Changing root window manually doesn't work

[Edscott Wilson Garcia]

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005, Henry Griggs wrote:

> I've just starting using xfce, so I'm probably asking a dumb question
> that everyone has heard a hundred times, but I have to ask it.
>
> I use cron to change the root window to a random photograph every few
> windows. I use xv to do the change, "xv -root -rmode 5 -quit
> photofilename.jpg". It works fine on my previous window manager, fvwm2,
> but it doesn't work with xfce. Yet when I exit xfce, the photo is there.
>
> It seems like some component of xfce is holding and display a pseudo
> root window, and when xfce exits, the real root window is displayed.
>
> How can I display my photos on the pseudo root window of xfce using
> cron? Is there some other program like xv that I should be using? Is it
> possible?
>


If you are using xffm-deskview (see joe-smoe's mail) from xffm-4.3.3, then 
you can use fvwm-root or xffm-root to change background whenever you want.
Both these programs will change root pixmap and hold the pointer for 
applications which want a pseudo root.

If you are using xfdesktop, neither fvwm-root, xffm-root 
nor xv be of any use. Probably just rerun xfdesktop.