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xmailbox - mailbox checker for X using XPM icons
xmailbox [-toolkitoption
...] [-option ...]
The xmailbox program displays, by default, an image
of a mailbox. When there is no mail, the image shown is that of a mailbox
with its flag down. When new mail arrives, the image changes to that of
a mailbox with the flag up, its door open and a letter visible inside.
It can also optionally play a sound through the SUN workstation's internal
speaker or a PC equipped with a sound-card running Linux. The NCD audio
server, the rplay sound package, the standard SUN audio driver, Linux
and FreeBSD Sun-compatible audio drivers, and an external sound player program
are supported. By default, pressing any mouse button in the image forces
xmailbox to remember the current size of the mail file as being the ``empty''
size and to change its image accordingly. In addition, the user can optionally
invoke his/her favorite mail retrieving program.
This program is nothing
more than a wrapper around the Mailbox widget included with the program's
source distribution.
xmailbox accepts all of the standard X Toolkit
command line options along with the additional options listed below:
- -help
- This option indicates that a brief summary of the allowed options should
be printed on the standard error.
- -update seconds
- This option specifies the
frequency in seconds at which xmailbox should update its display. If the
mailbox is obscured and then exposed, it will be updated immediately. The
default is 30 seconds.
- -file filename
- This option specifies the name of the
file which should be monitored. By default, it watches /usr/spool/mail/username,
where username is your login name.
- -volume percentage
- This option specifies
how loud the bell should be rung when new mail comes in, or, if the sound
option is used, how high the playing volume should be. The default is 33
percent.
The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are commonly
used with xmailbox:
- -display display
- This option specifies the X server
to contact.
- -xrm resourcestring
- This option specifies a resource string to
be used. This is especially useful for setting resources that do not have
separate command line options.
The application class name is XMailbox.
This program uses the Mailbox widget. It understands all of the core resource
names and classes as well as:
- checkCommand (class CheckCommand)
- Specifies
a shell command to be executed to check for new mail rather than examining
the size of file. The specified string value is used as the argument to
a system(3)
call and may therefore contain i/o redirection. An exit status
of 0 indicates that new mail is waiting, 1 indicates that there has been
no change in size, and 2 indicates that the mail has been cleared. By default,
no shell command is provided.
- file (class File)
- Specifies the name of the
file to monitor. The default is to watch /usr/spool/mail/username, where
username is your login name.
- onceOnly (class Boolean)
- Specifies that the
bell is only rung the first time new mail is found and is not rung again
until at least one interval has passed with no mail waiting. The window
will continue to indicate the presence of new mail until it has been retrieved.
The default is false.
- update (class Interval)
- Specifies the frequency in
seconds at which the mail should be checked. The default is 30.
- volume (class
Volume)
- Specifies how loud the bell should be rung, or, if the sound option
is used, how high the playing volume should be. The default is 33 percent.
- mailXpmFile (class MailXpmFile)
- Specifies the XPM file used when mail exists
in the mailbox.
- nomailXpmFile (class NomailXpmFile)
- Specifies the XPM file
used when there is no mail (or no new mail) in the mailbox.
- mailSndFile
(class MailSndFile)
- Specifies the sound file used when mail exists in the
mailbox. If no file is specified, the standard X Window beep sound is used.
- mailSndComm (class MailSndComm)
- Specifies an external sound player program
to execute when new mail exists in the mailbox. You can use "%s" in the
command to include the sound file defined in mailSndFile. In the following
example, "%s" will be replaced by "/usr/lib/sounds/ugotmail.au" when xmailbox
executes.
xmailbox*mailSndFile: /usr/lib/sounds/ugotmail.au
xmailbox*mailSndComm: /usr/bin/play %s
- mailapp (class MailApp)
- Specifies the mail retrieving application to run
when the user clicks on the mailbox image. The specified string value is
used as the argument to a system(3)
call.
- mailNumOfXpmFile (class MailNumOfXpmFile)
- Specifies the number of Xpm files to be used for animation. The range of
values can be between 1 and 8. The default value is 1 = no animation. See
ANIMATION section below for details.
- mailAnimUpdate (class MailAnimUpdate)
- Specifies the interval of displaying a series of Xpm icons in milliseconds.
The default is 1000 milliseconds or 1 second. See ANIMATION section below
for details.
- mailAnimOnce (class MailAnimOnce)
- Specifies the whether the
XPM icon animation sequence is repeated continuously or only once. The
default is "false", that is, repeat until the user clicks on the icon.
- The
Mailbox widget provides the following actions for use in event
- translations:
- check()
- This action causes the widget to check for new mail and display
the flag appropriately.
- ack()
- This action causes the widget to lower the
flag until new mail comes in.
- unset()
- This action causes the widget to lower
the flag until new mail comes in, and to start any mail-reading application
defined via the mailapp resource.
- set()
- This action causes the widget to
raise the flag until the user resets it.
The default translation is
<ButtonPress>(2): unset()
<ButtonPress>: ack()
i.e. with a double click you lower the flag and start your mail-reading application,
while with a single click you only acknowledge the mail in your mailbox,
lowering the flag.
xmailbox has built-in support for eye-catching
animation when new mail comes in, in addition to the optional sound support.
Animation can be achieved by displaying a sequence of XPM icons with slight
differences in each icon. The interval of displaying different icons is
controlled by mailAnimUpdate measured in milliseconds. Values between 500
and 1000 seems to provide smooth animation. However, you should experiment
with this parameter on your system.
In order to use this feature, you have
to create a series of XPM icons with a base name such as "xmail.xpm" in
a directory such as "/usr/X11/lib/icons/pixmap". Now, for each XPM icon
created, prepend a number before the base name starting from 0. For example,
you've created "0xmail.xpm", "1xmail.xpm", "2xmail.xpm", and "3xmail.xpm". Now,
set the mailNumOfXpmFile entry to a value of "4" since there are four XPM
icons created. Finally, set the mailXpmFile entry to "/usr/X11/lib/icons/pixmap/xmail.xpm".
Note that "xmail.xpm" does not have any numbers prepended. When you start
xmailbox and a new mail comes in, xmailbox will show the icons "0xmail.xpm",
..., "3xmail.xpm", "0xmail.xpm", ..., "3xmail.xpm", ... in that sequence until you've
pressed the icon.
Note: If you do not specify mailXpmFile but set a value
other than 1 to mailNumOfXpmFile, xmailbox will toggle between the internal
"mail" and "nomail" icons.
- DISPLAY
- to get the default host and
display number.
- XENVIRONMENT
- to get the name of a resource file that overrides
the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
X(1)
,
xrdb(1)
Dimitrios P. Bouras (dbouras@hol.gr)
The first version of xmailbox was a hack based on the X11R5 XBiff written
by Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, and Ralph Swick, DEC/MIT Project Athena.
William K. W. Cheung (wcheung@mail.spiralcomm.com)
Added optional sound output using the standard SUN audio driver, Linux's
Sun-compatible audio driver, the rplay sound package, or the NCD audio
server, as well as optional mail application execution upon clicking on
the mail icon. Added the capability to show a series of XPM icons when
new mail arrives.
Brian Clapper (bmc@telebase.com)
Added extra compiling options to allow sound support under FreeBSD 2.0.5
and 2.1.
Laurent Martin (martin@@isia.cma.fr)
Added the capability to use an external sound player application to play
a sound when new mail arrives.
Xbiff is Copyright 1988, X Consortium. See X(1)
for a full statement
of rights and permissions.
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