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xform - display an xform window and invoke its action
xform -p file.par -f [ +formname ] [ -i [ +invokename ] [ -w [ -text text ] ] ] [ standard X options ]
The xform command is used to display an xform window on the screen and to invoke its action.
The -p indicates that what immediately follows is the name of the par file containing the instructions for the xform window. (The file file.par is stored in a user’s home directory as .,file.par and does not appear in normal directory listings. Use ls -a to list these files.) To locate file.par, the computer will first look in the current directory. If the file is not located there, it will then look in the home directory. Failing that, the computer will copy the file from the standard directory $cfhtdir/dev/conf to the home directory and then execute it.
The -f indicates which form in the par file to use. The default value is +form. This can be overridden by specifying +formname.
The -i indicates which action in the par file to invoke. The default value is the line beginning with +invoke. This can be overridden by specifying +invokename. If the -i is missing, then the window will be displayed but no action will be invoked.
The -w indicates that a Boolean value is to be set to indicate the status of the invocation. A user-friendly device (an icon) will appear on the screen indicating that the user is to wait. When the invocation is complete, the icon will disappear, and the user may safely proceed. The use of -w is valid only if -i is specified.
The -text text indicates that the text text should be displayed in the above icon while the invoke program is being run. The text can be up to 31 characters (ugh, but the icon field is only supposed to be a filename) long. Any extra are ignored. The -text option is only used if -w is given.
Standard X11 options, such as -foreground red can be used. Note the geometry request needs to be more fully qualified than usual. See examples below.
Display on the screen the default xform window in the par file align.par but do not invoke the action of the window (useful during the development stage of an xform window):
$ xform -p align.par -f
Display on the screen the default xform window in the par file align.par and invoke its action:
$ xform -p align.par -f -i
Display on the screen the xform window +secondform in the par file align.par on the screen, invoke the action associated with +secondinvoke, and display an icon until the invoked action is complete:
$ xform -p align.par -f +secondform -i +secondinvoke -w
Blah, blah, blah, but do it in the lower right of the screen:
$ xform -p align.par -f -xrm ’align.xform*geometry: -0-0’
./*.par$HOME/.,*.par$cfhtdir/dev/conf/*.par