Minimal working solid background setter

- First step, to understand the concepts
- No background image yet - only hard-coded solid color
- Comments for explanation and readability

src/main.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,164 @@
-fn main() {
+use anyhow::Result;
-    println!("Hello, world!");
+use std::thread;
+use std::time::Duration;
+use x11rb::wrapper::ConnectionExt as _;
+use x11rb::{
+    connection::Connection,
+    protocol::xproto::{
+        AtomEnum, ChangeWindowAttributesAux, CloseDown, ConnectionExt, CreateGCAux, EventMask,
+        PropMode, Rectangle,
+    },
+    rust_connection::RustConnection,
+};
+
+fn main() -> Result<()> {
+    // Connect to the running graphical session, the X11 server.
+    let (conn, screen_num) = RustConnection::connect(None)?;
+    // Select the current screen.
+    let screen = &conn.setup().roots[screen_num];
+    // Find the "root window," i.e., the desktop where you set the background.
+    let root = screen.root;
+
+    // Short delay to avoid race conditions that can cause the WM to overwrite the wallpaper.
+    thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(200));
+
+    // Ensure X11 resources created by this process remain valid after exit.
+    // To keep the wallpaper persistent after `icing` exits.
+    conn.set_close_down_mode(CloseDown::RETAIN_PERMANENT)?;
+
+    // Atom (property) used to track ownership of the current wallpaper pixmap.
+    // This is read to find and clean up the previous wallpaper owner.
+    let atom_eset = conn.intern_atom(false, b"ESETROOT_PMAP_ID")?.reply()?.atom;
+
+    // Remove any previously registered wallpaper pixmap.
+    // This prevents resource leaks and forces consumers to refresh.
+    if let Ok(reply) = conn
+        // Look for previous background image pixmap.
+        .get_property(false, root, atom_eset, AtomEnum::PIXMAP, 0, 1)?
+        .reply()
+        // Get any existing old one, if it exists.
+        && let Some(old) = reply.value32().and_then(|mut v| v.next())
+    {
+        // Kill the client that owns the old wallpaper pixmap.
+        // Allows X server to free old pixmap and forces clients to refresh if cached.
+        conn.kill_client(old)?;
+    }
+
+    // Get screen dimensions and color depth
+    let width = screen.width_in_pixels;
+    let height = screen.height_in_pixels;
+    let depth = screen.root_depth;
+
+    // Create a pixmap (image) matching the screen size and depth.
+    // This pixmap will become the desktop background.
+    let pixmap = conn.generate_id()?;
+    conn.create_pixmap(depth, pixmap, root, width, height)?;
+
+    // Fill the pixmap with the pixels to be set as the background.
+    // For now, allocate a solid color (RGB 26,132,74 scaled to X11 16-bit format).
+    let color = conn
+        .alloc_color(screen.default_colormap, 26 * 257, 132 * 257, 74 * 257)?
+        .reply()?
+        .pixel;
+
+    // Create a Graphics Context (GC), which defines how drawing is done.
+    // It stores drawing parameters such as color, fill style, etc.
+    let gc = conn.generate_id()?;
+    // Associate the GC with the pixmap and configure its foreground color.
+    conn.create_gc(gc, pixmap, &CreateGCAux::new().foreground(color))?;
+
+    // Paint a solid-color rectangle onto the pixmap using the GC.
+    // This is only for the solid-color case and will be replaced when using real images.
+    conn.poly_fill_rectangle(
+        pixmap, // BG Image (pixmap)
+        gc,     // The Graphics Context to paint on
+        &[Rectangle {
+            x: 0,
+            y: 0, // Start from top-left corner
+            width,
+            height, // Set rectangle dimensions = screen width, height
+        }],
+    )?;
+
+    // Grab and lock the X server to prevent other clients from observing or reacting to intermediate state.
+    // Prevents the WM or other apps from acting (repainting, caching, etc.) while the background is being updated.
+    conn.grab_server()?;
+
+    // Temporarily suppress root window event notifications to the WM until the process is done.
+    // Prevent the WM from reacting mid-update, reading outdated data, repainting the background, or ignoring the final background.
+    conn.change_window_attributes(
+        root,
+        &ChangeWindowAttributesAux::new().event_mask(EventMask::NO_EVENT),
+    )?;
+
+    // Core operation: assign the pixmap as the root window's background. Aka set the wallpaper.
+    conn.change_window_attributes(
+        root,
+        &ChangeWindowAttributesAux::new().background_pixmap(pixmap),
+    )?;
+
+    // Request the root window to redraw itself using its current background pixmap.
+    // "Clear area": Historical X11 terminology stuck without name change.
+    // Original meaning: "Erase drawn content on top, restore the window's (historically plain) background."
+    // Current meaning, practically: "Fill the region using the window's current background (color or pixmap)."
+    conn.clear_area(
+        false, // Exposures: false. Do not generate expose events (redraw requests) for clients; avoids waking other clients during the update.
+        root,  // Window: The desktop window (root).
+        0, 0, // x,y: Start at the top-left corner.
+        0, 0, // Width, height: 0 means "the entire window."
+    )?;
+
+    // Atoms (properties) used by WMs, compositors, and client apps (e.g., for transparency effects) to locate and reuse the wallpaper pixmap.
+    // There's no standard. Different apps rely on different properties: `_XROOTPMAP_ID`, `ESETROOT_PMAP_ID`, & `_XSETROOT_ID`. Better use all 3.
+    let atom_root = conn.intern_atom(false, b"_XROOTPMAP_ID")?.reply()?.atom;
+    let atom_setroot = conn.intern_atom(false, b"_XSETROOT_ID")?.reply()?.atom;
+
+    // Set root window properties that publish the wallpaper pixmap location to consumers.
+    conn.change_property32(
+        PropMode::REPLACE,
+        root,
+        atom_root, // _XROOTPMAP_ID: For discovery.
+        AtomEnum::PIXMAP,
+        &[pixmap],
+    )?;
+    conn.change_property32(
+        PropMode::REPLACE,
+        root,
+        atom_eset, // ESETROOT_PMAP_ID: For discovery and ownership / lifecycle.
+        AtomEnum::PIXMAP,
+        &[pixmap],
+    )?;
+    conn.change_property32(
+        PropMode::REPLACE,
+        root,
+        atom_setroot, // _XSETROOT_ID: For discovery, but legacy.
+        AtomEnum::PIXMAP,
+        &[pixmap],
+    )?;
+
+    // Restore root window event notifications required by the window manager.
+    // Without these, the WM cannot track window creation, layout changes, or property updates, which breaks normal window management.
+    conn.change_window_attributes(
+        root,
+        &ChangeWindowAttributesAux::new().event_mask(
+            // Allows the WM to control and manage child windows (positioning, tiling, etc.).
+            EventMask::SUBSTRUCTURE_REDIRECT
+            // Notifies the WM about changes to managed windows (open, close, move, etc.).
+            | EventMask::SUBSTRUCTURE_NOTIFY
+            // Notifies listeners when root window properties change (like wallpaper). This is mainly what was disabled earlier.  
+            | EventMask::PROPERTY_CHANGE,
+        ),
+    )?;
+
+    // Release the server lock and allow normal processing to resume, since the background is set.
+    conn.ungrab_server()?;
+
+    // Send all required updates in queue to X11, refresh immediately.
+    // Ensure the requests are sent and everything's done.
+    conn.flush()?;
+
+    // Short delay to ensure the server processes all requests before `icing` exits.
+    thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50));
+
+    Ok(())
 }