.mwmrc file

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Most of the features that you want to customize can be set with resources in your .Xdefaults file. However, key bindings, mouse button bindings, and menu definitions for your window manager are specified in the supplementary .mwmrc file, which is referenced by resources in the .Xdefaults file.

If you do not have a .mwmrc file in your home directory, you can copy it as follows:

cp /usr/lib/X11/system.mwmrc .mwmrc

Because the .mwmrc file overrides the system-wide effects of the system.mwmrc file, your specifications do not interfere with the specifications of other users.

The following example shows part of a typical system.mwmrc file:

#  DEFAULT mwm RESOURCE DESCRIPTION FILE (system.mwmrc)
#
# menu pane descriptions
#
# Root Menu Description

Menu RootMenu
{ "Root Menu"        f.title
  no-label           f.separator
  "New Window"       f.exec "aixterm &"
  "Shuffle Up"       f.circle_up
  "Shuffle Down"     f.circle_down
  "Refresh"          f.refresh
  no-label           f.separator
  "Restart"          f.restart
  "Quit"             f.quit_mwm
}

# Default Window Menu Description
 
Menu DefaultWindowMenu MwmWindowMenu
{ "Restore"   _R   Alt<Key>F5              f.normalize
  "Move"      _M   Alt<Key>F7              f.move
  "Size"      _S   Alt<Key>F8              f.resize
  "Minimize"  _n   Alt<Key>F9              f.minimize
  "Maximize"  _x   Alt<Key>F10             f.maximize
  "Lower"     _L   Alt<Key>F3              f.lower
  no-label                                 f.separator
  "Close"     _C   Alt<Key>F4              f.kill
}

# no acclerator window menu
Menu NoAccWindowMenu
{
  "Restore"   _R     f.normalize
  "Move"      _M     f.move
  "Size"      _S     f.resize
  "Minimize"  _n     f.minimize
  "Maximize"  _x     f.maximize
  "Lower"     _L     f.lower
  no-label           f.separator
  "Close"     _C     f.kill
}

Keys DefaultKeyBindings
{
  Shift<Key>Escape             icon|window        f.post_wmenu
  Meta<Key>space               icon|window        f.post_wmenu
  Meta<Key>Tab                 root|icon|window   f.next_key
  Meta Shift<Key>Tab           root|icon|window   f.prev_key
  Meta<Key>Escape              root|icon|window   f.next_key
  Meta Shift<Key>Escape        root|icon|window   f.prev_key
  Meta Ctrl Shift<Key>exclam   root|icon|window   f.set_behavior
}

#
# button binding descriptions
#

Buttons DefaultButtonBindings
{
  <Btn1Down>         frame|icon             f.raise
  <Btn3Down>         frame|icon             f.post_wmenu
  <Btn1Down>         root                   f.menu  RootMenu
  <Btn3Down>         root                   f.menu  RootMenu
  Meta<Btn1Down>     icon|window            f.lower
  Meta<Btn2Down>     window|icon            f.resize
  Meta<Btn3Down>     window                 f.move
}

Buttons PointerButtonBindings
{
  <Btn1Down>        frame|icon             f.raise
  <Btn2Down>        frame|icon             f.post_wmenu
  <Btn3Down>        frame|icon             f.lower
  <Btn1Down>        root                   f.menu  RootMenu
  Meta<Btn2Down>    window|icon            f.resize
  Meta<Btn3Down>    window|icon            f.move
}

#
#  END OF mwm RESOURCE DESCRIPTION FILE
#