X windows dump format

[Joel Feiner]

On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 11:30 PM, Randy Turner <rturner at amalfisystems.com>wrote:

>
> Hi All,
>
> I am developing an application that processes the output of the X Windows
> Dump (xwd) application.  I'm assembling use-case scenarios for testing this
> app and was wondering about how xwd actually works.
>
> When I use xwd to dump the contents of a window, and use the -nobrdrs
> option, it still includes the window frame and scroll bars from the window.
>  For instance, if I dump the contents of a Mozilla Firefox window, and use
> the -nobdrs option, I still get all the window decoration (scroll bars,
> etc.).  All I want from this xwd execution is the contents of the web page.
>

Scrollbars aren't part of the window decorations.  Those are entirely within
the client region.  Likewise for toolbars.  Actually, likewise for even the
window decorations, though they belong to the window manager.  You'd have to
dump the contents of the child of the frame window, and not the top-level
window for the application (which includes the WM's decorations).  Perhaps
using xwininfo would be helpful here because then you could discover the
window tree and pick the subwindow that has what you need in it.


> Also, if the content of the web page exceeds the viewable size of the
> browser window, I would like xwd to include the ENTIRE contents of the web
> page, and not just the viewable section.  Is this content available in the x
> windows display buffer? Or is the remainder of the web page (non viewable)
> under control of the Firefox and firefox displays the next page of content
> when I scroll the window?
>
>
Firefox might store the entire rendered webpage in a buffer somewhere, but
it's probably not one that is directly accessible from X.  Based on what
I've read in the past, Firefox doesn't actually store the whole rendered
page as a pixmap anywhere (though images and certain elements are,
compressed).  So you'd have to get Firefox to dump the web page using its
own mechanisms.  X can't help you.

Actual X developers can chime in and tell me I'm wrong, but I'm guessing
they probably won't be speaking favorably of Firefox in any case.


> Thanks very much for any assistance!
>
> Randy
>
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