X Window System User's Guide for X11 R3 and R4 of the X Window System

10

Customizing the twm Window Manager

This chapter describes the syntax of the .twmrc startup file that can be used to customize the operation of the twm window manager. It describes how to bind functions to keys, and how to define your own twm menus. An alternative .twmrc file is included.

In This Chapter:

Setting .twmrc Variables

Button/Key Bindings

Pointer Buttons

Keys

Context

Function Names

Action

Defining Menus

Submenus

Executing System Commands from a Menu

Color Menus

A Complete Revamp of twm

10

Customizing the twm Window Manager

Difficult as it may be to believe, every function of the window manager described in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of this guide can be modified by the user. The function itself will remain the same (for example, you will still resize a window by moving the pointer over the border you want to change, and stretching or shrinking the window to the size you want), but the keys and/or menu items used to invoke the function may be completely different. The flexibility of twm allows you to redesign the Twm menu by reordering, adding and removing items, and changing key/button combinations; and to create entirely new menus. The operation of the window manager, as distributed, is controlled by a text file called system.twmrc in the directory /usr/lib/X11/twm. This file has three parts:

•  A variables section, which contains various settings, such as the font with which menus should be displayed, the volume of the keyboard bell, and so on.

•  A key bindings ...