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.
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.
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 To make a screen span multiple monitors, create a region big enough to cover
159 them all, e.g. screen[1]:2048x768+0+0 makes the screen span two monitors with
160 1024x768 resolution sitting one next to the other.
162 Set a preferred minimum width for the terminal.
163 If this value is greater than 0,
165 will attempt to adjust the font sizes in the terminal to keep the terminal
166 width above this number as the window is resized.
169 is currently supported.
172 binary must not be setuid or setgid, which it is by default on most systems.
173 Users may need to set program[term] (see the
175 section) to use an alternate copy of the
177 binary without the setgid bit set.
178 .It Cm title_class_enabled
179 Enable or disable displaying the window class in the status bar.
180 Enable by setting to 1.
181 .It Cm title_name_enabled
182 Enable or disable displaying the window title in the status bar.
183 Enable by setting to 1.
184 .It Cm urgent_enabled
185 Enable or disable the urgency hint.
186 Note that many terminal emulators require this to be enabled for it to
187 propagate. In xterm, for example, one needs to add the following line
188 .Pa xterm.urgentOnBell: true
191 .It Cm window_name_enabled
192 Enable or disable displaying the window name in the status bar.
193 Enable by setting to 1.
194 .It Cm verbose_layout
195 Enable or disable displaying the current master and stack values in the status
197 Enable by setting to 1.
200 Mod1 is generally the ALT key and Mod4 is the windows key on a PC.
204 will make the window manager focus the window
205 under the mouse when switching workspaces and creating windows.
206 .It Cm disable_border
207 Remove border when bar is disabled and there is only one window on the screen.
209 Set window border thickness in pixels.
210 Disable all borders by setting to 0.
211 .It Cm program Ns Bq Ar p
212 Define new action to spawn a program
217 .It Cm bind Ns Bq Ar x
218 Bind key combo to action
223 .It Cm quirk Ns Bq Ar c:n
224 Add "quirk" for windows with class
233 Colors need to be specified per the
235 specification and fonts need to be specified per the
239 To list the available fonts in your system see
246 application can help you to show the X Logical Font Description ("XLFD") used
247 as setting in the keyword
251 allows you to define custom actions to launch programs of your choice and then
252 bind them the same as with built-in actions.
257 The default programs are described below:
259 .Bl -tag -width "screenshot_wind" -offset indent -compact
262 .It Cm screenshot_all
264 .It Cm screenshot_wind
271 dmenu_run \-fn $bar_font \-nb $bar_color \-nf $bar_font_color \-sb $bar_border \-sf $bar_color
274 Custom programs in the configuration file are specified as follows:
276 .Dl program[<name>] = <progpath> [<arg> [... <arg>]]
279 is any identifier that does not conflict with a built-in action or keyword,
281 is the desired program, and
283 is zero or more arguments to the program.
285 The following variables represent settable values in
288 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES
290 and may be used in the
292 fields and will be substituted for values at the time the program is spawned:
294 .Bl -tag -width "$bar_font_color" -offset indent -compact
298 .It Cm $bar_font_color
300 .It Cm $color_unfocus
304 .Bd -literal -offset indent
305 program[ff] = /usr/local/bin/firefox http://scrotwm.org/
306 bind[ff] = Mod+f # Now Mod+F launched firefox
309 To undo the previous:
310 .Bd -literal -offset indent
317 provides many functions (or actions) accessed via key or mouse bindings.
319 The current mouse bindings are described below:
321 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
329 Resize window while maintaining it centered
332 The default key bindings are described below:
334 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
335 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Return
343 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Space
345 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Space
359 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Return
368 .Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm TAB
385 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Ar n
387 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Right
389 .It Cm M- Ns Aq Cm Left
393 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Right
395 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Left
405 .It Cm M-S- Ns Aq Cm Delete
435 The action names and descriptions are listed below:
437 .Bl -tag -width "M-j, M-<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
463 Add windows to master area.
465 Remove windows from master area.
467 Add columns/rows to stacking area.
469 Remove columns/rows from stacking area.
471 Move current window to master area.
473 Focus next window in workspace.
475 Focus previous window in workspace.
477 Focus on main window in workspace.
479 Swap with next window in workspace.
481 Swap with previous window in workspace.
483 Toggle status bar in all workspaces.
485 Delete current window in workspace.
487 Destroy current window in workspace.
495 Move current window to workspace
501 Switch to next workspace with a window in it.
503 Switch to previous workspace with a window in it.
505 Switch to last visited workspace.
507 Move pointer to next region.
509 Move pointer to previous region.
510 .It Cm screenshot_all
511 Take screenshot of entire screen (if enabled)
515 .It Cm screenshot_wind
516 Take screenshot of selected window (if enabled)
521 Toggle version in status bar.
523 Toggle focused window between tiled and floating.
530 Reinitialize physical screens
535 Minimize (unmap) currently focused window.
537 Maximize (map) window returned by dmenu selection.
539 When set tiled windows are allowed to obscure floating windows.
541 Fake a middle mouse button click (mouse button 2).
543 Shrink the width of a floating window.
545 Grow the width of a floating window.
547 Shrink the height of a floating window.
549 Grow the height of a floating window.
551 Move a floating window a step to the left.
553 Move a floating window a step to the right.
555 Move a floating window a step upwards.
557 Move a floating window a step downwards.
560 Custom bindings in the configuration file are specified as follows:
562 .Dl bind[<action>] = <keys>
565 is one of the actions listed above (or empty) and
567 is in the form of zero or more modifier keys
568 (MOD, Mod1, Shift, etc.) and one or more normal keys
569 (b, space, etc.), separated by "+".
571 .Bd -literal -offset indent
572 bind[reset] = Mod4+q # bind Windows-key + q to reset
573 bind[] = Mod1+q # unbind Alt + q
576 Multiple key combinations may be bound to the same action.
579 provides "quirks" which handle windows that must be treated specially
580 in a tiling window manager, such as some dialogs and fullscreen apps.
582 The default quirks are described below:
584 .Bl -tag -width "OpenOffice.org N.M:VCLSalFrame<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
585 .It Firefox\-bin:firefox\-bin
592 FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
593 .It OpenOffice.org 2.4:VCLSalFrame
595 .It OpenOffice.org 3.1:VCLSalFrame
603 .It xine:xine Video Fullscreen Window
613 The quirks themselves are described below:
615 .Bl -tag -width "XTERM_FONTADJ<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
617 This window should not be tiled, but allowed to float freely.
619 Adjusts size on transient windows that are too small using dialog_ratio
621 .Sx CONFIGURATION FILES ) .
623 Allow window to position itself, uncentered.
625 Adjust xterm fonts when resizing.
627 Remove border to allow window to use full screen size.
629 On exit force focus on previously focused application not previous application
633 Custom quirks in the configuration file are specified as follows:
635 .Dl quirk[<class>:<name>] = <quirk> [ + <quirk> ... ]
640 specify the window to which the quirk(s) apply, and
642 is one of the quirks from the list above.
644 .Bd -literal -offset indent
645 quirk[MPlayer:xv] = FLOAT + FULLSCREEN + FOCUSPREV
646 quirk[pcb:pcb] = NONE # remove existing quirk
653 by running xprop(1) and then clicking on the desired window.
654 In the following example the main window of Firefox was clicked:
655 .Bd -literal -offset indent
656 $ xprop | grep WM_CLASS
657 WM_CLASS(STRING) = "Navigator", "Firefox"
660 Note that grepping for WM_CLASS flips class and name.
661 In the example above the quirk entry would be:
662 .Bd -literal -offset indent
663 quirk[Firefox:Navigator] = FLOAT
667 also automatically assigns quirks to windows based on the value
668 of the window's _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE property as follows:
670 .Bl -tag -width "_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR<TAB>XXX" -offset indent -compact
671 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK
673 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR
675 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_UTILITY
677 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_SPLASH
679 .It _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DIALOG
683 In all other cases, no automatic quirks are assigned to the window.
684 Quirks specified in the configuration file override the automatic quirks.
687 partially implements the Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) specification.
688 This enables controlling windows as well as
690 itself from external scripts and programs. This is achieved by
692 responding to certain ClientMessage events. From the terminal these events
693 can be conveniently sent using tools such as
698 actual format of these ClientMessage events, see the EWMH specification.
700 The id of the currently focused window is stored in the _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW
701 property of the root window. This can be used for example to retrieve the
702 title of the currently active window with
706 .Bd -literal -offset indent
707 $ WINDOWID=`xprop \-root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW | grep \-o "0x.*"`
708 $ xprop \-id $WINDOWID WM_NAME | grep \-o "\\".*\\""
711 A window can be focused by sending a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW client message
712 to the root window. For example, using
715 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be focused):
716 .Bd -literal -offset indent
717 $ wmctrl \-i \-a 0x4a0000b
720 Windows can be closed by sending a _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW client message
721 to the root window. For example, using
724 (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window to be closed):
725 .Bd -literal -offset indent
726 $ wmctrl \-i \-c 0x4a0000b
729 Windows can be floated and un-floated by adding or removing the
730 _NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE atom from the _NET_WM_STATE property of the window.
731 This can be achieved by sending a _NET_WM_STATE client message to the
732 root window. For example, the following toggles the floating state of
735 to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of the window floated
737 .Bd -literal -offset indent
738 $ wmctrl \-i \-r 0x4a0000b \-b toggle,_NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE
741 Floating windows can also be resized and moved by sending a
742 _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW client message to the root window. For example,
745 to send the message (assuming 0x4a0000b is the id of
746 the window to be resize/moved):
747 .Bd -literal -offset indent
748 $ wmctrl \-i \-r 0x4a0000b \-e 0,100,50,640,480
751 This moves the window to (100,50) and resizes it to 640x480.
753 Any _NET_MOVERESIZE_WINDOW events received for stacked windows are ignored.
758 a HUP signal will restart it.
760 .Bl -tag -width "/etc/scrotwm.confXXX" -compact
761 .It Pa ~/.scrotwm.conf
763 user specific settings.
764 .It Pa /etc/scrotwm.conf
770 was inspired by xmonad & dwm.
776 .Bl -tag -width "Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com " -offset indent -compact
777 .It Cm Marco Peereboom Aq marco@peereboom.us
778 .It Cm Ryan Thomas McBride Aq mcbride@countersiege.com
779 .It Cm Darrin Chandler Aq dwchandler@stilyagin.com
780 .It Cm Pierre-Yves Ritschard Aq pyr@spootnik.org
781 .It Cm Tuukka Kataja Aq stuge@xor.fi
782 .It Cm Jason L. Wright Aq jason@thought.net
785 Currently the menu, invoked with