where is .Xresources for aterm?

[BrokenUSMC2003]

Pardon the noobish question, but where is the .Xresources for aterm? I have looked quite a bit for it, but haven't had any luck.

[JohnT]

Located in /etc/X11/xdm/Xresources. You can copy this to your user folder or just create a new one. Normally this is not needed. Instead create the .Xdefaults script which aterm normally uses in your user folder, it will be parsed first upon startup. Here's an associated link.......
http://reviewed.homelinux.org/software/x11-terms/aterm/aterm.html.en

[BrokenUSMC2003]

Thank you!

[JohnT]

Your more than welcome.:D

[Dark Ninja]

Here is something else you might like: .Xdefaults -- this also controls parts of aterm. You can check out aterm's man page for more information. (Put this file into your home folder and start up aterm to see what I'm talking about.)

aterm*loginShell:true
aterm*transparent:true
aterm*shading:60
aterm*background:Black
aterm*foreground:White
aterm*scrollBar:true
aterm*scrollBar_right:true
aterm*transpscrollbar:true
aterm*saveLines:32767
aterm*font:*-*-fixed-medium-r-normal--*-140-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
aterm*boldFont:*-*-fixed-bold-r-normal--*-*-140-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1

[BrokenUSMC2003]

So, changes to aterm do not go into my .Xresources file, but rather in a .Xdefaults file in my home directory? I tried several combinations of the filename in my home directory, but none changed my aterm. For sake of time, what is the exact filename that i need to create/change? I've been having terrible luck with this whole fluxbox thing, I hope that I can make it look nice enough to be worth it.... Thanks

[Dark Ninja]

Well, personally I prefer Openbox, but aterm is not specific to Fluxbox or Openbox. That's its own thing.

I never played around with the Xresources file -- don't even have a clue what that is. But, try throwing that file (.Xdefaults) with the information I pasted below into your home folder. (remember, it's your home folder for that specific user -- /home/darkninja -- or whatever it is. Do NOT just put it in /home) Then run aterm. If aterm installed correctly, you should get a transparent screen with a transparent scroll bar on the right side with white font.

Try the file I gave you first, since I know that one works. However, if you want to find more settings you can change, run 'man aterm' and it will give you a list of the different properties that can be set in aterm (along with descriptions about each property).

[BrokenUSMC2003]

That's what I did before... must be something wrong with my aterm. Gonna re-merge. Thanks for you help.

[Dark Ninja]

Well, if you don't have a background set in your Fluxbox window (AKA, if it's the default black color), you won't have a background to Aterm either. (Well, you will, but it will also be black.)

Also, maybe someone can confirm this, I don't know if fbsetbg (Fluxbox's method of setting the background) will affect aterm's background setting. I know Esetroot does (which is the background command I use for Openbox).

Just a thought. This may be why you aren't seeing transparency.

Oh...another thing I just thought of: transparency with aterm is NOT true transparency. You will only see your desktop background through aterm. So, if you have aterm open and another window open underneath, you will NOT see that window underneath. You will just see the desktop background/wallpaper. Sucks, I know. But, I'm not sure if there's a way to change this/fix this.

[Uranus]

Originally posted by Dark Ninja
Also, maybe someone can confirm this, I don't know if fbsetbg (Fluxbox's method of setting the background) will affect aterm's background setting.

Oh...another thing I just thought of: transparency with aterm is NOT true transparency. You will only see your desktop background through aterm. So, if you have aterm open and another window open underneath, you will NOT see that window underneath. You will just see the desktop background/wallpaper. Sucks, I know. But, I'm not sure if there's a way to change this/fix this.
fbsetbg works - I use OB3 and Esetroot by default, but have many WM's installed. There is definitely a way to fix the fake transparency, use freedesktop X - I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't used it yet (really want to though), but you can configure which parts to give transparency afaik. I wonder if you could give OB transparency as well that way. You could then (I think) just start aterm with a regular colored background, and use freedesktop X to change that (effectively) into a tinted, true-transparency background.
The options Dark Ninja gave worked for me when put into the .Xdefaults file, without special tinkering (permissions and stuff).
You _did_ test the file by opening a new aterm? It shouldn't change your current aterm, since it only reads the settings when started.
BTW a setting I recommend is:
Aterm*fading: 75
This makes the text in you Aterm darken when it doesn't have the focus.
Sam

[Dark Ninja]

BTW a setting I recommend is:
Aterm*fading: 75

Nice. I will have to try this out when I get home. I was having trouble telling desktops apart.

Also, after I get my system back up (decided to do a bit of a reinstall) I'm going to work on figuring out how to setup "true" transparency. If anybody here has any tips, let me know.

Thanks!

[BrokenUSMC2003]

I have the background set with fbsetbg, and have opened new aterm terminals (and even rebooted) after changing the settings in $HOME/.Xdefaults. Re-merging aterm didn't help anything, so I'm starting to really wonder what's up... Not a life and death issue of course, but simply the annoyance of not knowing.

[Dark Ninja]

Hmmm...that is odd.

Did you check out Google for any bugs that may exist in Aterm?

[Uranus]

Originally posted by BrokenUSMC2003
I have the background set with fbsetbg, and have opened new aterm terminals (and even rebooted) after changing the settings in $HOME/.Xdefaults. Re-merging aterm didn't help anything, so I'm starting to really wonder what's up... Not a life and death issue of course, but simply the annoyance of not knowing.
Interesting, really :p
Gonna try using .Xdefaults in fluxbox then - check the contents that only the lines Dark Ninja gave you and exactly the lines that Dark Ninja gave you are in there - did you copy manually or use gpm?
One sec
Sam

[Uranus]

OK, I tried it in fluxbox and both with fbsetbg and Esetroot it worked. You absolutely sure you're starting an aterm? :p
Maybe a stupid suggestion - but could it be in the USE variable? That aterm needs to be compiled with special support? Only guessing - for me (in Source Mage) there are no optional or required dependencies apart from an X-server. Which do you use? Both Dark Ninja and I use Xorg i believe - though absolutely not sure if it could have to do with that.
Does aterm apply the transparency when you run aterm -tr?
Sam

[BrokenUSMC2003]

Ok, now we have something to work with.... I did aterm -tr in the terminal, and got this:


Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 key
aterm: can't open display :0.0


Its a permission thing... Judging from my searches, its a common thing. However, I wasn't able to find anything more than a temporary solution for it. Is there something more permanent?

[Dark Ninja]

Both Dark Ninja and I use Xorg i believe

Dark Ninja *did* use Xorg until he decided he didn't like some of the bugs he was finding. (Actually, I'm still not sure if Xorg specifically caused it, but I know the bugs showed up after I installed it. That's a whole 'nother thread, though.) Anyway, my point is, it does not matter whether you are using XFree or Xorg.

That's an interesting error you get, though. If that middle line didn't appear, I'd tell you not to run aterm as root. (You're not trying to do that, are you? It won't work.) Other than that, I'd say search the web. Gentoo forums always seem a good spot (even if you don't use Gentoo).


P.S. Haha, Uranus. I didn't even realize it was you 'cause you changed your logo. Don't screw with my head like that! :eek: :p

[JohnT]

Check your permissions on .Xdefault and also place a copy in your /root directory.

[BrokenUSMC2003]

Ah... it was just as simple as changing the permissions of the .Xdefaults file to 777. I do use Gentoo btw... great OS. Kudos to those why helped me out.