The xterm Menus (Unix Power Tools, 3rd Edition)

5.17. The xterm Menus

xterm has four different menus, each providing items that serve different purposes. You display a menu by placing the pointer on the window and simultaneously pressing the CTRL (keyboard) key and a pointer button. When you're using a window manager that provides a titlebar or frame, the pointer must rest within the window proper and not on any window decoration.

Table 5-3 describes the menus and how to display them.

Table 5-3. The xterm menus

Menu title	Display by holding	Use to
Main Options	CTRL, pointer button 1	Enter secure mode; interrupt, stop, etc., the xterm process.
VT Options	CTRL, pointer button 2	Toggle user preferences, including scrollbar, reverse video, margin bell; toggle Tektronix/VT100 mode.
VT Fonts	CTRL, pointer button 3	Select alternative display font.
Tek Options	CTRL, pointer button 2, on Tektronix window	Toggle VT100/Tektronix mode; select display font.

As shown in Table 5-3, three of the four xterm menus are divided into sections separated by horizontal lines. The top portion of each divided menu contains various modes that can be toggled. (The one exception is the Redraw Window item on the Main Options menu, which is a command.) A check mark appears next to a mode that is currently active. Selecting one of these modes toggles its state.

The items on the VT Fonts menu change the font in which text is displayed in the xterm window. Only one of these fonts can be active at a time. To turn one off, you must activate another. See Section 5.18 for information on using the VT Fonts menu.

When you display an xterm menu, the pointer becomes the arrow pointer and initially appears in the menu's title. Once the menu appears, you can release any keyboard key. The menu will remain visible as long as you continue to hold down the appropriate pointer button. (You can move the pointer off the menu without it disappearing.) To toggle a mode or activate a command, drag the pointer down the menu and release the pointer button on the item you want.

If you decide not to select a menu item after the menu has appeared, move the pointer off the menu and release the button. The menu disappears and no action is taken.

You probably won't use the xterm menus too often. You can set most mode entries by using command-line options when invoking xterm or by using entries in a resource file (Section 6.5). See the xterm manpage for a complete list of options and resource variables.

The various modes on the menus are very helpful if you've set (or failed to set) a particular mode on the command line and then decide you want the opposite characteristic. For instance, say you've run xterm without a scrollbar and then decide you want one. You can toggle the scrollbar from the VT Options menu.

The sections below the modes portion of each menu contain various commands. Selecting one of these commands performs the indicated function. Many of these functions can be invoked only from the xterm menus. However, some functions can be invoked in other ways, which are often more convenient. For example, you can remove the xterm window using several of the items on the Main Options menu, but it's probably simpler to type exit or logout, or use a window manager menu or button. Of course, the xterm menus can be very helpful when other methods fail to invoke a function. And some functions (such as Secure Keyboard) are not available in any other way -- unless you do a little customizing.

Most people tend to use the mode toggles on the VT Options menu (which allow you to turn features like the scrollbar on and off) and the items on the VT Fonts menu (which allow you to change the display font once the client is running). If you're concerned about security, you may want to invoke secure keyboard mode from the Main Options menu before typing passwords or other sensitive information.

Note that a Release 5 patch (Section 20.9) has eliminated xterm's logging capability for security reasons. If this patch has been applied, your Main Options menu will not offer the Log to File option.

--VQ and SJC