Provided by: tk8.5-doc_8.5.19-3_all 
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 different 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 constrained to lie between minNumer/minDenom and
maxNumer/maxDenom. If minNumer etc. are all specified as empty strings, then any
existing aspect ratio restrictions 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:
All platforms support the following attributes (though X11 users should see the
notes below):
-fullscreen
Places the window in a mode that takes up the entire screen, has no borders,
and covers the general use area (i.e. Start menu and taskbar on Windows,
dock and menubar on OSX, general window decorations on X11).
-topmost
Specifies whether this is a topmost window (displays above all other
windows).
On Windows, the following attributes may be set.
-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.
-disabled
Specifies whether the window is in a disabled state.
-toolwindow
Specifies a toolwindow style window (as defined in the MSDN).
-transparentcolor
Specifies the transparent color index of the toplevel. It takes any color │
value accepted by Tk_GetColor. If the empty string is specified (default), │
no transparent color is used. This is supported on Windows 2000/XP+. Where │
not supported, the -transparentcolor value remains at {}.
On Mac OS X, the following attributes may be set.
-alpha Specifies the alpha transparency level of the window. It accepts a value
from 0.0 (fully transparent) to 1.0 (opaque), values outside that range will
be constrained.
-modified
Specifies the modification state of the window (determines whether the
window close widget contains the modification indicator and whether the
proxy icon is draggable).
-notify
Specifies process notification state (bouncing of the application dock
icon).
-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).
-transparent
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. “systemTransparent”.
On X11, the following attributes may be set. These are not supported by all window
managers, and will have no effect under older WMs.
-zoomed
Requests that the window should be maximized. This is the same as wm state
zoomed on Windows and Mac OS X.
On X11, changes to window attributes are performed asynchronously. Querying the
value of an attribute returns the current state, which will not be the same as the
value most recently set if the window manager has not yet processed the request or
if it does not support the attribute.
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 WM_CLIENT_MACHINE property
for use by the window manager or session manager. The command returns an empty
string in this case. If name is not specified, the command returns the last name
set in a wm client command for window. If name is specified as an empty string,
the command deletes the WM_CLIENT_MACHINE property from window.
wm colormapwindows window ?windowList?
This command is used to manipulate the WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS property, which provides
information to the window managers about windows that have private colormaps.
If windowList is not specified, the command returns a list whose elements are the
names of the windows in the WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS property. If windowList is
specified, it consists of a list of window path names; the command overwrites the
WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS property with the given windows and returns an empty string.
The WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS property 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 WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS
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 colormaps differ from their parents, followed by the
top-level itself; the order of the internal windows is undefined. See the ICCCM
documentation for more information on the WM_COLORMAP_WINDOWS property.
wm command window ?value?
If value is specified, this command stores value in window's WM_COMMAND 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 is not specified then the
command returns the last value set in a wm command command for window. If value is
specified as an empty string, the command deletes the WM_COMMAND 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 ?active|passive?
If active or passive is supplied as an optional argument 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
application. 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 descendants, the application may
re-assign the focus among window's descendants. The focus model defaults to
passive, and Tk's focus command assumes a passive model of focusing.
wm forget window
The window will be unmapped from the screen and will no longer be managed by wm.
Windows created with the toplevel command will be treated like frame windows once
they are no longer managed by wm, however, the -menu configuration will be
remembered and the menus will return once the widget is managed again.
wm frame window
If window has been reparented by the window manager into a decorative frame, the
command returns the platform specific window identifier for the outermost frame
that contains window (the window whose parent is the root or virtual root). If
window has not been reparented by the window manager then the command returns the
platform specific window identifier for window.
wm geometry window ?newGeometry?
If newGeometry is specified, then the geometry of window is changed and an empty
string is returned. Otherwise 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 =,
widthxheight, or ±x±y may be omitted. Width and height are positive integers
specifying the desired dimensions of window. If window is gridded (see GRIDDED
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 preceded 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.
Note that this is related to winfo geometry, but not the same. That can only query
the geometry, and always reflects Tk's current understanding of the actual size and
location of window, whereas wm geometry allows both setting and querying of the
window manager's understanding of the size and location of the window. This can
vary significantly, for example to reflect the addition of decorative elements to
window such as title bars, and window managers are not required to precisely follow
the requests made through this command.
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 corresponding to the pixel dimensions
requested internally by window using Tk_GeometryRequest. WidthInc and heightInc
specify the number of pixels in each horizontal and vertical grid unit. These four
values determine 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
window. If baseWidth etc. are specified then the return value is an empty string.
Otherwise the return value 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 Tk_SetGrid 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 is not 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 Tk_GetBitmap 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 specification 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 has not 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 standard forms accepted by Tk
(see the Tk_GetBitmap 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 specified then the command returns
an empty string. Otherwise it returns the name of the current icon mask associated
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 window 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 is not 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 iconphoto window ?-default? image1 ?image2 ...? │
Sets the titlebar icon for window based on the named photo images. If -default is │
specified, this is applied to all future created toplevels as well. The data in │
the images is taken as a snapshot at the time of invocation. If the images are │
later changed, this is not reflected to the titlebar icons. Multiple images are │
accepted to allow different images sizes (e.g., 16x16 and 32x32) to be provided. │
The window manager may scale provided icons to an appropriate size. │
On Windows, the images are packed into a Windows icon structure. This will │
override an ico specified to wm iconbitmap, and vice versa. │
On X, the images are arranged into the _NET_WM_ICON X property, which most modern │
window managers support. A wm iconbitmap may exist simultaneously. It is │
recommended to use not more than 2 icons, placing the larger icon first. │
On Macintosh, this currently does nothing.
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 existing 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 position 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 iconified 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 window managers to “own” those events.
Note: not all window managers support the notion of an icon window.
wm manage widget
The widget specified will become a stand alone top-level window. The window will
be decorated with the window managers title bar, etc. Only frame, labelframe and
toplevel widgets can be used with this command. Attempting to pass any other widget
type will raise an error. Attempting to manage a toplevel widget is benign and
achieves nothing. See also GEOMETRY MANAGEMENT.
wm maxsize window ?width height?
If width and height are specified, they give the maximum permissible dimensions for
window. For gridded windows the dimensions are specified in grid units; otherwise
they are specified in pixel units. The window 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 elements, 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 window 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 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 window 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 WM_DELETE_WINDOW.
Name is the name of an atom corresponding to a window manager protocol, such as
WM_DELETE_WINDOW or WM_SAVE_YOURSELF or WM_TAKE_FOCUS. If both name and command
are specified, then command is associated with the protocol specified by name.
Name will be added to window's WM_PROTOCOLS 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 command is not, 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 WM_PROTOCOLS 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 WM_DELETE_WINDOW, even if you have not
asked for one with wm protocol. If a WM_DELETE_WINDOW message arrives when you
have not 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 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
program 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 ?isabove|isbelow window?
The stackorder command returns a list of toplevel windows 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
command 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 window that has been iconified (e.g., with the wm iconify
command) while icon refers to a window whose only purpose 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 is not
specified then the command 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 master, or an empty string if
window is not currently a transient window. A transient window will mirror state
changes in the master and inherit the state of the master 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 identically 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 resizable to completely disable
interactive resizing in one or both dimensions.
The wm manage and wm forget commands may be used to perform undocking and docking of
windows. After a widget is managed by wm manage command, all other wm subcommands may be
used with the widget. Only widgets created using the toplevel command may have an
attached menu via the -menu configure option. A toplevel widget may be used as a frame
and managed with any of the other geometry managers after using the wm forget command.
Any menu associated with a toplevel widget will be hidden when managed by another geometry
managers. The menus will reappear once the window is managed by wm. All custom bindtags
for widgets in a subtree that have their top-level widget changed via a wm manage or wm
forget command, must be redone to adjust any top-level widget path in the bindtags.
Bindtags that have not been customized do not have to be redone.
GRIDDED 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 typically invoked by turning on the setGrid option for a widget;
it can also be invoked with the wm grid command or by calling Tk_SetGrid. 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 will not 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.
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(3tk), winfo(3tk)
KEYWORDS
aspect ratio, deiconify, focus model, geometry, grid, group, icon, iconify, increments,
position, size, title, top-level window, units, window manager