FvwmScript(3.1)
NAME
FvwmScript - module to build graphic user interface
SYNOPSIS
FvwmScript must be spawned by Fvwm. It will not work from
the command line.
DESCRIPTION
FvwmScript is a module which allows to build many graphi-
cal applications such as desktop accessories, button panel
with popup menu, modal dialog... At the startup, Fvwm-
Script reads the file which is specified in the command
line. This file contains the script. This script is not
included in the configuration file of Fvwm.
INVOCATION
FvwmScript can be invoked by inserting the line `Module
FvwmScript name_of_script' in the .fvwmrc file. All
scripts used by FvwmScript are located in a directory whom
is specified in .fvwmrc by the command line `*FvwmScript-
Path path_of_the_script_directory'. This can be placed on
a line by itself, if FvwmScript is to be spawned during
fvwm's initialization, or can be bound to a menu or mouse
button or keystroke to invoke it later. Fvwm will search
directory specified in the ModulePath configuration option
to attempt to locate FvwmScript.
Be sure to set ModulePath in your .fvwmrc file to include
FvwmScript's path.
ANATOMY OF A SCRIPT
FvwmScript uses a particular programming langage. A script
is composed of four parts. Heading contains general char-
acteristics of the window and default properties for all
widgets. The second part contains instructions whom are
executed at the startup of the script. The third part con-
tains periodic tasks whom is executed every 1 second. And
the last one contains the desciption of widgets. A widget
consists of eleven types of items: text labels, single-
line text inputs, radio buttons, checkbox, push buttons,
horizontal and vertical scrollbars, rectangles, popup-
menus, swallowexecs and mini scrollbars.
HEADING OF A SCRIPT
The syntaxe is as follow:
WindowTitle string
This option sets the window title.
WindowSize width height
This option sets window size. width and height are
numerical value.
WindowPosition x y
This option sets window position. x and y are
numerical value.
ForeColor {color}
This option sets the default foreground color for
all widgets.
BackColor {color}
This option sets the default background color for
all widgets.
HilightColor {color}
This option sets the default hilight color for all
widgets.
ShadowColor {color}
This option sets the default shadow color for all
widgets.
Font {font}
This option sets the default font color for all
widgets.
INITIALISATION
This part contains instructions which will be executed at
the startup. For example:
Init
Begin
Do "Exec cat tada.voc > /dev/dsp"
WarpPointer 1
Set $ToDo=Restart
End
These instructions are used to play a sound, move the
pointer to widget 1 and to initialize $ToDo to "Restart"
at every startup.
PERIODIC TASKS
This part of the script contains some instructions whom
are executed every second. For example:
Periodic Task
Begin
If (RemainderOfDiv (GetTime) 10)==0 Then
Do {Exec xcalc}
End
This example shows how to launch xcalc every 10 seconds.
MAIN OF A SCRIPT
The second part of the script contains the description for
every widget which will be used in the program. A
description of widget is composed of two parts. Fisrt part
describes initial properties and second part contains
instructions which will be executed when the widget
receives messages. All widgets can send and receive mes-
sages. All message are identify by a number. The message
"UserAction" is sent to a widget when user has altered
this one. The syntax is as following:
Widget id # Set the id widget
Property
Type string
Size width height
Position x y
Title { string }
Value int
MaxValue int
MinValue int
Font string
ForeColor { color }
BackColor { color }
HilightColor { color }
ShadowColor { Color }
Flags Hidden and/or NoReliefString
The option 'Flags` is used to specify if the widget is
hidden or not and if strings are drew with relief or not.
Main
Case Message of
SingleClic:
Begin
# list of instructions which will be
# executed when widget receives
# message "SingleClic". This message is
# generated by the user.
End
1:
Begin
# list of instructions which will be
# executed when widget receives
# message 1
End
End
LIST OF WIDGETS
There is fifteen types of widgets.
ItemDraw: Display an icon and/or a string.
Title: string to display.
Icon: icon to display.
PushButton: Display push button with an icon and/or a
string.
Title: this string has the following syntax {Title
of the button|Option 1|Option 2| Option3|...|Option
N}. "Option 1|Option 2|...|Option N" is the popup
menu which is displayed when pressing the right
button.
Icon: icon to display.
RadioButton: Display radio button with a string.
Title: title of the radio button.
Value: if Value is equal to 1, the box is checked
else it is not.
CheckBox: Display check box with a string.
Title: title of the check box.
Value: if Value is equal to 1, the box is checked
else it is not.
TextField: Display a text input field. The text input
field can be used to edit a single-line string.
Title: content of text field.
Value: position of the insert point.
HScrollBar: Display an horizontal scrollbar.
Value: position of the thumb.
MaxValue: upper limit of Value.
MinValue: lower limit of Value.
VScrollBar: Display a vertical scrollbar.
Value: position of the thumb.
MaxValue: upper limit of Value.
MinValue: lower limit of Value.
MiniScrollBar: Display a very small vertical scrollbar.
Value: position of the thumb.
MaxValue: upper limit of Value.
MinValue: lower limit of Value.
Rectangle: Display a rectangle. This type of widget can
be used to decorate window.
SwallowExec: This type of widget causes FvwmScript to
spawn an process, and capture the first window
whose name or resource is equal to Title, and
display it in the script window.
Title: specify the window name which be captured
and displayed in the script window.
SwallowExec: specify the command line to execute to
spawn the process. Modules canalso be swallowed.
Value: specify the looking of the border. Possible
value: -1, 0, 1.
PopupMenu: Display a popup menu.
Value: specify what option is selected.
Title: the title has the following syntax: {Option
1|Option 2|...|Option N}."Option 1|Option
2|...|Option N" is the popup menu which is dis-
played when pressing mouse button.
HDipstick: Display a horizontal dipstick. This widget can
be used to display disk usage.
Value: specify the current value of the dipstick.
MinValue: specify the minimum value of the dip-
stick.
MaxValue: specify the maximum value of the dip-
stick.
VDipstick: Display a vertical dipstick.
Value: specify the current value of the dipstick.
MinValue: specify the minimum value of the dip-
stick.
MaxValue: specify the maximum value of the dip-
stick.
List: Display a list. List lets user to choose between
various options.
Value: specify which option is selected.
Title: title contains options displayed in the
list. The syntaxe is the following: {Option
1|Option 2|...|Option N}. All menus are displayed
at the top of window.
Menu: Display a menu whom lets user to choose a option.
Value: specify which option is selected.
Title: title contains options displayed in the
menu. The syntaxe is the following: {Option
1|Option 2|...|Option N}.
INSTRUCTIONS
Here is the description of all instructions.
HideWidget id : hide the widget numbered id.
ShowWidget id: show the widget numbered id.
ChangeValue id1 id2: set the value of the widget numbered
id1 to id2.
ChangeMaxValue id1 id2: set the maximum value of the
widget num- bered id1 to id2.
ChangeMinValue id1 id2: set the minimum value of the
widget num- bered id1 to id2.
ChangeTitle id1 id2: set the title of the widget numbered
id1 to id2.
ChangeIcon id1 id2: set the icon of the widget numbered
id1 to id2.
ChangeForeColor id1 {color}: set the foreground color of
the wid- get numbered id1 to {color}.
ChangeBackColor id1 {color}: set the background color of
the wid- get numbered id1 to {color}.
ChangePosition id1 x y: move the widget numbered id1 to
position (x,y).
ChangeSize id1 width height: set the size of the widget
numbered id1 to (width,height).
ChangeFont id1 newfont: set the font of the widget
numbered id1 to newfont.
WarpPointer id: warp the mouse pointer into the widget
numbered id.
WriteToFile filename {str1} {str2} etc: write to the
file file- name the string which is the
concatenation of all arguments str1, str2, etc.
Do {str1} {str2} etc: execute the command which is the
concatena- tion of all arguments str1, str2, etc.
Set $var={str1} {str2} etc: concatenate all arguments to a
string and set the variable $var to this string.
Quit: quit the program.
SendSignal id1 id2: send a message numbered id2 to widget
id1.
SendToScript id_script {str11} {str2} etc: send a message
to the script identified by id_script. The
message is the concatenation of str1, str2...
ARGUMENTS
Most of commands use arguments. There is two kinds of
argument: numbers and strings. A numerical argument is a
value which is between -32000 and +32000. A string is
always surrounded with brace. Variables always begin with
the character "$" and can contains both number and string.
FUNCTIONS
All functions are used as argument. Functions can return
both string and number. The syntax is:
(function argument1 argument2 etc)
Here is the complete list of arguments:
(GetTitle id): return the title of the widget numbered id.
(GetValue id): return the current value of the widget
numbered id.
(GetOutput {str} int1 int2): executes the command str,
gets the standart output and returns the word which
is in the line int1 and in the position
int2. If int2 is equal to -1, GetOutput returns
the complete line.
(NumToHex int): return the hexadecimal value of int.
(HexToNum {str}): return the decimal value of str, str
must be an hexadecimal value.
(Add int1 int2): return the result of (int1+int2).
(Mult int1 int2): return the result of (int1*int2).
(Div int1 int2): return the result of (int1/int2).
(StrCopy {str} int1 int2): return the string whom is
between position int1 and int2. For example,
(StrCopy {Hello} 1 2) returns {He}
(LaunchScript {str}): this function launch the script
named str and return an identification number.
This number is necessary to use these functions
SendToScript and ReceivFromScript. The string str
contains the script name and some arguments.
(GetScriptArgument {int}): this function return the
argument script used in the function LaunchScript.
If int is equal to zero, GetScriptArgument
return the name of the script.
(GetScriptFather): this function return the identification
number of the script father.
(ReceivFromScript {int}): this function return the message
sended by the script numbered int.
(RemainderOfDiv {int1 int2}): this function return the
remainder of the division (int1/int2).
(GetTime): this function return the time in second.
CONDITIONAL LOOPS
There is three kind of conditional loops. The instruction
"If-Then-Else" has the following syntax:
If $ToDo=={Open xcalc} Then
Do {Exec xcalc &} # List of instructions
Else
Begin
Do {Exec killall xcalc &} # List of instructions
Do {Exec echo xcalc killed > /dev/console}
End
The second part "Else-Begin-End" is optional. If the loop
contains only one instruction, Begin and End can be omit-
ted. The instruction "While-Do" as the following syntax:
While $i<5 Do
Begin
Set $i=(Add i 1) # List of instructions
End
Two strings can be compared with "==" and two numbers can
be compared with "<", "<=", "==", ">=", ">". The loop
"For-Do-Begin-End" has the following syntax:
For $i=1 To 20 Do
Begin
Do {Exec xcalc &} # List of instructions
End
AUTHOR
Frederic Cordier (cordie97@cui.unige.ch or f-
cord96@univ-lyon1.fr).
CONTRIBUTOR
Eddy J. Gurney eddy@gizmo.aa.ans.net.