How to use the command xcursorgen (with examples)

xcursorgen is a command-line tool used to create an X cursor file from a collection of PNG images. It is commonly used in the X Window System environment to generate custom cursors for applications. The command requires a config file that specifies the order and appearance of the images to be used in the cursor.

Use case 1: Create an X cursor file using a config file

Code:

xcursorgen path/to/config.cursor path/to/output_file

Motivation: This use case is used when you have a config file that specifies the order and appearance of the images for a cursor, and you want to generate an X cursor file from it.

Explanation:

• path/to/config.cursor: The path to the config file that specifies the order and appearance of the images for the cursor.
• path/to/output_file: The path where the generated X cursor file will be saved.

Example output: This command will generate an X cursor file based on the provided config file and save it to the specified output file path.

Use case 2: Create an X cursor file using a config file and specifying the image files directory

Code:

xcursorgen --prefix path/to/image_directory/ path/to/config.cursor path/to/output_file

Motivation: If the image files specified in the config file are stored in a different directory than the current working directory, you can use the --prefix option to specify the path to the image files directory.

Explanation:

• --prefix path/to/image_directory/: Specifies the path to the directory where the image files mentioned in the config file are located.
• path/to/config.cursor: The path to the config file that specifies the order and appearance of the images for the cursor.
• path/to/output_file: The path where the generated X cursor file will be saved.

Example output: This command will generate an X cursor file based on the provided config file and image files located in the specified directory, and save it to the specified output file path.

Use case 3: Create an X cursor file using a config file and write the output to stdout

Code:

xcursorgen path/to/config.cursor

Motivation: If you want to preview the generated X cursor file in the terminal or save it to a file using redirection, you can omit the output file argument and write the output to stdout.

Explanation:

• path/to/config.cursor: The path to the config file that specifies the order and appearance of the images for the cursor.

Example output: This command will generate the X cursor file based on the provided config file and print it to the terminal. You can redirect the output to a file using the > operator.

Conclusion:

xcursorgen is a versatile command-line tool that allows you to generate X cursor files based on config files and collections of PNG images. By using different arguments, you can specify the input and output locations, as well as preview the generated cursors in the terminal.