Provided by: afterstep_2.2.12-13_amd64 
NAME
AfterStep - X11 window manager
STANDARD OPTIONS
The following is the list of command line options supported by all AfterStep modules and applications.
-v | --version
Display version information and stop.
-c | --config
Display Config information and stop.
-h | --help
Display uasge information and stop.
--debug
Debugging: Run in Synchronous mode.
-s | --single
Run on single screen only.
-r | --restart
Run as if it was restarted. Same as regular startup, only runs RestartFunctioninstead of
InitFunction.
-d | --displayval
Specify what X display we should connect to. Overrides $DISPLAY environment variable.
-f | --config-fileval
Read all config from requested file. Use it if you want to use .steprc instead of standard config
files.
-p | --user-dirval
Read all the config from requested dir. Use it to override config location requested in compile
time.
-g | --global-dirval
Use requested dir as a shared config dir. Use it to override shared config location requested in
compile time.
-V | --verbosity-levelval
Change verbosity of the AfterStep output. 0 - will disable any output; 1 - will allow only error
messages; 5 - both errors and warnings(default).
--windowval
Internal Use: Window in which action occurred. Interface part which has triggered our startup.
--contextval
Internal Use: Context in which action occurred. Interface part which has triggered our startup.
--lookval
Read look config from requested file. Use it if you want to use different look instead of what was
selected from the menu.
--feelval
Read feel config from requested file. Use it if you want to use different feel instead of what was
selected from the menu.
--themeval
Read theme config from requested file. Use it if you want to use different theme instead of what
was selected from the menu.
-l | --logval
Save all output into the file (instead of printing it to console).
-L | --localeval
Set language locale. To be used while displaying text.
--mynameval
Overrides module name. Will be used while parsing config files and reporting to AfterStep.
--geometryval
Overrides module's geometry.
--gravityval
Overrides module's gravity.
AfterStep has been almost entirely rewritten in this new incarnation. Here is the short list of
new architectural changes:
1.1. New high performance and high quality image handling engine has been developed to fulfill GUI
needs. It includes different image transformations, such as scaling, tiling, cropping, blurring,
blending of arbitrary number of layers, in-memory image compression, support for 12 different file
formats, including its own parser/writer of XPM files, capable of achieving much better
performance then default libXpm. Supported image formats are :
XPM, PNG, JPEG, XCF(GIMP image format), PPM, PNM, BMP, ICO, CUR, GIF, TIFF, and XML scripts. Where
XML scripts allow for user to create script of transformations to be performed on the image at the
time when it gets loaded./para> libAfterImage also provides support for TTF fonts ( using
libfreetype ) and smoothed standard X raster fonts.
1.2. Window hints handling has been rewritten and reorganized, and most of the Extended WM specs
has been incorporated, as well, as better support for Motif, ICCCM and old GNOME hints has been
implemented.
1.3. All the GUI rendering code has been aggregated into libAfterStep and now all the GUI elements
are rendered using consistent approach in every module and every part of the AfterStep proper.
From now on interface is build from so called TBars. TBar is rectangular area that may be
focused(hilited) or unfocused and pressed or unpressed. Each TBar has the following structure :
- the background of the TBar, which is defined by MyStyle and state of the bar - there are two
MyStyles assigned to each TBar - one for focused and one for unfocused state.
- tiles of the TBar. Tiles are smaller features that gets arranged inside the bar according to its
size, alignment, position and order. Tiles could be static icons ( cannot be pressed ); blocks of
buttons - each having two shapes - pressed and normal; Text labels; Empty space tiles.
There could be up to 256 tiles, each residing on one of the cells in 16x16 grid. Several tiles
could reside in single cell, in which case they get superimposed on top of each other.
- bevel of the TBar. When TBar is rendered all of its tiles are superimposed on top of its
background, and resulting image will have a 3D bevel drawn on it, using colors from same MyStyle
as used for background. Bevel could be switched off partially or entirely. Respective
configuration options has been added where appropriate. When TBar is pressed - its bevel is
inverted.
When TBar is rendered all of its elements gets superimposed on top of each other using one of 13
blending methods supported by libAfterImage, with default being simple alphablending. See MyFrame
configuration for more details. This is refrred to as "Composition Method".
1.4. Due to the fact that AfterStep is using compression to store images in memory - there is no
need to have separate root background handler, and so asetroot has been discontinued and afterstep
proper now does all the root background loading. You could simply copy-and-paste your asteroot
config into your look file. This has an added advantage of simplifing theme support for root
backgrounds.
1.5. Significant work has been done to create libAfterConf which provides easy means for reading
configuration options, and facilitates implementation of any configuration tool.
1.6. Some work has been done to improve support for themes. AfterStep proper and modules now load
configuration files is this order :
#1 - base config; #2 - look, feel, menu, database, autoexec and module specific config; #3 - theme
file; #4 - theme override file;
Theme override file is needed so that user may have a list of critical options that he/she does
not want to be changed by any theme. What is missing here is a comprehensive theme building tool.
1.7. AfterStep now make extensive use of X shaped extensions ( where available ) Everything could
be shaped now - titlebars, Pager, Wharf, etc. To make some element shaped - MyStyle with
BackPixmap type 125 or 126 should be used.
1.8. Menus are now treated same as regular windows. They could be configured in database file
using preset Style "ASMenu" to have different titlebar buttons, frame decorations, stickiness,
etc. MenuPinOn has been changed to be just another titlebar button, with PinMenu function assigned
to it.
1.9. AfterStep no longer uses fixed scheme of 5 titlebar buttons on each side, and order of
buttons could be configured in look. There is still limitation to have no more then 10 buttons
total.