FVWM-THEMES-COM(1)						   Fvwm Utility 						FVWM-THEMES-COM(1)

NAME

       fvwm-themes-com - fvwm-themes communication center

SYNOPSIS

       fvwm-themes-com [ --help] [ --version] [ --name name ] [ --message message ] [ --lock-and-get ] [ --get-buffer ] [ --clear-buffer ] [
       --buffer-name name ] [ --line lineNbr]

DESCRIPTION

       This script is not a user script. It is used by Fvwm-Themes for communication between some FvwmScript scripts and some other programs.
       Basically, you want to start a programs in the background which support the fvwm-themes-com communication protocol (e.g., fvwm-themes-menu-
       app and fvwm-themes-config with the com-mode option can be used as generic examples), then you can use fvwm-themes-com to ask questions or
       to give instructions to the background program. The answer are displayed by fvwm-themes-com in the standard out put and can be used by a
       FvwmScript script via the GetoutPut instruction.  The advantage of using this method is that the background program have to do its main job
       only once (e.g., parsing a lot of informations and storing them in some variables) and a script can have very fast answer from the back-
       ground program via fvwm-themes-com.

OPTIONS

       --help	 - show the help and exit

       --version - show the version and exit

       --name name - the name of the communication (e.g., if you start fvwm-themes-menuapp with --com-name pid option you must use menuapp-pid as
       name to communicate with it). The pipe used for communication are $FVWM_DATADIR/{.tmp-com-in-name,tmp-com-out-name,tmp-com-lock-name}.  The
       "buffer" file is $FVWM_USERDIR/.tmp-com-buffer-name

       --message - A one line message to be sent to the back program.

       --lock-and-get - Wait (a certain "time out") for an answer of the message.  Then, the answer is displayed on STDOUT.

       --line n - n must be an integer n > 0. In the case of a lock and get message, fvwm-themes-com will out put only the nth line of the answer
       of the back program on STDOUT and will copy the complete answer in a "buffer" file. If you use the get-buffer option the nth line of the
       buffer is out put on STDOUT.

       --get-buffer - Out put the buffer file on STDOUT.

       --buffer-name othername - Use an alternative name for the buffer file: $FVWM_USERDIR/.tmp-com-buffer-othername. This is usefull if two pro-
       grams use the same background program and both use the buffer.

       --clear-buffer - remove the buffer file.

USAGE

       Here an example:

       In the Script FvwmScript-Menus you first start the background program, here fvwm-themes-menuapp, and you set some variables for an easy use
       of fvwm-themes-com:

	 # found the FvwmScript pid
	 Set $CMD = {perl -e '$t=getppid; print $t . "
"'}
	 Set $PID = (GetOutput $CMD 1 -1)
	 # Run fvwm-themes-menuapp until the end of the script
	 Do {Exec fvwm-themes-menuapp --com-mode --com-name=menuapp-}$PID{ &}
	 # to send fvwm-themes-com command
	 Set $SendMsgAndGet = {fvwm-themes-com --name menuapp-}$PID{ --lock-and-get --message=}
	 Set $SendMsg = {fvwm-themes-com --name menuapp-}$PID{	--message=}
	 Set $GetLine = {fvwm-themes-com --name menuapp-}$PID{	--get-buffer --line=}

       Then in the Script you can ask fvwm-themes-menuapp for some informations:

	 # Get the menu list
	 Set $CMD = $SendMsgAndGet{"menu-items }$MENU{"}
	 Set $ItemsList = (GetOutput $CMD 1 -1)
	 ChangeTitle 11 $ItemsList

       You can also just send an instruction to fvwm-themes-menuapp:

	 Set $CMD = $SendMsg{"exit"}
	 Do {Exec }$CMD

       Of course your back program have to support the fvwm-themes-com protocol. See fvwm-themes-menuapp and fvwm-themes-config for examples (com-
       mode option).  See also FvwmScript-Menus and FvwmScript-ThemesCenter.

AUTHORS

       Olivier Chapuis <olivier.chapuis@free.fr>, 5 May 2000.

COPYING

       The script is distributed by the same terms as fvwm itself.  See GNU General Public License for details.

BUGS

       Report bugs to fvwm-themes-devel@lists.sourceforge.net

3rd Berkeley Distribution					    perl v5.6.0 						FVWM-THEMES-COM(1)