Described below are several methods of starting up the Cygwin/X X Server with a startup utility that optionally starts initial clients (for example, a terminal or a window manager) and performs X server configuration (for example, loading a keyboard modifier map).
Use the custom XWin startup utility startxwin
startxwin is included in the xinit package (installed by following the instructions in the Section called Installing Cygwin/X in Chapter 2), which starts the X server in multiwindow mode along with a single X terminal. Run startxwin by:
using the "XWin Server" shortcut under "Cygwin-X" on the Start Menu
Starting /usr/bin/startxwin in a Cygwin shell:
$ startxwin |
Full documentation for startxwin can be read with man startxwin . Note that the special option -- is used to mark the end of client options and the beginning of server options, so, for example, if you wish to start the X server with the -noclipboard option, as described in the Section called Command line parameters in Chapter 3, use the following command:
$ startxwin -- -noclipboard |
You may create a ~/.startxwinrc script to customize the client programs started, rather than a single xterm.
Note: The MS-DOS batch file startxwin.bat and bash shell script startxwin.sh previously used to start the X server are no longer provided. Implemented as a script made it difficult to reliably wait until the the X server had started before starting any clients. Use startxwin instead.
Note: It's not recommended to start startxwin from a MS-DOS shell or by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer. To do so means that XWin is not started from a login shell, and programs started from the notification area icon menu will not inherit the environment of a login shell. This may lead to unexpected behaviour, for example, if you have customizations to your login shell start-up scripts which set environment variables.
Note: If you want to have a Start Menu shortcut which runs startxwin with custom options, you should use a copy of the Start Menu shortcut installed by xinit, so that your changes are not overwritten when the xinit package is updated.
Note: startxwin is a specialized version of startx with a few differences appropriate to running in multiwindow mode, rather than windowed mode.
startxwin supplies the -multiwindow option to XWin.exe
It uses a different script to start clients (~/.startxwinrc rather than ~/.xinitrc), because ~/.xinitrc will normally end by starting a window manager, which would be incorrect for ~/.startxwinrc (as it would discover the internal window manager is already running and exit immediately).
startxwin exits after ~/.startxwinrc has completed and leaves XWin.exe running, whereas startx waits until ~/.xinitrc exits (which is usually waiting for the window manager started by it to exit) and then kills XWin.exe.
Use the standard X Window System startx command with its attendant ~/.xinitrc configuration file.
Run startx in a Cygwin shell:
$ startx |
Full documentation for startx can be read with man startx . Note that the special option -- is used to mark the end of client options and the beginning of server options, so, for example, if you wish to start the X server with the -emulate3buttons option, as described in the Section called Command line parameters in Chapter 3, use the following command:
$ startx -- -emulate3buttons |
You may create a ~/.xinitrc from the template in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and then customize ~/.xinitrc as required
$ cp /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc ~/.xinitrc [edit ~/.xinitrc as desired] |
Alternatively, if you just want to start a single client program (perhaps a window manager), you don't need to use a ~/.xinitrc, and can start the client directly from startx, e.g.
$ startx /usr/bin/fvwm2 |
Note: The client name supplied to startx must begin with / or ., otherwise it is treated as options to the default xterm client.
Advanced users may wish to start the X server by invoking XWin directly, for example, to start XDMCP sessions.