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



NAME
       AfterStep - X11 window manager


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.


       -p | --user-dirval

              Read all the config from requested dir. Use it to override
              config 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
              console).


       -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.



              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 transformations, 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. Supported
              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 support 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 interface 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 :

              - 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
              superimposed on top of its background, and resulting image will
              have a 3D bevel drawn on it, using colors from same MyStyle as
              used for background. 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
              provides 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 configured in database file using preset Style "ASMenu" to
              have different 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.







3rd Berkeley Distribution     AfterStep v.2.2.12                  AfterStep(1)
