---
name: "setup-background"
section: "1x"
platform: "linux"
package: "fvwm"
version: "2.4.6-2"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/setup-background"
---

# setup-background(1x)

set the background of the root window under X

## NAME

setup-background - set the background of the root window under X

## SYNOPSIS

**setup-background**

## DESCRIPTION

**setup-background** is a small script which checks for some configuration files in the user's home directory, and if an appropriate one is found, will set up the screen backdrop accordingly.  The search for configuration files is performed as follows.

All configuration files are first searched for in *~/.wm-common*. If no suitable configuration files are found there, then */etc/X11/wm-common* is searched.  If no suitable files are found there either, **setup-background** exits silently.  If an appropriate viewer or display program does not exist on the system for the first configuration file found, the program exists with a non-zero exit status.

The configuration files are looked for in the following order: (1) If *background.xpm* exists, then it should be an X pixmap file, which will be opened using [**xpmroot**(1x)](/xpmroot/1x.md).  (2) If *background.gif* exists, then this file should be a GIF file, which will be opened using [**xsetbg**(1x)](/xsetbg/1x.md), or **xv**(1x) if **xsetbg** doesn't exist. (3) If *background.jpg* exists, then it should be a JPEG file, which is again opened using **xsetbg** or **xv**.  (4) If *background.color* exists, then this file contains the name of a valid X color, which is used for the background using **xsetroot** **-solid**.  (5) The last file checked for is *background.list* which contains a list of images, one per line.  A random line is picked and the image referred to by that line is used, with **xsetbg** or **xv**.

## FILES

- /etc/X11/wm-common/background.\*

  System configuration files.

- \~/.wm-common/background.\*

  Personal configuration files.

## SEE ALSO

[**xpmroot**(1x)](/xpmroot/1x.md), [**xsetbg**(1x)](/xsetbg/1x.md), **xv**(1x), and [**xsetroot**(1x)](/xsetroot/1x.md).

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Julian Gilbey \<jdg@debian.org\> for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others). The **setup-background** program was written by Lars Wirzenius, but hacked by Julian Gilbey in 1999.  The program is copyrighted and release under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later.  No warranty is implied.