Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re:  XGetWindowAttributes
Message-ID: <9012201947.AA23350@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 20 Dec 90 19:47:12 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 21

> I'm having trouble getting the windows background pixel value.  We've
> tried XGetWindowAttributes, but no luck.

Right.  There is no way to get a window's background, or even to find
out whether it's None, a solid value, or a pixmap.

No sure nondestructive way, that is.  Under some circumstances you can
infer what the background must be, but all such attempts suffer from
similar problems - they depend on the window being visible (or having
backing-store) and they destroy some part of its contents.

> Has anyone else needed to find out the background or foreground
> color?

Windows don't have foreground colors.  (Graphics contexts do, and you
*can* inquire about a GC's foreground value, with XGetGCValues.)

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu