freshwall: GNOME wallpaper changer
==================================

freshwall is a utility to select random wallpapers for Gnome. By default, it
uses the list of wallpapers displayed in Gnome's own "change background"
utility, but it can optionally read any other file in the same format.


Command-line options
====================

Normally, when freshwall is run, it selects a random wallpaper, sets the Gnome
background, and exits.

There is also a daemon mode, where freshwall keeps running and changing the
wallpaper periodically. This daemon mode can be launched by the ``--daemon``
option, with the length of time controlled by ``--period``. If ``--spread`` is
also specified, then the length of time varies by that much percentage. For
instance, running ``freshwall -d -T 10m -s 20`` will change the wallpaper every
8 to 12 minutes: 10 minutes, plus-or-minus 20 percent. As demonstrated, the
time can have a unit at the end: d for days, h for hours, m for minutes, or s
for seconds (the default).

If the period and spread aren't given, then they will default to the values
stored in the freshwall preferences. The default time period is 10 minutes with
no spread.

The daemon can be stopped by using the ``--exit-daemon`` option, or ``-x`` for
short. In this case, the exit code of freshwall will be 0 if the daemon was
stopped, 1 if none were found to be stopped, or 2 if there is a problem in
searching for the daemon. In the last case, an error message is also printed.

Finally, freshwall can be configured with the ``-p`` or ``--preferences``
option. In this window, "deleted wallpapers" refers to those which were deleted
from the Gnome wallpaper list. Information about them is kept available so that
settings related to the wallpaper, such as tile/zoom options and background
colors, can be remembered if the wallpaper is added again.


Using freshwall at Gnome login
==============================

After installing freshwall, go to ``System -> Preferences -> Sessions`` (to be
``Startup Programs`` instead of ``Sessions`` in future versions of Gnome). On
the ``Startup Programs`` tab, click the ``Add`` button. Choose any name you
wish (I like ``Random Wallpaper``), enter the command as
``/usr/bin/freshwall``, and add any comment you like. Click the ``Add`` button
to save your changes.

If you wish, you can also specify options to freshwall as part of the command,
for instance ``/usr/bin/freshwall -d -T 1h -s 8.3`` (daemon mode, changing
every 55-65 minutes).

