The xlsclients command is a Linux utility that is used to list all the client applications that are connected to the X server. It is a part of the X11 utilities and is used to display information about the client applications that are connected to the X server.
Overview
The xlsclients command is used to display information about the client applications that are connected to the X server. It lists all the client applications that are currently connected to the X server, along with their respective window IDs. The output of the command can be used to identify which client application is using a particular window ID.
The basic syntax of the xlsclients command is as follows:
xlsclients [options]
The command does not require any arguments. When executed without any options, it will display a list of all the client applications that are currently connected to the X server.
Examples
To display a list of all the client applications that are currently connected to the X server, simply execute the xlsclients command without any options:
xlsclients
This will display a list of all the client applications that are currently connected to the X server, along with their respective window IDs.
To display the output in a more human-readable format, use the -l option:
xlsclients -l
This will display the output in a more human-readable format, with each client application on a separate line.
Specific use cases
The xlsclients command can be useful in a number of situations, such as:
- Troubleshooting X server issues: The command can be used to identify which client application is using a particular window ID, which can be helpful in troubleshooting X server issues.
- Monitoring X server activity: The command can be used to monitor the activity on the X server, and to identify which client applications are currently connected to the X server.
Options
The following options are available for the xlsclients command:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -display displayname | This option specifies the X server to connect to. |
| -a | This option displays information about all client applications, including those that are not accepting input. |
| -l | This option displays the output in a more human-readable format, with each client application on a separate line. |
| -m | This option displays the output in a machine-readable format, suitable for parsing by scripts. |
| -name name | This option displays information only about the client applications whose name matches the specified name. |
| -u | This option displays information about all client applications, including those that are not accepting input. |
Troubleshooting tips
If the xlsclients command does not display any output, it is possible that there are no client applications currently connected to the X server. In this case, try running a graphical application and then re-running the xlsclients command.
If the xlsclients command displays an error message indicating that it could not connect to the X server, it is possible that the X server is not running or that the DISPLAY environment variable is not set correctly. In this case, make sure that the X server is running and that the DISPLAY environment variable is set correctly.
Notes
The xlsclients command is a part of the X11 utilities and is available on most Linux distributions. It can be used to display information about the client applications that are connected to the X server, and can be useful in troubleshooting X server issues and monitoring X server activity.