editres

editres [-help] [-version] [filename]

-help
    Displays a brief usage summary and exits.

-version
    Prints the program version number and exits.

filename
    Path to the resource file to load; if omitted, prompts user interactively.

editres is a graphical utility for interactively editing X Toolkit Intrinsics (Xt) resource files used by X11 applications. These files, typically named AppDefaults or stored in ~/.Xresources, specify customizable attributes like fonts, colors, geometry, and behaviors for widgets in Xt-based programs such as xclock, xterm, or Athena widget apps.

When launched, editres prompts for a resource file if none is specified. It presents a hierarchical tree view of resources, organized by application class, name, widget class, and name. Users can expand/collapse nodes, add new resources, modify values (with syntax checking), delete entries, and save changes. Wildcard resources (*) are supported.

A key feature is fetching live resources from a running Xt application: via the File menu, select a window to query its current resource database, enabling quick customization and testing without restarting the app.

editres includes menus for editing (Edit: cut/copy/paste/undo), searching, and validating resources. It enforces Xt syntax, preventing invalid entries. Ideal for developers tuning app defaults or users personalizing X11 environments.

Though X resources are less common today with GTK/Qt dominance, editres remains valuable for legacy Xt apps and system-wide customizations via xrdb. (187 words)

Accepts standard X Toolkit options (e.g., -display); primarily for Xt/Athena apps, not modern toolkits like GTK. GUI requires X11 server.

Tree-view hierarchy browsing.
Live fetch from running apps via window selection.
Undo/redo, search/replace, syntax validation.

editres /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/XClock
Edit XClock resources graphically, then merge with xrdb -merge.

Developed by the X Consortium; first released in X11R5 (1991) as part of xorg/app/editres. Maintained in modern X.Org distributions for legacy Xt support.

xrdb(1), appres(1), xprop(1), xedit(1)