XTOOLWAIT(1)

NAME
       xtoolwait - start X client and wait for it to map a window

SYNOPSIS
       xtoolwait [ -display display-name ] [ -timeout nseconds  ]
       [ -mappings nwindows ] [ -help ] [ -version ] command

DESCRIPTION
       Xtoolwait  notably decreases the startup time of an X ses-
       sion by reducing the load on the  X  server  and  the  OS.
       Xtoolwait  starts  the X client command in the background.
       It then waits until a window is mapped on the root  window
       and  exits.  Xtoolwait also exits if a time-out occurs (by
       default after 15 seconds), or if command exits.

OPTIONS
       -display display-name
              Monitor the X display display-name for window  map-
              ping  events.   If  this  option is not used, the X
              display defaults to the value of the DISPLAY  envi-
              ronment variable.  See also section NOTES below.

       -timeout nseconds
              Use  a time-out period of nseconds seconds. If this
              option is not used, the time-out period defaults to
              15 seconds.

       -mappings nwindows
              Exit  after  nwindows  windows  have  been  mapped,
              instead of the default  of  one  window.  Use  this
              option only if you are absolutely sure that command
              will map nwindows top-level windows, in which  case
              it will slightly increase the performance.

       -help  Print out the `Usage:' command syntax summary.

       -version
              Print out the version number.

USAGE
       This is the relevant part of my own .xinitrc file, showing
       the proper use of Xtoolwait:
              #
              # Startup the window manager first
              #
              olvwm & wmpid=$!
              #
              # Restore desktop settings
              # Do _not_ put xtoolwait in the background
              #
              xtoolwait -mappings 2 contool -Wp 30 30 -Ws 575 246 -WP 3 533 -Wi
              xtoolwait xeyes -geom 77x60+640+107
              xtoolwait ansi_xterm -geom 80x24+22+11
              xtoolwait clock -Wp 90 90 -Ws 150 150 -WP 733 110 -Wi
              #
              # Wait for the window manager
              #
              wait $wmpid

       Note that the window manager must be started first. Xtool-
       wait  depends  on  it to detect window mappings. The first
       instance of Xtoolwait will wait until both the window man-
       ager  and the X client have finished their initialization.

       Note also that the  first  Xtoolwait  uses  the  -mappings
       option  to  detect  the  virtual  desktop window, which is
       mapped by virtual window managers. Omit this option if you
       use a non-virtual window manager.

EXIT STATUS
       Xtoolwait returns 0 if it detected the mapping of a window
       on the root window, and 1 otherwise. The one exception  to
       this  rule is when command exits normally before mapping a
       window, in which case its return value is returned.

ENVIRONMENT
       DISPLAY
              The default display name to monitor

SEE ALSO
       xtoolplaces(1) 

NOTES
       Xtoolwait does not propagate the -display option  to  com-
       mand.   If you use this option, you should feed it both to
       Xtoolwait and to command. This is  intentional,  so  don't
       report this as a bug.

AUTHOR
       Xtoolwait was written by Richard Huveneers <richard@hekki-
       hek.hacom.nl>.  Check out http://www.hacom.nl/~richard for
       more information about the author.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright  (C)  1995   Richard  Huveneers  <richard@hekki-
       hek.hacom.nl>.   Xtoolwait  is  released  under  the   GNU

       General  Public  License.   The  full  copyright notice is
       stated at the start of the source code.

BUGS
       Xtoolwait tries to ignore windows that are mapped by other
       X  clients.   The  method  used will fail if two or more X
       clients are started almost simultaneously.  This situation
       does  not  arise  as  long as all X clients are started by
       Xtoolwait during the X session startup.