---
name: "Tk_ConfigureWindow"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "tk"
version: "8.6.16-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Tk_ChangeWindowAttributes"
---

# Tk\_ConfigureWindow(3)

change window configuration or attributes

Part of [Tk\_ChangeWindowAttributes(3)](/Tk_ChangeWindowAttributes/3.md).

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```

## NAME

Tk\_ConfigureWindow, Tk\_MoveWindow, Tk\_ResizeWindow, Tk\_MoveResizeWindow, Tk\_SetWindowBorderWidth, Tk\_ChangeWindowAttributes, Tk\_SetWindowBackground, Tk\_SetWindowBackgroundPixmap, Tk\_SetWindowBorder, Tk\_SetWindowBorderPixmap, Tk\_SetWindowColormap, Tk\_DefineCursor, Tk\_UndefineCursor - change window configuration or attributes

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <tk.h>

Tk_ConfigureWindow(tkwin, valueMask, valuePtr)

Tk_MoveWindow(tkwin, x, y)

Tk_ResizeWindow(tkwin, width, height)

Tk_MoveResizeWindow(tkwin, x,  y, width, height)

Tk_SetWindowBorderWidth(tkwin, borderWidth)

Tk_ChangeWindowAttributes(tkwin, valueMask, attsPtr)

Tk_SetWindowBackground(tkwin, pixel)

Tk_SetWindowBackgroundPixmap(tkwin, pixmap)

Tk_SetWindowBorder(tkwin, pixel)

Tk_SetWindowBorderPixmap(tkwin, pixmap)

Tk_SetWindowColormap(tkwin, colormap)

Tk_DefineCursor(tkwin, cursor)

Tk_UndefineCursor(tkwin)
```

## ARGUMENTS

- Tk\_Window *tkwin* (in)

  Token for window.

- unsigned int *valueMask* (in)

  OR-ed mask of values like **CWX** or **CWBorderPixel**, indicating which fields of *\*valuePtr* or *\*attsPtr* to use.

- XWindowChanges *\*valuePtr* (in)

  Points to a structure containing new values for the configuration parameters selected by *valueMask*.  Fields not selected by *valueMask* are ignored.

- int *x* (in)

  New x-coordinate for *tkwin*'s top left pixel (including border, if any) within tkwin's parent.

- int *y* (in)

  New y-coordinate for *tkwin*'s top left pixel (including border, if any) within tkwin's parent.

- int *width* (in)

  New width for *tkwin* (interior, not including border).

- int *height* (in)

  New height for *tkwin* (interior, not including border).

- int *borderWidth* (in)

  New width for *tkwin*'s border.

- XSetWindowAttributes *\*attsPtr* (in)

  Points to a structure containing new values for the attributes given by the *valueMask* argument.  Attributes not selected by *valueMask* are ignored.

- unsigned long *pixel* (in)

  New background or border color for window.

- Pixmap *pixmap* (in)

  New pixmap to use for background or border of *tkwin*.  WARNING: cannot necessarily be deleted immediately, as for Xlib calls.  See note below.

- Colormap *colormap* (in)

  New colormap to use for *tkwin*.

- Tk\_Cursor *cursor* (in)

  New cursor to use for *tkwin*.  If **None** is specified, then *tkwin* will not have its own cursor;  it will use the cursor of its parent.

  ```

  ```

## DESCRIPTION

These procedures are analogous to the X library procedures with similar names, such as **XConfigureWindow**.  Each one of the above procedures calls the corresponding X procedure and also saves the configuration information in Tk's local structure for the window.  This allows the information to be retrieved quickly by the application (using macros such as **Tk\_X** and **Tk\_Height**) without having to contact the X server.  In addition, if no X window has actually been created for *tkwin* yet, these procedures do not issue X operations or cause event handlers to be invoked;  they save the information in Tk's local structure for the window;  when the window is created later, the saved information will be used to configure the window.

See the X library documentation for details on what these procedures do and how they use their arguments.

In the procedures **Tk\_ConfigureWindow**, **Tk\_MoveWindow**, **Tk\_ResizeWindow**, **Tk\_MoveResizeWindow**, and **Tk\_SetWindowBorderWidth**, if *tkwin* is an internal window then event handlers interested in configure events are invoked immediately, before the procedure returns.  If *tkwin* is a top-level window then the event handlers will be invoked later, after X has seen the request and returned an event for it.

Applications using Tk should never call procedures like **XConfigureWindow** directly;  they should always use the corresponding Tk procedures.

The size and location of a window should only be modified by the appropriate geometry manager for that window and never by a window itself (but see **Tk\_MoveToplevelWindow** for moving a top-level window).

You may not use **Tk\_ConfigureWindow** to change the stacking order of a window (*valueMask* may not contain the **CWSibling** or **CWStackMode** bits). To change the stacking order, use the procedure **Tk\_RestackWindow**.

The procedure **Tk\_SetWindowColormap** will automatically add *tkwin* to the **TK\_COLORMAP\_WINDOWS** property of its nearest top-level ancestor if the new colormap is different from that of *tkwin*'s parent and *tkwin* is not already in the **TK\_COLORMAP\_WINDOWS** property.

## BUGS

**Tk\_SetWindowBackgroundPixmap** and **Tk\_SetWindowBorderPixmap** differ slightly from their Xlib counterparts in that the *pixmap* argument may not necessarily be deleted immediately after calling one of these procedures.  This is because *tkwin*'s window may not exist yet at the time of the call, in which case *pixmap* is merely saved and used later when *tkwin*'s window is actually created.  If you wish to delete *pixmap*, then call **Tk\_MakeWindowExist** first to be sure that *tkwin*'s window exists and *pixmap* has been passed to the X server.

A similar problem occurs for the *cursor* argument passed to **Tk\_DefineCursor**.  The solution is the same as for pixmaps above: call **Tk\_MakeWindowExist** before freeing the cursor.

## SEE ALSO

Tk\_MoveToplevelWindow, Tk\_RestackWindow

## KEYWORDS

attributes, border, color, configure, height, pixel, pixmap, width, window, x, y