xwud

xwud [-options] [infile]

-in filename
    Specifies the input file containing the X Window Dump data. If not specified, standard input is used.

-noclick
    Prevents the image from being destroyed when a mouse button is pressed.

-geometry geometry
    Specifies the size and position of the window to display the image in, using the standard X11 geometry string format (e.g., 800x600+100+50).

-display display
    Specifies the X display to use for displaying the image (e.g., :0 or hostname:0.0).

-new
    Forces creation of a new colormap.

-raw
    Displays in raw mode (no colormap).

-rv
    Reverses the video.

-plane plane
    Select bitplane to display (0 to N-1).

-fg color
    Sets the foreground color. The default is black.

-bg color
    Sets the background color. The default is white.

-visual visual
    Forces the specified visual.

-help
    Displays usage information.

-version
    Displays the version number.

The xwud command is a utility for displaying images stored in the X Window Dump format (typically files ending in .xwud).

It allows users to view images that have been captured from X Window System displays. It is part of the legacy X11 toolset, providing a simple way to visualize image data that might have been generated by tools like xwd (X Window Dump). xwud can decompress image data if it was compressed during the capture process.

While widely used in the past, modern image viewers often support more image formats and provide richer feature sets. It remains useful for handling older XWD files, especially when other viewers fail to display them correctly or if you prefer the simplicity of the tool. It's less commonly used these days due to the prevalence of more versatile image formats and viewers.

xwud relies on the X Window System. If X server isn't running or properly configured, xwud will fail.

Image manipulation capabilities are limited, primarily focused on display. Modern image viewers offer far richer editing features.

Color handling might not be perfect in all environments, especially with older XWD files or if the X server's color capabilities are limited.

xwud exits when a mouse button is pressed in the window unless the -noclick option is specified, or if it fails to open the input file or connect to the X server.

xwud has been a component of the X Window System since its early days.

It was initially developed to provide a simple mechanism to view X Window Dump files created by the xwd utility, enabling users to inspect and verify the captured images from their X sessions. Over time, its usage has decreased with the proliferation of more versatile image formats and viewers.

xwd(1), xmag(1)