CDE backgrounds. Can I use a detailed image?

[Garry Ferguson]

In CDE I can select different backgrounds for each of the 4 (default) work areas. I know I can use "bitmap" to create my own simple ones. Can I use more complicated colur ones?
I have tried setting the background to none and then used xsetroot, but, again it seems
only simple bitmaps can be used.
Thanks for any help.
Garry

[Andy Monks · Accepted solution]

If you download xv or similiar you can do :-

xv -root -quit image.gif

I use a nice 1280x1024 scanned image.

[Andy Monks]

If you download xv or similiar you can do :-

xv -root -quit image.gif

I use a nice 1280x1024 scanned image.

[CHRIS ANORUO]

Use the options of colour and backdrop from the style manager.

[Alex Glennie]

Yes it's true you can only use bitmap files with xsetroot, I'd suggest you use XV to convert your gif or jpeg to bitmap and use the xsetroot in conjuction with no backdrop.

The drawback using xv to do this directly, will depend on your choice of image, I've seen customers and myself unable to run standard X applicatons because the backdrop image is colour hungry and eats into the limitted 256 colours available to the Xserver.

Give Xv a go, if you find GUI's run out of colours or fail to start : convert the gif to xpm format etc....

[Alex Glennie]

Also check out man dtwm : you can set your own bitmaps for each workspace : eg

vi $HOME/.Xdefaults

Dtwm*0*ws0*backdrop*image: Background
Dtwm*0*ws0*title: Server 1
Dtwm*0*ws0*imageBackground navy
Dtwm*0*ws1*backdrop*image: Background
Dtwm*0*ws1*title: Server 2
Dtwm*0*ws1*imageBackground green
Dtwm*0*ws2*backdrop*image: Background
Dtwm*0*ws2*title: Server 3
Dtwm*0*ws2*imageBackground yellow
Dtwm*0*ws3*backdrop*image: Background
Dtwm*0*ws3*title: Server 4
Dtwm*0*ws3*imageBackground red

Also I think you can create more colourful bitmaps however .....

All the backdrops are converted to pixmaps at the same
time. Therefore the color map must be able to hold
all the colors needed by all the backdrops simultaneously.

So if you have 10 backdrops that use 64 colors:
1. If they use the _same_ 64 colors, they call all be loaded
at once and can appear in the backdrops list.
2. If they each use a _different_ set of 64 colors only two
or three of them can be loaded at once. Whether the number is
two or three depends on how many colors are allocated to the
desktop.

If you want to have a large number of backdrops which originally each
have a large number of colors they must be color limited and dithered
using the _same_ palette for all cases.

[Garry Ferguson]

Thanks for your replies. I'll get hold of xv
and have a play.
Garry

[Garry Ferguson]

I've now got xv and sorted it!
All replies quite brilliant!
Thanks Andy, Chris and Alex.
Regards,
Garry