XBIFF(1)
NAME
xbiff - mailbox flag for X
SYNOPSIS
xbiff [ -toolkitoption ... ] [ -option ... ]
DESCRIPTION
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.
OPTIONS
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
/var/spool/mail/username, where username is your
login name.
-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 posi-
tion of the mailbox window. The mailbox is 48
pixels wide and 48 pixels high and will be cen-
tered 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 back-
ground 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.
X DEFAULTS
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 indi-
cates 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 to watch /var/spool/mail/username,
where username is your login name.
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 emptyP-
ixmapMask. 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.
ACTIONS
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()
ENVIRONMENT
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_MAN-
AGER property.
SEE ALSO
X(1) xrdb(1) stat(2)
BUGS
The mailbox bitmaps are ugly.
AUTHOR
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium
Additional hacks by Ralph Swick, DEC/MIT Project Athena