NAME
xwininfo - window information utility for X

SYNOPSIS
xwininfo [-help] [-id id] [-root] [-name name] [-int]
[-children] [-tree] [-stats] [-bits] [-events] [-size] [-wm]
[-shape] [-frame] [-all] [-english] [-metric] [-display
display]

DESCRIPTION
Xwininfo is a utility for displaying information about win-
dows. Various information is displayed depending on which
options are selected. If no options are chosen, -stats is
assumed.

The user has the option of selecting the target window with
the mouse (by clicking any mouse button in the desired win-
dow) or by specifying its window id on the command line with
the -id option. Or instead of specifying the window by its
id number, the -name option may be used to specify which
window is desired by name. There is also a special -root
option to quickly obtain information on the screen’s root
window.

OPTIONS
-help Print out the ‘Usage:’ command syntax summary.

-id id This option allows the user to specify a target win-
dow id on the command line rather than using the
mouse to select the target window. This is very
useful in debugging X applications where the target
window is not mapped to the screen or where the use
of the mouse might be impossible or interfere with
the application.

-name name
This option allows the user to specify that the win-
dow named name is the target window on the command
line rather than using the mouse to select the tar-
get window.

-root This option specifies that X’s root window is the
target window. This is useful in situations where
the root window is completely obscured.

-int This option specifies that all X window ids should
be displayed as integer values. The default is to
display them as hexadecimal values.

-children
This option causes the root, parent, and children
windows’ ids and names of the selected window to be
displayed.

-tree This option is like -children but displays all chil-
dren recursively.

-stats This option causes the display of various attributes
pertaining to the location and appearance of the
selected window. Information displayed includes the
location of the window, its width and height, its
depth, border width, class, colormap id if any, map
state, backing-store hint, and location of the
corners.

-bits This option causes the display of various attributes
pertaining to the selected window’s raw bits and how
the selected window is to be stored. Displayed
information includes the selected window’s bit grav-
ity, window gravity, backing-store hint, backing-
planes value, backing pixel, and whether or not the
window has save-under set.

-events This option causes the selected window’s event masks
to be displayed. Both the event mask of events
wanted by some client and the event mask of events
not to propagate are displayed.

-size This option causes the selected window’s sizing
hints to be displayed. Displayed information
includes: for both the normal size hints and the
zoom size hints, the user supplied location if any;
the program supplied location if any; the user sup-
plied size if any; the program supplied size if any;
the minimum size if any; the maximum size if any;
the resize increments if any; and the minimum and
maximum aspect ratios if any.

-wm This option causes the selected window’s window
manager hints to be displayed. Information
displayed may include whether or not the application
accepts input, what the window’s icon window # and
name is, where the window’s icon should go, and what
the window’s initial state should be.

-shape This option causes the selected window’s window and
border shape extents to be displayed.

-frame This option causes window manager frames to be con-
sidered when manually selecting windows.

-metric This option causes all individual height, width, and
x and y positions to be displayed in millimeters as
well as number of pixels, based on what the server
thinks the resolution is. Geometry specifications
that are in +x+y form are not changed.

-english
This option causes all individual height, width, and
x and y positions to be displayed in inches (and
feet, yards, and miles if necessary) as well as
number of pixels. -metric and -english may both be
enabled at the same time.

-all This option is a quick way to ask for all informa-
tion possible.

-display display
This option allows you to specify the server to con-
nect to; see X(1).

EXAMPLE
The following is a sample summary taken with no options
specified:

xwininfo: Window id: 0x60000f "xterm"

Absolute upper-left X: 2
Absolute upper-left Y: 85
Relative upper-left X: 0
Relative upper-left Y: 25
Width: 579
Height: 316
Depth: 8
Visual Class: PseudoColor
Border width: 0
Class: InputOutput
Colormap: 0x27 (installed)
Bit Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
Window Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
Backing Store State: NotUseful
Save Under State: no
Map State: IsViewable
Override Redirect State: no
Corners: +2+85 -699+85 -699-623 +2-623
-geometry 80x24+0+58

ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY To get the default host and display number.