---
name: "xarclock"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "xarclock"
version: "1.0-20"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/xarclock"
---

# xarclock(1)

extended xclock(1)

## NAME

xarclock - extended [xclock(1)](/xclock/1.md)

## SYNOPSIS

**xarclock** \[**-roman**\] \[**-arabic**\] \[**-south**\] \[**-north**\] \[**-analog**\] \[**-digital**\] \[**-chime**\] *pixels*\] \[**-fg** *color*\] \[**-bg** *color*\] \[**-hd** *color*\] \[**-hl** *color*\] \[**-bd** *color*\] \[**-fn** *fontname*\] \[**-help**\] \[**-padding** *pixels*\] \[**-rv**\] \[**-update** *seconds*\] \[**-display** *displayname*\] \[**-geometry** *geom*\]

## DESCRIPTION

The *xarclock* program displays the time in analog or digital, reverse or normal form.  The time is continuously updated at a frequency which may be specified by the user.  This program is based on the program [**xlock**(1)](/xlock/1.md) that is distributed together with the X11 release and is nothing more than a wrapper around the Athena Clock widget.

This program is an extension of the standard X clock widget.  New features are: Configurable direction of rotation and font support in analog mode.

## OPTIONS

**Xarclock** accepts all of the standard X Toolkit command line options along with the additional options listed below:

- **-roman**

  This option specifies that roman digits should be used on an analog clock.

- **-arabic**

  This option specifies that arabic digits should be used on an analog clock. This is the default

- **-south**

  This option specifies the direction the clock will turn, on the southern half of the earth the 3, early afternoon, is on the left side.  This is the default.

- **-north**

  This option specifies that the clock will behave like [**xclock**(1)](/xclock/1.md).

- **-analog**

  This option indicates that a conventional 12 hour clock face with tick marks and hands should be used.  This is the default.

- **-digital** (or **-d**)

  This option indicates that a 24 hour digital clock should be used.

- **-chime**

  This option indicates that the clock should chime once on the half hour and twice on the hour.

- **-hd** *color* **(or -hands** *color***)**

  This option specifies the color of the hands on an analog clock.  The default is *black*.

- **-hl** *color* **(or -highlight** *color***)**

  This option specifies the color of the edges of the hands on an analog clock, and is only useful on color displays.  The default is *black*.

- **-fn** *fontname*

  This option sets the name of the used fonts on the analog clock to *fontname*.

- **-help**

  This option indicates that a brief summary of the allowed options should be printed on the standard error.

- **-padding** *pixels*

  This option specifies the width in pixels of the padding between the window border and clock text or picture.  The default is 10 on a digital clock and 8 on an analog clock.

- **-update** *seconds*

  This option specifies the frequency in seconds at which *xclock* should update its display.  If the clock is obscured and then exposed, it will be updated immediately.  A value of less than 30 seconds will enable a second hand on an analog clock.  The default is 60 seconds.

## X DEFAULTS

This program uses the *Athena Clock* widget.  It understands all of the core resource names and classes as well as:

- **width (**class **Width)**

  Specifies the width of the clock.  The default for analog clocks is 164 pixels; the default for digital clocks is whatever is needed to hold the clock when displayed in the chosen font.

- **height (**class **Height)**

  Specifies the height of the clock.  The default for analog clocks is 164 pixels; the default for digital clocks is whatever is needed to hold the clock when displayed in the chosen font.

- **update (**class **Interval)**

  Specifies the frequency in seconds at which the time should be redisplayed.

- **foreground (**class **Foreground)**

  Specifies the color for the tic marks. The default is depends on whether *reverseVideo* is specified.  If *reverseVideo* is specified the default is *lwhite*, otherwise the default is *black*.

- **hands (**class **Foreground)**

  Specifies the color of the insides of the clock's hands. The default is depends on whether *reverseVideo* is specified.  If *reverseVideo* is specified the default is *lwhite*, otherwise the default is *black*.

- **highlight (**class **Foreground)**

  Specifies the color used to highlight the clock's hands. The default is\
    depends on whether *reverseVideo* is specified.  If *reverseVideo* is specified the default is *lwhite*, otherwise the default is *black*.

- **analog (**class **Boolean)**

  Specifies whether or not an analog clock should be used instead of a digital one.  The default is True.

- **roman (**class **Boolean)**

  Specifies whether roman or arabic digits should be used on the analog clock.  The default is True.

- **north (**class **Boolean)**

  Specifies whether or not reverse direction of rotation of hands of the analog clock should be used.  The default is False.

- **chime (**class **Boolean)**

  Specifies whether or not a bell should be rung on the hour and half hour.

- **padding (**class **Margin)**

  Specifies the amount of internal padding in pixels to be used.  The default is 8.

- **font (**class **Font)**

  Specifies the font to be used for the digital clock.  Note that variable width fonts currently will not always display correctly.

## WIDGETS

In order to specify resources, it is useful to know the hierarchy of the widgets which compose *xclock*.  In the notation below, indentation indicates hierarchical structure.  The widget class name is given first, followed by the widget instance name.

```
XClock  xclock
        Clock  clock
```

## ENVIRONMENT

- **DISPLAY**

  to get the default host and display number.

- **XENVIRONMENT**

  to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE\_MANAGER property.

## FILES

- */usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/XClock*

  Specifies required resources

## COPYRIGHT

Original code copyrighted by Digital Equipment Corporation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  The modifications made by Jaime Garcia-Ghirelli (jaime@inforamp.net) remain in the public domain.

This manual page is a mixture of recycled [**xclock**(1)](/xclock/1.md) stuff and new stuff by Martin Schulze (Martin.Schulze@linux.de)

## SEE ALSO

**X**(1), [**xclock**(1)](/xclock/1.md), [**xrdb**(1)](/xrdb/1.md), **time**(3C), Athena Clock widget.