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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-menuapp
       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 background
       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
       programs 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 . "\n"'}
         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)

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