XFuguRoot is a 1-bit minimalistic wallpaper generator that allows you to tailor the appearance of the background ("root") window on a workstation display running X.
The tool is a different take on xsetroot, and was written specifically for the FuguHiki live system to generate backgrounds regardless of the screen resolution of the running machine.
This way, it is no longer necessary to have a set of JPEG or PNG images with various resolutions that fit the machine's screen: it is enough to generate an image dynamically when the graphical environment starts.
Being the tool a 1-bit wallpaper generator the first thing you have to chose
is a couple of colors that fit the theme of your desktop environment.
To set the background and foreground colors use the -bg and the -fg options.
By default if no other option is used the root window will be set to a solid
color.
A few images are shipped with the tool, like the 1-bit version of our belowed OpenBSD Puffy mascot or of Tux the Linux penguin.
These images are stored as ascii-art files to be very easy to edit (e.g. by using emacs artist-mode). It is possible to add new images simply creating a new text file in the system directory or in the directory the tool is run from.
To draw these images in the wallpaper you can use the -logo <img> option for a
repeated pattern (with -pad <factor> for some padding). Example:
Or the -cen <img> option for one single image in the center. You can scale it
with -scale <factor>. Example:
An image can also be set at a specific position of the screen
with -pos <img> x y. For example:
It is also possible to apply a rotation to an image with -rot <degrees> or
to mirror it horizontally with -mir.
Finally it is also possible to save or load a wallpaper from an ascii-art file
using respectively the -save <file> and -load <file> options.
By combining several options, and with the help of the save and load ones, it is possible to unlock the scripting power of the tool to generate complex pattern or even animations.
An example of a complex combination of images:
An example of a cyclic animation:
ADD EXAMPLE ANIMATED GIF
That's all. Use this small tutorial to adapt the tool to your needs, and enjoy the minimalistic world of dynamically generated 1-bit wallpapers.