XWININFO(1) MachTen Programmer’s Manual XWININFO(1)

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] [-dis-
play display]

DESCRIPTION
Xwininfo is a utility for displaying information about
windows. 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 window) or by specifying its window id on the com-
mand 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
window 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 inter-
fere with the application.

-name name
This option allows the user to specify that the
window named name is the target window on the com-
mand line rather than using the mouse to select
the target 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
children recursively.

-stats This option causes the display of various
attributes pertaining to the location and appear-
ance of the selected window. Information dis-
played 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 win-
dow’s bit gravity, 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 supplied 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 dis-
played 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
considered when manually selecting windows.

-metric This option causes all individual height, width,
and x and y positions to be displayed in millime-
ters 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
connect 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.

SEE ALSO
X(1), xprop(1)

BUGS
Using -stats -bits shows some redundant information.

The -geometry string displayed must make assumptions about
the window’s border width and the behavior of the applica-
tion and the window manager. As a result, the location
given is not always correct.

AUTHOR
Mark Lillibridge, MIT Project Athena

X Version 11 Release 6 3