XSetScreenSaver(3) XLIB FUNCTIONS XSetScreenSaver(3)
NAME
XSetScreenSaver, XForceScreenSaver, XActivateScreenSaver, XResetScreen-
Saver, XGetScreenSaver - manipulate the screen saver
SYNTAX
int XSetScreenSaver(Display *display, int timeout, int interval, int
prefer_blanking, int allow_exposures);
int XForceScreenSaver(Display *display, int mode);
int XActivateScreenSaver(Display *display);
int XResetScreenSaver(Display *display);
int XGetScreenSaver(Display *display, int *timeout_return, int *inter-
val_return, int *prefer_blanking_return, int *allow_exposures_re-
turn);
ARGUMENTS
allow_exposures
Specifies the screen save control values. You can pass Don-
tAllowExposures, AllowExposures, or DefaultExposures.
allow_exposures_return
Returns the current screen save control value (DontAllowExpo-
sures, AllowExposures, or DefaultExposures).
display Specifies the connection to the X server.
interval Specifies the interval, in seconds, between screen saver al-
terations.
interval_return
Returns the interval between screen saver invocations.
mode Specifies the mode that is to be applied. You can pass
ScreenSaverActive or ScreenSaverReset.
prefer_blanking
Specifies how to enable screen blanking. You can pass Dont-
PreferBlanking, PreferBlanking, or DefaultBlanking.
prefer_blanking_return
Returns the current screen blanking preference (Dont-
PreferBlanking, PreferBlanking, or DefaultBlanking).
timeout Specifies the timeout, in seconds, until the screen saver
turns on.
timeout_return
Returns the timeout, in seconds, until the screen saver turns
on.
DESCRIPTION
Timeout and interval are specified in seconds. A timeout of 0 disables
the screen saver (but an activated screen saver is not deactivated), and
a timeout of -1 restores the default. Other negative values generate a
BadValue error. If the timeout value is nonzero, XSetScreenSaver en-
ables the screen saver. An interval of 0 disables the random-pattern
motion. Both values are limited to a 16-bit signed integer range by the
wire protocol, despite the C prototype. If no input from devices (key-
board, mouse, and so on) is generated for the specified number of time-
out seconds once the screen saver is enabled, the screen saver is acti-
vated.
For each screen, if blanking is preferred and the hardware supports
video blanking, the screen simply goes blank. Otherwise, if either ex-
posures are allowed or the screen can be regenerated without sending Ex-
pose events to clients, the screen is tiled with the root window back-
ground tile randomly re-origined each interval seconds. Otherwise, the
screens' states do not change, and the screen saver is not activated.
The screen saver is deactivated, and all screen states are restored at
the next keyboard or pointer input or at the next call to XForceScreen-
Saver with mode ScreenSaverReset.
If the server-dependent screen saver method supports periodic change,
the interval argument serves as a hint about how long the change period
should be, and zero hints that no periodic change should be made. Exam-
ples of ways to change the screen include scrambling the colormap peri-
odically, moving an icon image around the screen periodically, or tiling
the screen with the root window background tile, randomly re-origined
periodically.
XSetScreenSaver can generate a BadValue error.
If the specified mode is ScreenSaverActive and the screen saver cur-
rently is deactivated, XForceScreenSaver activates the screen saver even
if the screen saver had been disabled with a timeout of zero. If the
specified mode is ScreenSaverReset and the screen saver currently is en-
abled, XForceScreenSaver deactivates the screen saver if it was acti-
vated, and the activation timer is reset to its initial state (as if de-
vice input had been received).
XForceScreenSaver can generate a BadValue error.
The XActivateScreenSaver function activates the screen saver.
The XResetScreenSaver function resets the screen saver.
The XGetScreenSaver function gets the current screen saver values.
DIAGNOSTICS
BadValue Some numeric value falls outside the range of values accepted
by the request. Unless a specific range is specified for an
argument, the full range defined by the argument's type is ac-
cepted. Any argument defined as a set of alternatives can
generate this error.
SEE ALSO
Xlib - C Language X Interface
X Version 11 libX11 1.8.12 XSetScreenSaver(3)
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