| Extension | .xbm |
| Category | images |
| Description | The XBM file format is a system for storing image data in simple binary text. It allows bitmap images to display various shades of a single color. XBM images were originally developed to store icons and cursors for the UNIX-based X Windows System Graphical User Interface. As an extension of the C programming language, XBM can be integrated smoothly into graphics application code. The image data in XBM files is stored as strings of four characters, each representing an 8-bit memory space, separated by commas. |
| Technical details | The XBM format is specifically compatible with monochrome bitmap images, much like PBM files, which should be defined earlier in the text. While XBM can store several shades of a single color, most XBM images are black and white. Some XBM files use the .bm extension rather than .xbm. Over time, the XBM format has declined in popularity, being replaced by the XPM format, which offers more advanced features. However, XBM continues to be used in certain software applications' graphical user interfaces for storing cursors, icons, and selection buttons. A unique feature of XBM files is that they can be decoded directly by a program written in the C language, unlike other image files that typically require a graphical viewer or editing program to access their data. |
