Configuration of XcontrolX

The whole functionality of XcontrolX is implemented by the program xcontrolx. It is started like any X Window client and firstly needs a — first — display connection. This is specified as usual with the X Window system by the option:

-display display_name

or through the environment variable $DISPLAY (usually :0.0). The specified X Window server is the master.

Its input devices (usually a keyboard and a mouse) are used to control not only the master but also other X Window servers (the slaves) i.e. either to type input or to display an additional mouse pointer (telepointer).

There are multiple ways to achieve control of a server:

If the mouse pointer is moved across a screen border, the adjacent screen according to the spatial arrangment (Screen arrangement) can be reached.

If specified, pressing a configured hot key (Hot key) positions the mouse pointer on to another screen.

You may chose another screen in the navigation mode of the dialog box (Navigation).

The transfer of control from one server to another as well as the concurrent access of multiple xcontrolx processes to one server can be configured seperately for both input (Input control) and telepointer (Telepointer control).

Some of the configuration options are deliberately ignored for the master. When reading a configuration file, these irrelevant configuration statements are accepted and ignored without a warning. This allows the use of one common configuration file for multiple configurations with different masters.

The configuration is done interactively using a graphical user interface or in advance either with the command line or with configuration files.