inspect Extension Module

Inspect allows a special client to remotly connect to the running window manager. The client can then execute Python statements in the context of the window manager. This can be used to inspect the internal state of the window manager, change it, or whatever you might come up with.

The server side is implemented by a window manager mixin. For documentation on the client program, see section inspect_plwm.

Window Manager Mixin: InspectServer

The inspect server can be enabled or disabled. When it is enabled, the message [Inspect] is showed in the modewindow. When inspect clients connect it will change to also show the number of connected clients.

Instance Variable: inspect_enabled_at_start

Whether the inspect server should be enabled at startup. Default value is false.

Method: InspectServer inspect_enable ( )

Enable the inspect server.

Method: InspectServer inspect_disable ( force = 0 )

Disable the inspect server. If force is false disabling will fail if clients are connected, which will be indicated by a beep. If force is true the clients will be disconnected and the inspect server disabled.

Method: InspectServer inspect_toggle ( force = 0 )

Toggle the inspect server on or off. force is only used for disabling, and has the same meaning as for inspect_disable.

The inspect server is as secure as your X display. The inspect server announces the TCP port it listens on in a property on the root window. In the same property it also stores a random, 31-bit cookie. To be able to connect to the inspect server the client must fetch this property to find the port to connect to, and the cookie to send as authorization. Therefore only those with access to your X display, thanks to xhost or xauth, can connect to the inspect server.

Go to the first, previous, next, last section, table of contents.