Colormap Utilization Policy and Extension
X Project Team Standard
Version 1.0
Kaleb
S.
Keithley
The Open Group
X Consortium Standard
1986-1997The Open Group
X Consortium
X Version 11, Release 6.8
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Overview
This extension has three purposes: a) to provide mechanism for a special
application (a colormap manager) to discover any special colormap
requirements, e.g. the colormap entries that are nominally reserved for
desktop colors in the MS-Windows environment and initialize the default
colormap so that it can be more easily shared; and b) to encourage colormap
sharing and reduce colormap flashing on low-end 8-bit frame buffers by
providing a policy for sharing; and c) when colormaps aren't shared,
define a behavior in the X server color allocation scheme to reduce
colormap flashing.
To encourage colormap sharing and accomodate special colormap requirements
two new protocols are defined: the first provides a way to query the
server for a list of reserved colormap entries, and the second is a way
to initialize read-only (shareable) colormap entries at specific locations
in a colormap.
To minimize colormap flashing when the root window's default visual is one
of GrayScale, PseudoColor, or DirectColor, and a private colormap for the
default visual is being used, a minor (but compatible) change to the
server implementation of the AllocColor and AllocNamedColor requests is
required. Where the core protocol says nothing about the pixel values
returned, when this extension is in effect, the AllocColor and AllocNamedColor
requests will first look for a matching color in the default colormap, and,
if a match is found and the same cell in the private colormap has not
already been allocated, the color will be allocated in the private colormap
at the same locaton as in the default colormap (instead of in the first
available location.)
Requests
QueryVersion
client_major_version: CARD16
client_minor_version: CARD16
=>
server_major_version: CARD16
server_minor_version: CARD16
If supplied, the client_major_version and client_minor_version indicate
what version of the protocol the client wants the server to implement.
The server version numbers returned indicate the protocol this extension
actually supports. This might not equal the version sent by the client.
An implementation can (but need not) support more than one version
simultaneously. The server_major_version and the server_minor_version
are a mechanism to support future revisions of the TOG-CUP protocol that
may be necessary. In general, the major version would increment for
incompatible changes, and the minor version would increment for small
upward-compatible changes. Servers that support the protocol defined in
this document will return a server_major_version of one (1), and a
server_minor_version of zero (0).
GetReservedColormapEntries
screen: CARD32
=>
entries: LISTofCOLORITEM
This request returns a list of colormap entries (pixels) that are reserved
by the system, e.g. MS-Windows reserved desktop colors. This list will, at a
minimum, contain entries for the BlackPixel and WhitePixel of the specified
screen. The do-red, do-green, and do-blue elements of the COLORITEMs are
unused in this reply.
Rationale: There are colormap entries (pixels) that, e.g., MS-Windows
desktop reserves as desktop colors, that should not be altered. If they
are altered then X programs will cause colormap flashing between X and
MS-Windows applications running/displaying on the same desktop.
StoreColors
cmap: COLORMAP
items: LISTofCOLORITEM
=>
items: LISTofCOLORITEM
This request changes the colormap entries of the specified pixels. The
colormap entries are allocated as if by an AllocColor request. The do-red,
do-green, and do-blue elements of the COLORITEMs are unused in this request.
A boolean alloc-ok element (a bit) is returned indicating whether the
particular pixel was successfully allocated or not. If successfully
allocated the RGB and pixel are returned.
A Value error is generated if a pixel is not a valid index into cmap. A
BadMatch error is generated if if cmap does not belong to a GrayScale,
PseudoColor, or DirectColor visual.
Events and Errors
No new events or errors are defined by this extension.
Changes to existing protocol.
None.
Encoding
The name of this extension is "TOG-CUP".
The conventions used here are the same as those for the core X11
Protocol Encoding.
QueryVersion
1 CARD8 opcode
1 0 TOG-CUP opcode
2 2 request length
2 CARD16 client_major_version
2 CARD16 client_minor_version
=>
1 1 reply
1 unused
2 CARD16 sequence number
4 0 length
2 CARD16 server_major_version
2 CARD16 server_minor_number
20 unused
GetReservedColormapEntries
1 CARD8 opcode
1 1 TOG-CUP opcode
2 2 request length
4 CARD32 screen
=>
1 1 reply
1 unused
2 CARD16 sequence number
4 3n length
24 unused
12n LISTofCOLORITEM items
StoreColors
1 CARD8 opcode
1 2 TOG-CUP opcode
2 2+3n request length
4 COLORMAP cmap
12n LISTofCOLORITEM items
=>
1 1 reply
1 unused
2 CARD16 sequence number
4 3n length
24 unused
12n LISTofCOLORITEM items
(The definition of COLORITEM here is only for the purpose of defining the
additional alloc-ok member in the CUPStoreColors reply.)
COLORITEM
4 CARD32 pixel
2 CARD16 red
2 CARD16 green
2 CARD16 blue
1 alloc-ok
#x07 unused
#x08 alloc-ok (1 is True, 0 is False)
#xF0 unused
1 unused
C Language Binding
The C functions provide direct access to the protocol and add no additional
semantics. For complete details on the effects of these functions, refer
to the appropriate protocol request, which can be derived by deleting XCup
at the start of the function. All functions that have return type Status
will return nonzero for success and zero for failure.
The include file for this extension is
<X11/extensions/Xcup.h>.
Status XCupQueryVersion
Display* display
int* major_version_return
int* minor_version_return
display
Specifies the connection to the X server.
major_version_return
Returns the major version supported by the server.
minor_version_return
Returns the minor version supported by the server.
XCupQueryVersions sets major_version_return and minor_version_return to
the major and minor TOG-CUP protocol version supported by the server. If
the TOG-CUP library is compatible with the version returned by the server,
it returns nonzero. If dpy does not support the TOG-CUP extension, or if
there was an error during communication with the server, or if the server
and library protocol versions are incompatible, it returns zero. No other
XCup functions may be called before this function. If a client violates
this rule, the effects of all subsequent XCup calls that it makes are
undefined.
To get the list of reserved colormap entries, use
XCupGetReservedColormapEntries.
Status XCupGetReservedColormapEntries
Display* display
int screen
XColor** colors_out
int* ncolors
display
Specifies the connection to the X server.
colors_out
Returns the values reserved by the server.
ncolors
Returns the number of items in colors_out.
The XCupGetReservedColormapEntries function gets system specific colormap
entries. E.g. the MS-Windows desktop uses N colormap entries at the beginning
(0..N) and end (256-N..255) of the colormap. Use XFree to free colors_out.
To allocate one or more read-only color cells with RGB values, use
XCupStoreColors.
Status XCupStoreColors
Display* display
Colormap colormap
XColor* colors_in_out
int ncolors
display
Specifies the connection to the X server.
colormap
Specifies the colormap.
colors_in_out
Specifies and returns the values actually used in the colormap.
ncolors
Specifies the number of items in colors_in_out.
The XCupStoreColors function changes the colormap entries of the pixel
values specified in the pixel members of the XColor structures. The colormap
entries are allocated as if an AllocColor had been used instead, i.e. the
colors are read-only (shareable). XCupStoreColors returns the number of
colors that were successfully allocated in the colormap.
Using the TOG-CUP extension and Colormap Utilization Policy
The X server preallocates any hardware or desktop special colors in the
default colormap; e.g. UNIX X servers preallocate Black and White pixels.
PC X servers should also preallocate the MS-Windows desktop colors. (Note
to implementors: in the Sample Implementation special colors are allocated
in the default colormap in cfbCreateDefColormap for dumb memory framebuffers.)
To minimize colormap flash an application which installs its own private
colormap should query the special colors by calling
XCupGetReservedColormapEntries, and can then store those entries (in the
proper location) in its private colormap using XCupStoreColors.
Applications which allocate many colors in a screen's default colormap, e.g.
a color-cube or a gray-ramp, should allocate them with XCupStoreColors. By
using XCupStoreColors the colors will be allocated sharable (read-only) and
any other application which allocates the same color will share that color
cell.