


AfterStep(1)       AfterStep X11 window manager      AfterStep(1)


NAME
       AfterStep -  X11  window manager AfterStep AutoExec  Base Configuration
       Function


STANDARD OPTIONS
       The following is the list of command  line  options  supported  by  all
       AfterStep modules and applications.


       -v | --version

              Display version information and stop.


       -c | --config

              Display Config information and stop.


       -h | --help

              Display uasge information and stop.


       --debug

              Debugging: Run in Synchronous mode.


       -s | --single

              Run on single screen only.


       -r | --restart

              Run  as  if it was restarted. same as regular startup, only runs
              RestartFunctioninstead of InitFunction.


       -d | --displayval

              Specify what X display we should connect to. Overrides  $DISPLAY
              environment variable.


       -f | --config-fileval

              Read  all  config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
              .steprc instead of standard config files.






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AfterStep(1)       AfterStep X11 window manager      AfterStep(1)


       -p | --user-dirval

              Read all the config from requested dir. Use it to override  con-
              fig location requested in compile time.


       -g | --global-dirval

              Use  requested  dir  as  a shared config dir. Use it to override
              shared config location requested in compile time.


       -V | --verbosity-levelval

              Change verbosity of the AfterStep output. 0 - will  disable  any
              output;  1 - will allow only error messages; 5 - both errors and
              warnings(default).


       --windowval

              Internal Use: Window in which  action  occured.  interface  part
              which has triggered our startup.


       --contextval

              Internal  Use:  Context  in which action occured. interface part
              which has triggered our startup.


       --lookval

              Read look config from requested file. Use it if you want to  use
              different look instead of what was selected from the menu.


       --feelval

              Read  feel config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
              different feel instead of what was selected from the menu.


       --themeval

              Read theme config from requested file. Use it if you want to use
              different theme instead of what was selected from the menu.


       -l | --logval

              Save  all  output into the file. (instead of printing it to con-
              sole).




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AfterStep(1)       AfterStep X11 window manager      AfterStep(1)


       -L | --localeval

              Set language locale. to be used while displaying text.


       --mynameval

              Overrides module name. will be used while parsing  config  files
              and reporting to AfterStep.


       --geometryval

              Overrides module's geometry.


       --gravityval

              Overrides module's gravity.



SYNOPSIS
        afterstep [ standard options ]


       AfterStep  has  been almost entirely rewritten in this new incarnation.
       Here is the short list of new architectural changes:

       1.1. New high performance and high quality image  handling  engine  has
       been developed to fulfill GUI needs. It includes different image trans-
       formations, such as scaling, tiling, cropping,  blurring,  blending  of
       arbitrary number of layers, in-memory image compression, support for 12
       different file formats, including its own parser/writer of  XPM  files,
       capable  of achieving much better performance then default libXpm. Sup-
       ported image formats are :

       XPM, PNG, JPEG, XCF(GIMP image format), PPM, PNM, BMP, ICO,  CUR,  GIF,
       TIFF,  and  XML  scripts.  Where  XML  scripts allow for user to create
       script of transformations to be performed on the image at the time when
       it gets loaded./para> libAfterImage also provides support for TTF fonts
       ( using libfreetype ) and smoothed standard X raster fonts.

       1.2. Window hints handling has been rewriten and reorganized, and  most
       of the Extended WM specs has been incorporated, as well, as better sup-
       port for Motif, ICCCM and old GNOME hints has been implemented.

       1.3. All the GUI rendering code has been aggregated  into  libAfterStep
       and  now all the GUI elements are rendered using consistent approach in
       every module and every part of the AfterStep proper. From now on inter-
       face  is  build from so called TBars. TBar is rectangular area that may
       be focused(hilited) or unfocused and pressed or  unpressed.  Each  TBar
       has the following structure :




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       -  the background of the TBar, which is defined by MyStyle and state of
       the bar - there are two MyStyles  assigned  to  each  TBar  -  one  for
       focused and one for unfocused state.

       -  tiles  of  the  TBar.  Tiles are smaller features that gets arranged
       inside the bar according to its size, alignment,  position  and  order.
       Tiles  could be static icons ( cannot be pressed ); blocks of buttons -
       each having two shapes - pressed and normal; Text labels;  Empty  space
       tiles.

       There  could  be  upto  256 tiles, each residing on one of the cells in
       16x16 grid. Several tiles could reside in single cell,  in  which  case
       they get superimposed on top of each other.

       -  bevel of the TBar. When TBar is rendered all of its tiles are super-
       imposed on top of its background, and resulting image will  have  a  3D
       bevel  drawn  on  it,  using colors from same MyStyle as used for back-
       ground. Bevel could be switched off partially or  entirely.  Respective
       configuration  options  has  been added where appropriate. When TBar is
       pressed - its bevel is inverted.

       When TBar is rendered all of its elements gets superimposed on  top  of
       each other using one of 13 blending methods supported by libAfterImage,
       with default being simple alphablending. See MyFrame configuration  for
       more details. This is refrred to as "Composition Method".

       1.4.  Due  to  the  fact  that  AfterStep is using compression to store
       images in memory - there is no need to have  separate  root  background
       handler, and so asetroot has been discontinued and afterstep proper now
       does all the root background loading. You could  simply  copy-and-paste
       your  asteroot  config into your look file. This has an added advantage
       of simplifing theme support for root backgrounds.

       1.5. Significant work has been done to create libAfterConf  which  pro-
       vides  easy  means  for  reading configuration options, and facilitates
       implementation of any configuration tool.

       1.6. Some work has been done to improve support for  themes.  AfterStep
       proper and modules now load configuration files is this order :

       #1  - base config; #2 - look, feel, menu, database, autoexec and module
       specific config; #3 - theme file; #4 - theme override file;

       Theme override file is needed so that user may have a list of  critical
       options  that  he/she does not want to be changed by any theme. What is
       missing here is a comprehensive theme building tool.

       1.7. AfterStep now make extensive use of X shaped  extensions  (  where
       available  )  Everything could be shaped now - titlebars, Pager, Wharf,
       etc. To make some element shaped - MyStyle with BackPixmap type 125  or
       126 should be used.

       1.8.  Menus are now treated same as regular windows. They could be con-
       figured in database file using preset Style "ASMenu" to have  different



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AfterStep(1)       AfterStep X11 window manager      AfterStep(1)


       titlebar  buttons,  frame  decorations,  stickiness, etc. MenuPinOn has
       been changed to be just another titlebar button, with PinMenu  function
       assigned to it.

       1.9.  AfterStep  no  longer  uses fixed scheme of 5 titlebar buttons on
       each side, and order of buttons could be configured in look.  There  is
       still limitation to have no more then 10 buttons total.


















































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