BUILDING
To build just extract the tarball cd into the extracted folder and run 'make', there is no configure script, the app can be run from the build folder like so ./xdecorations or you can run 'sudo make install' which will install it globally, default is to install in /usr, but if you want to install elsewhere you will need to manually change the Makefile, DESTDIR is honoured for packaging.

If you use one of the source based distros like LFS, Slackware etc you probably have all the development files you need but if your distro splits the dev files out from the main packages you will need to install them, this varies from distro to distro.

If you are using debian you may have to install some -dev packages like so:
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install libxpm-dev libxt-dev libxext-dev libimlib2-dev

You may or may not need all of these dev packages, for instance xubuntu didn't need the libxext-dev package but oddly Lubuntu did.

Fedora users may need to install some -devel packages like so ( watch the case, that is a capital 'X' ):
sudo yum install libXpm-devel
sudo yum install libXt-devel imlib2-devel

WORKAROUNDS - These are probably not needed with the -usewindow option ( Default ).

If nothing is displayed or the graphics are fubar when writing to the root window first try adding the -usewindow option.
If you are using certain distros that hide or otherwise muck about with the root window you can try these:

LUbuntu
run:
pcmanfm --desktop-off before running xdecorations.
The window manager doesn't seem to be placing the windows on all desktops -- TO BE FIXED.

Xubuntu:
killall xfdesktop.

UBuntu/Gnome3/Unity etc:
You will almost certainly have to use the -usewindow option ( this is now the default ).

Linux Mint KDE 
The window manager doesn't seem to be placing the windows on all desktops -- TO BE FIXED.
With KDE use kstart --alldesktops ./xdecorations

A simple packaging script is supplied ( thanks to Mario for that ), that will build a simple rpm/deb cpack if you prefer to install via your package manager, you will need ruby, which is pretty standard and you wil need fpm which can be installed by:
gem install fpm

USAGE EXAMPLES
Presuming you are in the XDecorations folder and have run make.

Run XDecorations with the example config file.
./xdecorations -configfile ./xdecorations.rc

Run XDecorations with the example config file but in the root window.
./xdecorations -configfile ./xdecorations.rc -no-usewindow

Run XDecorations with the example config file with a pumpkin.
./xdecorations -configfile ./xdecorations.rc -figurenumber 1

Run XDecorations with the example config file with Xmas theme.
./xdecorations -configfile ./xdecorations.rc -holiday Xmas -showtinsel

Run installed XDecorations with default config file in ~/.config/xdecorations.rc ( If it exists )
xdecorations

If no command line otions are used and no config file exists at ~/.config/xdecorations.rc the default is to just show a string of Xmas lights at the top of the screen.

CAVEATS:
You MUST have a composite manager running to use the windowing option ( default ), semi transparent images can ONLY be used when in window mode, when writing to the root window ( -no-usewindow ) the alpha blend of the images will be ignored.

Snow etc settling on windows and at the bottom of the screen is only available if you are writing to a window ( -usewindow ) and NOT if you are writing to the root window ( -no-usewindow ), this is the last version - 0.1.7 that will support writing to the root window.

Bugs suggestions etc to:

kdhedger68713@gmail.com

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