The input file containing the data to be displayed as an icon is monitored by default; the file is checked every 2 seconds for change, and if it has been modified, the image icon is updated accordingly. The interval at which the input file is checked for modification may be specified using the [-update] argument.
A clip mask may be used to dictate the portion of the data that is displayed as an icon using the [-clip] argument.
An alternate input color map may be used to change the current color map using the [-cmap] argument.
A value may be provided to specify the size of the icon in pixels using the [-iconsize] argument. The image icon size should be used rather than setting [-width] and [-height] separately in order to preserve the 1:1 aspect ratio of the iconified image.
By default, the visualization display will share its colormap with all other applications running at the same time; that is, it does not not use a private colormap, but rather makes use of the default colormap. It is possible to specify that the visualization display allocate its own private colormap or "grab" all available colors for its own use. This is done using the [-priv] argument. When [-priv] is specified, moving the mouse pointer into the display window will cause the display to have its private colormap installed; moving the pointer out of the display window will cause the private colormap to be de-installed. This results in the "technoflashing" phenomenon characteristic of private colormap installation.
Color allocation can also be controlled and set to either Read Only or Read Write using the [-alloc] argument. When set to read only, once a color cell has been allocated, it can have its color set only once; from then on, the color cell can be shared by multiple applications, but not changed. If the visualization display requires the color displayed to change, it must re-allocate the color cell, forcing a re-display of the data. This can be an expensive procedure. In contrast, after a read/write color cell is allocated, it can have its color changed at any time without re-allocation; the data being displayed does not need to be redisplayed, and the color update process is much more efficient. However, the colors used in the visualization display cannot be shared by other applications.
On creation, the image icon window may be placed manually (the default method), or placed automatically. For automatic placement of the image icon window, specify the desired location in device (screen) coordinates using the [-x] and [-y] arguments.
While the image icon display window should be created with a default size that is appropriate to display the data, a width and height for the window can be specified explicitly using the [-width] and [-height] arguments. The iconified image will be resized to fit the specified dimensions. When width and height are set separately, however, the 1:1 aspect ratio of the original image may not be maintained. Note that interactive resizing of the image icon window using the window manager is currently NOT supported.
% puticon -i image:ball
% puticon -i image:lizard