dxsession(1X) dxsession(1X)
Name
dxsession, Xprompter - DECwindows session manager and login window
Syntax
dxsession
Description
The dxsession program provides a window-oriented interface that gives you access to a workstation. In addition, you can use dxsession to
invoke high-level applications and customize the workstation environment.
By default, dxsession is automatically executed from the /etc/ttys file. A sample command line in the /etc/ttys file for a color worksta-
tion is as follows:
:0 "/usr/bin/login -P /usr/bin/Xprompter -C
/usr/bin/dxsession" none on secure window=
"/usr/bin/Xqdsg -fd 75 -bp #000080 c 70"
For a monochrome workstation the command line is as follows:
:0 "/usr/bin/login -P /usr/bin/Xprompter -C
/usr/bin/dxsession" none on secure window=
"/usr/bin/Xqvsm -fd 75 c 70"
In these command lines, login has two flags. The first flag, -P, specifies the prompting program (in this case, Xprompter). The Xprompter
command displays the dialog box through which you log into a session. The second flag, -C, specifies the command that login runs through
your shell (in this case, it runs dxsession). The last command starts the X Server.
A DECwindows session begins when you log into the workstation through the Start Session dialog box. Once you complete logging in, dxses-
sion reads your .Xdefaults file and incorporates any values that it contains into the X Server. Next, dxsession sets the DISPLAY variable
to :0 and starts the window manager. The default window manager is dxwm. (You can use another window manager by specifying it in the .Xde-
faults file or by entering it in the Customize Window dialog box.)
The session manager window appears, and dxsession starts up the applications contained in the AutoStartup list. If you have an .X11Startup
file in your home directory, dxsession reads that as well. The .X11Startup file is a shell script that you can use to execute commands at
startup. It is usually unnecessary, unless you execute commands that use environment variables, because you can use the AutoStartup list to
specify which applications should start automatically.
Use the Customize menu to tailor dxsession. Whenever you save the attributes you have specified by means of the Customize dialog boxes,
dxsession writes resource specifications into your .Xdefaults file (from which it again reads them at subsequent startups).
Start Session Dialog Box
The start session dialog box gives you initial access to the workstation by displaying text input fields that accept a login name and a
password. The Login field has input focus when the dialog box appears. After entering your login name, press the Return key to move to
the password field. You can also set the insertion point at a text field by positioning the pointer there and clicking MB1 (the left but-
ton, unless you have redefined it).
If your login name is longer than its text field, the text in the field scrolls one character to the left each time you type a new charac-
ter. Password characters are not echoed on the screen. To confirm your login name and password, click on the OK button or press the
Return key after typing your password. To cancel the operation, click on the Cancel button.
After the login name and password are confirmed, dxsession starts the window manager and displays the session manager window.
Session Manager Window
The session manager window consists of the following areas:
Title Bar Displays window manager icons that let you move, and resize the session manager window and shrink the window to an
icon. For more information, see
Menu Bar Lists the available dxsession menus (such as Applications and Customize).
Message Region Displays system status messages. By default, the message region is a scrollable text region that displays seven lines
of text. If system status messages are received while the session manager window is in icon form, the appearance of
the icon changes.
Menus
The session manager window contains the following menus:
Session
Applications
Customize
Print Screen
Session Menu
The Session menu contains the following items:
Pause Places a blank screen over the workstation screen and displays the Continue Session dialog box, which prompts for the
password of the person whose session was paused. When you enter the correct password, dxsession removes the blank
screen and resumes the session.
Quit Ends the current session and exits from all applications.
Applications Menu
The Applications menu contains a list of applications that you can start. By default it includes all of the standard DECwindows applica-
tions (Notepad, Mail, Cardfiler, DECterm, User Executive, and so forth). Choose one of the applications to start it up. You can add appli-
cations as items on the menu or remove those currently listed by choosing the Applications Menu item from the Customize menu.
Customize
The Customize menu contains the following items:
Application Definitions...
Displays a dialog box that lets you provide or change application definitions. An application definition consists
of the name to use in Session Manager menus and the associated command that is executed when dxsession starts the
application. Applications must be defined before you can add them to the Applications menu or Autostartup list.
Applications Menu... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify the applications that appear on the Applications menu. You must define
an application by means of the Customize Applications Definitions menu before you add it to to the Applications
menu.
AutoStartup... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify the applications that dxsession automatically starts each time a ses-
sion starts. You must define an application by means of the Customize Applications Definitions menu before you add
it to to the Applications menu.
Keyboard... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify characteristics of your keyboard (such as bell and keyclick volume).
Language... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify the language in which you prefer to work.
Pointer... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify characteristics of your pointer (such as its shape and color).
Print Screen... Displays the Customize Print Screen dialog box, which lets you customize the following attributes:
Output Format Selects the image's output format. Output can be prepared for printing on a PostScript, sixel, or DDIF
printer. A bitmap can also be placed directly in a file. The options are PostScript, standard sixel
file format, or DDIF image format for bitmap files. The default format is PostScript.
Output Color Specifies that the image is black and white, that black and white should be combined to produce gray
shades, or that the image should be prepared for a color printer. The default is black and white.
Aspect ratio Specifies how many printer pixels represent each screen pixel. Some devices have square pixels and some
have rectangular pixels. The aspect ratio 2 to 1 uses twice as many device pixels as screen pixels in
one direction to make the image shape come out correctly on devices with rectangular pixels. The
default is 1 to 1.
Ribbon or Toner Saver
Specifies that ribbon or toner should be saved by reversing the image. When dxsession is printing color
or gray shades, this option is ignored. The default is a positive image.
Rotate Picture to Fit Paper
Specifies that a picture's orientation is automatically rotated or its size reduced so that it fits on a
single sheet of paper.
Prompt for File Name
Specifies that each Capture Screen operation displays a dialog box asking for the name of the output
file. When the toggle is on, the dialog box appears; when the toggle is off, the output file is the one
whose name appears in the Output File Name text field.
Output File Name
Lets you specify the name of the Capture Screen output file. The default destination for captured
screen images is printscreen.ps. If the output file name starts with a vertical bar (|), the destina-
tion is interpreted as a command to which the output is piped (for example, |lpr).
Security... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify the hosts that can display applications on this workstation.
Session Manager... Displays a dialog box that lets you customize attributes of dxsession. These include its start-up state (as an
icon or opened window), the text that appears when your workstation is paused, and the message region's size and
header.
Window... Displays a dialog box that lets you specify screen and window characteristics. These include colors, size of your
icons, and on some systems, the screen background pattern. In addition, if you want to use a window manager other
than the default DECwindows one, you can specify it here.
Use Last Saved Settings Restores the settings you last saved.
Use System Defaults Restores the system default settings.
Save Current Settings Saves the current settings.
Print Screen Menu
The Print Screen menu lets you print screen images or capture them to a file. You can print or capture the entire screen or a portion of
it.
The Print menu consists of the following items:
Print Entire Screen Takes a snapshot of the screen, displays the Print Options dialog box so that you can specify print
attributes, and sends the snapshot to the printer.
Print Portion of Screen Lets you delineate the portion to print, takes a snapshot of the area you delineated, displays the Print
Options dialog box so that you can specify print attributes, and sends the snapshot to the printer.
To delineate the portion to save, use the following technique: Position the pointer at one corner of the area
you want to mark off. Press and hold MB1 to display a box outline, and then adjust the size and location of
the box outline by dragging the pointer. Release MB1.
Capture Entire Screen Saves an image of the entire screen in a file. The file name is specified in the Customize Print Screen dia-
log box; if the toggle button for Prompt for File Name is on in that dialog box, you are prompted to confirm
or specify the file name.
Capture Portion Of Screen Saves a portion of the screen in a file. The file name is specified in the Customize Print Screen dialog
box; if the toggle button for Prompt for File Name is on in that dialog box, you are prompted to confirm or
specify the file name.
To delineate the portion to save, use the following technique: Position the pointer at one corner of the area
you want to mark off. Press and hold MB1 to display a box outline, and then adjust the size and location of
the box outline by dragging the pointer. Release MB1.
X Defaults
The dxsession application uses the values in the .Xdefaults file when you logged in and uses the appropriate resource specification to cus-
tomize the appearance or characteristics of its displayed dxsession window. The format for a resource specification in the .Xdefaults file
is:
[name*]resource: value
name Specifies the application name or the name string that restricts the resource assignment to that application or to a component of
an application. If this argument is not specified, the resource assignment is globally available to all X applications.
resource Specifies the resource.
value Specifies the value that is to be assigned to the resource.
For more information, see
Because each toolkit-based application can consist of a combination of widgets (for example, push buttons and a scroll bar), you can form
the name string by adding widget class and name identifiers to the string. For further information about adding class and name identi-
fiers, see
Note that the first name for lines that apply only to the session manager should be labeled "sm".
For dxsession, the available classes are:
AttachedDialogBox
Dialog
Label
MainWindow
Menu
Menubar
Message
Pulldown
Pushbutton
SText
Toggle
For dxsession, the available names are:
ConfirmFilename
ConfirmPrint
CreatePulldown
CustomizeAutoStart
CustomizeAppDef
CustomizeAppMenu
CustomizeKeyboard
CustomizePrinter
CustomizePulldown
CustomizeSecurity
CustomizeSession
CustomizeWindow
MainWindow
Menubar
Messages
PrintPulldown
SessionPulldown
SETLANGUAGE_BOX
WorkAreaDialog
In addition to the general resources listed in and those that the Customize dialog boxes specify, dxsession uses the following resources:
terminalEmulatorName Specifies the name of the terminal emulator to run at dxsession startup. The default is dxterm.
create_vue Specifies the number of User Executive windows to create at startup. The default is 0.
create_terminal Specifies the number of terminal emulator windows to create at startup. The default is 1.
rootPasswd Specifies whether the root password can be used to resume a paused session. True means that the root password or the
user's password is accepted; false means that only the user's password is accepted. The default is False.
pointer_shape Specifies the design of the pointer character. DECwindows pointers are specified by negative numbers; choose the
pointer by using the Customize Pointer dialog box. MIT pointers can be specified by positive numbers that correspond
to values in /usr/include/X11/cursorfont.h.
Files
~/.login
~/.cshrc
~/.X11Startup
~/.Xdefaults
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/SessionManager
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/XSessionManager
/usr/lib/X11/getcons
See Also
DECwindows User's Guide
dxsession(1X)