NAME

       pmconfirm, pmmessage, pmquery - general purpose dialog box

SYNOPSIS

       pmconfirm  [-c]  [-b  button-name]  [-B  default-button-name] [-t string] [-file filename]
       [-icon  icontype]  [-font  font]  [-header   titlebar-string]   [-useslider]   [-noslider]
       [-noframe] [-exclusive]

       pmmessage   [-buttons   label1[:value1][,label2[:value2][,...]]]   [-center]  [-nearmouse]
       [-default button] [-file filename] [-print] [-timeout sec] message...

       pmquery [-input] [all above options...]  [message...]

DESCRIPTION

       pmquery provides a command-line-option  compatible  implementation  of  the  xconfirm  and
       xmessage tools, using a look-and-feel that is consistent with pmchart.  Several extensions
       to the functionality of the original tools have been  made,  in  order  to  improve  their
       specific utility for pmchart, but wherever possible the original semantics remain.

       pmconfirm  displays  a line of text for each -t option specified (or a file when the -file
       option is used), and a button for each -b option specified.  When one of  the  buttons  is
       pressed,  the label of that button is written to pmquery's standard output.  This provides
       a means of communication/feedback from within shell scripts and a means to display  useful
       information to a user from an application.

       pmmessage  displays  a  window  containing  a  message  from  the command line, a file, or
       standard input.  It additionally allows buttons to be associated with an exit status,  and
       only optionally will write the label of the button to standard output.

       pmquery  extends  the above tools to additionally support limited user input, as free form
       text.  In this -input mode, any text entered will be output when  the  default  button  is
       pressed.  A default text can be entered using the same mechanisms as the other tools.

       Command line options are available to specify font style, frame style, modality and one of
       several different icons to be presented for tailored visual feedback to the user.

OPTIONS

       The available command line options are:

       -c, -center
            Center the window on the display.

       -nearmouse
            Pop up the window near the mouse cursor.

       -b button-name
            Displays a button with the label button-name.  If button-name is  the  empty  string,
            the  button  in  that  position  is not displayed.  If no -b options are present, the
            default is a button with the label Continue.  The exit status associated with button-
            name is zero.

       -B button-name
            Displays  a  button  with  the label button-name and specifies it as the button to be
            activated when enter is pressed.  The exit  status  associated  with  button-name  is
            zero.

       -buttons button,button,...
            This  option  will  create  one  button for each comma-separated button option.  Each
            button consists of a label optionally followed by a colon and  an  exit  value.   The
            exit  value  will  be returned if that button is selected.  The default exit value is
            100 plus the button number.  Buttons are numbered from the left starting with one.

       -default label
            Defines the button with a matching label to be the default.  If not  specified  there
            is  no  default.   The  corresponding  resource  is  defaultButton.   Pressing Return
            anywhere in the xmessage window will activate the default button.  The default button
            has a wider border than the others.

       -t message
            Displays message.  Any number of strings can be listed on the command line (each must
            be preceded with the -t option).

       -file filename
            Displays the file filename.  All -t options will be ignored.  A filename of `-' reads
            from standard input.

       -icon icontype
            Displays  the icon icontype where icontype is one of: info, error, question, warning,
            critical.  action is also accepted as a synonym for error for backward compatibility.
            pmquery introduces the additional archive and host icon types as well as the original
            xconfirm types listed earlier.

       -font fontname
            Use fontname as the font.  This option is only available  when  using  the  X  Window
            System.

       -header string
            Use string as the window title.

       -print
            This  causes the program to write the label of the button pressed to standard output.
            It is the default behaviour for pmconfirm and pmquery.

       -noprint
            This causes the program to not write the label of  the  button  pressed  to  standard
            output.  It is the default behaviour for pmmessage.

       -geometry geometry-string
            This  provides  the  tool  with  an X-compatible geometry string specification.  This
            option is only available when using the X Window System.

       -useslider
            When displaying a file, always use a  slider  instead  of  determining  automatically
            whether a slider is necessary.

       -noslider
            Do  not  create  a  slider,  and clip text to the window size, instead of determining
            automatically whether a slider is necessary..

       -noframe
            Do not display a frame around the contents.

       -exclusive
            Grab the keyboard/pointer and do not allow further input until a button is pressed.

       -timeout secs
            Exit with status 0 after secs seconds if the user has not clicked on  a  button  yet.
            The corresponding resource is timeout.

       -?, -h, -help
            Display usage message and exit.

EXAMPLES

       The following shell script will display a window with an information icon, asking the user
       a yes or no question with "Yes" as the default.

        #! /bin/sh
        case `pmquery -t "Really power down?" -b No -B Yes -icon question
        in
          Yes) shutdown;;
          No) ;;
        esac

       A second example, which prompts for a hostname then starts a terminal with an ssh  session
       connected to the requested host.

        #! /bin/sh
        host=`pmquery -input -icon host -b Cancel -B OK \
                      -header "Remote Terminal - Secure Shell"
        [ "$host" = "Cancel" -o -z "$host" ] && exit
        gnome-terminal -e "ssh $host"

ENVIRONMENT

       pmquery  is  an excellent choice of utility for the PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG Performance Co-Pilot
       configuration parameter (refer to pcp.conf(5) for details).

       Note that PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG will  be  automatically  set  to  pmquery  inside  tools  like
       pmchart, unless PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG is already set in the environment.

EXIT STATUS

       If  it  detects an error, pmquery always returns 1, so this value should not be associated
       with a button.  Unless -button option has not been used, the return code will be  zero  on
       success.

SEE ALSO

       pmchart(1) and pcp.conf(5).