## 3.17. Terminal Setup: Setting and Testing Window Name

I use several xterm windows. Here's an excerpt from my X setup file (Section 3.20):

>     WINNAME=console xterm -C -title Console -geometry 80x9+0+0 &
>     WINNAME=work xterm -title "work xterm" -geometry 80x74+329-81 &

The `WINNAME=``name` sets an environment variable named WINNAME for the particular command line it's on. This is passed through the environment, through the xterm process, to the shell running inside the window. So the shell's setup file can test for this variable -- and, by knowing the window name stored in that variable, do specific setup for just that window. For example, in tcsh:

`-f` Section 11.10, `{ }`Section 28.4

>     if ($?WINNAME) then
>         switch ($WINNAME)
>         case console:
>             # Watch logs:
>             tail -f /var/log/{messages,maillog,secure} ~/tmp/startx.log &
>             breaksw
>         case work:
>             /usr/games/fortune
>             fetchmail
>             breaksw
>         endsw
>     endif

On the console terminal, this .tcshrc file starts a job in the background (Section 23.2) to watch log files. On the work xterm, I get a fortune and grab email from the POP server.

--JP and SJC

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