path: root/xsettings/xsettings.xml

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<article id="index">
  <articleinfo>
    <title>XSETTINGS - cross toolkit configuration proposal</title>
    <releaseinfo>Version 0.5</releaseinfo>
    <pubdate>19 March 2001</pubdate>
    <authorgroup>
      <author>
	<firstname>Owen</firstname>
	<surname>Taylor</surname>
	<affiliation>
	  <address>
	    <email>otaylor@redhat.com</email>
	  </address>
	</affiliation>
      </author>
    </authorgroup>
  </articleinfo>

  <sect1 id="goals">
    <title>Goals</title>
    <para>
      The intent of this specification is to specify a mechanism to
      allow the configuration of settings such as double click timeout,
      drag-and-drop threshold, and default foreground and background colors
      for all applications running within a desktop. The mechanism should:
    </para>
    <simplelist>
      <member>allow for instant updates to be propagated across all
      applications at   runtime</member>
      <member>perform well, even for remote applications.</member>
    </simplelist>
    <para>
      It is not intended:
    </para>
    <simplelist>
      <member>for the storage of application-specific data</member>
      <member>to be able to store large amounts of data</member>
      <member>to store complex data types (other than as
      strings)</member>
    </simplelist>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="existing">
    <title>Existing Systems</title>
    <para>
      The existing systems in this area are the Xrm database, and various
      other configuration database systems, mostly specific to particular
      desktops. (The kde configuration system, gnome-config, GConf,
      libproplist, etc.)
    </para>
    <para>
      The Xrm database is tempting to use for this purpose since it is
      very well established and has a universally deployed existing
      implementation. However, it has various defects, that make it
      not suitable for this purpose.
    </para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  The Xrm database merges information from various sources - the
	  ~/.Xdefaults file on the root window, and a property on the root
	  window. This means that to programatically configure the Xrm
	  database in response to a GUI config tool is difficult and
	  unreliable.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  The Xrm database was not designed for on-the-fly changing of
	  settings.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  The Xrm database stores all information in a single text
	  property on the root window. This makes it difficult to
	  determine what settings have changed; it is necessary to parse
	  the property and do string comparisons.
	</para>
	<para>
	  Additionally, most systems have a large amount of application
	  specific information in the Xrm database, which further slows
	  down notification of changes.
	</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para>
      Other configuration databases are more designed for this
      task. However, they are sophisticated systems that are not easily
      reimplementable. Also, picking one would mean difficulties
      integrating with other desktops that use different systems.
    </para>
    <para>
      It is our contention that a system designed specifically for
      configuration of a small number of settings being changed at
      runtime can, compared to a more general existing system:
    </para>
    <simplelist>
      <member>Be easier to bridge onto each systems native configuration
	mechanism.</member>
      <member>Be easier to implement in whatever language/library combination
	people want to use.</member>
      <member>Be more efficient.</member>
    </simplelist>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="client-behavior">
    <title>Client behavior</title>
    <para>
      On startup, each client that should identify the settings window by
      calling XGetSelectionOwner() for the _XSETTINGS_S[N] selection and select
      for notification on the settings window by calling XSelectInput()
      with a mask of StructureNotifyMask|PropertyChangeMask.
    </para>
    <para>
      To prevent race conditions a client MUST grab the
      server while performing these operations using XGrabServer().
    </para>
    <para>
      If there is no owner of the _XSETTINGS_S[N] selection, the client can
      determine when an owner is established by listening for client
      messages sent to root window of the screen with type MANAGER. (See
      section 2.8, Manager Selections of the ICCCM.) The format of this
      message is:
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 event-mask:   StructureNotify
 event:        ClientMessage
 type:         MANAGER
 format:       32
 data[0]:      timestamp
 data[1]:      _XSETTINGS_S[N] (atom)
 data[2]:      New owner of the selection
 data[3]:      0 (reserved)
    </programlisting>
    <para>
      The client can then proceed to read contents of the _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS
      property from the settings window and interpret according to 
      the information in the "_XSETTINGS_SETTINGS Format" section of this 
      document.
    </para>
    <para>
      Clients must trap X errors when reading the _XSETTING_SETTINGS property
      because it is possible that the selection window may be destroyed
      at any time.
    </para>
    <para>
      When the client is notified that the settings window has been
      destroyed or discovers that the selection window has been destroyed,
      it should reset all settings to their default values and then proceed
      as on initial startup. [ See rational section ]
    </para>
    <para>
      When a client receives a PropertyChangeNotify event for the window
      it should reread the _XSETTING_SETTINGS property. It can use
      the 'serial' field to tell what fields have been changed. The
      client must parse the entire property and read in all new values
      before taking action on changed settings such as notifying listeners
      for those settings to avoid using a mix of old and new data.
    </para>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="format">
    <title>_XSETTINGS_SETTINGS Format</title>
    <para>
    The _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS property is of form 8 and type _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS.
The contents are a
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 1	CARD8    byte-order
 3               unused
 4      CARD32   SERIAL
 4      CARD32   N_SETTINGS
    </programlisting>
    <para>
Followed by N_SETTINGS settings records, which have a header:
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 1      SETTING_TYPE  type
 1                    unused
 2      n             name-len
 n      STRING8       name
 P                    unused, p=pad(n)
 4      CARD32        last-change-serial
    </programlisting>
    <para>
Where SETTING_TYPE is
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 0  XSettingsTypeInteger
 1  XSettingsTypeString
 2  XSettingsTypeColor
    </programlisting>
    <para>
followed by the body. If TYPE = XSettingsTypeString  the body is:
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 4      n             value-len
 n      STRING8       value
 P                    unused, p=pad(n)
    </programlisting>

    <para>
If TYPE == XSettingsTypeInteger, then the body is:
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 4      INT32         value
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      If TYPE == XSettingsTypeColor, then the body is:
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 2      CARD16        red
 2      CARD16        green
 2      CARD16        blue
 2      CARD16        alpha
    </programlisting>
    <para>
If the setting does not need the alpha field, it should
be set to 65535.
    </para>
    <para>
      Setting names must be confined to the ascii characters:
      </para>
    <programlisting>
 'A'-'Z' 'a'-'z' '0'-'9' '_' and '/'
    </programlisting>
    <para>
      With the additional restrictions that '/' cannot appear in
      the leading or trailing position, that two occurences of
      '/' cannot be consecutive, and that the first character
      of the name, and and the first character after a slash
      cannot be one of '0'-'9'. Names may not be empty.
    </para>
    <para>
      So,
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 "GTK/colors/background0"
 "_background"
 "_111"
    </programlisting>
    <para>
      are legitimate names, while
    </para>
    <programlisting>
 "/"
 "_background/"
 "GTK//colors"
 ""
    </programlisting>
    <para>
      Are not legitimate names.
    </para>
    <para>
      The names, types, contents, and default values of standard settings
      will be separately agreed upon.
    </para>

    <para>
      Names beginning with 'Net/' and case variants of that string are
      reserved and must not be used without prior agreement.
    </para>
    <para>
      The 'serial' field and and the 'last-change-serial' field of the each
      settings record can be used to tell which settings have changed since
      the last time a client retrieved the _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS property. Each
      time the client retrieves the contents of the _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS
      property it should store the contents of the 'serial' field. When
      it next retrieves the property, any settings whose 'last-change-serial'
      is greater than the stored value.
    </para>

    <para>
      (Careful clients will make provisions for wrap-around of the serial
      field. This is, however, not expected to happen in practice.)
    </para>
  </sect1>
  <sect1 id="manager-behavior">
    <title>Settings Manager behavior</title>
    <para>
      The _XSETTING_S[N] selection is managed as a manager selection
      according to section 2.8 of the ICCCM and the handling of the
      selections window, the _XSETTING_S[N] window and MANAGER client
      messages must conform to that specification.
    </para>
    <para>
      The settings manager changes the contents of the _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS 
      property of the root window whenever the source it derives them
      from changes, taking care to increment the 'serial' field at each
      increment and set the 'last-change-serial' fields appropriately.
    </para>
  </sect1>
  <appendix id="rational">
    <title>Rational and Discussion</title>
    <para>
      The reasons why an existing configuration mechanism, and in particular,
      the Xrm database, was not used is discussed above. Various other
      design decisions are discussed below:
    </para>
    <formalpara>
      <title>Why aren't the contents of the property stored in XML?</title>
      <para>
	The data format is designed to be space efficient and to be easily
	and efficiently parsed with minimal code. These are not things
	XML does well. Flexibility of structure, things that XML
	does well are not needed here. If needed, XML can be used for
	the contents of individual settings.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
    <formalpara>
      <title>Why is the settings property screen specific?</title>
      <para>
	While most settings are expected to be shared across all screens
	of a display, some settings, such as font sizes will be screen
	specific, and it is considered easier to let the settings manager
	propagate shared resources across screens then to have both
	screen-specific and screen-independent resources.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
    <formalpara>
      <title>Why does there need to be a "settings manager" process
      running?</title>
      <para>
	Having a process always present as the owner of the _XSETTING
	selection ensures that there are no race conditions and is
	simpler than trying to create a locking mechanism that can
	work without a persistant process. It is also expected that to
	properly handle notification of changes to the stored
	properties most desktops will want a process running to watch
	for changes in any case. In cases of tight resource usage, the
	settings manager can be combined with some other function,
	such as the window manager or session manager.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
    <formalpara>
      <title>Why use a single property for all settings?</title>
      <para>
	Using a single property has several advantages. First, retrieving
	all settings takes only a single round-trip to the server instead
	of a round-trip for each settings. Second, it means that when
	multiple settings can be changed at once, only a single notification
	is received by clients, and clients will see interrelated properties
	changed in an atomic fashion.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
    <formalpara>
      <title>Why is the _XSETTINGS_SETTINGS property stored in the endianess
	of the manager instead of a neutral endianness?</title>
      <para>
	This conforms to the way many other X mechanisms work. The main reason
	for doing it this way is to save conversions for the common case when
	the client and manager are on machines of the same endianness.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
    <formalpara>
      <title>When the settings manager exits, why should clients reset the 
	values to the default settings instead of keeping the current
	settings?</title>
      <para>
	Resetting the settings to the default values is preferred to
	maintaining the current values because it makes sure that all programs
	on the desktop have consistent values for settings whether they were 
	started before or after the settings manager exited. It is not
	expected that changes in the current settings manager will occur
	very often.
      </para>
    </formalpara>
  </appendix>
</article>