XRDB(1)		X Version 11 (Release 6.4)	       XRDB(1)



     NAME    [Toc]    [Back]
	  xrdb - X server resource database utility

     SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]
	  xrdb [-option	...] [filename]

     DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]
	  Xrdb is used to get or set the contents of the
	  RESOURCE_MANAGER property on the root	window of screen 0, or
	  the SCREEN_RESOURCES property	on the root window of any or
	  all screens, or everything combined.	You would normally run
	  this program from your X startup file.

	  Most X clients use the RESOURCE_MANAGER and SCREEN_RESOURCES
	  properties to	get user preferences about color, fonts, and
	  so on	for applications.  Having this information in the
	  server (where	it is available	to all clients)	instead	of on
	  disk,	solves the problem in previous versions	of X that
	  required you to maintain defaults files on every machine
	  that you might use.  It also allows for dynamic changing of
	  defaults without editing files.

	  The RESOURCE_MANAGER property	is used	for resources that
	  apply	to all screens of the display.	The SCREEN_RESOURCES
	  property on each screen specifies additional (or overriding)
	  resources to be used for that	screen.	 (When there is	only
	  one screen, SCREEN_RESOURCES is normally not used, all
	  resources are	just placed in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.)

	  The file specified by	filename (or the contents from
	  standard input if - or no filename is	given) is optionally
	  passed through the C preprocessor with the following symbols
	  defined, based on the	capabilities of	the server being used:

	  SERVERHOST=hostname
		  the hostname portion of the display to which you are
		  connected.

	  SRVR_name
		  the SERVERHOST hostname string turned	into a legal
		  identifier.  For example, "my-dpy.lcs.mit.edu"
		  becomes SRVR_my_dpy_lcs_mit_edu.

	  HOST=hostname
		  the same as SERVERHOST.

	  DISPLAY_NUM=num
		  the number of	the display on the server host.

	  CLIENTHOST=hostname
		  the name of the host on which	xrdb is	running.




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	  CLNT_name
		  the CLIENTHOST hostname string turned	into a legal
		  identifier.  For example, "expo.lcs.mit.edu" becomes
		  CLNT_expo_lcs_mit_edu.

	  RELEASE=num
		  the vendor release number for	the server.  The
		  interpretation of this number	will vary depending on
		  VENDOR.

	  REVISION=num
		  the X	protocol minor version supported by this
		  server (currently 0).

	  VERSION=num
		  the X	protocol major version supported by this
		  server (should always	be 11).

	  VENDOR="vendor"
		  a string literal specifying the vendor of the
		  server.

	  VNDR_name
		  the VENDOR name string turned	into a legal
		  identifier.  For example, "MIT X Consortium" becomes
		  VNDR_MIT_X_Consortium.

	  EXT_name
		  A symbol is defined for each protocol	extension
		  supported by the server.  Each extension string name
		  is turned into a legal identifier.  For example,
		  "X3D-PEX" becomes EXT_X3D_PEX.

	  NUM_SCREENS=num
		  the total number of screens.

	  SCREEN_NUM=num
		  the number of	the current screen (from zero).

	  BITS_PER_RGB=num
		  the number of	significant bits in an RGB color
		  specification.  This is the log base 2 of the	number
		  of distinct shades of	each primary that the hardware
		  can generate.	 Note that it usually is not related
		  to PLANES.

	  CLASS=visualclass
		  one of StaticGray, GrayScale,	StaticColor,
		  PseudoColor, TrueColor, DirectColor.	This is	the
		  visual class of the root window.

	  CLASS_visualclass=visualid



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		  the visual class of the root window in a form	you
		  can #ifdef on.  The value is the numeric id of the
		  visual.

	  COLOR	  defined only if CLASS	is one of StaticColor,
		  PseudoColor, TrueColor, or DirectColor.

	  CLASS_visualclass_depth=num
		  A symbol is defined for each visual supported	for
		  the screen.  The symbol includes the class of	the
		  visual and its depth;	the value is the numeric id of
		  the visual.  (If more	than one visual	has the	same
		  class	and depth, the numeric id of the first one
		  reported by the server is used.)

	  HEIGHT=num
		  the height of	the root window	in pixels.

	  WIDTH=num
		  the width of the root	window in pixels.

	  PLANES=num
		  the number of	bit planes (the	depth) of the root
		  window.

	  X_RESOLUTION=num
		  the x	resolution of the screen in pixels per meter.

	  Y_RESOLUTION=num
		  the y	resolution of the screen in pixels per meter.

	  SRVR_name, CLNT_name,	VNDR_name, and EXT_name	identifiers
	  are formed by	changing all characters	other than letters and
	  digits into underscores (_).

	  Lines	that begin with	an exclamation mark (!)	are ignored
	  and may be used as comments.

	  Note that since xrdb can read	from standard input, it	can be
	  used to the change the contents of properties	directly from
	  a terminal or	from a shell script.

     OPTIONS    [Toc]    [Back]
	  xrdb program accepts the following options:

	  -help	  This option (or any unsupported option) will cause a
		  brief	description of the allowable options and
		  parameters to	be printed.

	  -display display
		  This option specifies	the X server to	be used; see
		  X(1).	 It also specifies the screen to use for the



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		  -screen option, and it specifies the screen from
		  which	preprocessor symbols are derived for the
		  -global option.

	  -all	  This option indicates	that operation should be
		  performed on the screen-independent resource
		  property (RESOURCE_MANAGER), as well as the screenspecific
 property (SCREEN_RESOURCES) on every	screen
		  of the display.  For example,	when used in
		  conjunction with -query, the contents	of all
		  properties are output.  For -load, -override and
		  -merge, the input file is processed once for each
		  screen.  The resources which occur in	common in the
		  output for every screen are collected, and these are
		  applied as the screen-independent resources.	The
		  remaining resources are applied for each individual
		  per-screen property.	This the default mode of
		  operation.

	  -global This option indicates	that the operation should only
		  be performed on the screen-independent
		  RESOURCE_MANAGER property.

	  -screen This option indicates	that the operation should only
		  be performed on the SCREEN_RESOURCES property	of the
		  default screen of the	display.

	  -screens
		  This option indicates	that the operation should be
		  performed on the SCREEN_RESOURCES property of	each
		  screen of the	display.  For -load, -override and
		  -merge, the input file is processed for each screen.

	  -n	  This option indicates	that changes to	the specified
		  properties (when used	with -load, -override or
		  -merge) or to	the resource file (when	used with
		  -edit) should	be shown on the	standard output, but
		  should not be	performed.

	  -quiet  This option indicates	that warning about duplicate
		  entries should not be	displayed.

	  -cpp filename
		  This option specifies	the pathname of	the C
		  preprocessor program to be used.  Although xrdb was
		  designed to use CPP, any program that	acts as	a
		  filter and accepts the -D, -I, and -U	options	may be
		  used.

	  -nocpp  This option indicates	that xrdb should not run the
		  input	file through a preprocessor before loading it
		  into properties.



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	  -symbols
		  This option indicates	that the symbols that are
		  defined for the preprocessor should be printed onto
		  the standard output.

	  -query  This option indicates	that the current contents of
		  the specified	properties should be printed onto the
		  standard output.  Note that since preprocessor
		  commands in the input	resource file are part of the
		  input	file, not part of the property,	they won't
		  appear in the	output from this option.  The -edit
		  option can be	used to	merge the contents of
		  properties back into the input resource file without
		  damaging preprocessor	commands.

	  -load	  This option indicates	that the input should be
		  loaded as the	new value of the specified properties,
		  replacing whatever was there (i.e.  the old contents
		  are removed).	 This is the default action.

	  -override
		  This option indicates	that the input should be added
		  to, instead of replacing, the	current	contents of
		  the specified	properties.  New entries override
		  previous entries.

	  -merge  This option indicates	that the input should be
		  merged and lexicographically sorted with, instead of
		  replacing, the current contents of the specified
		  properties.

	  -remove This option indicates	that the specified properties
		  should be removed from the server.

	  -retain This option indicates	that the server	should be
		  instructed not to reset if xrdb is the first client.
		  This never be	necessary under	normal conditions,
		  since	xdm and	xinit always act as the	first client.

	  -edit	filename
		  This option indicates	that the contents of the
		  specified properties should be edited	into the given
		  file,	replacing any values already listed there.
		  This allows you to put changes that you have made to
		  your defaults	back into your resource	file,
		  preserving any comments or preprocessor lines.

	  -backup string
		  This option specifies	a suffix to be appended	to the
		  filename used	with -edit to generate a backup	file.

	  -Dname[=value]



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		  This option is passed	through	to the preprocessor
		  and is used to define	symbols	for use	with
		  conditionals such as

	  -Uname  This option is passed	through	to the preprocessor
		  and is used to remove	any definitions	of this
		  symbol.

	  -Idirectory
		  This option is passed	through	to the preprocessor
		  and is used to specify a directory to	search for
		  files	that are referenced with #include.

     FILES    [Toc]    [Back]
	  Generalizes ~/.Xdefaults files.

     SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]
	  X(1),	Xlib Resource Manager documentation, Xt	resource
	  documentation

     ENVIRONMENT    [Toc]    [Back]
	  DISPLAY to figure out	which display to use.

     BUGS    [Toc]    [Back]
	  The default for no arguments should be to query, not to
	  overwrite, so	that it	is consistent with other programs.

     AUTHORS    [Toc]    [Back]
	  Bob Scheifler, Phil Karlton, rewritten from the original by
	  Jim Gettys

























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