UNCLUTTER(1X)UNCLUTTER(1X)NAME
unclutter - remove idle cursor image from screen
SYNOPSIS
unclutter [-display|-d display] [-idle seconds] [-keystroke] [-jitter pixels] [-grab] [-noevents] [-reset] [-root] [-onescreen] [-not] name
...
DESCRIPTION
unclutter removes the cursor image from the screen so that it does not obstruct the area you are looking at after it has not moved for a
given time. It does not do this if the cursor is in the root window or a button is down. It tries to ignore jitter (small movements due
to noise) if you have a mouse that twitches.
OPTIONS -display
is followed by the display to open.
-idle is followed by the number of seconds between polls for idleness. The default is 5.
-keystroke
tells unclutter not to use a timeout to determine when to remove the cursor, but to instead wait until a key has been pressed
(released, really).
-jitter
is followed by the amount of movement of the pointer that is to be ignored and considered as random noise. The default is 0.
-grab means use the original method of grabbing the pointer in order to remove the cursor. This often doesn't interoperate too well with
some window managers.
-noevents
stops unclutter sending a pseudo EnterNotify event to the X client whose cursor has been stolen. Sending the event helps programs
like emacs think that they have not lost the pointer focus. This option is provided for backwards compatibility in case some
clients get upset.
-reset resets the timeout for idleness after the cursor is restored for some reason (such as a window being pushed or popped) even though
the x y coordinates of the cursor have not changed. Normally, the cursor would immediately be removed again.
-root means remove the cursor even if it is on the root background, where in principle it should not be obscuring anything useful.
-onescreen
restricts unclutter to the single screen specified as display, or the default screen for the display. Normally, unclutter will
unclutter all the screens on a display.
-not is followed by a list of window names where the cursor should not be removed. The first few characters of the WM_NAME property on
the window need to match one the listed names. This argument must be the last on the command line.
LIMITATIONS
The -keystroke option may not work (that is, the cursor will not disappear) with clients that request KeyRelease events. Games and Xt
applications using KeyUp in their translation tables are most likely to suffer from this problem. The most feasible solution is to extend
unclutter to use the XTest extension to get all keyboard and mouse events, though this of course requires XTest to be in the server too.
The -keystroke option does not distinguish modifier keys from keys which actually generate characters. If desired this could be imple-
mented in a simple way by using XLookupString to see if any characters are returned.
DIAGNOSTICS
The message
someone created a sub-window to my sub-window!
means that unclutter thinks a second unclutter is running, and tried to steal the cursor by creating a sub-window to the sub-window already
used to steal the cursor. This situation quickly deteriorates into a fight no one can win, so it is detected when possible and the program
gives up.
AUTHOR
Mark M Martin. cetia 7feb1994. mmm@cetia.fr
UNCLUTTER(1X)
Check Out this Related Man Page
XGrabPointer(3X11) MIT X11R4 XGrabPointer(3X11)Name
XGrabPointer, XUngrabPointer, XChangeActivePointerGrab - grab the pointer
Syntax
int XGrabPointer(display, grab_window, owner_events, event_mask, pointer_mode, keyboard_mode, confine_to, cursor, time)
Display *display;
Window grab_window;
Bool owner_events;
unsigned int event_mask;
int pointer_mode, keyboard_mode;
Window confine_to;
Cursor cursor;
Time time;
XUngrabPointer(display, time)
Display *display;
Time time;
XChangeActivePointerGrab(display, event_mask, cursor, time)
Display *display;
unsigned int event_mask;
Cursor cursor;
Time time;
Arguments
confine_to
Specifies the window to confine the pointer in or
cursor Specifies the cursor that is to be displayed during the grab or
display Specifies the connection to the X server.
event_mask
Specifies which pointer events are reported to the client. The mask is the bitwise inclusive OR of the valid pointer event mask
bits.
grab_window
Specifies the grab window.
keyboard_mode
Specifies further processing of keyboard events. You can pass or
owner_events
Specifies a Boolean value that indicates whether the pointer events are to be reported as usual or reported with respect to the
grab window if selected by the event mask.
pointer_mode
Specifies further processing of pointer events. You can pass or
time Specifies the time. You can pass either a timestamp or
Description
The function actively grabs control of the pointer and returns if the grab was successful. Further pointer events are reported only to the
grabbing client. overrides any active pointer grab by this client. If owner_events is all generated pointer events are reported with
respect to grab_window and are reported only if selected by event_mask. If owner_events is and if a generated pointer event would normally
be reported to this client, it is reported as usual. Otherwise, the event is reported with respect to the grab_window and is reported only
if selected by event_mask. For either value of owner_events, unreported events are discarded.
If the pointer_mode is pointer event processing continues as usual. If the pointer is currently frozen by this client, the processing of
events for the pointer is resumed. If the pointer_mode is the state of the pointer, as seen by client applications, appears to freeze, and
the X server generates no further pointer events until the grabbing client calls or until the pointer grab is released. Actual pointer
changes are not lost while the pointer is frozen; they are simply queued in the server for later processing.
If the keyboard_mode is keyboard event processing is unaffected by activation of the grab. If the keyboard_mode is the state of the key-
board, as seen by client applications, appears to freeze, and the X server generates no further keyboard events until the grabbing client
calls or until the pointer grab is released. Actual keyboard changes are not lost while the pointer is frozen; they are simply queued in
the server for later processing.
If a cursor is specified, it is displayed regardless of what window the pointer is in. If is specified, the normal cursor for that window
is displayed when the pointer is in grab_window or one of its subwindows; otherwise, the cursor for grab_window is displayed.
If a confine_to window is specified, the pointer is restricted to stay contained in that window. The confine_to window need have no rela-
tionship to the grab_window. If the pointer is not initially in the confine_to window, it is warped automatically to the closest edge just
before the grab activates and enter/leave events are generated as usual. If the confine_to window is subsequently reconfigured, the
pointer is warped automatically, as necessary, to keep it contained in the window.
The time argument allows you to avoid certain circumstances that come up if applications take a long time to respond or if there are long
network delays. Consider a situation where you have two applications, both of which normally grab the pointer when clicked on. If both
applications specify the timestamp from the event, the second application may wake up faster and successfully grab the pointer before the
first application. The first application then will get an indication that the other application grabbed the pointer before its request was
processed.
generates and events.
Either if grab_window or confine_to window is not viewable or if the confine_to window lies completely outside the boundaries of the root
window, fails and returns If the pointer is actively grabbed by some other client, it fails and returns If the pointer is frozen by an
active grab of another client, it fails and returns If the specified time is earlier than the last-pointer-grab time or later than the cur-
rent X server time, it fails and returns Otherwise, the last-pointer-grab time is set to the specified time is replaced by the current X
server time).
can generate and errors.
The function releases the pointer and any queued events if this client has actively grabbed the pointer from or from a normal button press.
does not release the pointer if the specified time is earlier than the last-pointer-grab time or is later than the current X server time.
It also generates and events. The X server performs an request automatically if the event window or confine_to window for an active
pointer grab becomes not viewable or if window reconfiguration causes the confine_to window to lie completely outside the boundaries of the
root window.
The function changes the specified dynamic parameters if the pointer is actively grabbed by the client and if the specified time is no ear-
lier than the last-pointer-grab time and no later than the current X server time. This function has no effect on the passive parameters of
a The interpretation of event_mask and cursor is the same as described in
can generate a and error.
Diagnostics
A value for a Cursor argument does not name a defined Cursor.
Some numeric value falls outside the range of values accepted by the request.
Unless a specific range is specified for an argument, the full range defined by the argument's type is accepted. Any argument
defined as a set of alternatives can generate this error.
A value for a Window argument does not name a defined Window.
See AlsoXAllowEvents(3X11), XGrabButton(3X11), XGrabKey(3X11), XGrabKeyboard(3X11)
X Window System: The Complete Reference, Second Edition, Robert W. Scheifler and James Gettys
XGrabPointer(3X11)