2 :man version: {revnumber}
3 :man manual: Bspwm Manual
11 bspwm - Binary space partitioning window manager
16 *bspwm* [*-h*|*-v*|*-c* 'CONFIG_PATH']
18 *bspc* 'DOMAIN' ['SELECTOR'] 'COMMANDS'
20 *bspc* 'COMMAND' ['OPTIONS'] ['ARGUMENTS']
25 *bspwm* is a tiling window manager that represents windows as the leaves of a full binary tree.
27 It is controlled and configured via *bspc*.
34 Print the synopsis and exit.
37 Print the version and exit.
40 Use the given configuration file.
46 DIR := north | west | south | east
47 CYCLE_DIR := next | prev
53 Selectors are used to select a target node, desktop, or monitor. A selector
54 can either describe the target relatively or name it globally.
56 Selectors consist of a descriptor and any number of non-conflicting modifiers
59 DESCRIPTOR(.MODIFIER)*
61 An exclamation mark can be prepended to certain modifiers in order to reverse their meaning.
69 NODE_SEL := (DIR|CYCLE_DIR|PATH|last|older|newer|focused|biggest|<node_id>)[.[!]focused][.[!]automatic][.[!]local][.[!]leaf][.[!]STATE][.[!]FLAG][.[!]LAYER][.[!]same_class]
71 STATE := tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen
73 FLAG := urgent|sticky|private|locked
75 LAYER := below|normal|above
77 PATH := @[DESKTOP_SEL:][[/]JUMP](/JUMP)*
79 JUMP := first|1|second|2|brother|parent|DIR
86 Selects the window in the given (spacial) direction relative to the active node.
89 Selects the window in the given (cyclic) direction.
92 Selects the node at the given path.
95 Selects the previously focused node.
98 Selects the node older than the focused node in the history.
101 Selects the node newer than the focused node in the history.
104 Selects the currently focused node.
107 Selects the biggest window on the current desktop.
110 Selects the node with the given ID.
115 The initial node is the focused node (or the root if the path starts with '/') of the focused desktop (or the selected desktop if the path has a 'DESKTOP_SEL' prefix).
118 Jumps to the first child.
121 Jumps to the second child.
124 Jumps to the brother node.
127 Jumps to the parent node.
130 Jumps to the node holding the edge in the given direction.
136 Only consider focused or unfocused nodes.
139 Only consider nodes in automatic or manual insertion mode.
142 Only consider nodes in or not in the current desktop.
145 Only consider leaves or internal nodes.
147 [!](tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen)::
148 Only consider windows in or not in the given state.
151 Only consider windows that have or don't have the same class as the current window.
153 [!](private|urgent|sticky|locked)::
154 Only consider windows that have or don't have the given flag set.
156 [!](below|normal|above)::
157 Only consider windows in or not in the given layer.
165 DESKTOP_SEL := (CYCLE_DIR|last|older|newer|[MONITOR_SEL:](focused|^<n>)|<desktop_id>|<desktop_name>)[.[!]occupied][.[!]focused][.[!]urgent][.[!]local]
172 Selects the desktop in the given direction relative to the active desktop.
175 Selects the previously focused desktop.
178 Selects the desktop older than the focused desktop in the history.
181 Selects the desktop newer than the focused desktop in the history.
184 Selects the currently focused desktop.
187 Selects the nth desktop.
190 Selects the desktop with the given ID.
193 Selects the desktop with the given name.
199 Only consider occupied or free desktops.
202 Only consider focused or unfocused desktops.
205 Only consider urgent or non urgent desktops.
208 Only consider inside or outside of the current monitor.
216 MONITOR_SEL := (DIR|CYCLE_DIR|last|older|newer|focused|primary|^<n>|<monitor_id>|<monitor_name>)[.[!]occupied][.[!]focused]
223 Selects the monitor in the given (spacial) direction relative to the active monitor.
226 Selects the monitor in the given (cyclic) direction relative to the active monitor.
229 Selects the previously focused monitor.
232 Selects the monitor older than the focused monitor in the history.
235 Selects the monitor newer than the focused monitor in the history.
238 Selects the currently focused monitor.
241 Selects the primary monitor.
244 Selects the nth monitor.
247 Selects the monitor with the given ID.
250 Selects the monitor with the given name.
257 Only consider monitors where the focused desktop is occupied or free.
260 Only consider focused or unfocused monitors.
267 Its size and position are determined by the splitting type and ratio of each node of its path in the window tree.
270 Has an unrestricted size while being centered in its tiling space.
273 Can be moved/resized freely. Although it doesn't occupy any tiling space, it is still part of the window tree.
276 Fills its monitor rectangle and has no borders. It is send in the ABOVE layer by default.
283 Ignores the *node --close* message.
286 Stays in the focused desktop of its monitor.
289 Tries to keep the same tiling position/size.
292 Has its urgency hint set. This flag is set externally.
298 There's three stacking layers: BELOW, NORMAL and ABOVE.
300 In each layer, the window are orderered as follow: tiled & pseudo-tiled < fullscreen < floating.
312 node ['NODE_SEL'] 'COMMANDS'
316 *-f*, *--focus* ['NODE_SEL']::
317 Focus the selected or given node.
319 *-a*, *--activate* ['NODE_SEL']::
320 Activate the selected or given node.
322 *-d*, *--to-desktop* 'DESKTOP_SEL'::
323 Send the selected node to the given desktop.
325 *-m*, *--to-monitor* 'MONITOR_SEL'::
326 Send the selected node to the given monitor.
328 *-n*, *--to-node* 'NODE_SEL'::
329 Transplant the selected node to the given node.
331 *-s*, *--swap* 'NODE_SEL'::
332 Swap the selected node with the given node.
334 *-p*, *--presel-dir* \[~]'DIR'|cancel::
335 Preselect the splitting area of the selected node (or cancel the preselection). If *~* is prepended to 'DIR' and the current preselection direction matches 'DIR', then the argument is interpreted as *cancel*.
337 *-o*, *--presel-ratio* 'RATIO'::
338 Set the splitting ratio of the preselection area.
340 *-r*, *--ratio* 'RATIO'|(+|-)'PIXELS'::
341 Set the splitting ratio of the selected node (0 < 'RATIO' < 1).
343 *-R*, *--rotate* '90|270|180'::
344 Rotate the tree rooted at the selected node.
346 *-F*, *--flip* 'horizontal|vertical'::
347 Flip the the tree rooted at selected node.
350 Reset the split ratios of the tree rooted at the selected node to their default value.
353 Adjust the split ratios of the tree rooted at the selected node so that all windows occupy the same area.
355 *-C*, *--circulate* forward|backward::
356 Circulate the windows of the tree rooted at the selected node.
358 *-t*, *--state* [~](tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen)::
359 Set the state of the selected window. If *~* is present and the current state matches the given state, then the argument is interpreted as the last state.
361 *-g*, *--flag* locked|sticky|private[=on|off]::
362 Set or toggle the given flag for the selected node.
364 *-l*, *--layer* below|normal|above::
365 Set the stacking layer of the selected window.
368 Close the windows rooted at the selected node.
371 Kill the windows rooted at the selected node.
379 desktop ['DESKTOP_SEL'] 'COMMANDS'
383 *-f*, *--focus* ['DESKTOP_SEL']::
384 Focus the selected or given desktop.
386 *-a*, *--activate* ['DESKTOP_SEL']::
387 Activate the selected or given desktop.
389 *-m*, *--to-monitor* 'MONITOR_SEL'::
390 Send the selected desktop to the given monitor.
392 *-l*, *--layout* 'CYCLE_DIR'|monocle|tiled::
393 Set or cycle the layout of the selected desktop.
395 *-n*, *--rename* <new_name>::
396 Rename the selected desktop.
398 *-s*, *--swap* 'DESKTOP_SEL'::
399 Swap the selected desktop with the given desktop.
401 *-b*, *--bubble* 'CYCLE_DIR'::
402 Bubble the selected desktop in the given direction.
405 Remove the selected desktop.
413 monitor ['MONITOR_SEL'] 'COMMANDS'
417 *-f*, *--focus* ['MONITOR_SEL']::
418 Focus the selected or given monitor.
420 *-a*, *--add-desktops* <name>...::
421 Create desktops with the given names in the selected monitor.
423 *-o*, *--reorder-desktops* <name>...::
424 Reorder the desktops of the selected monitor to match the given order.
426 *-d*, *--reset-desktops* <name>...::
427 Rename, add or remove desktops depending on whether the number of given names is equal, superior or inferior to the number of existing desktops.
429 *-g*, *--rectangle* WxH+X+Y::
430 Set the rectangle of the selected monitor.
432 *-n*, *--rename* <new_name>::
433 Rename the selected monitor.
435 *-s*, *--swap* 'MONITOR_SEL'::
436 Swap the selected monitor with the given monitor.
439 Remove the selected monitor.
447 query 'COMMANDS' ['OPTIONS']
453 List the IDs of the matching nodes.
456 List the IDs of the matching desktops.
459 List the IDs of the matching monitors.
462 Print a JSON representation of the matching item.
467 [*-m*,*--monitor* ['MONITOR_SEL']] | [*-d*,*--desktop* ['DESKTOP_SEL']] | [*-n*, *--node* ['NODE_SEL']]::
468 Constrain matches to the selected monitor, desktop or node. The descriptor can be omitted for '-M', '-D' and '-N'.
481 *-d*, *--dump-state*::
482 Dump the current world state on standard output.
484 *-l*, *--load-state* <file_path>::
485 Load a world state from the given file.
487 *-a*, *--add-monitor* <name> WxH+X+Y::
488 Add a monitor for the given name and rectangle.
490 *-o*, *--adopt-orphans*::
491 Manage all the unmanaged windows remaining from a previous session.
493 *-h*, *--record-history* on|off::
494 Enable or disable the recording of node focus history.
496 *-g*, *--get-status*::
497 Print the current status information.
510 *-g*, *--grab* focus|move|resize_side|resize_corner::
511 Initiate the given pointer action.
513 *-t*, *--track* <x> <y>::
514 Pass the pointer root coordinates for the current pointer action.
517 Terminate the current pointer action.
530 *-a*, *--add* (<class_name>|\*)[:(<instance_name>|\*)] [*-o*|*--one-shot*] [monitor=MONITOR_SEL|desktop=DESKTOP_SEL|node=NODE_SEL] [state=STATE] [layer=LAYER] [split_dir=DIR] [split_ratio=RATIO] [(locked|sticky|private|center|follow|manage|focus|border)=(on|off)]::
533 *-r*, *--remove* ^<n>|head|tail|(<class_name>|\*)[:(<instance_name>|*)]...::
534 Remove the given rules.
545 config [-m 'MONITOR_SEL'|-d 'DESKTOP_SEL'|-n 'NODE_SEL'] <key> [<value>]::
546 Get or set the value of <key>.
553 subscribe (all|report|monitor|desktop|node|...)*::
554 Continuously print status information. See the *EVENTS* section for the detailed description of each event.
563 Quit with an optional exit status.
568 If the server can't handle a message, *bspc* will return with a non-zero exit code.
572 Colors are in the form '#RRGGBB', booleans are 'true', 'on', 'false' or 'off'.
574 All the boolean settings are 'false' by default unless stated otherwise.
579 'normal_border_color'::
580 Color of the border of an unfocused window.
582 'active_border_color'::
583 Color of the border of a focused window of an unfocused monitor.
585 'focused_border_color'::
586 Color of the border of a focused window of a focused monitor.
588 'presel_feedback_color'::
589 Color of the *node --presel-{dir,ratio}* message feedback area.
595 Prefix prepended to each of the status lines.
597 'external_rules_command'::
598 External command used to retrieve rule consequences. The command will receive the the ID of the window being processed as its first argument and the class and instance names as second and third arguments. The output of that command must have the following format: *key1=value1 key2=value2 ...* (the valid key/value pairs are given in the description of the 'rule' command).
601 On which child should a new window be attached when adding a window on a single window tree in automatic mode. Accept the following values: *first_child*, *second_child*.
603 'history_aware_focus'::
604 Give priority to the focus history when focusing nodes.
606 'focus_by_distance'::
607 Base focusing on distances between windows.
609 'borderless_monocle'::
610 Remove borders of tiled windows for the *monocle* desktop layout.
613 Remove gaps of tiled windows for the *monocle* desktop layout.
615 'paddingless_monocle'::
616 Remove padding space for the *monocle* desktop layout.
619 Set the desktop layout to *monocle* if there's only one tiled window in the tree.
621 'focus_follows_pointer'::
622 Focus the window under the pointer.
624 'pointer_follows_focus'::
625 When focusing a window, put the pointer at its center.
627 'pointer_follows_monitor'::
628 When focusing a monitor, put the pointer at its center.
630 'ignore_ewmh_focus'::
631 Ignore EWMH focus requests coming from applications.
633 'center_pseudo_tiled'::
634 Center pseudo tiled windows into their tiling rectangles. Defaults to 'true'.
636 'remove_disabled_monitors'::
637 Consider disabled monitors as disconnected.
639 'remove_unplugged_monitors'::
640 Remove unplugged monitors.
642 'merge_overlapping_monitors'::
643 Merge overlapping monitors (the bigger remains).
645 Monitor and Desktop Settings
646 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
652 Padding space added at the sides of the monitor or desktop.
658 Size of the gap that separates windows.
671 See the next section for the description of the format.
673 'monitor_add <monitor_id> <monitor_name> <monitor_geometry>'::
676 'monitor_rename <monitor_id> <old_name> <new_name>'::
677 A monitor is renamed.
679 'monitor_remove <monitor_id>'::
680 A monitor is removed.
682 'monitor_swap <src_monitor_id> <dst_monitor_id>'::
683 A monitor is swapped.
685 'monitor_focus <monitor_id>'::
686 A monitor is focused.
688 'monitor_geometry <monitor_id> <monitor_geometry>'::
689 The geometry of a monitor changed.
691 'desktop_add <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <desktop_name>'::
694 'desktop_rename <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <old_name> <new_name>'::
695 A desktop is renamed.
697 'desktop_remove <monitor_id> <desktop_id>'::
698 A desktop is removed.
700 'desktop_swap <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <dst_monitor_id> <dst_desktop_id>'::
701 A desktop is swapped.
703 'desktop_transfer <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <dst_monitor_id>'::
704 A desktop is transferred.
706 'desktop_focus <monitor_id> <desktop_id>'::
707 A desktop is focused.
709 'desktop_activate <monitor_id> <desktop_id>'::
710 A desktop is activated.
712 'desktop_layout <monitor_id> <desktop_id> tiled|monocle'::
713 The layout of a desktop changed.
715 'node_manage <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> <ip_id>'::
718 'node_unmanage <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>'::
719 A window is unmanaged.
721 'node_swap <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <src_node_id> <dst_monitor_id> <dst_desktop_id> <dst_node_id>'::
724 'node_transfer <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <src_node_id> <dst_monitor_id> <dst_desktop_id> <dst_node_id>'::
725 A node is transferred.
727 'node_focus <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>'::
730 'node_activate <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>'::
733 'node_presel <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> (dir DIR|ratio RATIO|cancel)'::
734 A node is preselected.
736 'node_stack <node_id_1> below|above <node_id_2>'::
737 A node is stacked below or above another node.
739 'node_geometry <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> <node_geometry>'::
740 The geometry of a window changed.
742 'node_state <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen on|off'::
743 The state of a window changed.
745 'node_flag <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> sticky|private|locked|urgent on|off'::
746 One of the flags of a node changed.
748 'node_layer <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> below|normal|above'::
749 The layer of a window changed.
751 Please note that *bspwm* initializes monitors before it reads messages on its socket, therefore the initial monitor events can't be received.
756 Each report event message is composed of items separated by colons.
758 Each item has the form '<type><value>' where '<type>' is the first character of the item.
767 Occupied focused desktop.
770 Occupied unfocused desktop.
773 Free focused desktop.
776 Free unfocused desktop.
779 Urgent focused desktop.
782 Urgent unfocused desktop.
785 Layout of the focused desktop of a monitor.
788 State of the focused node of a focused desktop.
791 Active flags of the focused node of a focused desktop.
793 Environment Variables
794 ---------------------
797 The path of the socket used for the communication between *bspc* and *bspwm*. If it isn't defined, then the following path is used: '/tmp/bspwm<host_name>_<display_number>_<screen_number>-socket'.
802 * Steven Allen <steven at stebalien.com>
803 * Thomas Adam <thomas at xteddy.org>
804 * Ivan Kanakarakis <ivan.kanak at gmail.com>
809 Bastien Dejean <nihilhill at gmail.com>