xmessage(1)

NAME

       xmessage - display a message or query in a window (X-based /bin/echo)

SYNOPSIS

       xmessage [ -buttons label1[:value1],label2[:value2], ...  ] [ options ]
       -file filename
       xmessage [ -buttons label1[:value1],label2[:value2], ...  ] [ options ]
       message ...

DESCRIPTION

       The  xmessage  program  displays a window containing a message from the
       command line, a file, or standard input.  Along the lower edge  of  the
       message  is  row  of  buttons; clicking the left mouse button on any of
       these buttons will cause xmessage to exit.  Which button was pressed is
       returned  in  the  exit status and, optionally, by writing the label of
       the button to standard output.

       The program is typically used by shell scripts to  display  information
       to the user or to ask the user to make a choice.

       Unless  a  size is specified, xmessage sizes itself to fit the message,
       up to a maximum size.  If the message is too big for the window,  xmes-
       sage will display scroll bars.

OPTIONS

       These are the command line options that xmessage understands.

       -buttons button,button,...
               This  option  will cause xmessage to create one button for each
               comma-separated button argument.  The corresponding resource is
               buttons.   Each  button consists of a label optionally followed
               by a colon and an exit value.  The label is  the  name  of  the
               Command button widget created and will be the default text dis-
               played to the user.  Since this is the name of  the  widget  it
               may be used to change any of the resources associated with that
               button.  The exit value will be returned by  xmessage  if  that
               button  is  selected.   The  default exit value is 100 plus the
               button number.  Buttons are numbered  from  the  left  starting
               with one.  The default string if no -buttons option is given is
               okay:0.

       -default label
               Defines the button with a matching label to be the default.  If
               not  specified there is no default.  The corresponding resource
               is defaultButton.  Pressing Return  anywhere  in  the  xmessage
               window  will  activate  the default button.  The default button
               has a wider border than the others.

       -file filename
               File to display.  The corresponding resource is file.  A  file-
               name  of  `-' reads from standard input.  If this option is not
               supplied, xmessage will display all non-option arguments in the
               style  of  echo.  Either -file or a message on the command line
               should be provided, but not both.

       -print  This will cause the program to write the label  of  the  button
               pressed  to  standard output.  Equivalent to setting the print-
               Value resource to TRUE.  This is one way to get feedback as  to
               which button was pressed.

       -center Pop  up  the window at the center of the screen.  Equivalent to
               setting the center resource to TRUE.

       -nearmouse
               Pop up the window near the mouse cursor.  Equivalent to setting
               the nearMouse resource to TRUE.

       -timeout secs
               Exit  with  status  0  after  secs  seconds if the user has not
               clicked on a button yet.  The corresponding resource  is  time-
               out.

WIDGET HIERARCHY

       Knowing the name and position in the hierarchy of each widget is useful
       when specifying resources for them.  In the following chart, the  class
       and name of each widget is given.

       Xmessage (xmessage)
            Form form
                 Text message
                 Command (label1)
                 Command (label2)
                 .
                 .
                 .

RESOURCES

       The  program  has a few top-level application resources that allow cus-
       tomizations that are specific to xmessage.

       file    A String specifying the file to display.

       buttons A String specifying the buttons to display.  See  the  -buttons
               command-line option.

       defaultButton
               A String specifying a default button by label.

       printValue
               A  Boolean  value  specifying  whether  the label of the button
               pressed to exit the program is written to standard output.  The
               default is FALSE.

       center  A  Boolean value specifying whether to pop up the window at the
               center of the screen.  The default is FALSE.

       nearMouse
               A Boolean value specifying whether to pop up  the  window  near
               the mouse cursor.  The default is FALSE.

       timeout The  number  of seconds after which to exit with status 0.  The
               default is 0, which means never time out.

       maxHeight (class Maximum)
               The maximum height of the text part of the  window  in  pixels,
               used  if no size was specified in the geometry.  The default is
               0, which means use 70% of the height of the screen.

       maxWidth (class Maximum)
               The maximum width of the text part of  the  window  in  pixels,
               used  if no size was specified in the geometry.  The default is
               0, which means use 70% of the width of the screen.

ACTIONS

       exit(value)
               exit immediately with an exit  status  of  value  (default  0).
               This  action can be used with translations to provide alternate
               ways of exiting xmessage.

       default-exit()
               exit immediately with the exit status specified by the  default
               button.   If  there  is  no  default button, this action has no
               effect.

EXIT STATUS

       If it detects an error, xmessage returns 1, so this value should not be
       used with a button.

SEE ALSO

       X(7), echo(1), cat(1)

AUTHORS

       Chris Peterson, MIT Project Athena
       Stephen Gildea, X Consortium

X Version 11                    xmessage 1.0.1                     XMESSAGE(1)