ximgview(1)

📦
version 8.4.2 · 8 versions
, in fedora 44

✨ NAME ✨

ok so bestie, this is ximgview — it's the ximgview(1) page from the GRASS GIS User's Manual, and it's literally just here to view BMP images from the PNG driver. that's the whole job. iconic behavior tbh 💅

🏷️ KEYWORDS 🏷️

display, graphics, raster, vector, visualization

📜 SYNOPSIS 📜

ximgview
ximgview --help
ximgview image=name  [percent=integer]   [--help]  [--verbose]
[--quiet]  [--ui]

🚩 Flags 🚩

  • --help — prints the usage summary, like a little "here's how u do it" note 🫶
  • --verbose — verbose module output, so it tells u everything it's doing, no secrets 🌸
  • --quiet — quiet module output, for when u want it to just chill and not yap 🤫
  • --ui — force launches the GUI dialog. like, drags the pretty interface out whether it wanted to or not 💅

🎛️ Parameters 🎛️

  • image=name [required] — the image file. this one's non-negotiable bestie, u HAVE to give it one 🍓
  • percent=integer — percentage of CPU time to use. default is 10. so it's not greedy, she's polite 💖

💫 DESCRIPTION 💫

ximgview is a simple X11 image viewer for 32-bpp BMP images — the kind that can be created with the PNG and cairo drivers. and the display is continually refreshed, meaning it keeps re-reading and re-drawing, so u get that live-updating glow-up as stuff changes. no manual refresh needed, she just knows ✨

📝 NOTES 📝

ok this part is important so listen up 🔥

the display driver must be configured to map the file, using GRASS_RENDER_FILE_MAPPED=TRUE. this is the whole reason the magic works: it makes sure the file stays a constant size, instead of getting truncated every single time it gets updated. no map, no vibe. periodt.

fr fr, set GRASS_RENDER_FILE_MAPPED=TRUE or the whole thing falls apart 😭

🌈 EXAMPLE 🌈

(bash shell syntax — copy-paste ready, iykyk)

export GRASS_RENDER_FILE=map.bmp
export GRASS_RENDER_WIDTH=640
export GRASS_RENDER_HEIGHT=480
export GRASS_RENDER_IMMEDIATE=PNG
export GRASS_RENDER_FILE_MAPPED=TRUE
export GRASS_RENDER_FILE_READ=TRUE
d.erase
ximgview $GRASS_RENDER_FILE percent=50 &
d.rast elevation.dem
d.vect roads

notice how it runs ximgview in the background with & and gives it percent=50, then just keeps feeding it new layers?? that's the main character energy right there 👑

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

  • PNG driver
  • cairo driver
  • wxpyimgview
  • variables

✍️ AUTHOR ✍️

Glynn Clements — ty for ur service king 🫡

💾 SOURCE CODE 💾

Available at: ximgview source code (history)

Accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:42:36 2026

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© 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team, GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual

and that's the whole page bestie!! 💖✨ this was GRASS 8.4.2, GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual, last touched Saturday Jan 17 05:42:36 2026, and the copyright belongs to © 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team — slay, go view some BMPs 🦋🎀

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