xmailbox - mailbox checker for X using XPM icons

xmailbox [-toolkitoption ...] [-option ...]

The xmailbox program displays, by default, an image of a mailbox. When there is no mail, the image shown is that of a mailbox with its flag down. When new mail arrives, the image changes to that of a mailbox with the flag up, its door open and a letter visible inside. It can also optionally play a sound through the SUN workstation's internal speaker or a PC equipped with a sound-card running Linux. The NCD audio server, the rplay sound package, the standard SUN audio driver, Linux and FreeBSD Sun-compatible audio drivers, and an external sound player program are supported. By default, pressing any mouse button in the image forces xmailbox to remember the current size of the mail file as being the ``empty'' size and to change its image accordingly. In addition, the user can optionally invoke his/her favorite mail retrieving program.

This program is nothing more than a wrapper around the Mailbox widget included with the program's source distribution.

xmailbox accepts all of the standard X Toolkit command line options along with the additional options listed below:

-help

This option indicates that a brief summary of the allowed options should be printed on the standard error.

-update seconds

This option specifies the frequency in seconds at which xmailbox should update its display. If the mailbox is obscured and then exposed, it will be updated immediately. The default is 30 seconds.

-file filename

This option specifies the name of the file which should be monitored. By default, it watches /var/spool/mail/username, where username is your login name.

-volume percentage

This option specifies how loud the bell should be rung when new mail comes in, or, if the sound option is used, how high the playing volume should be. The default is 33 percent.

The following standard X Toolkit command line arguments are commonly used with xmailbox:

-display display

This option specifies the X server to contact.

-xrm resourcestring

This option specifies a resource string to be used. This is especially useful for setting resources that do not have separate command line options.

The application class name is XMailbox. This program uses the Mailbox widget. It understands all of the core resource names and classes as well as:

checkCommand (class CheckCommand) Specifies a shell command to be executed to check for new mail rather than examining the size of file. The specified string value is used as the argument to a system(3) call and may therefore contain i/o redirection. An exit status of 0 indicates that new mail is waiting, 1 indicates that there has been no change in size, and 2 indicates that the mail has been cleared. By default, no shell command is provided.

file (class File) Specifies the name of the file to monitor. The default is to watch /usr/spool/mail/username, where username is your login name.

onceOnly (class Boolean) Specifies that the bell is only rung the first time new mail is found and is not rung again until at least one interval has passed with no mail waiting. The window will continue to indicate the presence of new mail until it has been retrieved. The default is false.

update (class Interval) Specifies the frequency in seconds at which the mail should be checked. The default is 30.

volume (class Volume) Specifies how loud the bell should be rung, or, if the sound option is used, how high the playing volume should be. The default is 33 percent.

mailXpmFile (class MailXpmFile) Specifies the XPM file used when mail exists in the mailbox.

nomailXpmFile (class NomailXpmFile) Specifies the XPM file used when there is no mail (or no new mail) in the mailbox.

mailSndFile (class MailSndFile) Specifies the sound file used when mail exists in the mailbox. If no file is specified, the standard X Window beep sound is used.

mailSndComm (class MailSndComm) Specifies an external sound player program to execute when new mail exists in the mailbox. You can use "%s" in the command to include the sound file defined in mailSndFile. In the following example, "%s" will be replaced by "/usr/lib/sounds/ugotmail.au" when xmailbox executes.

          xmailbox*mailSndFile: /usr/lib/sounds/ugotmail.au
          xmailbox*mailSndComm: /usr/bin/play %s

mailapp (class MailApp) Specifies the mail retrieving application to run when the user clicks on the mailbox image. The specified string value is used as the argument to a system(3) call.

mailNumOfXpmFile (class MailNumOfXpmFile) Specifies the number of Xpm files to be used for animation. The range of values can be between 1 and 8. The default value is 1 = no animation. See ANIMATION section below for details.

mailAnimUpdate (class MailAnimUpdate) Specifies the interval of displaying a series of Xpm icons in milliseconds. The default is 1000 milliseconds or 1 second. See ANIMATION section below for details.

mailAnimOnce (class MailAnimOnce) Specifies the whether the XPM icon animation sequence is repeated continuously or only once. The default is "false", that is, repeat until the user clicks on the icon.

xmailbox has built-in support for eye-catching animation when new mail comes in, in addition to the optional sound support. Animation can be achieved by displaying a sequence of XPM icons with slight differences in each icon. The interval of displaying different icons is controlled by mailAnimUpdate measured in milliseconds. Values between 500 and 1000 seems to provide smooth animation. However, you should experiment with this parameter on your system.

In order to use this feature, you have to create a series of XPM icons with a base name such as "xmail.xpm" in a directory such as "/usr/X11/lib/icons/pixmap". Now, for each XPM icon created, prepend a number before the base name starting from 0. For example, you've created "0xmail.xpm", "1xmail.xpm", "2xmail.xpm", and "3xmail.xpm". Now, set the mailNumOfXpmFile entry to a value of "4" since there are four XPM icons created. Finally, set the mailXpmFile entry to "/usr/X11/lib/icons/pixmap/xmail.xpm". Note that "xmail.xpm" does not have any numbers prepended. When you start xmailbox and a new mail comes in, xmailbox will show the icons "0xmail.xpm", ..., "3xmail.xpm", "0xmail.xpm", ..., "3xmail.xpm", ... in that sequence until you've pressed the icon.

Note: If you do not specify mailXpmFile but set a value other than 1 to mailNumOfXpmFile, xmailbox will toggle between the internal "mail" and "nomail" icons.

DISPLAY

to get the default host and display number.

XENVIRONMENT

to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.

X(1), xrdb(1)

Dimitrios P. Bouras (dbouras@hol.gr)

The first version of xmailbox was a hack based on the X11R5 XBiff written by Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, and Ralph Swick, DEC/MIT Project Athena.

William K. W. Cheung (wcheung@mail.spiralcomm.com)

Added optional sound output using the standard SUN audio driver, Linux's Sun-compatible audio driver, the rplay sound package, or the NCD audio server, as well as optional mail application execution upon clicking on the mail icon. Added the capability to show a series of XPM icons when new mail arrives.

Brian Clapper (bmc@telebase.com)

Added extra compiling options to allow sound support under FreeBSD 2.0.5 and 2.1.

Laurent Martin (martin@@isia.cma.fr)

Added the capability to use an external sound player application to play a sound when new mail arrives.

Xbiff is Copyright 1988, X Consortium. See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.