KBD_MISC - HX_KEYBOARD - HX_LAST_CLIENT - HX_PLANES - HX_RELEASE - HX_RESOLUTION - HX_RESPONSE - HX_ROOT_WINDOW - HX_SERVER_HOST - HX_SERVER_TYPE - HX_SIZE - HX_SOURCEPROFILE - HX_START_MXCONNS - HX_STARTUP - HX_VENDOR - HX_VENDOR_STRING - HX_VERSION - HX_WIDTH - HX_WM - XDISPLAY


Major Switches

Here are the major switches (i.e. variables influencing the HEPiX X11 scripts behaviour) that can be set in the xprofile files. They are used only by the HEPiX desktop (except $HX_START_MXCONNS and $HX_DESKTOP of course). Some of them are even only used by the HEPiX startup: $HX_FONT_PATH, $HX_LAST_CLIENT, $HX_ROOT_WINDOW and $HX_WM.

Note that the default values for these variables depend on many factors. For instance, if you work at CERN for the CHORUS experiment, the default value of a given variable can come either from the HEP level default, or from the CERN customisation, or from the CHORUS customisation or even from the machine level customisation! The best thing to do is to use an empty xprofile, start an X session and look in $HOME/.hepix/xsession.log ...

HX_DESKTOP

The name of the desktop to use. The HEPiX X session will execute the program HEP_desktop.$HX_DESKTOP that must exists at hep level. This does not apply to the HEPiX desktop that is coded inside the HEPiX X session.

The main desktops recognised are (availability depends on the machine of course):

HX_FONT_PATH

The font path to append with the command `xsetfp $HX_FONT_PATH'.

HX_LAST_CLIENT

The last client that is executed (a real exec) by the HEPiX X session. It can be either a full command or "local" (i.e. a small xterm) or "window-manager" (i.e. we use the value of $HX_WM).

HX_ROOT_WINDOW

The command to run when the X session is started to set the root window color and/or pattern. You can use for instance "xsetroot -solid seagreen" (set color to green). See the man page of xsetroot for more information.

HX_SOURCEPROFILE

Whether or not to source the user's shell "profile" (.login, .profile...) to get his private environment variables settings (like $PRINTER). Can be "yes" or "no".

Although the program used to get these environment variables (dump_shell_env) is quite strong, users should be careful not to put in their files things that could block the X session...

HX_START_MXCONNS

Whether or not to start the program mxconns and set the variable $XDISPLAY. It can be either "yes" or "no" or the full command line with the appropriate options, for instance "mxconns -iconic -fork -verbose -hunt".

mxconns will be started just after loading the X resources, before handling $HX_DESKTOP. The recommended way to customise mxconns is to set some X resources, for instance:

	mxconns*iconic:         true
	mxconns*geometry:       +0-0

Warning: the program must put itself in the background (this is the purpose of the "-fork" flag of mxconns) otherwise the X session will hang.

HX_STARTUP

The startup file to use. It can be either a full command or "HEPiX" or "dot-xsession" (which is the same as "$HOME/.xsession").

Warning: if a $HOME/.xsession file exists and is executable then it is always used, regardless of the value of $HX_STARTUP.

HX_WM

The window manager to use. It can be either a full command or "local" (i.e. no window manager is started) or "last-client" (i.e. no window manager is started, hoping that the last client is the window manager...).

It can also be of the form "local-foo args". In this case, the tool local-client will be used to try to start a local client named "foo".

Finally, if the string "-prepare" appears, the tool prepare-wmrc will be used to prepare the window manager configuration file. "foowm -prepare args" is equivalent to "foowm `prepare-wmrc foowm` args". See also, $HOME/.hepix/wm/generated_wmrc.


Informational Variables

They give some information on the X environment of the X session. Most of them are set by the HEPiX X session and not meant to be changed.

They are all set by the program xinfo except:

HX_COLOR

The color type of the screen: `black'(?), `monochrom', `greyscale' or `color'

HX_EXTENSIONS

The list of extensions in a string separated by spaces, e.g. `HPExtension XTestExtension1 SHAPE MIT-SHM'

HX_HEIGHT

The height of the screen in pixels

HX_KBD_MISC

Misc information about the keyboard, usually depending on the X server vendor; e.g. on NCDs we can find the model name: `N-101'

HX_KEYBOARD

The "official" name of the keyboard as known by the X program xkeycaps, e.g. `LK201'

HX_PLANES

The number of planes, usually 2, 8 or 16

HX_RELEASE

The vendor release number, e.g. `507000'

HX_RESOLUTION

The average resolution in dpi, as known by the X server: (x_dpi + y_dpi) / 2

HX_RESPONSE

An indication of the X connectivity speed: the time spent to run the xinfo program itself, in milliseconds

HX_SERVER_HOST

The hostname of the X server, useful when the display is only :0

HX_SERVER_TYPE

The "type" of the X server, mainly derived from the vendor string: workstation (ws), X terminal (xt), Macintosh (mac) or PC-compatible (pc)

HX_SIZE

The "simple" size of the screen: `small', `medium' or `big'; the algorithm is (with pixels = width * height):

HX_VENDOR

The vendor derived from the vendor string with a table, e.g. `hp'

HX_VENDOR_STRING

The exact vendor string, e.g. `Hewlett-Packard Company'

HX_VERSION

The version of the HEPiX X11 scripts used, e.g. `3.1.2'

HX_WIDTH

The width of the screen in pixels


Miscellaneous Variables

Many environment variables are set by the HEPiX shells scripts, they are described elsewhere.

DOT_XSESSION

Whether or not we are running the user's $HOME/.xsession . It is set by the HEPiX X session before executing the user's .xsession to detect loops if the .xsession calls the HEPiX X session (used when the xdm wrappers are not installed).

GROUP_DIR

The old location of the group level customisations. Starting with the version 3.2, it is now replaced by $HX_GROUP_DIR.

HX_GROUP_DIR

The location of the group level customisations for the HEPiX X11 scripts. It is normally set in the site-level xprofile file.

XDISPLAY

The pseudo display created by mxconns. This is the value to use (instead of $DISPLAY) when you want the X client to go through mxconns. Some tools like xrsh (modified at CERN) use this variable.


Lionel Cons, 1-Oct-1997