Inessential Bitmap (XBM Format)

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Introduction: What are Bitmaps?

A bitmap is basically a map of bits (surprise, surprise) --- but when taken altogether and viewed through bitmap programs, the patterns of bits form a picture. Sometimes the pictures can be pretty impressive. If you have had any experience with painting programs (such as Mac Paint, Super Paint, or such), then you will find the format reassuringly similar.

One note about large bitmaps: they take up a lot of space in your account. It's a good idea to keep your large bitmaps compressed (type compress <filename> to compress, uncompress <filename> to uncompress) to save space when you aren't working on them. Luckily, there are many ways to view even compressed bitmap files.

Showing Bitmaps --- Basic Stuff

If you just want to put up one copy of the bitmap and be able to click it away, use showbitmap. You can add consult and then do showbitmap -rv <bitmap name>.

(The path is /mit/consult/$bindir/showbitmap.)

The -rv flag merely inverts the bitmap coloration; for some reason, showbitmap puts up bitmaps inverted on some machines, and thus the -rv is necessary to see the original form.

Another way to put up one copy of a bitmaps, even compressed ones, is to use:

% /mit/graphics/$bindir/xloadimage <bitmap name>

To put a bitmap up on your root screen (the background), use:

% xsetroot -bitmap <bitmap name>

This will place a tile pattern of your bitmaps onto your root screen. If you're using compressed bitmaps, you can use the following to do the same thing:

% /mit/graphics/$bindir/xloadimage -onroot <bitmap name>

#!/bin/csh -f
set pictures = `ls /mit/rei/bitart/Backgrounds`
set num = 1
while ($num)
        foreach i ($pictures)
                xloadimage -onroot /mit/rei/bitart/Backgrounds/$i >& /dev/null
                sleep 60
        end
end

``XSRB.un''

(Note: this works only on uncompressed bitmaps.)

#!/bin/csh -f
set pictures = `ls /mit/rei/bitart/IS`
set num = 1
while ($num)
        foreach i ($pictures)
                xsetroot -bitmap /mit/rei/bitart/IS/$i >& /dev/null       
        end
end

Note: the above program does not have a sleep time because it was designed to produce an ``animation'' by throwing up slightly different bitmaps one after the other.

xloadimage -onroot ~/bitart/Backgrounds/Respite &
/mit/sipb/$bindir/xscreensaver -geometry -25-55

If you want a screensaver to start up, you should also add:

/mit/sipb/$bindir/xscreensaver -geometry -25-55

Of course, substitute your own bitmap and pathname in! Then, to customize your screensaver icon, put something like the below in your .Xresources file:

xscreensaver*icon.bitmap:/mit/rei/bitart/drae
xscreensaver*float.bitmap:/mit/rei/bitart/dolphin
xscreensaver*useBackground:true

The float.bitmap section tells xscreensaver to use a different bitmap for when the icon floats around on the screen.