---
name: "wmrack"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "wmrack"
version: "1.4-7"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/wmrack"
---

# wmrack(1)

CD Player and Mixer dock applet

## NAME

**wmrack** - CD Player and Mixer dock applet

## SYNOPSIS

**wmrack** \[options\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **wmrack** is a combined CD player and Audio Mixer designed to be used with WindowMaker's dock. It can also be used with other window managers, and can be swallowed by a variety of tools, such as fvwm's button bar or gnome's panel. **wmrack** handles mounted volumes, opens and closes the tray, can display the current position in various ways and skips also data tracks. It gives you access to all your mixer devices, so that you may change volume or balance and set the record source.

## OPTIONS

- **-b** **COLSPEC** or **--background** **COLSPEC**

  Specifies the background color of the LED. It is available through the symbolic XPM colorname *led\_color\_black.*

  The other colors of the LED can be changed using the **-l** option.

  To find out what colors are available, try *showrgb* (part of X11).

- **-d** **DEVICE** or **--device** **DEVICE**

  Sets the CD-ROM device. This defaults to /dev/cdrom.

- **-h** or **--help**

  Prints a summary of supported options and their default values.

- **-l** **COLSPEC** or **--ledcolor** **COLSPEC**

  Specifies the color of the led. It is darkened two times (for a total of three colors) to get all needed colors. So better use a bright color.

  For the design of own XPM, the ledcolor is made available through the use of the symbolic xpm color names *led\_color\_high,* *led\_color\_low,* and *led\_color\_med.* There is also a symbol named *led\_color\_back* to get the default background color of the led-display. It can be changed using the **-l** option.

  To find out what colors are available, try *showrgb* (part of X11).

- **-m** **DEVICE** or **--mixer** **DEVICE**

  Sets the MIXER device. This defaults to /dev/mixer.

- **-p** or **--noprobe**

  This option disables the startup probing for a cd. Default is to probe the cdrom. This will close the tray and read the TOC of the cd (if there is one).

- **-s** **STYLEFILE** or **--style** **STYLEFILE**

  **wmrack** will try to load its window-pixmaps from the specified **STYLEFILE.** It will search this file for XPM pixmaps named *cdnodisc,* *cdplaying,* *cdpaused,* *cdstopped,* *cdled,* *mixer,* and *mixled.* If some of those are not defined, the compile-time defaults will be used.

- **-w** or **--withdrawn**

  Starts the **wmrack** in withdrawn window state. This is useful to dock the window to **WindowMaker.**

- **-M** **MODESTRING** or **--mode** **MODESTRING**

  By default **wmrack** will startup showing the CDROM controls. With this option you can specify what  controls should be shown. Valid **MODESTRINGSFP are** *cdrom,* **and** *mixer.*

## INVOCATION

**wmrack can be called using different ways. The most common invocation** **is from your dock file:**

        **wmrack**\
         **WMRack**\
         *POSITION* **2 -1 0**\
         **wmrack**\
         **--withdrawn**

**Another way to call wmrack is to swallow it into the afterstep(1)** **Wharf(1). This is best done placing the following line into your** *.steprc***:**

	**\*Wharf WMRack nil Swallow "wmrack" wmrack &**

**This method will also work for other button-bars, such as the** **[FvwmButtons(1)](/FvwmButtons/1.md) of the fvwm(1) window manager.**

## GENERAL USAGE

**The wmrack features a simple click interface. All times the buttons will** **show a standard sign which specifies the action it will do. But there are some** **notable extensions to that explained below.**

**You can always change the controls shown by clicking the middle button (this** **is the one which shows a disc or a speaker) of the controls. This button will** **show a symbol of the controls you can change to by pressing it (the disc and** **the speaker).**

**If you click this button with Control-Button-3, WMrack will exit.**

## CDROM USAGE

**The default behavior of wmrack is to try to read the cdrom at** **startup. If there was no cd, it will not try again unless you press the close** **or play button. This will close the cdrom and again try to read it. Unless** **there is a cd, wmrack will again suspend until your next action.**

- **open tray**

  **Clicking an open/eject button with button-3 will always open the tray.**

- **skip**

  **By pressing the button down and holding it on one of the prev/next track** **buttons the cdrom goes fast forward or backward.**

- **time left**

  **A button-1 click into the time display switches between time running and time** **left display.**

- **total time**

  **A button-2 click into the time display switches between track and total time.**

- **repeat**

  **A button-3 click into the time display cycles through normal mode, repeat all,**  **and repeat one play mode.**

**The cd player also offers a play list functionality. By default it will map** **out all data tracks of the current cdrom, but you can also randomize the list** **or program it to the tracks you want to hear. These functions are only** **available while a cdrom is in the drive and the drive is** *stopped***.**

- **randomize**

  **Clicking Control-Button-3 to the track display causes the playlist to be** **randomized. No track will repeat, the tracks are just mixed up.**

  **You will see the short message** *RA:ND* **in the time display.**

- **start programming**

  **Click Control-Button-1 into the track display to start programing a new** **playlist. You will see a short** *PR:OG* **message in the time display and a** *M* **will show up in the lower left corner of the display.**

- **add track to list**

  **Use the prev-/next-track buttons to select a track and click Mod1-Button-1** **into the track display to add it to the playlist. The time display will show** **the number of the tracks in the list and the number of the selected track for** **a short time and will than switch back and display the total ength of the** **playlist.**

- **clear list**

  **To abort the programing of a playlist click Control-Button-1 into the** **track-display.**

- **start playing the list**

  **Simply press the PLAY button to play the list.**

## MIXER USAGE

**Main controls of the mixer are the two volume scales at the left and the right**  **side of the display. Using the mouse the scales can be modified.**

- **button-1**

  **change volume of clicked scale**

- **button-2**

  **change volume of both scales**

- **button-3**

  **change the balance of the volume**

**Clicking into the alphanumeric display changes the currently shown** **mixer device. Some of the valid devices are VOlume, BAss, TReble,** **SYnth, PCm, SPeaker, LIne, MIc, CD, MiXer, Pcm2, REcord, IGain, OGain,** **Line1, Line2, and Line3.  You can also remove devices from this list.**

- **button-1**

  **go to the next device**

- **button-2**

  **go to the main volume (first device)**

- **button-3**

  **go to the previous device**

- **control-button-1**

  **show all devices**

- **control-button-3**

  **remove current device**

**Below the change-controls button is the record source button. It show either** **a 'X' and is inactive, or it show a speaker or a recording sign and is active.** **By pressing this button you can change the source of your recordings.**

- **button-1**

  **toggle record source button**

- **button-2**

  **set as record source and clear all other**

## COPYRIGHTS

**Copyright 1997, Oliver Graf \<ograf@fga.de\>.  2003-2006, Chris Waters** **Most styles copyright 1997, Heiko Wagner \<hwagner@fga.de\>.**

**No guarantees or warranties or anything are provided or implied in any way** **whatsoever. Use this program at your own risk. Permission to use this program** **for any purpose is given, as long as the copyright is kept intact.** **The program and its source code may be copied under the terms of the** **GNU General Public License.  See the file "COPYING" for details.**

## AUTHORS

**Oliver Graf \<ograf@fga.de\> -- original author**

**Chris Waters \<xtifr@users.sourceforge.net\> -- current maintainer**

**Heiko Wagner \<hwagner@fga.de\> -- the hyped window shapes**

## CREDITS

**Rob Malda \<malda@cs.hope.edu\> -- who had written ascd and asmixer**

**Michael Kurz \<mkurz@rzws.fh-aalen.de\> -- also for ascd and asmixer**

**Thomas McWilliams \<tgm@netcom.com\> -- who has done Workbone**
