STARTXWIN(1)STARTXWIN(1)NAMEstartxwin - Cygwin XWin server initializer
SYNOPSISstartxwin [ [ client ] client_options ... ] [ -- [ display ]
server_options ... ]
DESCRIPTION
The startxwin program is used to start the Cygwin XWin server in multi-
window mode and a first client program.
If no specific client program is given on the command line, startxwin
will look for a file in the user's home directory called .startxwinrc
to run as a shell script to start up client programs. If no such file
exists, startxwin will use the following as a default:
xterm -geometry +1+1 -n login -display :0
An important point is that programs which are run by .startxwinrc
should be run in the background if they do not exit right away, so that
they don't prevent other programs from starting up.
An alternate client and/or server command may be specified on the com‐
mand line. The desired client program and its arguments should be
given as the first command line arguments to startxwin. To specify
particular server options, append a double dash (--) to the startxwin
command line (after any client and arguments) followed by the desired
server options. startxwin always supplies the -multiwindow option to
the X server.
The client program name name must begin with a slash (/) or a period
(.). Otherwise, it is treated as an argument to be appended to the
client startup command. This makes it possible to add arguments (for
example, foreground and background colors) without having to retype the
whole command line.
If the first argument following the double dash (--) is a colon fol‐
lowed by a digit, startxwin will use that number as the display number
instead of zero. All remaining arguments are appended to the server
command line.
EXAMPLES
Below are several examples of how command line arguments in startxwin
are used.
startxwin
This will start up an XWin server and run the user's
.startxwinrc, if it exists, or else start an xterm.
startxwin-- :1
This is how one could start the server on an alternate display.
startxwin-geometry =80x65+10+10 -fn 8x13 -j -fg white -bg navy
This will start up the server, and will append the given argu‐
ments to the default xterm command. It will ignore
.startxwinrc.
startxwin /usr/bin/ssh -Y username@fasthost cpupig -display ws:1 -- :1
-a 2 -t 5
This will start a server on display 1 with the arguments -a 2
-t 5. It will then start a remote shell on the machine
fasthost in which it will run the command cpupig, telling it to
display back on the local workstation.
Below is a sample .startxwinrc that starts a clock and several termi‐
nals.
xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources
xclock -g 50x50-0+0 -bw 0 &
xload -g 50x50-50+0 -bw 0 &
xterm -g 80x24+0+0 &
xterm -g 80x24+0-0 &
Sites that want to create a common startup environment could simply
create a default .startxwinrc that references a site-wide startup file:
#!/bin/sh
. /usr/local/lib/site.startxwinrc
Another approach is to write a script that starts startxwin with a spe‐
cific shell script. Such scripts are usually named x11, xstart, or
startx and are a convenient way to provide a simple interface for
novice users:
#!/bin/sh
startxwin /usr/local/lib/site.startxwinrc -- -br
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
DISPLAY This variable gets set to the name of the display to
which clients should connect.
STARTXWINRC This variable specifies an init file containing shell
commands to start up the initial windows. By default,
.startxwinrc in the home directory will be used.
FILES
.startxwinrc default client script
xterm client to run if .startxwinrc does not exist
SEE ALSOxinit(1)X(7), Xserver(1), XWin(1), XWinrc(5), xterm(1)X Version 11 xinit 1.3.2 STARTXWIN(1)
