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From: oj@SABER.COM
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x.motif
Subject: Re: -geometry behavior
Message-ID: <9011261725.AA27649@test4>
Date: 26 Nov 90 17:25:08 GMT
References: <12110004@hpfcbig.SDE.HP.COM>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 42


   I'm confused about the behavior of the -geometry command line option
   with Motif applications and mwm or vuewm.  The format is:

   -geometry +-x+-y

    ...
   1) xclock -geometry +10+10
   2) xclock -geometry -10-10
   3) xclock -geometry -500-500

In my experience, xclock is a really lousy "subject" if you're trying
to sort out the meaning of the -geometry option by "psychological
experiments" like the ones you mention.  I'd try a Motif-based
application program instead.  However, I think your experimental
results are correct in this case, anyhow.

The meaning of +10 is, ideally, "leave a gap of ten pixels between the
left/top edge of the bottle--the physical screen--and the window.  Likewise
the meaning of -10 is "leave a gap of ten pixels between the right/bottom
edge of the bottle and the window."  

The ambiguity arises when a window manager adds a decoration window and
reparents the application window.  The decoration effectively makes
the window appear bigger. 

Let's consider an example where the app. window is 30x30, by default.
Also, let's assume the screen is 1280x1024, and we specify 
"-geometry -10-10"

Information of the form -10-10 is unavailable to the window manager, 
so it can't tell whether you actually specified +1250+994 (for example)
or -10-10 as the geometry.  All it knows is that it has to decorate
a window with x=1250 and y=994.  Suppose you're adding decoration
of six pixels' width all around (resize handles all around, no 
title or buttons).  This means that your app. window origin gets moved
to 1256,1000. It also means that the lower right corner of the decoration
window (which is 42x42 in size, total, including the app. 30x30) ends up
offscreen.

Ollie Jones
Saber Software, Inc.