NAME

       ratmenu - create a menu to run commands

SYNOPSIS

       ratmenu  [ -display displayname ] [ -font fname ] [ -fg foreground-color ] [ -bg background-color ] [ -io
       item-offset ] [ -label name ] [ -shell prog ] [ -align {left|center|right} ] [ -style {snazzy|dreary} ] [
       -persist ] [ -version ] [ menuitem command ] ...

DESCRIPTION

       ratmenu  is  a simple program that accepts a list of menu item and command pairs on the command line.  It
       creates a window that consists of  nothing  but  a  menu.   When  a  particular  item  is  selected,  the
       corresponding command is executed.

       ratmenu does not recognize any usage of the rodent.  It is entirely keystroke operated.

       Menu items must be followed by a command.  The syntax is based on that of the dialog program.

       ratmenu accepts the following command line options.

              -display displayname
                     Use the X display displayname, instead of the default display.

              -font fname
                     (X Resource: font) Use the font fname, instead of the default font.

              -label name
                     Change  both  the  window  and icon labels of the window to name.  The default label is the
                     last component of the path used to run ratmenu, typically, ratmenu.

              -fg foreground-color
                     (X Resource: fgcolor) Set the  foreground  color  to  foreground-color.   By  default,  the
                     foreground color is black.

              -bg background-color
                     (X  Resource:  bgcolor)  Set  the  background  color  to background-color.  By default, the
                     background color is white.

              -io item-offset
                     Set the first selected item to item-offset.  By default, the first  item  is  the  top-most
                     one, or item-offset 1.  The next item down would be at item-offset 2.

              -style {snazzy|dreary}
                     (X  Resource:  style) The default style is snazzy, where the highlight bar, which shows the
                     currently selected item, remains stationary while all the menu items are rotated up or down
                     when  the  cursor  keys are moved.  In dreary mode, the highlight bar moves up and down the
                     menu as it does on all conventional keyboard controlled menus.

              -align {left|center|right}
                     (X Resource: align) Align the text of the menu entries  to  the  left,  right,  or  center.
                     Defaults to left.  This is different from 9menu, which defaults to center.

              -shell prog
                     Use  prog as the shell to run commands, instead of /bin/sh.  A popular alternative shell is
                     rc(1).  If the shell cannot be executed, ratmenu will silently fall back to using /bin/sh.

              -back prevmenu
                     prevmenu is a command or shell script to run when the back key is pressed, usually a script
                     that has ratmenu showing the previous menu.  Used to create nested menus, it gives the user
                     a way to back out and return to the previous menu.  Note that you can use this  option  for
                     other things too.  The command specified by the -back option is executed when the user hits
                     one of the "back" keys.

              -persist
                     (X Resource: persist) Ordinarily, ratmenu exits if a new window pops up on top of it, or if
                     you  switch  to  another  window.  This option tells ratmenu to hang around, like a regular
                     window.

              -version
                     This option prints the version of ratmenu on the standard output, and then  exits  with  an
                     exit value of zero.

KEYSTROKES

       The  Up keystrokes move the selection to the next item up.  The Down keystrokes move the selection to the
       next item down.  When the selection reaches the top or bottom, it scrolls around to  the  other  side  on
       pressing  of  the  appropriate  keystroke. The Select keystrokes execute the command corresponding to the
       currently selected menu item, and exit ratmenu.  The Exit keystrokes quit ratmenu without doing anything.

              Up
                      'k', Up_arrow, BackSpace, '-', C-p

              Down
                      'j', Down_arrow, Space, Tab, '+', C-n, C-i

              Select
                      'l', Right_arrow, Return, C-f, C-m, C-j

              Back
                      'h', Left_arrow, C-b

              Exit
                      'q', Escape, C-g

CONFIGURATION USING X RESOURCES

       You can configure some  items  using  xrdb  to  load  appropriate  X  resources.   There  is  an  example
       configuration   in   the   file   /usr/share/doc/ratmenu/Xresources.ratmenu   which  shows  all  possible
       configuration items.  Give it a look; it is fairly easy to figure out.

EXAMPLES

       ratmenu -label "Remotes xterm" acme "rsh acme xterm" herman "rsh herman 9term" &

       ratmenu -label 'X progs' ghostview ghostview xdvi xdvi xeyes xeyes xneko xneko &

       ratmenu -back ~/bin/mypreviousmenu "X Eyes" xeyes &

SEE ALSO

       ratpoison(1), ratpoisonrc(5), dialog(1) xrdb(1)

       Ratpoison Desktop Users Manual.

AUTHORS

       The initial idea for this program was by Arnold Robbins, after having worked with John Mackin's GWM  Blit
       emulation.  Matty Farrow wrote a version using libXg, from which some ideas were borrowed.  This code was
       written by David Hogan and Arnold Robbins.  Rich Salz motivated  the  -shell  option.   Jonathan  Walther
       modified  this code to play nicely with the ratpoison window manager by removing handling of mouse events
       and iconification. Zrajm C Akfohg made many  improvements  in  his  ratmen  fork,  including  X  resource
       handling, some of which were folded back in.