---
name: "wterm"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "wterm"
version: "6.2.9-8.1"
release: "Debian 6.0 (Squeeze)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/wterm"
---

# wterm(1)

lightweight terminal emulator for X

## NAME

wterm - lightweight terminal emulator for X

## SYNOPSIS

**wterm** \[ *options* \]\

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **wterm** application. Wterm is an X console based on RXVT, it has many features including fast transparency, nice scrollbars and image backgrounds.

## OPTIONS

**-Note-**\
 In most cases, *-option* turns the option on, *+option* will turn it off. This may seem a little illogical, but such is life.

- **-C**

  Intercept console messages.

- **-bd *colour***

  Border colour.

- **-bg *colour***

  Set background colour.

- **-cr *colour***

  Cursor colour.

- **-display *string***

  X server to connect to.

- **-e *command* \[arguments\]**

  Open wterm and execute command.

- **-fb *fontname***

  Use specified font for bold.

- **-fg *colour***

  Set foreground colour.

- **-fn *fontname***

  Use specified font for normal text.

- **-gc *GC***

  GC function types - The type of context use when creating the pixmap window.

- **-geometry *geometry***

  Size (in characters) and position of window.

- **-/+hi**

  Turn on/off highlight.

- **-iconic**

  Start wterm as an icon.

- **-/+ls**

  Turn on/off login shell.

- **-n *string***

  Icon name for window.

- **-name *string***

  Client instance, icon and title strings.

- **-pixmap *file***

  Background pixmap

- **-pr *colour***

  Pointer colour.

- **-/+rv**

  Turn on/off reverse video.

- **-/+sb**

  Turn on/off scrollbar.

- **-/+sh**

  Turn on/off shaded transparency.

- **-/+si**

  Turn on/off scroll-on-tty-output.

- **-/+sk**

  Turn on/off scroll-on-keypress.

- **-sl *number***

  Number of scrolled lines to save.

- **-/+sr**

  Turn on/off scrollbar right.

- **-/+st**

  Turn on/off scrollbar without a trough.

- **-title *string***

  Title name for window.

- **-tn *string***

  Value of the TERM environment variable

- **-/+tr**

  Turn on/off transparency.

- **-/+ut**

  Turn on/off utmp inhibit.

- **-/+vb**

  Turn on/off visual bell.

- **-/+wm**

  Turn on/off window maker menu.

## SEE ALSO

Docs can be found in */usr/share/doc/wterm/*. Also, take a look at *http://www.wterm.org/* for more information on wterm.

GC function types, the type of context use when creating the pixmap window is a complex feature, and cannot be explained here in any depth which would be useful. I suggest the manpage [**XCreateGC**(3x)](/XCreateGC/3x.md), which is a part of the *xmanpages* package.

The following manpages may also be of use:

[**xvt**(1)](/xvt/1.md), [**rxvt**(1)](/rxvt/1.md).

## UTMP SUPPORT

Wterm has support for UTMP. This means that a user who using a wterm, is visible in the "who" command. In order for this to work, the wterm binary (located in **/usr/bin/**) is set with a group "utmp" and is set gid utmp.

If you find that UTMP support isn't working (your wterm's don't show up in a who), check the permissions of **/var/run/utmp**. They should look something like:

\-rw-rw-r--    1 root     utmp         8448 May  6 21:47 /var/run/utmp

This can be set with the following commands (as the **root** user):\
\
 	**chown root.utmp /var/run/utmp**\
\
 	**chmod 664 /var/run/utmp**

## OTHER NOTES

You can change your font size on the fly in wterm with the following keyboard combinations:

	**Key Combination			Function**

	shift & keypad "+"		*Make font larger* \
\
 	shift & keypad "-" 		*Make font smaller*

It's also worth noting that the keyboard combination **shift & insert** causes the current text selection to be inserted. Select a portion of text using your mouse cursor, and press the combination in wterm.

## CREDITS

Author of xvt is John Bovey, authors of rxvt are Rob Nation, Mark Olesen, Oezguer Kesim and Geoff Wing, and author of wterm is an anonymous coder.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written for Debian GNU/Linux (but may be used by others) The original author was Mark Triggs \<mrbump@debian.org\>. Updates have been made by Jeff Stevens \<jeff@mossycup.com\>.