XSEL(1x)																  XSEL(1x)

NAME

       xsel - manipulate the X selection.

SYNOPSIS

       xsel [OPTION]...

DESCRIPTION

       Retrieve and set the X selection.

       The X server maintains three selections, called PRIMARY, SECONDARY and CLIPBOARD. The PRIMARY selection is conventionally used to implement
       copying and pasting via the middle mouse button. The SECONDARY and CLIPBOARD selections are less frequently used by  application  programs.
       This program operates on the PRIMARY selection unless otherwise specified.

       By default, this program outputs the selection without modification if both standard input and standard output are terminals (ttys). Other-
       wise, the current selection is output if standard output is not a terminal (tty), and the selection is set from standard input if  standard
       input is not a terminal (tty). If any input or output options are given then the program behaves only in the requested mode.

       If both input and output is required then the previous selection is output before being replaced by the contents of standard input.

       Input options

       -a, --append
	      append standard input to the selection. Implies -i.

       -f, --follow
	      append to selection as standard input grows. Implies -i.

       -i, --input
	      read standard input into the selection.

       Output options

       -o, --output
	      write the selection to standard output.

       Action options

       -c, --clear
	      clear the selection. Overrides all input options.

       -d, --delete
	      Request  that  the  current  selection be deleted. This not only clears the selection, but also requests to the program in which the
	      selection resides that the selected contents be deleted. Overrides all input options.

       Selection options

       -p, --primary
	      operate on the PRIMARY selection (default).

       -s, --secondary
	      operate on the SECONDARY selection.

       -b, --clipboard
	      operate on the CLIPBOARD selection.

       -k, --keep
	      Do not modify the selections, but make the PRIMARY and SECONDARY selections persist even after the programs they	were  selected	in
	      exit.  (Conventionally,  the  CLIPBOARD selection is persisted by a separate special purpose program such as xclipboard(1)). Ignores
	      all input and output options.

       -x, --exchange
	      exchange the PRIMARY and SECONDARY selections. Ignores all input and output options.

       X options

       -d displayname, --display displayname
	      specify the server to use; see X(1).

       -t ms, --selectionTimeout ms
	      Specify the timeout in milliseconds within which the selection must  be  retrieved.  A  value  of  0  (zero)  specifies  no  timeout
	      (default).

       Miscellaneous options

       -l filename, --logfile filename
	      Specify the file to log errors to when detached. (Default $HOME/.xsel.log)

       -n, --nodetach
	      Do  not  detach from the controlling terminal. Without this option, xsel will fork to become a background process in input, exchange
	      and keep modes.

       -h, --help
	      display usage information and exit

       -v, --verbose
	      Print informative messages. Additional instances of -v raise the debugging level, ie. print more information.

       --version
	      output version information and exit

NOTES

       There is no X selection buffer. The selection mechanism in X11 is an interclient communication mediated by the X server each time any  pro-
       gram  wishes  to  know the selection contents, eg. to perform a middle mouse button paste. In order to implement modification of the selec-
       tion(s) (in input, keep and exchange modes) this program detaches from the terminal, spawning a child process  to  supply  the  new  selec-
       tion(s)	on  demand.  This  child exits immediately when any other program takes over the selection(s), eg. when the user next selects some
       text in a terminal window or by running xsel -c.

STANDARDS

       xsel conforms to the Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual Version 2.0 (ICCCM2).

SEE ALSO

       X(7), Xserver(1), xset(1), xclipboard(1), xpaste(1)

AUTHOR

       Conrad Parker <conrad@vergenet.net>, July 2001

								   January 2008 							  XSEL(1x)