How to get an X11 Window from a Process ID?

Question

Under Linux, my C++ application is using fork() and execv() to launch multiple instances of OpenOffice so as to view some powerpoint slide shows. This part works.

Ne

Answer 1

I took the freedom to re-implement the OP's code using some modern C++ features. It maintains the same functionalities but I think that it reads a bit better. Also it does not leak even if the vector insertion happens to throw.

// Attempt to identify a window by name or attribute.
// originally written by Adam Pierce 
// revised by Dario Pellegrini 

#include 
#include 
#include 
#include 


std::vector pid2windows(pid_t pid, Display* display, Window w) {
  struct implementation {
    struct FreeWrapRAII {
      void * data;
      FreeWrapRAII(void * data): data(data) {}
      ~FreeWrapRAII(){ XFree(data); }
    };

    std::vector result;
    pid_t pid;
    Display* display;
    Atom atomPID;

    implementation(pid_t pid, Display* display): pid(pid), display(display) {
      // Get the PID property atom
      atomPID = XInternAtom(display, "_NET_WM_PID", True);
      if(atomPID == None) {
        throw std::runtime_error("pid2windows: no such atom");
      }
    }

    std::vector getChildren(Window w) {
      Window    wRoot;
      Window    wParent;
      Window   *wChild;
      unsigned  nChildren;
      std::vector children;
      if(0 != XQueryTree(display, w, &wRoot, &wParent, &wChild, &nChildren)) {
        FreeWrapRAII tmp( wChild );
        children.insert(children.end(), wChild, wChild+nChildren);
      }
      return children;
    }

    void emplaceIfMatches(Window w) {
      // Get the PID for the given Window
      Atom           type;
      int            format;
      unsigned long  nItems;
      unsigned long  bytesAfter;
      unsigned char *propPID = 0;
      if(Success == XGetWindowProperty(display, w, atomPID, 0, 1, False, XA_CARDINAL,
                                       &type, &format, &nItems, &bytesAfter, &propPID)) {
        if(propPID != 0) {
          FreeWrapRAII tmp( propPID );
          if(pid == *reinterpret_cast(propPID)) {
            result.emplace_back(w);
          }
        }
      }
    }

    void recurse( Window w) {
      emplaceIfMatches(w);
      for (auto & child: getChildren(w)) {
        recurse(child);
      }
    }

    std::vector operator()( Window w ) {
      result.clear();
      recurse(w);
      return result;
    }
  };
  //back to pid2windows function
  return implementation{pid, display}(w);
}

std::vector pid2windows(const size_t pid, Display* display) {
  return pid2windows(pid, display, XDefaultRootWindow(display));
}


int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  if(argc < 2)
    return 1;

  int pid = atoi(argv[1]);
  std::cout << "Searching for windows associated with PID " << pid << std::endl;

  // Start with the root window.
  Display *display = XOpenDisplay(0);
  auto res = pid2windows(pid, display);

  // Print the result.
  for( auto & w: res) {
    std::cout << "Window #" << static_cast(w) << std::endl;
  }

  XCloseDisplay(display);
  return 0;
}