splitflap(6x)

📦
version 6.17 · 10 versions
, in fedora 44

✨ splitflap 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the manual for splitflap, an XScreenSaver hack, and honestly? it's giving airport core. no notes.

🌸 NAME 🌸

splitflap — a simulation of a split-flap electromechanical display. literally a little fake version of those flippy-letter signs, and yes it's iconic.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

splitflap [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
[--root] [--window-id number] [--delay microseconds] [--speed float]
[--width columns] [--height rows] [--mode text | clock12 | clock24]
[--no-wander] [--spin axes] [--no-spin] [--front] [--no-front]
[--wireframe] [--fps]

like, that's a lot of flags and we're gonna go through every single one, don't worry 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so basically this simulates a split-flap display — you know, that old-school style of electromechanical sign you'd see in airports and train stations, the kind where each character physically flips around to change. very "we have a flight to catch" energy. and fun fact: these were also commonly used in alarm clocks in the 1960s and 1970s. vintage queen behavior.

💅 OPTIONS 💅

the main character section. let's go.

  • --visual visual — pick which visual to use. legal values are either the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual. yes, hex is allowed, you're welcome.
  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, bestie.
  • --root — draw on the root window instead. main character move tbh.
  • --window-id number — draw on the specified window. you pick the window, it obeys.
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, in microseconds. default: 20000 (that's 0.02 seconds for anyone counting at home).
  • --speed number — animation speed. 2.0 means twice as fast, 0.5 means half as fast. so like, crank it or slow it, your call.
  • --width number — columns of the display. default: 22.
  • --height number — rows of the display. default: 8.
  • --mode clock12 — display a 12-hour clock. 🕐
  • --mode clock24 — display a 24-hour clock. 🕐✨
  • --front | --no-front — when spinning, never spin all the way around or upside down: always face mostly forward so that the text is easily readable. this is the default. it's the "keep it cute and legible" setting.
  • --no-front — allow spins to go all the way around or upside down. chaos mode. unreadable. slay.
  • --wander | --no-wander — whether the object should wander around the screen. it's a whole roam-around vibe.
  • --spin — which axes around which the text should spin. the default is "XYZ", meaning rotate it freely in space. --spin Z would rotate the text in the plane of the screen while not rotating it into or out of the screen; etc. pick your rotation, babe.
  • --wireframe | --no-wireframe — render in wireframe instead of solid. see-through moment.
  • --fps | --no-fps — whether to show a frames-per-second display at the bottom of the screen. for the stats girlies.

🌈 ENVIRONMENT 🌈

the vibe your shell brings to the party:

  • DISPLAY — to get the default host and display number.
  • XENVIRONMENT — to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root.

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

X(1), xscreensaver(1)

go read those too, they're the extended universe iykyk.

Copyright © 2015 by Jamie Zawinski. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. No representations are made about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

tl;dr: use it, copy it, sell it, just keep the copyright notice and don't come for anybody if it breaks. no warranty, no drama.

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

Jamie Zawinski. an actual legend fr.

okay that's the whole page, bestie!! go flip some flaps and have the best day 💖 and yeah, this one lives in X Version 11, 6.17-1.fc44, dated 13-Oct-2026 — so when you're out here quoting splitflap(6x), you know exactly which era of iconic you're pulling from. mwah 🎀✨

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