nitrogen
Set desktop background images
TLDR
View and set the wallpapers from a specific directory
Set the wallpaper with automatic size settings
Restore the previous wallpaper
SYNOPSIS
nitrogen [options] [directory]
PARAMETERS
-h, --help
Display help message and exit.
-v, --version
Display version information and exit.
-c, --create-config
Create a configuration file in ~/.config/nitrogen.
-r, --restore
Restore the last saved wallpaper settings.
-l, --list-dirs
List the directories in the config file.
--set-scaled
Sets the wallpaper to specified
--set-tiled
Sets the wallpaper to specified
--set-centered
Sets the wallpaper to specified
--set-zoom-fill
Sets the wallpaper to specified
--set-zoom-crop
Sets the wallpaper to specified
--set-max
Sets the wallpaper to specified
[directory]
The directory to browse for wallpapers. If omitted, defaults to the directories in the config file.
DESCRIPTION
nitrogen is a lightweight GTK+ application designed to set the desktop wallpaper in X environments, especially those lacking native wallpaper configuration tools, such as Openbox, Fluxbox, and other window managers.
It allows users to browse directories containing image files and select one or more images to be displayed as the background. nitrogen can handle multiple displays, applying different wallpapers to each screen, or spanning a single image across them.
It remembers the wallpaper settings across sessions, automatically restoring them upon login. nitrogen also offers basic image scaling and positioning options, allowing users to control how the wallpaper is displayed, including options like zoomed, scaled, tiled, and centered.
Furthermore, it supports the creation of a desktop file for autostart, ensuring that the wallpaper is automatically applied upon each login. No longer is manual execution after login required.
CAVEATS
nitrogen depends on GTK+ and libXinerama. If Xinerama support is not available, it may not function correctly with multiple displays.
CONFIGURATION
nitrogen stores its configuration, including the list of wallpaper directories and the chosen wallpaper settings, in a file typically located at ~/.config/nitrogen/nitrogen.cfg. This file is automatically created and updated by nitrogen.
AUTOSTART
To automatically set the wallpaper upon login, create a desktop file in ~/.config/autostart/.
The content of the file should include `Exec=nitrogen --restore` to restore the last saved wallpaper settings.
HISTORY
nitrogen emerged as a solution for lightweight window managers needing a dedicated wallpaper setter. Development focused on providing a simple, efficient, and persistent wallpaper configuration tool.
It's become a standard utility in many minimalist Linux distributions and desktop environments.
SEE ALSO
feh(1)