3 .\" Copyright (c) 2009 Marco Peereboom <marco@peereboom.us>
4 .\" Copyright (c) 2009 Darrin Chandler <dwchandler@stilyagin.com>
6 .\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
7 .\" purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
8 .\" copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
10 .\" THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
11 .\" WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
12 .\" MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
13 .\" ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
14 .\" WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
15 .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
16 .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
23 .Nd window manager for X11
28 is a minimalistic window manager that tries to stay out of the way so that
29 valuable screen real estate can be used for much more important stuff.
30 It has sane defaults and does not require one to learn a language to do any
32 It was written by hackers for hackers and it strives to be small, compact and
37 starts up, it reads settings from its configuration file,
40 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES
43 The following notation is used throughout this page:
45 .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
59 is very simple in its use.
60 Most of the actions are initiated via key or mouse bindings.
63 section below for defaults and customizations.
64 .Sh CONFIGURATION FILES
66 first tries to open the user specific file,
68 If that file is unavailable,
69 it then tries to open the global configuration file
70 .Pa /etc/scrotwm.conf .
72 The format of the file is \*(Ltkeyword\*(Gt = \*(Ltsetting\*(Gt.
77 Enabling or disabling an option is done by using 1 or 0 respectively.
79 The file supports the following keywords:
81 .Bl -tag -width "title_class_enabledXXX" -offset indent -compact
83 Launch an application in a specified workspace at start-of-day.
84 Defined in the format ws[<idx>]:application, e.g. ws[2]:xterm launches and
87 Border color of the currently focussed window.
89 Border color of unfocussed windows.
91 Enable or disable status bar.
92 .It Cm bar_border Ns Bq Ar x
93 Color of the status bar border in screen
94 .It Cm bar_border_width
95 Set status bar border thickness in pixels.
96 Disable border by setting to 0
98 .It Cm bar_color Ns Bq Ar x
99 Color of the status bar window in screen
101 .It Cm bar_font_color Ns Bq Ar x
102 Color of the font in status bar in screen
107 External script that populates additional information in the status bar,
108 such as battery life.
110 Update frequency, in seconds, of external script that populates the status bar.
112 Place the statusbar at the bottom of each region instead of the top.
114 Enable or disable displaying the current stacking algorithm in the status bar.
116 Enable or disable displaying the clock in the status bar.
117 Disable by setting to 0
118 so a custom clock could be used in the bar_action script.
120 Some applications have dialogue windows that are too small to be useful.
121 This ratio is the screen size to what they will be resized.
122 For example, 0.6 is 60% of the physical screen size.
124 select layout to use at start-of-day.
125 Defined in the format
126 ws[idx]:master_grow:master_add:stack_inc:layout:always_raise:stack_mode, e.g.
127 ws[2]:-4:0:1:0:horizontal sets worskspace 2 to the horizontal stack mode and
128 shrinks the master area by 4 ticks and adds one window to the stack, while
129 maintaining default floating window behavior.
130 Possible stack_mode values are
145 for more information.
146 Note that the stacking options are complicated and have side-effects.
147 One should familiarize oneself with these commands before experimenting with the
151 This setting is not retained at restart.
153 Allocates a custom region, removing any autodetected regions which occupy the same
155 Defined in the format screen[<idx>]:WIDTHxHEIGHT+X+Y,
156 e.g.\& screen[1]:800x1200+0+0.
158 Set a preferred minimum width for the terminal
159 If this value is greater than 0,
161 will attempt to adjust the font sizes in the terminal to keep the terminal
162 width above this number as the window is resized.
165 is currently supported.
168 binary must not be setuid or setgid, which it is by default on most systems.
169 Users may need to set program[term] (see the
171 section) to use an alternate copy of the
173 binary without the setgid bit set.
174 .It Cm title_class_enabled
175 Enable or disable displaying the window class in the status bar.
176 Enable by setting to 1
177 .It Cm title_name_enabled
178 Enable or disable displaying the window title in the status bar.
179 Enable by setting to 1
180 .It Cm window_name_enabled
181 Enable or disable displaying the window name in the status bar.
182 Enable by setting to 1
183 .It Cm verbose_layout
184 Enable or disable displaying the current master and stack values in the status
186 Enable by setting to 1
189 Mod1 is generally the ALT key and Mod4 is the windows key on a PC.
191 Using a value of follow_cursor will make the window manager focus the window
192 under the mouse when switching workspaces and creating windows.
193 .It Cm disable_border
194 Remove border when bar is disabled and there is only one window on the screen.
196 Set window border thickness in pixels.
197 Disable all borders by setting to 0
198 .It Cm program Ns Bq Ar p
199 Define new action to spawn a program
204 .It Cm bind Ns Bq Ar x
205 Bind key combo to action
210 .It Cm quirk Ns Bq Ar c:n
211 Add "quirk" for windows with class
220 Colors need to be specified per the
222 specification and fonts need to be specified per the
226 To list the available fonts in your system see
233 application can help you to show the X Logical Font Description ("XLFD") used
234 as setting in the keyword bar_font.
237 allows you to define custom actions to launch programs of your choice and then
238 bind them the same as with built-in actions.
243 The default programs are described below:
245 .Bl -tag -width "screenshot_wind" -offset indent -compact
248 .It Cm screenshot_all
250 .It Cm screenshot_wind
257 dmenu_run \-fn $bar_font \-nb $bar_color \-nf $bar_font_color \-sb $bar_border \-sf $bar_color
260 Custom programs in the configuration file are specified as follows:
262 .Dl program[<name>] = <progpath> [<arg> [... <arg>]]
265 is any identifier that does not conflict with a built-in action or keyword,
267 is the desired program, and
269 is zero or more arguments to the program.
271 The following variables represent settable values in
274 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES
276 and may be used in the
278 fields and will be substituted for values at the time the program is spawned:
280 .Bl -tag -width "$bar_font_color" -offset indent -compact
284 .It Cm $bar_font_color
286 .It Cm $color_unfocus
290 .Bd -literal -offset indent
291 program[ff] = /usr/local/bin/firefox http://scrotwm.org/
292 bind[ff] = Mod+f # Now Mod+F launched firefox
295 To undo the previous:
296 .Bd -literal -offset indent
303 provides many functions (or actions) accessed via key or mouse bindings.
305 The current mouse bindings are described below:
307 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
315 Resize window while maintaining it centered
318 The default key bindings are described below:
320 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
321 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Return
330 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Space
332 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Space
346 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Return
355 .Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm TAB
372 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Ar n
374 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Right
376 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Left
380 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Right
382 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Left
392 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Delete
404 The action names and descriptions are listed below:
406 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
432 Add windows to master area
434 Remove windows from master area
436 Add columns/rows to stacking area
438 Remove columns/rows from stacking area
440 Move current window to master area
442 Focus next window in workspace
444 Focus previous window in workspace
446 Focus on main window in workspace
448 Swap with next window in workspace
450 Swap with previous window in workspace
452 Toggle status bar in all workspaces
454 Delete current window in workspace
456 Destroy current window in workspace
464 Move current window to workspace
470 Switch to next workspace with a window in it
472 Switch to previous workspace with a window in it
474 Switch to last visited workspace
476 Move pointer to next region
478 Move pointer to previous region
479 .It Cm screenshot_all
480 Take screenshot of entire screen (if enabled)
484 .It Cm screenshot_wind
485 Take screenshot of selected window (if enabled)
490 Toggle version in status bar
492 Toggle focused window between tiled and floating
499 Reinitialize physical screens
504 Minimize (unmap) currently focused window.
506 Maximize (map) window returned by dmenu selection.
508 When set tiled windows are allowed to obscure floating windows.
511 Custom bindings in the configuration file are specified as follows:
513 .Dl bind[<action>] = <keys>
516 is one of the actions listed above (or empty) and
518 is in the form of zero or more modifier keys
519 (MOD, Mod1, Shift, etc.) and one or more normal keys
520 (b, space, etc.), separated by "+".
522 .Bd -literal -offset indent
523 bind[reset] = Mod4+q # bind Windows-key + q to reset
524 bind[] = Mod1+q # unbind Alt + q
527 Multiple key combinations may be bound to the same action.
530 provides "quirks" which handle windows that must be treated specially
531 in a tiling window manager, such as some dialogs and fullscreen apps.
533 The default quirks are described below:
535 .Bl -tag -width "OpenOffice.org N.M:VCLSalFrame<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
536 .It Firefox\-bin:firefox\-bin
543 FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
544 .It OpenOffice.org 2.4:VCLSalFrame
546 .It OpenOffice.org 3.1:VCLSalFrame
554 .It xine:xine Video Fullscreen Window
564 The quirks themselves are described below:
566 .Bl -tag -width "XTERM_FONTADJ<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
568 This window should not be tiled, but allowed to float freely.
570 Adjusts size on transient windows that are too small using dialog_ratio
572 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES ) .
574 Allow window to position itself, uncentered.
576 Adjust xterm fonts when resizing.
578 Remove border to allow window to use full screen size.
580 On exit force focus on previously focused application not previous application
584 Custom quirks in the configuration file are specified as follows:
586 .Dl quirk[<class>:<name>] = <quirk> [ + <quirk> ... ]
591 specify the window to which the quirk(s) apply, and
593 is one of the quirks from the list above.
595 .Bd -literal -offset indent
596 quirk[MPlayer:xv] = FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
597 quirk[pcb:pcb] = NONE # remove existing quirk
604 by running xprop(1) and then clicking on the desired window.
605 In the following example the main window of Firefox was clicked:
606 .Bd -literal -offset indent
607 $ xprop | grep WM_CLASS
608 WM_CLASS(STRING) = "Navigator", "Firefox"
611 Note that grepping for WM_CLASS flips class and name.
612 In the example above the quirk entry would be:
613 .Bd -literal -offset indent
614 quirk[Firefox:Navigator] = FLOAT
618 also automatically assigns quirks to windows based on the value
619 of the window's _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE property as follows:
621 .Bl -tag -width "_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
622 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK
624 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR
626 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_UTILITY
628 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_SPLASH
630 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DIALOG
634 In all other cases, no automatic quirks are assigned to the window.
635 Quirks specified in the configuration file override the automatic quirks.
638 partially implements the Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) specification.
639 This enables controlling windows as well as
641 itself from external scripts and programs. This is achieved by
643 responding to certain ClientMessage events. From the terminal these events
644 can be conveniently sent using tools such as wmctrl and xdotool. For the
645 actual format of these ClientMessage events, see the EWMH specification.
647 The id of the currently focused window is stored in the _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW
648 property of the root window. This can be used for example to retrieve the
649 title of the currently active window with xprop(1) and grep(1):
650 .Bd -literal -offset indent
651 $ WINDOWID=`xprop -root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW | grep -o "0x.*"`
652 $ xprop -id $WINDOWID WM_NAME | grep -o "\\".*\\""
655 A window can be focused by sending a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW client message
656 to the root window. For example, using wmctrl to send the message
657 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be focused):
658 .Bd -literal -offset indent
659 $ wmctrl -i -a 0x4a0000b
662 Windows can be closed by sending a _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW client message
663 to the root window. For example, using wmctrl to send the message
664 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be closed):
665 .Bd -literal -offset indent
666 $ wmctrl -i -c 0x4a0000b
669 Windows can be floated and un-floated by adding or removing the
670 _NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE atom from the _NET_WM_STATE property of the window.
671 This can be achieved by sending a _NET_WM_STATE client message to the
672 root window. For example, the following toggles the floating state of
673 a window using wmctrl to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the
674 id of the window floated or un-floated):
675 .Bd -literal -offset indent
676 $ wmctrl -i -r 0x4a0000b -b toggle,_NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE
679 Floating windows can also be resized and moved by sending a
680 _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW client message to the root window. For example,
681 using wmctrl to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of
682 the window to be resize/moved):
683 .Bd -literal -offset indent
684 $ wmctrl -i -r 0x4a0000b -e 0,100,50,640,480
687 This moves the window to (100,50) and resizes it to 640x480.
689 Any _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW events received for stacked windows are ignored.
694 a HUP signal will restart it.
696 .Bl -tag -width "/etc/scrotwm.confXXX" -compact
697 .It Pa ~/.scrotwm.conf
699 user specific settings.
700 .It Pa /etc/scrotwm.conf
706 was inspired by xmonad & dwm.
712 .Bl -tag -width "Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com " -offset indent -compact
713 .It Cm Marco Peereboom Aq marco@peereboom.us
714 .It Cm Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com
715 .It Cm Darrin Chandler Aq dwchandler@stilyagin.com
716 .It Cm Pierre-Yves Ritschard Aq pyr@spootnik.org
717 .It Cm Tuukka Kataja Aq stuge@xor.fi
718 .It Cm Jason L. Wright Aq jason@thought.net
721 Currently the menu, invoked with