Unix Power Tools

5.17
When you display an xterm menu, the pointer becomes the arrow pointer and
initially appears in the menu’s title. Once the menu appears, you can release any
keyboard key. The menu will remain visible as long as you continue to hold
down the appropriate pointer button. (You can move the pointer off the menu
without it disappearing.) To toggle a mode or activate a command, drag the
pointer down the menu and release the pointer button on the item you want.
If you decide not to select a menu item after the menu has appeared, move the
pointer off the menu and release the button. The menu disappears and no action
is taken.
You probably won’t use the xterm menus too often. You can set most mode
entries by using command-line options when invoking xterm or by using entries
in a resource file (6.5). See the xterm manpage for a complete list of options and
resource variables.
The various modes on the menus are very helpful if you’ve set (or failed to set) a
particular mode on the command line and then decide you want the opposite
characteristic. For instance, say you’ve run xterm without a scrollbar and then
decide you want one. You can toggle the scrollbar from the VT Options menu.
The sections below the modes portion of each menu contain various commands.
Selecting one of these commands performs the indicated function. Many
of these functions can be invoked only from the xterm menus. However, some
functions can be invoked in other ways, which are often more convenient. For
example, you can remove the xterm window using several of the items on the
Main Options menu, but it’s probably simpler to type exit or logout, or use a
window manager menu or button. Of course, the xterm menus can be very helpful
when other methods fail to invoke a function. And some functions (such as
Secure Keyboard) are not available in any other way—unless you do a little
customizing.
Most people tend to use the mode toggles on the VT Options menu (which
allow you to turn features like the scrollbar on and off) and the items on the VT
Fonts menu (which allow you to change the display font once the client is
running). If you’re concerned about security, you may want to invoke secure
keyboard mode from the Main Options menu before typing passwords or other
sensitive information.
Note that a Release 5 patch (20.9) has eliminated xterm’s logging capability for
security reasons. If this patch has been applied, your Main Options menu will
not offer the Log to File option.
—VQ and SJC
114 Part II: Customizing Your Environment
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