Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
NAME
wm - Communicate with window manager
SYNOPSIS
wm option window ?args?
DESCRIPTION
The wm command is used to interact with window managers in
order to control such things as the title for a window, its
geometry, or the increments in terms of which it may be
resized. The wm command can take any of a number of dif-
ferent forms, depending on the option argument. All of the
forms expect at least one additional argument, window, which
must be the path name of a top-level window.
The legal forms for the wm command are:
wm aspect window ?minNumer minDenom maxNumer maxDenom?
If minNumer, minDenom, maxNumer, and maxDenom are all
specified, then they will be passed to the window
manager and the window manager should use them to
enforce a range of acceptable aspect ratios for window.
The aspect ratio of window (width/length) will be con-
strained to lie between minNumer/minDenom and
maxNumer/maxDenom. If minNumer etc. are all specified
as empty strings, then any existing aspect ratio res-
trictions are removed. If minNumer etc. are specified,
then the command returns an empty string. Otherwise,
it returns a Tcl list containing four elements, which
are the current values of minNumer, minDenom, maxNumer,
and maxDenom (if no aspect restrictions are in effect,
then an empty string is returned).
wm attributes window
wm attributes window ?option?
wm attributes window ?option value option value...?
This subcommand returns or sets platform specific
attributes associated with a window. The first form
returns a list of the platform specific flags and their
values. The second form returns the value for the
specific option. The third form sets one or more of the
values. The values are as follows:
On Windows, the following attributes may be set.
-disabled
Tk Last change: 8.4 1
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
Specifies whether the window is in a disabled
state.
-toolwin-
dow
Specifies a toolwindow style window (as defined in
the MSDN).
-top-
most
Specifies whether this is a topmost window
(displays above all other windows).
-alpha
Specifies the alpha transparency level of the
toplevel. It accepts a value from 0.0 (fully
transparent) to 1.0 (opaque). Values outside that
range will be constrained. This is supported on
Windows 2000/XP]. Where not supported, the -alpha
value remains at 1.0.
-tran-
sparentcolor
Specifies the transparent color index of the
toplevel. It takes any color value accepted by
TkGetColor. If the empty string is specified
(default), no transparent color is used. This is
supported on Windows 2000/XP]. Where not sup-
ported, the -transparentcolor value remains at {}.
On Mac OS X, the following attributes may be set.
-modi-
fied
Specifies the modification state of the window
(determines whether the window close widget con-
tains the modification indicator and whether the
proxy icon is draggable).
-titlepath
Specifies the path of the file referenced as the
window proxy icon (which can be dragged and
dropped in lieu of the file's finder icon).
-alpha
Specifies the alpha transparency level of the win-
dow. It accepts a value from 0.0 (fully tran-
sparent) to 1.0 (opaque), values outside that
range will be constrained.
-top-
most
Tk Last change: 8.4 2
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
Specifies whether this is a topmost window
(displays above all other windows).
-tran-
sparent
Makes the window content area transparent and
turns off the window shadow. For the transparency
to be effecive, the toplevel background needs to
be set to a color with some alpha, e.g. "system-
Transparent".
-fullscreen
Places the window in a mode that takes up the
entire main screen and hides the dock and menu
bar.
On X11, there are currently no special attribute values.
wm client window ?name?
If name is specified, this command stores name (which
should be the name of the host on which the application
is executing) in window's WMCLIENTMACHINE property
for use by the window manager or session manager. The
command returns an empty string in this case. If name
isn't specified, the command returns the last name set
in a wm client command for window. If name is speci-
fied as an empty string, the command deletes the
WMCLIENTMACHINE property from window.
wm colormapwindows window ?windowList?
This command is used to manipulate the
WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS property, which provides informa-
tion to the window managers about windows that have
private colormaps. If windowList isn't specified, the
command returns a list whose elements are the names of
the windows in the WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS property. If
windowList is specified, it consists of a list of win-
dow path names; the command overwrites the
WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS property with the given windows and
returns an empty string. The WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS pro-
perty should normally contain a list of the internal
windows within window whose colormaps differ from their
parents. The order of the windows in the property
indicates a priority order: the window manager will
attempt to install as many colormaps as possible from
the head of this list when window gets the colormap
focus. If window is not included among the windows in
windowList, Tk implicitly adds it at the end of the
WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS property, so that its colormap is
lowest in priority. If wm colormapwindows is not
invoked, Tk will automatically set the property for
each top-level window to all the internal windows whose
Tk Last change: 8.4 3
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
colormaps differ from their parents, followed by the
top-level itself; the order of the internal windows is
undefined. See the ICM documentation for more infor-
mation on the WMCOLORMAPWINDOWS property.
wm command window ?value?
If value is specified, this command stores value in
window's WMCOMAND property for use by the window
manager or session manager and returns an empty string.
Value must have proper list structure; the elements
should contain the words of the command used to invoke
the application. If value isn't specified then the
command returns the last value set in a wm command com-
mand for window. If value is specified as an empty
string, the command deletes the WMCOMAND property
from window.
wm deiconify window
Arrange for window to be displayed in normal (non-
iconified) form. This is done by mapping the window.
If the window has never been mapped then this command
will not map the window, but it will ensure that when
the window is first mapped it will be displayed in de-
iconified form. On Windows, a deiconified window will
also be raised and be given the focus (made the active
window). Returns an empty string.
wm focusmodel window ?activepassive?
If active or passive is supplied as an optional argu-
ment to the command, then it specifies the focus model
for window. In this case the command returns an empty
string. If no additional argument is supplied, then
the command returns the current focus model for window.
An active focus model means that window will claim the
input focus for itself or its descendants, even at
times when the focus is currently in some other appli-
cation. Passive means that window will never claim the
focus for itself: the window manager should give the
focus to window at appropriate times. However, once
the focus has been given to window or one of its des-
cendants, the application may re-assign the focus among
window's descendants. The focus model defaults to pas-
sive, and Tk's focus command assumes a passive model of
focusing.
wm frame window
If window has been reparented by the window manager
into a decorative frame, the command returns the plat-
form specific window identifier for the outermost frame
that contains window (the window whose parent is the
root or virtual root). If window hasn't been
reparented by the window manager then the command
Tk Last change: 8.4 4
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
returns the platform specific window identifier for
window.
wm geometry window ?newGeometry?
If newGeometry is specified, then the geometry of win-
dow is changed and an empty string is returned. Other-
wise the current geometry for window is returned (this
is the most recent geometry specified either by manual
resizing or in a wm geometry command). NewGeometry has
the form =widthxheight]x]y, where any of =, widthx-
height, or ]x]y may be omitted. Width and height are
positive integers specifying the desired dimensions of
window. If window is gridded (see GRIDED GEOMETRY
MANAGEMENT below) then the dimensions are specified in
grid units; otherwise they are specified in pixel
units. X and y specify the desired location of window
on the screen, in pixels. If x is preceded by ], it
specifies the number of pixels between the left edge of
the screen and the left edge of window's border; if
preceded by - then x specifies the number of pixels
between the right edge of the screen and the right edge
of window's border. If y is preceded by ] then it
specifies the number of pixels between the top of the
screen and the top of window's border; if y is pre-
ceded by - then it specifies the number of pixels
between the bottom of window's border and the bottom of
the screen. If newGeometry is specified as an empty
string then any existing user-specified geometry for
window is cancelled, and the window will revert to the
size requested internally by its widgets.
wm grid window ?baseWidth baseHeight widthInc heightInc?
This command indicates that window is to be managed as
a gridded window. It also specifies the relationship
between grid units and pixel units. BaseWidth and
baseHeight specify the number of grid units correspond-
ing to the pixel dimensions requested internally by
window using TkGeometryRequest. WidthInc and
heightInc specify the number of pixels in each horizon-
tal and vertical grid unit. These four values deter-
mine a range of acceptable sizes for window,
corresponding to grid-based widths and heights that are
non-negative integers. Tk will pass this information
to the window manager; during manual resizing, the
window manager will restrict the window's size to one
of these acceptable sizes. Furthermore, during manual
resizing the window manager will display the window's
current size in terms of grid units rather than pixels.
If baseWidth etc. are all specified as empty strings,
then window will no longer be managed as a gridded win-
dow. If baseWidth etc. are specified then the return
value is an empty string. Otherwise the return value
Tk Last change: 8.4 5
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
is a Tcl list containing four elements corresponding to
the current baseWidth, baseHeight, widthInc, and
heightInc; if window is not currently gridded, then an
empty string is returned. Note: this command should
not be needed very often, since the TkSetGrid library
procedure and the setGrid option provide easier access
to the same functionality.
wm group window ?pathName?
If pathName is specified, it gives the path name for
the leader of a group of related windows. The window
manager may use this information, for example, to unmap
all of the windows in a group when the group's leader
is iconified. PathName may be specified as an empty
string to remove window from any group association. If
pathName is specified then the command returns an empty
string; otherwise it returns the path name of window's
current group leader, or an empty string if window
isn't part of any group.
wm iconbitmap window ?bitmap?
If bitmap is specified, then it names a bitmap in the
standard forms accepted by Tk (see the TkGetBitmap
manual entry for details). This bitmap is passed to
the window manager to be displayed in window's icon,
and the command returns an empty string. If an empty
string is specified for bitmap, then any current icon
bitmap is cancelled for window. If bitmap is specified
then the command returns an empty string. Otherwise it
returns the name of the current icon bitmap associated
with window, or an empty string if window has no icon
bitmap. On the Windows operating system, an additional
flag is supported: wm iconbitmap window ?-default?
?image?. If the -default flag is given, the icon is
applied to all toplevel windows (existing and future)
to which no other specific icon has yet been applied.
In addition to bitmap image types, a full path specifi-
cation to any file which contains a valid Windows icon
is also accepted (usually .ico or .icr files), or any
file for which the shell has assigned an icon. Tcl
will first test if the file contains an icon, then if
it has an assigned icon, and finally, if that fails,
test for a bitmap.
wm iconify window
Arrange for window to be iconified. It window hasn't
yet been mapped for the first time, this command will
arrange for it to appear in the iconified state when it
is eventually mapped.
wm iconmask window ?bitmap?
If bitmap is specified, then it names a bitmap in the
Tk Last change: 8.4 6
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
standard forms accepted by Tk (see the TkGetBitmap
manual entry for details). This bitmap is passed to
the window manager to be used as a mask in conjunction
with the iconbitmap option: where the mask has zeroes
no icon will be displayed; where it has ones, the bits
from the icon bitmap will be displayed. If an empty
string is specified for bitmap then any current icon
mask is cancelled for window (this is equivalent to
specifying a bitmap of all ones). If bitmap is speci-
fied then the command returns an empty string. Other-
wise it returns the name of the current icon mask asso-
ciated with window, or an empty string if no mask is in
effect.
wm iconname window ?newName?
If newName is specified, then it is passed to the win-
dow manager; the window manager should display newName
inside the icon associated with window. In this case
an empty string is returned as result. If newName
isn't specified then the command returns the current
icon name for window, or an empty string if no icon
name has been specified (in this case the window
manager will normally display the window's title, as
specified with the wm title command).
wm iconposition window ?x y?
If x and y are specified, they are passed to the window
manager as a hint about where to position the icon for
window. In this case an empty string is returned. If
x and y are specified as empty strings then any exist-
ing icon position hint is cancelled. If neither x nor
y is specified, then the command returns a Tcl list
containing two values, which are the current icon posi-
tion hints (if no hints are in effect then an empty
string is returned).
wm iconwindow window ?pathName?
If pathName is specified, it is the path name for a
window to use as icon for window: when window is iconi-
fied then pathName will be mapped to serve as icon, and
when window is de-iconified then pathName will be
unmapped again. If pathName is specified as an empty
string then any existing icon window association for
window will be cancelled. If the pathName argument is
specified then an empty string is returned. Otherwise
the command returns the path name of the current icon
window for window, or an empty string if there is no
icon window currently specified for window. Button
press events are disabled for window as long as it is
an icon window; this is needed in order to allow win-
dow managers to ``own'' those events. Note: not all
window managers support the notion of an icon window.
Tk Last change: 8.4 7
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
wm maxsize window ?width height?
If width and height are specified, they give the max-
imum permissible dimensions for window. For gridded
windows the dimensions are specified in grid units;
otherwise they are specified in pixel units. The win-
dow manager will restrict the window's dimensions to be
less than or equal to width and height. If width and
height are specified, then the command returns an empty
string. Otherwise it returns a Tcl list with two ele-
ments, which are the maximum width and height currently
in effect. The maximum size defaults to the size of
the screen. See the sections on geometry management
below for more information.
wm minsize window ?width height?
If width and height are specified, they give the
minimum permissible dimensions for window. For gridded
windows the dimensions are specified in grid units;
otherwise they are specified in pixel units. The win-
dow manager will restrict the window's dimensions to be
greater than or equal to width and height. If width
and height are specified, then the command returns an
empty string. Otherwise it returns a Tcl list with two
elements, which are the minimum width and height
currently in effect. The minimum size defaults to one
pixel in each dimension. See the sections on geometry
management below for more information.
wm overrideredirect window ?boolean?
If boolean is specified, it must have a proper boolean
form and the override-redirect flag for window is set
to that value. If boolean is not specified then 1 or 0
is returned to indicate whether or not the override-
redirect flag is currently set for window. Setting the
override-redirect flag for a window causes it to be
ignored by the window manager; among other things,
this means that the window will not be reparented from
the root window into a decorative frame and the user
will not be able to manipulate the window using the
normal window manager mechanisms.
wm positionfrom window ?who?
If who is specified, it must be either program or user,
or an abbreviation of one of these two. It indicates
whether window's current position was requested by the
program or by the user. Many window managers ignore
program-requested initial positions and ask the user to
manually position the window; if user is specified
then the window manager should position the window at
the given place without asking the user for assistance.
If who is specified as an empty string, then the
current position source is cancelled. If who is
Tk Last change: 8.4 8
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
specified, then the command returns an empty string.
Otherwise it returns user or program to indicate the
source of the window's current position, or an empty
string if no source has been specified yet. Most win-
dow managers interpret ``no source'' as equivalent to
program. Tk will automatically set the position source
to user when a wm geometry command is invoked, unless
the source has been set explicitly to program.
wm protocol window ?name? ?command?
This command is used to manage window manager protocols
such as WMDELETEWINDOW. Name is the name of an atom
corresponding to a window manager protocol, such as
WMDELETEWINDOW or WMSAVEYOURSELF or WMTAKEFOCUS.
If both name and command are specified, then command is
associated with the protocol specified by name. Name
will be added to window's WMPROTOCOLS property to tell
the window manager that the application has a protocol
handler for name, and command will be invoked in the
future whenever the window manager sends a message to
the client for that protocol. In this case the command
returns an empty string. If name is specified but com-
mand isn't, then the current command for name is
returned, or an empty string if there is no handler
defined for name. If command is specified as an empty
string then the current handler for name is deleted and
it is removed from the WMPROTOCOLS property on window;
an empty string is returned. Lastly, if neither name
nor command is specified, the command returns a list of
all the protocols for which handlers are currently
defined for window.
Tk always defines a protocol handler for
WMDELETEWINDOW, even if you haven't asked for one
with wm protocol. If a WMDELETEWINDOW message
arrives when you haven't defined a handler, then Tk
handles the message by destroying the window for which
it was received.
wm resizable window ?width height?
This command controls whether or not the user may
interactively resize a top-level window. If width and
height are specified, they are boolean values that
determine whether the width and height of window may be
modified by the user. In this case the command returns
an empty string. If width and height are omitted then
the command returns a list with two 0/1 elements that
indicate whether the width and height of window are
currently resizable. By default, windows are resizable
in both dimensions. If resizing is disabled, then the
window's size will be the size from the most recent
interactive resize or wm geometry command. If there
Tk Last change: 8.4 9
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
has been no such operation then the window's natural
size will be used.
wm sizefrom window ?who?
If who is specified, it must be either program or user,
or an abbreviation of one of these two. It indicates
whether window's current size was requested by the pro-
gram or by the user. Some window managers ignore
program-requested sizes and ask the user to manually
size the window; if user is specified then the window
manager should give the window its specified size
without asking the user for assistance. If who is
specified as an empty string, then the current size
source is cancelled. If who is specified, then the
command returns an empty string. Otherwise it returns
user or window to indicate the source of the window's
current size, or an empty string if no source has been
specified yet. Most window managers interpret ``no
source'' as equivalent to program.
wm stackorder window ?isaboveisbelow window?
The stackorder command returns a list of toplevel win-
dows in stacking order, from lowest to highest. When a
single toplevel window is passed, the returned list
recursively includes all of the window's children that
are toplevels. Only those toplevels that are currently
mapped to the screen are returned. The stackorder com-
mand can also be used to determine if one toplevel is
positioned above or below a second toplevel. When two
window arguments separated by either isabove or isbelow
are passed, a boolean result indicates whether or not
the first window is currently above or below the second
window in the stacking order.
wm state window ?newstate?
If newstate is specified, the window will be set to the
new state, otherwise it returns the current state of
window: either normal, iconic, withdrawn, icon, or
(Windows and Mac OS X only) zoomed. The difference
between iconic and icon is that iconic refers to a win-
dow that has been iconified (e.g., with the wm iconify
command) while icon refers to a window whose only pur-
pose is to serve as the icon for some other window (via
the wm iconwindow command). The icon state cannot be
set.
wm title window ?string?
If string is specified, then it will be passed to the
window manager for use as the title for window (the
window manager should display this string in window's
title bar). In this case the command returns an empty
string. If string isn't specified then the command
Tk Last change: 8.4 10
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
returns the current title for the window. The title
for a window defaults to its name.
wm transient window ?master?
If master is specified, then the window manager is
informed that window is a transient window (e.g. pull-
down menu) working on behalf of master (where master is
the path name for a top-level window). If master is
specified as an empty string then window is marked as
not being a transient window any more. Otherwise the
command returns the path name of window's current mas-
ter, or an empty string if window isn't currently a
transient window. A transient window will mirror state
changes in the master and inherit the state of the mas-
ter when initially mapped. It is an error to attempt to
make a window a transient of itself.
wm withdraw window
Arranges for window to be withdrawn from the screen.
This causes the window to be unmapped and forgotten
about by the window manager. If the window has never
been mapped, then this command causes the window to be
mapped in the withdrawn state. Not all window managers
appear to know how to handle windows that are mapped in
the withdrawn state. Note: it sometimes seems to be
necessary to withdraw a window and then re-map it (e.g.
with wm deiconify) to get some window managers to pay
attention to changes in window attributes such as
group.
GEOMETRY MANAGEMENT
By default a top-level window appears on the screen in its
natural size, which is the one determined internally by its
widgets and geometry managers. If the natural size of a
top-level window changes, then the window's size changes to
match. A top-level window can be given a size other than
its natural size in two ways. First, the user can resize
the window manually using the facilities of the window
manager, such as resize handles. Second, the application
can request a particular size for a top-level window using
the wm geometry command. These two cases are handled ident-
ically by Tk; in either case, the requested size overrides
the natural size. You can return the window to its natural
by invoking wm geometry with an empty geometry string.
Normally a top-level window can have any size from one pixel
in each dimension up to the size of its screen. However,
you can use the wm minsize and wm maxsize commands to limit
the range of allowable sizes. The range set by wm minsize
and wm maxsize applies to all forms of resizing, including
the window's natural size as well as manual resizes and the
wm geometry command. You can also use the command wm
Tk Last change: 8.4 11
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
resizable to completely disable interactive resizing in one
or both dimensions.
GRIDED GEOMETRY MANAGEMENT
Gridded geometry management occurs when one of the widgets
of an application supports a range of useful sizes. This
occurs, for example, in a text editor where the scrollbars,
menus, and other adornments are fixed in size but the edit
widget can support any number of lines of text or characters
per line. In this case, it is usually desirable to let the
user specify the number of lines or characters-per-line,
either with the wm geometry command or by interactively
resizing the window. In the case of text, and in other
interesting cases also, only discrete sizes of the window
make sense, such as integral numbers of lines and
characters-per-line; arbitrary pixel sizes are not useful.
Gridded geometry management provides support for this kind
of application. Tk (and the window manager) assume that
there is a grid of some sort within the application and that
the application should be resized in terms of grid units
rather than pixels. Gridded geometry management is typi-
cally invoked by turning on the setGrid option for a widget;
it can also be invoked with the wm grid command or by cal-
ling TkSetGrid. In each of these approaches the particular
widget (or sometimes code in the application as a whole)
specifies the relationship between integral grid sizes for
the window and pixel sizes. To return to non-gridded
geometry management, invoke wm grid with empty argument
strings.
When gridded geometry management is enabled then all the
dimensions specified in wm minsize, wm maxsize, and wm
geometry commands are treated as grid units rather than
pixel units. Interactive resizing is also carried out in
even numbers of grid units rather than pixels.
BUGS
Most existing window managers appear to have bugs that
affect the operation of the wm command. For example, some
changes won't take effect if the window is already active:
the window will have to be withdrawn and de-iconified in
order to make the change happen.
EXAMPLES
A fixed-size window that says that it is fixed-size too:
toplevel .fixed
wm title .fixed "Fixed-size Window"
wm resizable .fixed 0 0
A simple dialog-like window, centred on the screen:
# Create and arrange the dialog contents.
Tk Last change: 8.4 12
Tk Built-In Commands wm(1T)
toplevel .msg
label .msg.l -text "This is a very simple dialog demo."
button .msg.ok -text OK -default active -command {destroy .msg}
pack .msg.ok -side bottom -fill x
pack .msg.l -expand 1 -fill both
# Now set the widget up as a centred dialog.
# But first, we need the geometry managers to finish setting
# up the interior of the dialog, for which we need to run the
# event loop with the widget hidden completely...
wm withdraw .msg
update
set x [expr {([winfo screenwidth .]-[winfo width .msg])/2}]
set y [expr {([winfo screenheight .]-[winfo height .msg])/2}]
wm geometry .msg ]$x]$y
wm transient .msg .
wm title .msg "Dialog demo"
wm deiconify .msg
SEE ALSO
toplevel(1T), winfo(1T)
KEYWORDS
aspect ratio, deiconify, focus model, geometry, grid, group,
icon, iconify, increments, position, size, title, top-level
window, units, window manager
ATRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:
ATRIBUTE TYPE ATRIBUTE VALUE
Availability SUNWTk
Interface Stability Uncommitted
NOTES
Source for Tk is available on http:/opensolaris.org.
Tk Last change: 8.4 13
|
