xwatchwin(1)xwatchwin(1)NAMExwatchwin - watch a window on another X server
SYNOPSISxwatchwin [-v] [-u UpdateTime] DisplayName { -w WindowID | WindowName }
DESCRIPTIONxwatchwin allows you to peek at a window on another X server. To use
it, you must specify the display name of the machine you want to watch,
then the name of the window on that machine. Xwatchwin will attempt to
connect with the X server hostname:0.0, and if successful, will try to
retrieve a copy of the window in which you specified interest.
You may specify the window you want to watch either by name or by its
window id, usually a hexidecimal number. Usually specifying the window
by name is simpler, although not all windows have names associated with
them; in that case you must use the window id option.
If the window you want to watch is not in a viewable state, xwatchwin
will tell you so and exit. If while you are watching a window it
becomes 'unviewable', xwatchwin will wait until the window becomes
'viewable' again.
xwatchwin was written as an aid to a class for people learning to use
X. The idea is that the instructor would type into an xterm window on
his/her display and the students would use xwatchwin to see what the
instructor typed. The students could then type the same thing in their
own terminal windows. Hopefully others will find equally (if not more)
constructive uses.
OPTIONS-u updatetime
This option specifies how often (in seconds) you want to get a
new copy of the window you're watching. It is in effect a
'sample rate'. By default, xwatchwin updates your copy of the
window as often as it can. The time it takes to actually do
the update is dependent on the speed of the X server on both
machines, the speed of the intervening network, and other fac‐
tors.
-w windowID
This option specifies the window you want to watch by number,
for example, "0x50000b". Use the xlswins(1) command to get a
list of window id's and possibly their names on the remote
server.
You must specify a window to watch either by name or by id.
Specifying a window to watch by name is usually easier if you
know what you're looking for.
EXAMPLES
If there is an X server on the remote machine "crow" and if on that
server there is a window called "X Terminal Emulator", you can watch
that window by typing
xwatchwin crow X Terminal Emulator
If there is a window on "crow" that has no name but has a window id of
"0x50000b", you can watch it by typing
xwatchwin-w 0x50000b crow
If you want to get new copies of a window only every 30 seconds, you
can do so by typing
xwatchwin-u 30 -w 0x50000b crow
SEE ALSOxlswins(1), xwininfo(1), xdpyinfo(1),
BUGSxwatchwin doesn't support the -display option. You must set the dis‐
play on which the xwatchwin window is created by changing your DISPLAY
environment variable.
If the window you're watching is resized while xwatchwin is getting a
new copy of that window, the program will crash. The smaller your
update interval, the more likely you are to experience this bug
(although it hasn't happened all that often to me).
xwatchwin can now deal with two displays of different depths. There is
special-case code for the conversions between 1-bit displays and 8-bit
displays (either direction) which may garble the image on some
machines. The general case code should work on anything, albeit some‐
what more slowly. One note: ABSOLUTELY no attempt is made to make the
colors match up. If you're on a 5-bit display, and you're monitoring
someone elses 8-bit display, the conversion just takes his 8 bits and
chops the top 3 bits off, and puts it on the screen. Maybe in the next
version...
COPYRIGHTS
Copyright 1992 - 1995, Q. Alex Zhao
Copyright 1989, George D. Drapeau
AUTHORS
Light-weight version by Q. Alex Zhao azhao@cc.gatech.edu.
Display depth conversion code added by John Bradley
bradley@cis.upenn.edu.
Original version by George D. Drapeau, Stanford University, Academic
Information Resources / Systems Development, drapeau@jessica.stan‐
ford.edu.
Georgia Tech 28 Dec 1995 xwatchwin(1)
