chbg - root background image changer & manager for X

chbg [OPTIONS..] [IMAGE FILES]

chbg is a simple program for managing & changing desktop pictures that can also be used as a xscreensaver(1) client.

-v

Prints version number and exit.

-h --help

Prints help message and exit.

-setup

Starts setup window.

-scenario filename

Fetch parameters from specified file.

-mode type

Set picture rendering mode from following types : tile, mirror, center, maximize, smart, centertile, inttile, symtile, intmirror, symmirror. (Default: smart)

-effect n

Effect type for changing pictures [0-29]. 0 : no effect. (Default) 1 : random effect. 2-29 : various picture changing effects.

-bg "#rrggbb"

Set default background color 1. (Default: #000000)

-bg2 "#rrggbb"

Set default background color 2. (Default: #ffffff)

-rand_colors

Randomize background colors.

-shader n

Set background color shading effect type [0-564]. 0 : no shading. (Default) 1 : random shading style. 2-564 : various shading types.

-interval n.n-n.n

Picture change time in [min].[sec] format. Adding second time value ChBg generates random changetime using user defined values as boundaries. New changetime is generated during picture change. (Default: 5)

-max_grow n.n

Maximal growing ratio of picture in smart mode. (Default: 1.0)

-max_size percentage

Maximal size of picture in % of screen size used in smart mode, acceptable value 10-100. (Default: 90)

-xpos n.n

Adjust picture's horizontal position in screen when using smart mode. (Value between 0.0-1.0 Default: 0.5)

-ypos n.n

Adjust picture's vertical position in screen when using smart mode. (Value between 0.0-1.0 Default: 0.5)

-randomize

Randomize picture order.

-screensaver

Act as screensaver.

-xscreensaver

Act as xscreensaver client.

-speed n

Speed ratio for picture changing effects. Smaller value means faster change. (Default: 100)

-blank

Show blank screen, when unable to load picture.

-cycle_blank

When pictures not present cycle with blanking screen. (optionaly with shading)

-R

Recurse through directory and search pictures. See also options -pattern and -min_psize.

-pattern pattern

Wildcard pattern for picture selection in recursion through directories. When you want to use more patterns, use more -pattern options. (effects only when used with -R option)

-inwindow

Run in own window not on root.

-windowid id

Run in existing window.

-run

Start run after setup window is popped up. (effects only when used with -setup option)

-min_psize n

Minimal size of picture when recursing through directory. This option allows you to exclude small pictures or possible thumbnails. (effects only when used with -R option)

-deffects list

List of disabled picture changing effects when randomizing. This option allows you to omit some picture changing effects, which you don't like or which doesn't suit your needs. Usable, when you want to reject some of slow effects when faster changing is required.

-dshaders list

List of disabled background shading effects when randomizing. This option allows you to omit some picture changing effects, which you don't like or which doesn't suit your needs.

-notooltips

Disable showing description tooltips for setup controls.

-friter n

Set number of iterations in fractal based shading effects. (Default: 30)

-rect_size n

Set size of used rectangle in any of picture changing effects. (Default: 16)

-grad_dir dir

Directory where GIMP gradients can be located on your system. As default following directories are scanned to search gradient files. /usr/share/gimp/gradients /usr/share/gimp-1.1/gradients /usr/share/gimp-1.2/gradients /opt/share/gimp/gradients /opt/share/gimp-1.1/gradients /opt/share/gimp-1.2/gradients /usr/local/share/gimp/gradients /usr/local/share/gimp-1.1/gradients /usr/local/share/gimp-1.2/gradients When GIMP gradient files are elsewhere than default directories, use this option to force ChBg to load GIMP gradients from your directory. When ChBg can't find gradient, it will automatically disable all gradient shading features.

-use_grad

Enable the use of GIMP gradients for coloring background shading effects.

-grad n

Set gradient number to use for coloring background shading effects. 0 means random.

-remember

Allow remembering of last shown picture. This is very usable when you maintain very long list of pictures and next time when you run ChBg with same scenario file you want to continue from that point where you left ChBg last time. WARNING: this feature requires to have saved scenarion and that scenario must be writable by user.

-enlightenment

If you are running Enlightenment window manager on your desktop, you may want to use its functions to manage desktop background images. When you enable this option, ChBg will try to use its capabilities. This works only with enlightenment 0.16 and above using eesh program.

-once

This option have only effect when used directly from commandline and ChBg will run without GUI environment. When this option is used, ChBg will run only one cycle of background changing and after that it will exit. This is usable if you want to change background once per session (for example from .xinitrc or .xsession startup scripts or Gnome/KDE session managers).

-thumb type

You can use this option when you just want to use directly one of ChBg's thumbnail previews. As type use one of all/dir/page.

-use_tiles

This option activates coloring of shading effects by tiled pixmaps. To activate it fully, you must also use -tile option.

-tile file

With this option you can set picture which will be used as tile for coloring background shading effects or just plain drawn on backround when no shading effect will be used. To activate this feature you must also use -use_tiles option, otherwise it won't work. You can also set the file parameter to random and ChBg will select randomly one of tiles set by -add_tile option.

-add_tile file

Use this option, when you want to use multiple tiles for coloring background shading effects. Parameter file can be one picture file or directory with pictures, which will be scanned recursively for pictures. See also -tile and -use_tiles options.

-use_banners

This options activates use of banner pictures on top of normal background pictures. Banner pictures will be drawn in mode similar to smart mode for normal background pictures. To fully use this feature, you must also set banner pictures with -banner and or -add_banner options.

-banner file

Parameter file of this options sets particular banner picture file or when it is set to "random" it can randomly select one banner from banner files added by -add_banner option.

-add_banner file

Set a directory where to find banner pictures or file which will be use as a banner.

-banner_mode mode

ChBg allows various drawing modes for drawing banner on top of background. You can set one of normal, average, lighten, darken, divide, multiply, multiplybg, multiplyfg, add, subtractbg, subtractfg, grayscale, bumpmap, bumpmapself or number 0-13.

-banner_xpos pos

Horizontal position of banner on the screen. It is similar to -xpos.

-banner_ypos pos

Vertical position of banner on the screen. It is similar to -ypos.

-banner_max_grow ratio

Maximal banner growing ratio. This option is equal to -max_grow option, it is just applied to banners.

-banner_max_size nr

Maximal allowed area of screen taken by banner. It is equal to -max_size option.

-to_file

Render the composite picture directly to file. To work fully -out_file, -out_file_width and -out_file_height have to be given. Fileformat of the rendered picture is PNG.

-out_file filename

Set the composite picture's filename.

-out_file_width n

Set composite picture's width. (Default value 0 means that ChBg takes size from X root window.)

-out_file_height n

Set composite picture's height. (Default value 0 means that ChBg takes size from X root window.)

-force_nautilus

Force Nautilus to use ChBg generated picture.

-send_expose

Send expose event to foreign window to force redraw.

-historyfile

Log current background filename to this file.

chbgrc.sample Sample configuration file.

See file BUGS in chbg source distribution.

Programm - Stefan Ondrejicka <ondrej@idata.sk>

Manual page - Mikko Kilponen <mikil@uni.kaapeli.net>

X(1), xscreensaver(1), xscreensaver-command(1).