| 1 | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
1 | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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2 | Isn't rxvt supposed to be small? Don't all those features bloat? |
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3 | I often get asked about this, and I think, no, they didn't cause |
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4 | extra bloat. If you compare a minimal rxvt and a minimal urxvt, you |
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5 | can see that the urxvt binary is larger (due to some encoding tables |
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6 | always being compiled in), but it actually uses less memory (RSS) |
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7 | after startup. Even with "--disable-everything", this comparison is |
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8 | a bit unfair, as many features unique to urxvt (locale, encoding |
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9 | conversion, iso14755 etc.) are already in use in this mode. |
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10 | |
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11 | text data bss drs rss filename |
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12 | 98398 1664 24 15695 1824 rxvt --disable-everything |
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13 | 188985 9048 66616 18222 1788 urxvt --disable-everything |
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14 | |
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15 | When you "--enable-everything" (which _is_ unfair, as this involves |
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16 | xft and full locale/XIM support which are quite bloaty inside libX11 |
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17 | and my libc), the two diverge, but not unreasnobaly so. |
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18 | |
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19 | text data bss drs rss filename |
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20 | 163431 2152 24 20123 2060 rxvt --enable-everything |
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21 | 1035683 49680 66648 29096 3680 urxvt --enable-everything |
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22 | |
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23 | The very large size of the text section is explained by the |
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24 | east-asian encoding tables, which, if unused, take up disk space but |
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25 | nothing else and can be compiled out unless you rely on X11 core |
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26 | fonts that use those encodings. The BSS size comes from the 64k |
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27 | emergency buffer that my c++ compiler allocates (but of course |
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28 | doesn't use unless you are out of memory). Also, using an xft font |
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29 | instead of a core font immediately adds a few megabytes of RSS. Xft |
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30 | indeed is responsible for a lot of RSS even when not used. |
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31 | |
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32 | Of course, due to every character using two or four bytes instead of |
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33 | one, a large scrollback buffer will ultimately make rxvt-unicode use |
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34 | more memory. |
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35 | |
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36 | Compared to e.g. Eterm (5112k), aterm (3132k) and xterm (4680k), |
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37 | this still fares rather well. And compared to some monsters like |
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38 | gnome-terminal (21152k + extra 4204k in separate processes) or |
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39 | konsole (22200k + extra 43180k in daemons that stay around after |
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40 | exit, plus half a minute of startup time, including the hundreds of |
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41 | warnings it spits out), it fares extremely well *g*. |
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42 | |
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43 | Why C++, isn't that unportable/bloated/uncool? |
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44 | Is this a question? :) It comes up very often. The simple answer is: |
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45 | I had to write it, and C++ allowed me to write and maintain it in a |
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46 | fraction of the time and effort (which is a scarce resource for me). |
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47 | Put even shorter: It simply wouldn't exist without C++. |
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48 | |
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49 | My personal stance on this is that C++ is less portable than C, but |
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50 | in the case of rxvt-unicode this hardly matters, as its portability |
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51 | limits are defined by things like X11, pseudo terminals, locale |
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52 | support and unix domain sockets, which are all less portable than |
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53 | C++ itself. |
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54 | |
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55 | Regarding the bloat, see the above question: It's easy to write |
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56 | programs in C that use gobs of memory, an certainly possible to |
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57 | write programs in C++ that don't. C++ also often comes with large |
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58 | libraries, but this is not necessarily the case with GCC. Here is |
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59 | what rxvt links against on my system with a minimal config: |
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60 | |
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61 | libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000) |
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62 | libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaadde000) |
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63 | libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab01d000) |
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64 | /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000) |
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65 | |
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66 | And here is rxvt-unicode: |
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67 | |
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68 | libX11.so.6 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.so.6 (0x00002aaaaabc3000) |
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69 | libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00002aaaaada2000) |
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70 | libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00002aaaaaeb0000) |
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71 | libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00002aaaab0ee000) |
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72 | /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00002aaaaaaab000) |
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73 | |
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74 | No large bloated libraries (of course, none were linked in |
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75 | statically), except maybe libX11 :) |
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76 | |
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77 | Does it support tabs, can I have a tabbed rxvt-unicode? |
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78 | rxvt-unicode does not directly support tabs. It will work fine with |
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79 | tabbing functionality of many window managers or similar tabbing |
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80 | programs, and its embedding-features allow it to be embedded into |
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81 | other programs, as witnessed by doc/rxvt-tabbed or the upcoming |
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82 | "Gtk2::URxvt" perl module, which features a tabbed urxvt (murxvt) |
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83 | terminal as an example embedding application. |
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84 | |
| 2 | How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using? |
85 | How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using? |
| 3 | The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape |
86 | The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape |
| 4 | sequence "ESC [ 8 n" sets the window title to the version number. |
87 | sequence "ESC [ 8 n" sets the window title to the version number. |
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88 | When using the rxvtc client, the version displayed is that of the |
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89 | daemon. |
| 5 | |
90 | |
| 6 | I am using Debian GNU/Linux and have a problem... |
91 | I am using Debian GNU/Linux and have a problem... |
| 7 | The Debian GNU/Linux package of rxvt-unicode in sarge contains large |
92 | The Debian GNU/Linux package of rxvt-unicode in sarge contains large |
| 8 | patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode. |
93 | patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode. |
| 9 | Before reporting a bug to the original rxvt-unicode author please |
94 | Before reporting a bug to the original rxvt-unicode author please |
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| 16 | For other problems that also affect the Debian package, you can and |
101 | For other problems that also affect the Debian package, you can and |
| 17 | probably should use the Debian BTS, too, because, after all, it's |
102 | probably should use the Debian BTS, too, because, after all, it's |
| 18 | also a bug in the Debian version and it serves as a reminder for |
103 | also a bug in the Debian version and it serves as a reminder for |
| 19 | other users that might encounter the same issue. |
104 | other users that might encounter the same issue. |
| 20 | |
105 | |
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106 | I am maintaining rxvt-unicode for distribution/OS XXX, any |
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107 | recommendation? |
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108 | You should build one binary with the default options. configure now |
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109 | enables most useful options, and the trend goes to making them |
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110 | runtime-switchable, too, so there is usually no drawback to enbaling |
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111 | them, except higher disk and possibly memory usage. The perl |
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112 | interpreter should be enabled, as important functionality (menus, |
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113 | selection, likely more in the future) depends on it. |
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114 | |
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115 | You should not overwrite the "perl-ext-common" snd "perl-ext" |
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116 | resources system-wide (except maybe with "defaults"). This will |
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117 | result in useful behaviour. If your distribution aims at low memory, |
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118 | add an empty "perl-ext-common" resource to the app-defaults file. |
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119 | This will keep the perl interpreter disabled until the user enables |
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120 | it. |
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121 | |
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122 | If you can/want build more binaries, I recommend building a minimal |
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123 | one with "--disable-everything" (very useful) and a maximal one with |
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124 | "--enable-everything" (less useful, it will be very big due to a lot |
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125 | of encodings built-in that increase download times and are rarely |
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126 | used). |
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127 | |
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128 | I need to make it setuid/setgid to support utmp/ptys on my OS, is this |
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129 | safe? |
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130 | Likely not. While I honestly try to make it secure, and am probably |
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131 | not bad at it, I think it is simply unreasonable to expect all of |
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132 | freetype + fontconfig + xft + xlib + perl + ... + rxvt-unicode |
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133 | itself to all be secure. Also, rxvt-unicode disables some options |
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134 | when it detects that it runs setuid or setgid, which is not nice. |
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135 | Besides, with the embedded perl interpreter the possibility for |
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136 | security problems easily multiplies. |
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137 | |
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138 | Elevated privileges are only required for utmp and pty operations on |
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139 | some systems (for example, GNU/Linux doesn't need any extra |
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140 | privileges for ptys, but some need it for utmp support). It is |
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141 | planned to mvoe this into a forked handler process, but this is not |
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142 | yet done. |
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143 | |
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144 | So, while setuid/setgid operation is supported and not a problem on |
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145 | your typical single-user-no-other-logins unix desktop, always |
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146 | remember that its an awful lot of code, most of which isn't checked |
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147 | for security issues regularly. |
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148 | |
| 21 | When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? |
149 | When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? |
| 22 | The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely |
150 | The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely |
| 23 | available as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same |
151 | available as that for xterm, or even rxvt (for which the same |
| 24 | problem often arises). |
152 | problem often arises). |
| 25 | |
153 | |
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| 49 | |
177 | |
| 50 | "tic" outputs some error when compiling the terminfo entry. |
178 | "tic" outputs some error when compiling the terminfo entry. |
| 51 | Most likely it's the empty definition for "enacs=". Just replace it |
179 | Most likely it's the empty definition for "enacs=". Just replace it |
| 52 | by "enacs=\E[0@" and try again. |
180 | by "enacs=\E[0@" and try again. |
| 53 | |
181 | |
| 54 | "bash"'s readline does not work correctly under urxvt. |
182 | "bash"'s readline does not work correctly under rxvt. |
| 55 | I need a termcap file entry. |
183 | I need a termcap file entry. |
| 56 | One reason you might want this is that some distributions or |
184 | One reason you might want this is that some distributions or |
| 57 | operating systems still compile some programs using the |
185 | operating systems still compile some programs using the |
| 58 | long-obsoleted termcap library (Fedora Core's bash is one example) |
186 | long-obsoleted termcap library (Fedora Core's bash is one example) |
| 59 | and rely on a termcap entry for "rxvt-unicode". |
187 | and rely on a termcap entry for "rxvt-unicode". |
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| 170 | indeed look correct. |
298 | indeed look correct. |
| 171 | |
299 | |
| 172 | In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font |
300 | In that case, select a font of your taste and add it to the font |
| 173 | list, e.g.: |
301 | list, e.g.: |
| 174 | |
302 | |
| 175 | urxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3... |
303 | rxvt -fn basefont,font2,font3... |
| 176 | |
304 | |
| 177 | When rxvt-unicode sees a character, it will first look at the base |
305 | When rxvt-unicode sees a character, it will first look at the base |
| 178 | font. If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to |
306 | font. If the base font does not contain the character, it will go to |
| 179 | the next font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed |
307 | the next font, and so on. Specifying your own fonts will also speed |
| 180 | up this search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the |
308 | up this search and use less resources within rxvt-unicode and the |
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| 465 | Mouse cut/paste suddenly no longer works. |
593 | Mouse cut/paste suddenly no longer works. |
| 466 | Make sure that mouse reporting is actually turned off since killing |
594 | Make sure that mouse reporting is actually turned off since killing |
| 467 | some editors prematurely may leave the mouse in mouse report mode. |
595 | some editors prematurely may leave the mouse in mouse report mode. |
| 468 | I've heard that tcsh may use mouse reporting unless it otherwise |
596 | I've heard that tcsh may use mouse reporting unless it otherwise |
| 469 | specified. A quick check is to see if cut/paste works when the Alt |
597 | specified. A quick check is to see if cut/paste works when the Alt |
| 470 | or Shift keys are depressed. See urxvt(7) |
598 | or Shift keys are depressed. See rxvt(7) |
| 471 | |
599 | |
| 472 | What's with this bold/blink stuff? |
600 | What's with this bold/blink stuff? |
| 473 | If no bold colour is set via "colorBD:", bold will invert text using |
601 | If no bold colour is set via "colorBD:", bold will invert text using |
| 474 | the standard foreground colour. |
602 | the standard foreground colour. |
| 475 | |
603 | |
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| 530 | URxvt.color6: #73f7ff |
658 | URxvt.color6: #73f7ff |
| 531 | URxvt.color14: #73f7ff |
659 | URxvt.color14: #73f7ff |
| 532 | URxvt.color7: #e1dddd |
660 | URxvt.color7: #e1dddd |
| 533 | URxvt.color15: #e1dddd |
661 | URxvt.color15: #e1dddd |
| 534 | |
662 | |
| 535 | How can I start urxvtd in a race-free way? |
663 | How can I start rxvtd in a race-free way? |
| 536 | Try "urxvtd -f -o", which tells urxvtd to open the display, create |
664 | Try "rxvtd -f -o", which tells rxvtd to open the display, create the |
| 537 | the listening socket and then fork. |
665 | listening socket and then fork. |
| 538 | |
666 | |
| 539 | What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour? |
667 | What's with the strange Backspace/Delete key behaviour? |
| 540 | Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the |
668 | Assuming that the physical Backspace key corresponds to the |
| 541 | BackSpace keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following |
669 | BackSpace keysym (not likely for Linux ... see the following |
| 542 | question) there are two standard values that can be used for |
670 | question) there are two standard values that can be used for |
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| 555 | |
683 | |
| 556 | For starting a new rxvt-unicode: |
684 | For starting a new rxvt-unicode: |
| 557 | |
685 | |
| 558 | # use Backspace = ^H |
686 | # use Backspace = ^H |
| 559 | $ stty erase ^H |
687 | $ stty erase ^H |
| 560 | $ urxvt |
688 | $ rxvt |
| 561 | |
689 | |
| 562 | # use Backspace = ^? |
690 | # use Backspace = ^? |
| 563 | $ stty erase ^? |
691 | $ stty erase ^? |
| 564 | $ urxvt |
692 | $ rxvt |
| 565 | |
693 | |
| 566 | Toggle with "ESC [ 36 h" / "ESC [ 36 l" as documented in urxvt(7). |
694 | Toggle with "ESC [ 36 h" / "ESC [ 36 l" as documented in rxvt(7). |
| 567 | |
695 | |
| 568 | For an existing rxvt-unicode: |
696 | For an existing rxvt-unicode: |
| 569 | |
697 | |
| 570 | # use Backspace = ^H |
698 | # use Backspace = ^H |
| 571 | $ stty erase ^H |
699 | $ stty erase ^H |
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| 597 | There are some compile-time selections available via configure. |
725 | There are some compile-time selections available via configure. |
| 598 | Unless you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources" |
726 | Unless you have run "configure" with the "--disable-resources" |
| 599 | option you can use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings |
727 | option you can use the `keysym' resource to alter the keystrings |
| 600 | associated with keysyms. |
728 | associated with keysyms. |
| 601 | |
729 | |
| 602 | Here's an example for a URxvt session started using "urxvt -name |
730 | Here's an example for a URxvt session started using "rxvt -name |
| 603 | URxvt" |
731 | URxvt" |
| 604 | |
732 | |
| 605 | URxvt.keysym.Home: \033[1~ |
733 | URxvt.keysym.Home: \033[1~ |
| 606 | URxvt.keysym.End: \033[4~ |
734 | URxvt.keysym.End: \033[4~ |
| 607 | URxvt.keysym.C-apostrophe: \033<C-'> |
735 | URxvt.keysym.C-apostrophe: \033<C-'> |
