1 .\" Copyright (c) 2009 Marco Peereboom <marco@peereboom.us>
2 .\" Copyright (c) 2009 Darrin Chandler <dwchandler@stilyagin.com>
4 .\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
5 .\" purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
6 .\" copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
8 .\" THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
9 .\" WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
10 .\" MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
11 .\" ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
12 .\" WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
13 .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
14 .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
16 .Dd $Mdocdate: November 11 2011 $
21 .Nd window manager for X11
26 is a minimalistic window manager that tries to stay out of the way so that
27 valuable screen real estate can be used for much more important stuff.
28 It has sane defaults and does not require one to learn a language to do any
30 It was written by hackers for hackers and it strives to be small, compact and
35 starts up, it reads settings from its configuration file,
38 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES
41 The following notation is used throughout this page:
43 .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
57 is very simple in its use.
58 Most of the actions are initiated via key or mouse bindings.
61 section below for defaults and customizations.
62 .Sh CONFIGURATION FILES
64 first tries to open the user specific file,
66 If that file is unavailable,
67 it then tries to open the global configuration file
68 .Pa /etc/scrotwm.conf .
70 The format of the file is \*(Ltkeyword\*(Gt = \*(Ltsetting\*(Gt.
75 Enabling or disabling an option is done by using 1 or 0 respectively.
77 The file supports the following keywords:
79 .Bl -tag -width "title_class_enabledXXX" -offset indent -compact
81 Launch an application in a specified workspace at start-of-day.
82 Defined in the format ws[<idx>]:application, e.g. ws[2]:xterm launches an
85 Border color of the currently focussed window.
87 Border color of unfocussed windows.
89 Enable or disable status bar.
90 .It Cm bar_border Ns Bq Ar x
91 Color of the status bar border in screen
93 .It Cm bar_border_width
94 Set status bar border thickness in pixels.
95 Disable border by setting to 0.
96 .It Cm bar_color Ns Bq Ar x
97 Color of the status bar window in screen
99 .It Cm bar_font_color Ns Bq Ar x
100 Color of the font in status bar in screen
105 External script that populates additional information in the status bar,
106 such as battery life.
108 Update frequency, in seconds, of external script that populates the status bar.
110 Place the statusbar at the bottom of each region instead of the top.
112 Enable or disable displaying the current stacking algorithm in the status bar.
114 Enable or disable displaying the clock in the status bar.
115 Disable by setting to 0
116 so a custom clock could be used in the
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.
123 .It Cm keyboard_mapping
124 Clear all key bindings and load new key bindings from the specified file.
125 This allows you to load pre-defined key bindings for your keyboard layout.
126 At present, keyboard mapping files for the US, Czech Republic, French and
127 Spanish keyboards are provided in scrotwm_us.conf, scrotwm_cz.conf,
128 scrotwm_fr.conf and scrotwm_es.conf respectively.
130 Select layout to use at start-of-day.
131 Defined in the format
132 ws[idx]:master_grow:master_add:stack_inc:layout:always_raise:stack_mode, e.g.
133 ws[2]:-4:0:1:0:horizontal sets worskspace 2 to the horizontal stack mode and
134 shrinks the master area by 4 ticks and adds one window to the stack, while
135 maintaining default floating window behavior.
136 Possible stack_mode values are
151 for more information.
152 Note that the stacking options are complicated and have side-effects.
153 One should familiarize oneself with these commands before experimenting with the
157 This setting is not retained at restart.
159 Allocates a custom region, removing any autodetected regions which occupy the same
161 Defined in the format screen[<idx>]:WIDTHxHEIGHT+X+Y,
162 e.g.\& screen[1]:800x1200+0+0.
164 To make a screen span multiple monitors, create a region big enough to cover
165 them all, e.g. screen[1]:2048x768+0+0 makes the screen span two monitors with
166 1024x768 resolution sitting one next to the other.
168 Set a preferred minimum width for the terminal.
169 If this value is greater than 0,
171 will attempt to adjust the font sizes in the terminal to keep the terminal
172 width above this number as the window is resized.
175 is currently supported.
178 binary must not be setuid or setgid, which it is by default on most systems.
179 Users may need to set program[term] (see the
181 section) to use an alternate copy of the
183 binary without the setgid bit set.
184 .It Cm title_class_enabled
185 Enable or disable displaying the window class in the status bar.
186 Enable by setting to 1.
187 .It Cm title_name_enabled
188 Enable or disable displaying the window title in the status bar.
189 Enable by setting to 1.
190 .It Cm urgent_enabled
191 Enable or disable the urgency hint.
192 Note that many terminal emulators require this to be enabled for it to
193 propagate. In xterm, for example, one needs to add the following line
194 .Pa xterm.urgentOnBell: true
197 .It Cm window_name_enabled
198 Enable or disable displaying the window name in the status bar.
199 Enable by setting to 1.
200 .It Cm verbose_layout
201 Enable or disable displaying the current master and stack values in the status
203 Enable by setting to 1.
206 Mod1 is generally the ALT key and Mod4 is the windows key on a PC.
210 will make the window manager focus the window
211 under the mouse when switching workspaces and creating windows.
212 .It Cm disable_border
213 Remove border when bar is disabled and there is only one window on the screen.
215 Set window border thickness in pixels.
216 Disable all borders by setting to 0.
217 .It Cm program Ns Bq Ar p
218 Define new action to spawn a program
223 .It Cm bind Ns Bq Ar x
224 Bind key combo to action
229 .It Cm quirk Ns Bq Ar c:n
230 Add "quirk" for windows with class
239 Colors need to be specified per the
241 specification and fonts need to be specified per the
245 To list the available fonts in your system see
252 application can help you to show the X Logical Font Description ("XLFD") used
253 as setting in the keyword
257 allows you to define custom actions to launch programs of your choice and then
258 bind them the same as with built-in actions.
263 The default programs are described below:
265 .Bl -tag -width "screenshot_wind" -offset indent -compact
268 .It Cm screenshot_all
270 .It Cm screenshot_wind
277 dmenu_run \-fn $bar_font \-nb $bar_color \-nf $bar_font_color \-sb $bar_border \-sf $bar_color
280 Custom programs in the configuration file are specified as follows:
282 .Dl program[<name>] = <progpath> [<arg> [... <arg>]]
285 is any identifier that does not conflict with a built-in action or keyword,
287 is the desired program, and
289 is zero or more arguments to the program.
291 The following variables represent settable values in
294 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES
296 and may be used in the
298 fields and will be substituted for values at the time the program is spawned:
300 .Bl -tag -width "$bar_font_color" -offset indent -compact
304 .It Cm $bar_font_color
306 .It Cm $color_unfocus
310 .Bd -literal -offset indent
311 program[ff] = /usr/local/bin/firefox http://scrotwm.org/
312 bind[ff] = Mod+f # Now Mod+F launched firefox
315 To undo the previous:
316 .Bd -literal -offset indent
322 provides many functions (or actions) accessed via key or mouse bindings.
324 The current mouse bindings are described below:
326 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
334 Resize window while maintaining it centered
337 The default key bindings are described below:
339 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
340 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Return
348 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Space
350 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Space
364 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Return
373 .Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm TAB
390 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Ar n
392 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Right
394 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Left
398 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Right
400 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Left
410 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Delete
440 The action names and descriptions are listed below:
442 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
468 Add windows to master area.
470 Remove windows from master area.
472 Add columns/rows to stacking area.
474 Remove columns/rows from stacking area.
476 Move current window to master area.
478 Focus next window in workspace.
480 Focus previous window in workspace.
482 Focus on main window in workspace.
484 Swap with next window in workspace.
486 Swap with previous window in workspace.
488 Toggle status bar in all workspaces.
490 Delete current window in workspace.
492 Destroy current window in workspace.
500 Move current window to workspace
506 Switch to next workspace with a window in it.
508 Switch to previous workspace with a window in it.
510 Switch to last visited workspace.
512 Move pointer to next region.
514 Move pointer to previous region.
515 .It Cm screenshot_all
516 Take screenshot of entire screen (if enabled)
520 .It Cm screenshot_wind
521 Take screenshot of selected window (if enabled)
526 Toggle version in status bar.
528 Toggle focused window between tiled and floating.
535 Reinitialize physical screens
540 Minimize (unmap) currently focused window.
542 Maximize (map) window returned by dmenu selection.
544 When set tiled windows are allowed to obscure floating windows.
546 Fake a middle mouse button click (mouse button 2).
548 Shrink the width of a floating window.
550 Grow the width of a floating window.
552 Shrink the height of a floating window.
554 Grow the height of a floating window.
556 Move a floating window a step to the left.
558 Move a floating window a step to the right.
560 Move a floating window a step upwards.
562 Move a floating window a step downwards.
565 Custom bindings in the configuration file are specified as follows:
567 .Dl bind[<action>] = <keys>
570 is one of the actions listed above (or empty) and
572 is in the form of zero or more modifier keys
573 (MOD, Mod1, Shift, etc.) and one or more normal keys
574 (b, space, etc.), separated by "+".
576 .Bd -literal -offset indent
577 bind[reset] = Mod4+q # bind Windows-key + q to reset
578 bind[] = Mod1+q # unbind Alt + q
581 Multiple key combinations may be bound to the same action.
584 provides "quirks" which handle windows that must be treated specially
585 in a tiling window manager, such as some dialogs and fullscreen apps.
587 The default quirks are described below:
589 .Bl -tag -width "OpenOffice.org N.M:VCLSalFrame<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
590 .It Firefox\-bin:firefox\-bin
597 FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
598 .It OpenOffice.org 2.4:VCLSalFrame
600 .It OpenOffice.org 3.1:VCLSalFrame
608 .It xine:xine Video Fullscreen Window
618 The quirks themselves are described below:
620 .Bl -tag -width "XTERM_FONTADJ<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
622 This window should not be tiled, but allowed to float freely.
624 Adjusts size on transient windows that are too small using dialog_ratio
626 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES ) .
628 Allow window to position itself, uncentered.
630 Adjust xterm fonts when resizing.
632 Remove border to allow window to use full screen size.
634 On exit force focus on previously focused application not previous application
638 Custom quirks in the configuration file are specified as follows:
640 .Dl quirk[<class>:<name>] = <quirk> [ + <quirk> ... ]
645 specify the window to which the quirk(s) apply, and
647 is one of the quirks from the list above.
649 .Bd -literal -offset indent
650 quirk[MPlayer:xv] = FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
651 quirk[pcb:pcb] = NONE # remove existing quirk
658 by running xprop(1) and then clicking on the desired window.
659 In the following example the main window of Firefox was clicked:
660 .Bd -literal -offset indent
661 $ xprop | grep WM_CLASS
662 WM_CLASS(STRING) = "Navigator", "Firefox"
665 Note that grepping for WM_CLASS flips class and name.
666 In the example above the quirk entry would be:
667 .Bd -literal -offset indent
668 quirk[Firefox:Navigator] = FLOAT
672 also automatically assigns quirks to windows based on the value
673 of the window's _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE property as follows:
675 .Bl -tag -width "_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
676 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK
678 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR
680 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_UTILITY
682 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_SPLASH
684 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DIALOG
688 In all other cases, no automatic quirks are assigned to the window.
689 Quirks specified in the configuration file override the automatic quirks.
692 partially implements the Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) specification.
693 This enables controlling windows as well as
695 itself from external scripts and programs. This is achieved by
697 responding to certain ClientMessage events. From the terminal these events
698 can be conveniently sent using tools such as
703 actual format of these ClientMessage events, see the EWMH specification.
705 The id of the currently focused window is stored in the _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW
706 property of the root window. This can be used for example to retrieve the
707 title of the currently active window with
711 .Bd -literal -offset indent
712 $ WINDOWID=`xprop \-root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW | grep \-o "0x.*"`
713 $ xprop \-id $WINDOWID WM_NAME | grep \-o "\\".*\\""
716 A window can be focused by sending a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW client message
717 to the root window. For example, using
720 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be focused):
721 .Bd -literal -offset indent
722 $ wmctrl \-i \-a 0x4a0000b
725 Windows can be closed by sending a _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW client message
726 to the root window. For example, using
729 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be closed):
730 .Bd -literal -offset indent
731 $ wmctrl \-i \-c 0x4a0000b
734 Windows can be floated and un-floated by adding or removing the
735 _NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE atom from the _NET_WM_STATE property of the window.
736 This can be achieved by sending a _NET_WM_STATE client message to the
737 root window. For example, the following toggles the floating state of
740 to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window floated
742 .Bd -literal -offset indent
743 $ wmctrl \-i \-r 0x4a0000b \-b toggle,_NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE
746 Floating windows can also be resized and moved by sending a
747 _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW client message to the root window. For example,
750 to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of
751 the window to be resize/moved):
752 .Bd -literal -offset indent
753 $ wmctrl \-i \-r 0x4a0000b \-e 0,100,50,640,480
756 This moves the window to (100,50) and resizes it to 640x480.
758 Any _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW events received for stacked windows are ignored.
762 a HUP signal will restart it.
764 .Bl -tag -width "/etc/scrotwm.confXXX" -compact
765 .It Pa ~/.scrotwm.conf
767 user specific settings.
768 .It Pa /etc/scrotwm.conf
774 was inspired by xmonad & dwm.
780 .Bl -tag -width "Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com " -offset indent -compact
781 .It Cm Marco Peereboom Aq marco@peereboom.us
782 .It Cm Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com
783 .It Cm Darrin Chandler Aq dwchandler@stilyagin.com
784 .It Cm Pierre-Yves Ritschard Aq pyr@spootnik.org
785 .It Cm Tuukka Kataja Aq stuge@xor.fi
786 .It Cm Jason L. Wright Aq jason@thought.net
789 Currently the menu, invoked with