---
name: "display-file"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "libggi2"
version: "1:2.2.2-5"
release: "Debian 6.0 (Squeeze)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/display-file"
---

# display-file(7)

Render display into image file

## NAME

**display-file** - Render display into image file

## SYNOPSIS

```
display-file: [-flushcmd=<command>] [-flushframe=<n>]
              [-flushtime=<t>] <filename>
```

## DESCRIPTION

Renders an image into a file.  The file can be a framebuffer device (e.g. **/dev/fb0**), in which case a reasonable representation of the image will be drawn on the console *so long as* the program's mode matches the framebuffer's mode.

**Note:** This target generates no input.  The **[display-multi(7)](/display-multi/7.md)** target can be used in order to see (and control) what the program does (using a normal target) and then generate a snapshot when the program exits.

## OPTIONS

*filename* is the file to render the images to.  If the filename is a PPM file (has the extension **.ppm**), then the image will be generated at **[ggiClose(3)](/ggiClose/3.md)** time.  Otherwise the file is a custom *GGIFILE* format and is generated continuously.

The **display-file** target can be used to generate movies from running LibGGI applications. To do this, set `-flushcmd` to a shell command to execute at the times given by one of the two other parameters. This looks typically like:

```
ppmtogif foo.ppm > foo.%04d.gif
```

The command is passed through a `printf(3)` which has the current count of saved frames as an argument (or rather as 10 arguments to allow a few more complex commands).

This shell command is either executed at every *n*-th invocation of ggiFlush or every *t* seconds, where *t* can have fractional components (specified as decimal).

Note, that the invocation of the shell command will slow down the program, so make sure you use a reasonable value, if you use the `-flushtime` argument.

The primary file is updated before every invocation of the shell command.

## FEATURES

- •

  DirectBuffer always available.

- •

  Unaccelerated.