my notes on (hacking) RXVT

(what is rxvt? http://mason.primenet.com.au/rxvt/)

Xdefaults

xprop -root|grep resource_manager

Hence, i don't see the point of parsing namely .Xdefaults; why not ~/.rxvt ?

excerpt from my config, possibly outdated: http://www.ruska.it/comp/activity/x/app-defaults/rxvt

Ctrl-Minus generates ^_ (31)

This is a workaround for Ctrl + minus not generating a reasonable ascii code (really?). Since, for historical reasons(?), Control+minus combination is used for Undoing, RXVT converts the X keyPressEvent into a valid ascii code (31), which would correspond to Shift+control+minus, while shift+minus gets us undescore. Using that Shift+control+minus is not handy.

In fact, I had problems in Zsh under XTerm, with this combination!

Useful control sequences:

buffers

echo -e  '\e[?47l Buffer switched'; ls ; echo -e  '\e[?47h Buffer switched';
echo -e  '\e[?47l Buffer back'

numeric keys

echo -ne '\e[?66l'

Seeing information in the X window Title:

echo -e '\e[8n'; sleep 10 

jump Scrolling

echo -e '\e[?4h'   disable jumps
echo -e '\e[?4l'

My original Escape sequences:

• Setting the X selection!

56 "xterm":

 echo -e '\e]56;This is the selected text\a'

I have made an easy patch for zsh-4.2.5 so that its cut buffer is exported via this Escape sequence to X selection. NEEDFIX: this esc-seq. confuses other terminals (linux console). Should be conditional!

Gravity

echo -e '\e]57;SW\a'

I see 3 suitable gravities (window-rxvt win and the VT win, and also bit g. inside VT win) to use:

• NW when not full-screen app, and cursor is not on the bottom line.
• SW gravity for the 2 cases:
  a/ enlarging (vertically): cursor at bottom & lines in scroll-back
  b/ narrowing (vertically): cursor at bottom. If no lines in scroll-back use NW!
  
• StaticGravity for full-screen (unless the app. requests explicitely something or course): But I don't know how can rxvt detect it (a suitable "definition" of full-screen app.?)

I'm interested in how to implement 2/ the 2 sub-cases. I shall probably set a window property, and hack Sawfish to change the gravity accordingly to what resize is to be done(narrow vs enlarge) and hints (implemented via window property).

Other major features in my patch

• Anti-flicker

download from the flicker page summary of enhancements:

• anti flickering
• set X selection via Esc sequence
• a couple of my key bindings (in XTerm it's run time configuration, here compile time! only?)
• Smooth scrolling with elinks/rxvt Can you read (follow text) while scrolling? Think about the ending titles in a film. My rxvt has now code to allow elinks scroll in that way.

http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/*checkout*/xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/xaa/XAA.HOWTO?rev=HEAD&content-type=text/plain

Un-iconify terminal by esc-seq:

Xterm

http://www.rahul.net/kenton/editres.html

Flickering mentioned in http://www.faqs.org/faqs/Xt-FAQ/

Useful links:

xterm / Escape Sequences

Rxvt Technical Reference

Eterm

Mrxvt --- multi-tabbed rxvt?

http://dickey.his.com/

where did i have to change my preference for rxvt over xterm:

• window manager
• some emacs: browse-url-generic-program
• MH ~/.mh_profile