X Window Applications Programming

Push X to the limit

Written for developers, programmers, and users who want to keep pace with America's best-selling database software.

Loaded with source code and illustrations, this book exposes the ingenious intricacies of this new vendor-independent, hardware-independent graphical windowing system developed by MIT.

Delineates in detail X Window programming involving both C and UNIX.

Comprehensive tutorial teaches you to build a full-fledged X Window application one program at a time.

Includes complete details on widget sets — programming libraries of useful tools programmers can use over and over again.

Minimize time and effort needed to manage "Events" in X.

11 good reasons to read this book

• Writing Your First X Program
• Drawing with X
• Drawing in Color
• "Events" in X
• X Text
• Auto-Raise Windows
• Interacting with Window Managers
• Building Complete Applications
• Graphic File Formats
• Enhancing Applications
• Dealing with Widget Sets

Complete tutorial and reference guide in one.

• Introduction
• The History of X
• Why X Now?
• What Is X?
• The Sum of Its Parts
• What You Need to Run X
• This Book's Approach to X
• Typographical Conventions
Section I: Learning X Programming
1. Building a First X Program
• Example 1: A Minimalist X Program
• Example 1 Source Code
• Example 2: Opening a Minimalist Window
• Creating a Window
• Sending "Hints" to the Window Manager
• Flushing the Display
• Destroying the Window
• Example 2 Source Code
• Example 3: Fleshing Out the open Window Function
• Icons
• Example 3 Source Code
• Icon Bitmaps
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
2. Drawing with X
• Drawing Lines and Rectangles
• The Graphic Context
• Creating the Graphics Context for a Window
• Example 1: Drawing Lines and Rectangles
• Example 1 Source Code
• Drawing Ovals from Arcs
• Filling Ovals and Rectangles
• Example 2: Drawing and Filling Ovals and Rectangles
• Example 2 Source Code
• Drawing Multiple Lines, Rectangles, and Arcs
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
3. Using Color
• The Portability and Usefulness of Color Applications
• Colormaps in X
• Example 1: Drawing a Line in Red
• Example 1 Source Code
• Example 2: Using More Colors, Again and Again
• Example 2 Source Code
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
4. Using Text
• Fonts
• Loading Fonts
• Setting Up the Graphics Context
• Drawing Text
• Where the Text Is Drawn
• Finding Out How Large a Font Is
• Freeing Up Fonts
• Tips on Using Fonts
• Finding the Available Fonts
• Limited X Server Resources
• Example Program
• Example Program Source Code
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
5. Events
• Event-Driven Programming
• The X Event Model
• Asking for Events
• The Event Mask
• Receiving Events from the X Server
• Polling for Events
• Event Types
• Mouse Button Events
• Keyboard Events
• Enter/Leave Events
• Exposure Events
• Example 1: A Program to Check Events
• Example 1 Source Code
• Example 2: A Mouse-Based Drawing Program
• Example 2 Source Code
• More About the X Event Model with the XEV Program
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
6. Keyboard Events
• Meta Keys
• Mouse Buttons
• Example Program
• Example Program Source Code
• When the Keyboard Mapping Changes
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
7. Rubber-Band Lines
• Raster Operation Functions
• Summary of the GC Graphics Functions
• Example 1: Rubber-Band Lines
• Example 1 Source Code
• Example 2: Rubber-Band Ovals
• Example 2 Source Code
• Example 3: Showing the Raster Op Functions
• Example 3 Source Code
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
8. X Standards and Interacting with Windows Managers
• X Command-Line Arguments
• Display Names
• X Geometry
• Creating Cursors for Windows
• Cursors as Text
• Creating Your Own Cursors
• Freeing Up the Cursor Resources
• Example 1: Taking in Command-Line Arguments and Setting Up a Cursor
• Example 1 Source Code
• Example 2: Sending More Information to the Window Manager
• The Class Property
• Sizing Windows
• Icon Names
• Example 2 Source Code
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
• Section II: Building an X Window System Application
9. Introducing the Draw Application: A User's Guide
• The Floating Selection Palette
• Points
• Text
• Loading In New Files
• Undoing Drawing Operations
• Command-Line Parameters
• Power-User Meta-Key Shortcuts
• Critical Error Handling
• Handling Fatal IO Errors
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
10. Multiple-Window Applications
• Floating Palettes
• Highlighting a Palette Choice
• Refreshing the Palette Window
• Cursors for the Palette
• Waiting for Godot (or Setting a "Busy" Cursor)
• Setting the Cursor for the Drawing Window
• Freeing Up the Cursor Resources
• The Drawing Window
• Cleaning Up the X Window and GC Resources
• File Format for the Draw Application
• Pixmaps and Windows
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
11. Event Processing in the Draw Application
• The Event Mask and Selecting Events
• Drawing Events
• Palette-Selection Events
• Text-Entry Events
• Keyboard Shortcut Events
• X Server-Generated Events
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
12. Pop-Up Windows and Dialog Boxes
• Setting Up a Pop-Up Window in X
• Calling Up the Pop-Up Window from the Palette
• Finding the Mouse Pointer Location
• A Pop-Up File Name Dialog Box
• Implementing the Dialog Box
• Setting Up the Dialog Windows
• Displaying the Contents of the Dialog Windows
• Dialog Events
• Cleaning Up
• Hinting About Transient Windows
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
13. The Draw Application Source Code
• Source Files for the drawapp Application
14. Enhancing the Draw Application
• Handling Expose Events
• Enlargements
• Scrolling
• Cursor Editing
• Cutting and Pasting/Moving and Copying Areas
• Cropping
• Flipping, Reversing, and Rotating
• Summary
• Xlib Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
• Section III: X Toolkits
15. An Introduction to X Toolkits
• The XT Toolkit
• A Sample XT Program
• Initilizing the XT Library
• Creating Subwidgets
• Managing Widgets
• Realizing Widgets
• The Widget Event Loop
• Sample Widget Program Source Code
• Compiling the XT Program
• More About the X Toolkits
• Summary
• XT Functions and Macros Introduced in This Chapter
• Appendices
1. The X Color Data Base
2. X Event Types and Structures
• ButtonPress, ButtonRelease
• CirculateNotify
• CirculateRequest
• ClientMessage
• ColormapNotify
• ConfigureNotify
• ConfigureRequest
• CreateNotify
• DestroyNotify
• EnterNotify, LeaveNotify
• Expose
• FocusIn, FocusOut
• GraphicsExpose, NoExpose
• GravityNotify
• KeymapNotify
• KeyPress, KeyRelease
• MapNotify, UnmapNotify
• MappingNotify
• MapRequest
• MotionNotify
• PropertyNotify
• ReparentNotify
• ResizeRequest
• SelectionClear
• SelectionNotify
• SelectionRequest
• VisibilityNotify
3. The Graphics Context
4. Some Sample X Client Programs
• bitmap
• xdpyinfo
• xev
• xfd
• xwd
• xwininfo
5. How to Order X Window
• The MIT Software Distribution Center
• The X Consortium
• X User's Group (XUG)
6. For More Information on X Window

A good introduction, but anyone of a sane mind wouldn't program X at this level!