Dream 50/Amiga_Dream_50.iso/Linux/AfterStep/afterstep.faq.txt

Text File | 1997-05-15 | 36KB | 991 lines

  AfterStep FAQ
  Maintained by Diego Zamboni
  $Revision: 1.3 $, $Date: 1997/03/18 15:17:03 $
  ____________________________________________________________

  Table of Contents:

  1.      General information

  1.1.    What is AfterStep?

  1.2.    What is its history?

  1.3.    What are its main features?

  1.4.    Is it compatible with fvwm-2?

  1.5.    Where can I get this FAQ?

  1.6.    Who contributes to this FAQ?

  1.7.    What are the AfterStep-related mailing lists?

  2.      Getting and installing AfterStep

  2.1.    Where do I get AfterStep?

  2.2.    Other important WWW pages

  2.3.    What is the latest version of AfterStep

  2.4.    I've compiled AfterStep for my system but every time I try to
  use it I receive the message: Cannot open display. What should I do?

  2.5.    How do I enable sound in AfterStep?

  2.6.    I grabbed TkStep and Tcl7.6 and tried to install TkStep, but
  it doesn't work

  2.7.    Why doesn't ASCP run on my system?

  2.8.    How can I install AfterStep without being root?

  3.      Icons, graphics and pixmaps

  3.1.    Icons staying put

  3.2.    Colormap issues

  3.3.    Icons disappear from Wharf. What's wrong?

  3.4.    How do I create an icon with a transparent pixel?

  3.5.    Why doesn't program `xyz' work in 16bpp?

  3.6.    Why doesn't xv do `xyz' in 16bpp?

  3.7.    Why don't icon names change when the application changes it?

  3.8.    Suddenly, some windows stay always on top. Why?

  3.9.    Can you add `xyz' to the Wharf?

  4.      Modules


  4.1.    How do I get multiple Wharfs/Pagers on the screen?

  4.2.    How can I get ASclock to properly appear in Wharf?

  4.3.    How do I configure asclock to use fewer colors?

  5.      General usage, features and bugs

  5.1.    Why does AfterStep get slower and slower until I restart it?

  5.2.    Click-to-focus dies

  5.3.    What is this `Shade' thing?

  5.4.    When I restart AfterStep, it kills X. What gives?

  5.5.    What is swallow-exec?

  5.6.    I upgraded to 1.0pre4 or later, and now the Wharf doesn't
  work. What happens?

  6.      Other AfterStep-related applications

  6.1.    What is this WindowMaker I keep hearing about in the list?

  6.2.    What is ASCP?

  6.3.    What is TkStep and why do I want it?

  7.      Other AfterStep-unrelated applications

  7.1.    I have a problem with program `xyz'

  7.2.    Why am I having `xyz' problem/how do I do `xyz' with a
  terminal window?
  ______________________________________________________________________

  11..  GGeenneerraall iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn



  11..11..  WWhhaatt iiss AAfftteerrSStteepp??


  AfterStep is a Window Manager for X that emulates the NEXTSTEP look
  and feel, which many adepts will tell you is not only the most
  visually pleasant interface, but also one of the most functional and
  intuitive out there.


  11..22..  WWhhaatt iiss iittss hhiissttoorryy??


  From the man page:


       AfterStep is a continuation of the BowMan window manager
       which was originally put together by Bo Yang.  BowMan was
       based on the fvwm window manager, written by Robert Nation.
       fvwm was based on code from twm.  And so on...  It is
       designed to emulate some of the look and feel of the
       NEXTSTEP user interface, while adding useful, requested, and
       neat features.  The changes which comprise AfterStep person-
       ality were originally part of BowMan development, but due to
       a desire to move past simple emulation and into a niche as
       its own valuable window manager, the current designers
  decided to change the project name and move on.  BowMan
  development may continue, but we will no longer be a part of
  it.



  11..33..  WWhhaatt aarree iittss mmaaiinn ffeeaattuurreess??


  Again quoting from the man page:


  1. NEXTSTEP-alike title bar, title buttons, borders and corners.

  2. AfterStep's _W_h_a_r_f is a much worked-out version of _G_o_o_d_S_t_u_f_f. To
     avoid copyright complications it is not called a `dock.'

  3. NEXTSTEP style menus. However the menus are not controlled by
     applications, they are more of pop-up service lists on the root
     window.

  4. NEXTSTEP style icons. The default icons are consistent with those
     in the NEXTSTEP interface, but they are configurable.

  However, the flexibility of _f_v_w_m was not traded off. The initiation
  file,  ~/.steprc, recognizes most of the fvwm 1.24r commands. Virtual
  screens and the pager are still intact. fvwm modules should work just
  fine.


  11..44..  IIss iitt ccoommppaattiibbllee wwiitthh ffvvwwmm--22??


  No. Compatibility with fvwm-2 is not planned.


  11..55..  WWhheerree ccaann II ggeett tthhiiss FFAAQQ??


  The latest version is available at
  <http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/zamboni/afterstep/FAQ.html>.


  11..66..  WWhhoo ccoonnttrriibbuutteess ttoo tthhiiss FFAAQQ??


  The initial version of the FAQ was written by Frank Fejes
  ([e-mail]) and Jonathan B. Leffert ([e-mail]).
  Major additions were made by Kragen Sittler ([e-mail]). The FAQ
  is currently maintained by Diego Zamboni ([e-mail]). Most
  of the questions and answers have been provided by the people
  participating in the AfterStep mailing lists (
  <http://www.eosys.com/mailing-list/AfterStep.html>).


  11..77..  WWhhaatt aarree tthhee AAfftteerrSStteepp--rreellaatteedd mmaaiilliinngg lliissttss??




     AAfftteerrSStteepp--AAnnnnoouunnccee::
        This is a low volume (moderated) list for announcements of
        general interest to all AfterStep users (e.g. new releases). You
        may submit announcements to be moderated via afterstep-
        [e-mail].

     AAfftteerrSStteepp::
        The purpose of this list is to provide a forum in which users of
        the AfterStep X11 window manager can discuss issues related to
        to using AfterStep. Appropriate topics include, but are not
        limited to, the installation and configuration of AfterStep and
        related modules and applications.


     AAfftteerrSStteepp--DDiiggeesstt::
        This list contains the same messages as the AfterStep mailing
        list. However, the messages are saved up (not transmitted
        individually) and sent out as a bundle. This decreases the
        number of separate messages received from the list, but makes it
        more difficult to reply to a specific message.


     AAfftteerrSStteepp--DDeevv::
        This list is a forum to discuss ongoing development issues
        related to AfterStep. If you want to participate in the
        development of AfterStep, please join this forum.


     AAfftteerrSStteepp--DDeevv--DDiiggeesstt::
        This list contains the same messages as the AfterStep-Dev
        mailing list. However, the messages are saved up (not
        transmitted individually) and sent out as a bundle. This
        decreases the number of separate messages received from the
        list, but makes it more difficult to reply to a specific
        message.


  For subscribing to any of these lists, send a message to
  <listname>[e-mail] containing:



       subscribe




  You can find more information, and archives of all the lists, at
  <http://www.eosys.com/mailing-list/AfterStep.html>, maintained by Ed
  Orcutt ([e-mail]), and from where these descriptions were taken.


  22..  GGeettttiinngg aanndd iinnssttaalllliinngg AAfftteerrSStteepp



  22..11..  WWhheerree ddoo II ggeett AAfftteerrSStteepp??


  The main AfterStep resources in the net are:


     WWWWWW PPaaggee::
        The official WWW page is at <http://afterstep.edoc.com>.

     FFTTPP SSiittee::
        <ftp://afterstep.foo.net/pub/AfterStep/>.

     UUppllooaadd ddiirreeccttoorryy::
        <ftp://afterstep.foo.net/incoming/>.


  You can get AfterStep from either the WWW page or the FTP site.


  22..22..  OOtthheerr iimmppoorrttaanntt WWWWWW ppaaggeess



     AAllffrreeddoo KKoojjiimmaa''ss PPaaggee::
        <http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/~kojima/>.

     MMaatttt KKrraammeerr''ss PPaaggee::
        <http://defiant.gmi.edu/afterstep/>.

     KKiiwwii''ss PPaaggee::
        <http://www.iis.ee.ethz.ch/~kiwi/AfterStep/>.

  On the above pages, you will find links to other interesting things
  that work nicely with AfterStep such as TkStep, TkDesk, lib-neXtaw,
  and nifty icons that were adapted from NEXTSTEP.


  22..33..  WWhhaatt iiss tthhee llaatteesstt vveerrssiioonn ooff AAfftteerrSStteepp


  The latest public version is 1.0pre4, released on March 13, 1997.


  22..44..  II''vvee ccoommppiilleedd AAfftteerrSStteepp ffoorr mmyy ssyysstteemm bbuutt eevveerryy ttiimmee II ttrryy ttoo
  uussee iitt II rreecceeiivvee tthhee mmeessssaaggee:: CCaannnnoott ooppeenn ddiissppllaayy.. WWhhaatt sshhoouulldd II ddoo??


  AfterStep is an X window manager and cannot be run from the terminal.
  It must be run through X.  The easiest way to do that is to either
  create or edit your own  .xinitrc file (which contains a list of the
  programs you wish to load upon startup) and add the line exec
  afterstep to the end.  This last exec'd line is significant in that it
  says to shut down X when that program is terminated.  Now that you
  have that file, simply startup X in your customary manner, most likely
  startx or xinit.  Now you're off and running...good luck.


  22..55..  HHooww ddoo II eennaabbllee ssoouunndd iinn AAfftteerrSStteepp??


  First, make sure you have compiled the Linux kernel with sound support
  and that the sound works (try cat <some au file> > /dev/audio).

  Then, edit your  .steprc file.  Near the bottom of the file, you
  should see (if you don't add it) lines like this:



         Module Audio
         *AudioPlayCmd /usr/bin/showaudio
         *AudioDir /usr/X11/lib/X11/afterstep/sounds
         *AudioDelay 1




  If these aren't there, add them.  Verify that the AudioPlayCmd is a
  valid program and that the sounds you want to play are in
  /usr/X11/lib/X11/afterstep/sounds (or set it to the appropriate
  directory).


  Below that section, you sould see many lines like this:



         #*Audio startup gong.au




  Simply remove the comment (#) from the beginning of the line and if
  you wish, set the startup event to some other au file.  The format is:



       Audio <event> <sound>




  Do that for the rest of the Audio events, and as one AfterStepper put
  it, you'll literally add new bells and whistles to AfterStep.


  22..66..  II ggrraabbbbeedd TTkkSStteepp aanndd TTccll77..66 aanndd ttrriieedd ttoo iinnssttaallll TTkkSStteepp,, bbuutt iitt
  ddooeessnn''tt wwoorrkk


  TkStep still doesn't work with Tcl7.6. Try Tcl 7.5 (see question ``''
  for information about TkStep).


  22..77..  WWhhyy ddooeessnn''tt AASSCCPP rruunn oonn mmyy ssyysstteemm??


  ASCP needs TkStep, a version of Tk implemented by Alfredo Kojima
  ([e-mail]) that gives Tk the NEXTSTEP look-and-feel, and
  implements a few new widgets, like font and color choosers. You can
  download it from <http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/~kojima/tkstep.html>. See
  question ``'' for information about ASCP.


  22..88..  HHooww ccaann II iinnssttaallll AAfftteerrSStteepp wwiitthhoouutt bbeeiinngg rroooott??


  This is fairly easy. You will have to install all the files under your
  home directory. The usual recommendation is to use the same
  directories as suggested in the installation procedure, but replacing
   /usr/local by your home directory. For example, if you home directory
  is  /home/bla you would use directories like
   /home/blah/bin,  /home/blah/etc,  /home/blah/lib, etc.

  Compile AfterStep following the manual installation procedure (i.e. do
  not use the  InstallMe program), up to but not including the make
  install step. Then, do the following (make sure to create the
  destination directories first if they don't exist. All the source
  paths are relative to the AfterStep source directory):


  1. Copy  afterstep/afterstep to  $HOME/bin/.

  2. Copy  modules/asclock/asclock to  $HOME/bin/.

  3. Copy  modules/Wharf/Wharf,  modules/Pager/Pager and all the other
     module binary files to  $HOME/lib/afterstep/.


  4. Copy the icons from  icons/ or  icons/8bit/ to
      $HOME/include/X11/pixmaps/.

  5. Copy  sample.steprc to  $HOME/lib/afterstep/.

  6. Take a look at  install/Xdefaults,  install/xinitrc,
      install/xsession, and copy or integrate them to your
      .Xdefaults,  .xinitrc and  .xsession as appropriate.

  7. Copy  sample.steprc to  $HOME/.steprc.

  8. Edit  $HOME/.steprc to reflect the above paths in the lines
     starting with ModulePath and PixmapPath.

  9. Put  $HOME/bin in your path.

  You should be set. Feel free to modify this procedure according to
  your particular needs or the particular setup of your machine/account.


  33..  IIccoonnss,, ggrraapphhiiccss aanndd ppiixxmmaappss



  33..11..  IIccoonnss ssttaayyiinngg ppuutt


  WWhheenn II cclliicckk oonn ssoommee ooff tthhee iiccoonnss tthheeyy ffaann oouutt aanndd ssttaayy tthheerree uunnttiill II
  rreessttaarrtt WWhhaarrff.. WWhhaatt''ss tthhee ddeeaall??

  In old versions of AfterStep, an icon to be used in Wharf must contain
  at least one transparent pixel, otherwise the symptoms you've
  mentioned will be prevalent.  Simply add a transparent pixel and
  everything should work flawlessly (see question ``'' for instructions
  on how to do this).

  Newer versions of AfterStep fix this problem, allowing you to use
  icons without transparent pixels in the Wharf without problems. You
  should really upgrade to the latest version.


  33..22..  CCoolloorrmmaapp iissssuueess


  WWhheenn II rruunn AAfftteerrSStteepp ssoommee ooff tthhee iiccoonnss oonn tthhee bbuuttttoonn bbaarr ddoonn''tt sshhooww
  uupp.. IIff II llooaadd tthheemm aatt tthhee ttoopp tthheeyy sshhooww uupp,, bbuutt tthheenn tthhee ootthheerr oonneess
  ddoonn''tt.. AAllssoo,, wwhheenn II uussee nneettssccaappee,, tthhee ccoolloorrss ggeett wwaacckkyy.. WWhhaatt''ss wwrroonngg??

  Odds are you are using a 256 color (8bit) display.  A quick
  explanation is that you can only have 256 colors on the screen at the
  same time, and the more colors you use in Wharf (the button bar), the
  less you can use for other applications and icons.  I would suggest
  upgrading your video hardware or using more conservative (less
  colorful) icons.  For netscape, an option is to run it with the
  netscape -install` command.  This will insure that netscape gets a
  good deal of the color that it wants. However, this will result in the
  colors flashing whenever you move the mouse in or out the Netscape
  window. You decide if you can live with that.

  You can find some help on configuring AfterStep for running on an
  8-bit display in  <http://www.infinet.com/~gnosis/as.html>. You can
  find a good collection of low-color icons (all of them together use
  only 21 colors) at  <http://www.iis.ee.ethz.ch/~kiwi/AfterStep/>.

  If you are using asclock, you can configure it to use much fewer
  colors. See question ``''.
  33..33..  IIccoonnss ddiissaappppeeaarr ffrroomm WWhhaarrff.. WWhhaatt''ss wwrroonngg??


  You are most likely running out of colors. Either upgrade your
  hardware, switch to a higher color depth (i.e. 16 bpp or higher), or
  use icons that contain fewer colors. See question ``''.


  33..44..  HHooww ddoo II ccrreeaattee aann iiccoonn wwiitthh aa ttrraannssppaarreenntt ppiixxeell??


  Its beyond easy. An xpm is a simple text file. Therefore, the only
  image manipulation software you will need is vi. If you edit your xpm,
  you will become aware of the beauty and simplicity. At the bottom you
  will notice a character representation of your image. At the top there
  is a color listing corresponding to each pixel of the character
  representation.

  You have two options to create a transparent pixel:


     CChhaannggee aann eexxiissttiinngg ppiixxeell ccoolloorr ttoo ttrraannssppaarreenntt::
        Simply find the pixel character(s) you wish to become
        transparent, then go back up top and find that character in the
        listing.  Change the color code (number beginning with a #) to
        None.  Save, and you're all tootin'.


     CCrreeaattee aa nneeww ttrraannssppaarreenntt ppiixxeell::
        Edit the line near the top corresponding to the
        height/width/number of colors/chars per pixel.  Increment the
        number of colors (third value) by one.  Then in the list of
        pixels and color values add the line:


               "c None",




     Where `c' should be a character that is not being used by any other
     color. From there save and take off.

  If you're the slightest bit unsure, take a look at one of the xpm
  files in the AfterStep distribution's icons directory.

  The `correct' size for a Wharf icon is 48x48 pixels. However, if you
  use bigger icons, they will display correctly, up to 64x64, which is
  the default size for the Wharf buttons.


  33..55..  WWhhyy ddooeessnn''tt pprrooggrraamm ``xxyyzz'' wwoorrkk iinn 1166bbpppp??


  A lot of 8bpp programs don't work on displays without a PseudoColor
  visual available. A lot of PC X servers don't support PseudoColor
  visuals on displays running in TrueColor mode. You should buy an SGI.
  Or run two simultaneous X servers, if you're on Linux.


  33..66..  WWhhyy ddooeessnn''tt xxvv ddoo ``xxyyzz'' iinn 1166bbpppp??


  xv doesn't cope well with 16bpp in three ways. First, it can't grab
  pieces of the screen. Second, if you grab pieces of the screen with
  xwd and try to display them with xv, it doesn't work well. xwud works.
  Third, if you display a 24bpp picture, it doesn't bother to dither it
  down to 16bpp, resulting in bad pictures.


  33..77..  WWhhyy ddoonn''tt iiccoonn nnaammeess cchhaannggee wwhheenn tthhee aapppplliiccaattiioonn cchhaannggeess iitt??


  II hhaavvee ssoommee aapppplliiccaattiioonn ccrreeaattiinngg aa wwiinnddooww aanndd tthheenn cchhaannggiinngg iittss nnaammee
  ttoo ssoommeetthhiinngg ssppeecciiaall.. II hhaavvee ttoolldd AAfftteerrSStteepp ttoo ggiivvee tthhee ssppeecciiaall wwiinnddooww
  nnaammee aa ssppeecciiaall iiccoonn.. BBuutt II nneevveerr sseeee tthhee iiccoonn.. WWhhyy ddooeessnn''tt tthhiiss wwoorrkk??

  AfterStep assigns icons to windows when they are created, not when
  they are iconified, and later title or icon-name changes don't cause
  the icon to change.  Perhaps this is a bug.

  Emanuele Caratti ([e-mail]) has created a patch that supposedly
  fixes this, but I have not tried it, and it's not (yet) part of the
  official distribution. You can find it at
  <ftp://afterstep.foo.net/pub/AfterStep/mods/dynamic_icons.tar.gz>.


  33..88..  SSuuddddeennllyy,, ssoommee wwiinnddoowwss ssttaayy aallwwaayyss oonn ttoopp.. WWhhyy??


  SSoommeettiimmeess,, aafftteerr II''vvee bbeeeenn uussiinngg AAfftteerrSStteepp ffoorr ssoommee ttiimmee,, cceerrttaaiinn
  aapppplliiccaattiioonn wwiinnddoowwss ssttaayy aallwwaayyss oonn ttoopp;; tthheeyy eevveenn ssttaayy oonn ttoopp ooff tthhee
  WWhhaarrff aanndd tthheeiirr oowwnn ddiiaalloogg bbooxxeess!!

  With the default  .steprc, triple-clicking on a window titlebar
  toggles a window's always-on-top state.  Triple-click again to remove
  it. If you want to remove this feature, locate the lines in your
   .steprc that look like this (there are several of them):



               PutOnTop        "TripleClick"




  and delete them. Or better yet, just comment them out, in case you
  later decide you need the feature again.


  33..99..  CCaann yyoouu aadddd ``xxyyzz'' ttoo tthhee WWhhaarrff??


  YYoouu kknnooww,, iitt wwoouulldd bbee rreeaallllyy nniiccee iiff tthhee WWhhaarrff ssuuppppoorrtteedd tteexxtt
  ttiittlleess//ccaassccaaddiinngg mmeennuuss//ttaabbss oonn tthhee ssiiddee//pplluugg--iinn mmoodduulleess//sswwaalllloowwiinngg
  rruunnnniinngg aapppplliiccaattiioonnss iinn ffoollddeerrss//ssccrroollllbbaarrss oonn ffoollddeerrss//ssttaarrttiinngg
  aapppplliiccaattiioonnss oonnllyy iiff tthheeyy''rree nnoott aallrreeaaddyy rruunnnniinngg.. WWhhyy ddooeessnn''tt ssoommeeoonnee
  ddoo iitt??

  This is a holy war.  You will be crucified at dawn.  Unless you
  implement it yourself and post a patch.

  No, seriously, there has been a lot of discussion about these topics.
  Many people believe that AfterStep should be kept as close as possible
  to the original NEXTSTEP interface, why others think it should be
  extended and be made as configurable as possible. Most probably the
  appropriate thing is some point in between, but then again, that is a
  personal issue. For now, we will let the developers decide the
  direction AfterStep should take.



  44..  MMoodduulleess



  44..11..  HHooww ddoo II ggeett mmuullttiippllee WWhhaarrffss//PPaaggeerrss oonn tthhee ssccrreeeenn??


  It's pretty easy. You just have to have the Wharf exist under several
  different names, and then configure each of them using its name. For
  example, if you make a link to  Wharf called  MyWharf (type man ln if
  you don't know how to make links), you would use lines like these in
  your .steprc:



       Module MyWharf
       *MyWharfAnimate
       *MyWharf "label" Icon.xpm Exec "something" something




  Same for the Pager.

  NNoottee:: Apparently, due to the way the AfterStep configuration file
  parser works, links with names like  Wharf2 (i.e. the same original
  name with characters appended to it) will nnoott work, the parser will
  think you are referring to the original module and will get confused.
  You have to give each link a distinctive name.


  44..22..  HHooww ccaann II ggeett AASScclloocckk ttoo pprrooppeerrllyy aappppeeaarr iinn WWhhaarrff??


  First, you need AfterStep 0.98 beta 4 or later. These version have the
  .steprc `MaxSwallow' option. Then, add a command such as this to the
  Wharf section of your  .steprc:



         *Wharf asclock nil MaxSwallow "asclock" asclock -12 -shape &




  You can omit the `-12' to be in 24 hour time.


  44..33..  HHooww ddoo II ccoonnffiigguurree aasscclloocckk ttoo uussee ffeewweerr ccoolloorrss??


  When installing, after executing MakeMakefiles but before make
  install, go to the  modules/asclock directory and do the following:


  1. Execute sh configure

  2. Several menus will appear, asking for the default language for
     dates (yes, you can change it!) and the number of colors used.
     There is one option to use 2-bit color, resulting in an asclock
     that uses only 4 colors, but still looks pretty good.

  3. Done. Now go and compile AfterStep as usual.



  55..  GGeenneerraall uussaaggee,, ffeeaattuurreess aanndd bbuuggss



  55..11..  WWhhyy ddooeess AAfftteerrSStteepp ggeett sslloowweerr aanndd sslloowweerr uunnttiill II rreessttaarrtt iitt??


  Apparently there was a bug in versions up to 1.0pre3 (probably a
  memory leak) that caused this behavior. We know that setting your
  TextureMaxColors to something small, like `16 16 16 16' or `32 32 32
  32', will stop this problem. It also seems to happen only with XFree86
  in 32-bpp mode (or 16? Please give me confirmation), and if you're in
  8-bpp or a different X server, it doesn't seem to cause a problem.

  This problem was solved in 1.0pre4, as far as we know. Upgrade!


  55..22..  CClliicckk--ttoo--ffooccuuss ddiieess


  SSoommeettiimmeess,, aafftteerr II''vvee bbeeeenn rruunnnniinngg AAfftteerrSStteepp ffoorr aa wwhhiillee iinn cclliicckk--ttoo--
  ffooccuuss mmooddee,, II ccaann''tt sshhiifftt tthhee ffooccuuss ffrroomm oonnee wwiinnddooww ttoo aannootthheerr bbyy
  cclliicckkiinngg..  II hhaavvee ttoo iiccoonniiffyy aanndd ddeeiiccoonniiffyy tthhee wwiinnddooww ttoo sshhiifftt ffooccuuss,,
  oorr ppiicckk iitt ffrroomm tthhee ppooppuupp lliisstt..

  This is a strange bug, that is (sometimes at least) caused by having
  the NumLock key activated. It is present up to 1.0pre4, so check your
  NumLock key.

  This problem is solved in 1.0pre5.


  55..33..  WWhhaatt iiss tthhiiss ``SShhaaddee'' tthhiinngg??


  NNeewwss:: SShhaaddee wwaass ffiixxeedd iinn 11..00pprree44.. UUppggrraaddee nnooww!!

  Shade is a window function that is often seen on the Macintosh system.
  In theory, it makes a window disappear except for the title bar.  For
  example, an Xterm normally looks like this:



         |------------------------------|
         |             Xterm            |
         |------------------------------|
         |                              |
         |                              |
         |                              |
         |                              |
         |                              |
         |------------------------------|




  Shade is set by default to take effect when one double clicks on the
  title bar of the window.  When shade takes effect, the Xterm looks
  like this:



         |------------------------------|
         |             Xterm            |
         |------------------------------|

  This is nice for saving desktop space and for window management
  purposes.  Some prefer it to iconifying the windows.

  Up to 1.0pre3, Shade didn't work correctly, because it worked by
  resizing the window to a height of 0 pixels, which some applications
  didn't like.

  In 1.0pre4 and posterior versions, Shade works by making the
  application think that it is being iconified, so it works with all
  applications again. It has the problem, though, that shaded windows
  become `sticky' and appear in all the pages in the virtual desktop.



  55..44..  WWhheenn II rreessttaarrtt AAfftteerrSStteepp,, iitt kkiillllss XX.. WWhhaatt ggiivveess??


  This was a bug that occured in AfterStep betas. If you experience this
  bug, you are running an old release of AfterStep. Upgrade to v1.0pre4
  or later to fix this. This is, incidentally, something you should
  probably do anyway, considering the wealth of features your are
  missing.


  55..55..  WWhhaatt iiss sswwaallllooww--eexxeecc??


  Is a feature introduced in the distribution in 1.0pre4 (it previously
  existed as a separate patch) that allows you to associate an action to
  an entry in the Wharf corresponding to a swallowed application. So for
  example you can have asmail in the Wharf, and have it configured so
  that when you click on it, it warps to your email reading window. If
  your email reader is exmh, the required lines would be:



       *Wharf "asmail" nil Swallow     "asmail" asmail &
       *Wharf "asmail" nil Warp        "-" exmh




  Note how both lines have the same label `asmail', which tells Wharf
  that those two go together. You can use any AfterStep function instead
  of `Warp'. For example, if you want the xload icon to fire a top
  window when clicked, you can have something like this:



       *Wharf "xload" nil Swallow      "xload" xload -geometry 48x48-1-1 &
       *Wharf "xload" nil Exec "Top" xterm +sb -T Top -n Top -e top &




  By the way, this feature is responsible for a strange bug. See
  question ``''.


  55..66..  wwoorrkk.. WWhhaatt hhaappppeennss??  II uuppggrraaddeedd ttoo 11..00pprree44 oorr llaatteerr,, aanndd nnooww tthhee
  WWhhaarrff ddooeessnn''tt


  This is not a bug, it's a feature :-). No, really, this behavior was
  introduced due to the introduction of the `Swallow-exec' capability in
  1.0pre4. See question ``''.
  To fix it, do the following:


  1. In your  .steprc, locate the lines that start with


       *Wharf "" ...




  2. The  could be also nil, or any other label that is the same for all
     the Wharf entries. These repeated labels are the ones causing the
     trouble. You have to give each Wharf entry a unique label there,
     like `xload', `asmail', `Pager', etc.

  3. Restart and it should be fixed.


  66..  OOtthheerr AAfftteerrSStteepp--rreellaatteedd aapppplliiccaattiioonnss



  66..11..  WWhhaatt iiss tthhiiss WWiinnddoowwMMaakkeerr II kkeeeepp hheeaarriinngg aabboouutt iinn tthhee lliisstt??


  WindowMaker a new NeXT-like window manager that is being developed by
  Alfredo Kojima ([e-mail]) with the support of a lot of
  other people. It will support many OpenStep/GNUStep-ish features, and
  there is talk that it may be the `next-generation _asnl', and even the
  window manager of choice for GNUstep. You can download it from
  <ftp://afterstep.foo.net/pub/AfterStep/devel/>.

  However, be advised that WindowMaker is still in a very early stage of
  development, so don't plan on using it for real work for now unless
  you want to cope with a lot of unimplemented features. But it is
  advancing very fast, so you may also want to take a good look at it.


  66..22..  WWhhaatt iiss AASSCCPP??


  ASCP stands for `AfterStep Control Panel', and is a program that
  allows you to configure AfterStep while imitating the NEXTSTEP control
  panel look and feel. It makes really easy to configure AfterStep
  without manually fiddling with the  .steprc file. You can download it
  from  <http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/~kojima/ascp.html>. Be sure to backup
  your  .steprc file before using it, because it still has some bugs and
  problems.

  WWAARRNNIINNGG:: Due to changes introduced in AfterStep 1.0pre4 and posterior
  versions, the files written by ASCP cause AfterStep to behave very
  strangely, particularily the Wharf. So please ddoonn''tt uussee ASCP for
  configuring 1.0pre4 until this is fixed. If you accidentally did and
  you don't have a backup of your  .steprc, do the following to fix it:


  1. In your  .steprc, locate the lines that start with


       *Wharf "" ...





  2. The empty double quotes are the ones causing the trouble. You have
     to give each Wharf entry a unique label there, inside the double
     quotes.

  3. Restart and it should be fixed.

  In case you are interested, this happens because 1.0pre4 introduced
  the `swallow-exec' capability in the standard distribution (see
  question ``''). This uses the labels to know which Wharf items have
  multiple meanings, so if all the labels are the same, Wharf
  superimposes all the icons on one.


  66..33..  WWhhaatt iiss TTkkSStteepp aanndd wwhhyy ddoo II wwaanntt iitt??


  TkStep is a modified version of Tk that implements the NEXTSTEP look
  and feel. If you use wishstep instead of wish to run your
  applications, all your Tcl/Tk programs will suddenly have a renewed
  and great new look!

  You also want it because ASCP needs it. See question ``''.

  You can get it at <http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/~kojima/tkstep.html>. You
  need to have Tcl7.5/Tk4.1 to run it. AASSCCPP ddooeess nnoott wwoorrkk wwiitthh TTccll77..66
  yyeett.


  77..  OOtthheerr AAfftteerrSStteepp--uunnrreellaatteedd aapppplliiccaattiioonnss



  77..11..  II hhaavvee aa pprroobblleemm wwiitthh pprrooggrraamm ``xxyyzz''


  PPlleeaassee,, pplleeaassee, don't post questions unrelated to AfterStep to the
  mailing lists. If you have a problem with some application not
  running, and you think AfterStep is the culprit, first try the
  following:


  1. Read the documentation (manual pages, etc.) for the program.

  2. Find out about its configuration parameters (not only command line,
     but also options in  .Xdefaults, config files, etc.).

  3. Ask other people who know about that specific program. Find a
     mailing list about that program and ask there.

  4. Try running the program under some other window manager. If it
     doesn't work there either, it is nnoott an AfterStep problem.

  If you are vveerryy confident that it is an AfterStep problem, then send
  it to the mailing list, but try to give as much information as
  possible. Questions like `Why doesn't blig-graphics work on my
  system?' do not contain any useful information that may help others in
  diagnosing your problem. Some data you may have to include is:


  1. AfterStep version you are using.

  2. Operating system version, machine architecture.

  3. System configuration (color depth, memory, anything you think may
     help).

  4. Problematic program.

  5. Environment information (other programs running at the same time,
     etc.)

  6. A ddeettaaiilleedd description of the problem. What happens (error
     messages, etc.), how replicable it is, how to replicate it, etc.
     The more information you provide, the easier it will be for others
     to find a solution.


  77..22..  WWhhyy aamm II hhaavviinngg ``xxyyzz'' pprroobblleemm//hhooww ddoo II ddoo ``xxyyzz'' wwiitthh aa tteerrmmiinnaall
  wwiinnddooww??


  Are you using plain vanilla xterm, color xterm, rxvt, rxvt-xpm,
  vanilla xterm with Xaw3d or Xaw-Xpm or neXtaw, dtterm, nxterm, hpterm,
  aixterm, cmdtool, shelltool, or something else?

  See question ``''.