-
-
## Description
-`bspwm` is a tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning.
-
-The windows are represented as the leaves of a binary tree.
-
-## Configuration
-
-`bspwm` have only two sources of informations: the X events it receives and the messages it reads on a dedicated socket.
-
-Those messages are sent via `bspc`.
-
-If the `BSPWM_SOCKET` environment variable is defined, it will be used as the socket path, otherwise `/tmp/bspwm-socket` is used.
-
-The recommended way of defining keyboard shortcuts is to use `xbindkeys`.
-
-The only way to configure `bspwm` is by sending *set* messages via the client, hence `bspwm`'s configuration file is an executable called `autostart` which lives in `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bspwm/`.
-
-Example configurations: [autostart](https://github.com/baskerville/bin/blob/master/bspwm_autostart) and [xbindkeysrc](https://github.com/baskerville/dotfiles/blob/master/xbindkeysrc).
-
-## Splitting Modes
-
-There is only two splitting modes: *automatic* and *manual*.
-
-The default mode is *automatic*. The *manual* mode is entered by sending a *presel* message.
-
-Example: insertion of a new node (number 4) into the given tree in
-*automatic* mode:
-
- b c
- / \ / \
- 3 a --> 4 b
- ^ / \ ^ / \
- 2 1 3 a
- / \
- 2 1
- +-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
- | | | | | |
- | | 2 | | | 3 |
- | | | | | |
- | 3 |------------| --> | 4 |------------|
- | ^ | | | ^ | | |
- | | 1 | | | 1 | 2 |
- | | | | | | |
- +-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
-
-Same departure, but the mode is *manual*, and a `presel up` message
-was sent beforehand:
-
- b b
- / \ / \
- 3 a --> c a
- ^ / \ / \ / \
- 2 1 4 3 2 1
- ^
- +-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
- | | | | | |
- | | 2 | | 4 | 2 |
- | | | | ^ | |
- | 3 |------------| --> |------------|------------|
- | ^ | | | | |
- | | 1 | | 3 | 1 |
- | | | | | |
- +-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
-
-## Messages
-
-The syntax for the client is `bspc MESSAGE [ARGUMENTS ...]`.
-
-The following messages are handled:
-
- get SETTING
- Return the value of the given setting.
-
- set SETTING VALUE
- Set the value of the given setting.
-
- list [DESKTOP_NAME]
- Output the internal representation of the window tree.
-
- list_desktops [--quiet]
- Perform a dump of each desktop for the current monitor.
-
- list_monitors [--quiet]
- Perform a dump of each monitor.
-
- list_windows
- Return the list of managed windows (i.e. their identifiers).
+*bspwm* is a tiling window manager that represents windows as the leaves of a full binary tree.
- presel left|right|up|down
- Switch to manual mode and select the splitting direction.
+It only responds to X events, and the messages it receives on a dedicated socket.
- cancel
- Switch to automatic mode.
+*bspc* is a program that writes messages on *bspwm*'s socket.
- ratio VALUE
- Set the splitting ratio of the focused window.
+*bspwm* doesn't handle any keyboard or pointer inputs: a third party program (e.g. *sxhkd*) is needed in order to translate keyboard and pointer events to *bspc* invocations.
- pad MONITOR_NAME [TOP_PADDING [RIGHT_PADDING [BOTTOM_PADDING [LEFT_PADDING]]]]
- Set the padding of the given monitor.
+The outlined architecture is the following:
- focus left|right|up|down
- Focus the neighbor window situated in the given direction.
+```
+ PROCESS SOCKET
+sxhkd --------> bspc <------> bspwm
+```
- shift left|right|up|down
- Exchange the current window with the given neighbor.
-
- push left|right|up|down
- Push the fence located in the given direction.
-
- pull left|right|up|down
- Pull the fence located in the given direction.
-
- cycle next|prev [--skip-floating|--skip-tiled|--skip-class-equal|--skip-class-differ]
- Focus the next or previous window matching the given constraints.
-
- nearest older|newer [--skip-floating|--skip-tiled|--skip-class-equal|--skip-class-differ]
- Focus the nearest window matching the given constraints.
-
- circulate forward|backward
- Circulate the leaves in the given direction.
-
- toggle_fullscreen
- Toggle the fullscreen state of the current window.
-
- toggle_floating
- Toggle the floating state of the current window.
-
- toggle_locked
- Toggle the locked state of the current window (locked windows will not respond to the 'close' message).
-
- close
- Close the focused window.
-
- kill
- Kill the focused window.
-
- send_to DESKTOP_NAME
- Send the focused window to the given desktop.
-
- send_to_monitor MONITOR_NAME
- Send the focused window to the given monitor.
-
- use DESKTOP_NAME
- Select the given desktop.
-
- use_monitor MONITOR_NAME
- Select the given monitor.
-
- alternate
- Alternate between the current and the last focused window.
-
- alternate_desktop
- Alternate between the current and the last focused desktop.
-
- alternate_monitor
- Alternate between the current and the last focused monitor.
-
- add DESKTOP_NAME ...
- Make new desktops with the given names.
-
- add_in MONITOR_NAME DESKTOP_NAME ...
- Make new desktops with the given names in the given monitor.
-
- rename_monitor CURRENT_NAME NEW_NAME
- Rename the monitor named CURRENT_NAME to NEW_NAME.
-
- rename CURRENT_NAME NEW_NAME
- Rename the desktop named CURRENT_NAME to NEW_NAME.
-
- cycle_monitor next|prev
- Select the next or previous monitor.
-
- cycle_desktop next|prev [--skip-free|--skip-occupied]
- Select the next or previous desktop.
-
- layout monocle|tiled [DESKTOP_NAME ...]
- Set the layout of the given desktops (current if none given).
+## Configuration
- cycle_layout
- Cycle the layout of the current desktop.
+The default configuration file is `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bspwm/bspwmrc`: this is simply a shell script that calls *bspc*.
- rotate clockwise|counter_clockwise|full_cycle
- Rotate the tree of the current desktop.
+Keyboard and pointer bindings are defined with [sxhkd](https://github.com/baskerville/sxhkd).
- rule PATTERN [DESKTOP_NAME] [floating]
- Create a new rule (PATTERN must match the class or instance name).
+Example configuration files can be found in the [examples](examples) directory.
- adopt_orphans
- Manage all the unmanaged windows remaining from a previous session.
+## Monitors, desktops and windows
- reload_autostart
- Reload the autostart file.
+*bspwm* holds a list of monitors.
- reload_settings
- Reload the default settings.
+A monitor is just a rectangle that contains desktops.
- reload
- Reload the autostart file and the default settings.
+A desktop is just a pointer to a tree.
- quit
- Quit.
+Monitors only show the tree of one desktop at a time (their focused desktop).
-## Settings
+The tree is a partition of a monitor's rectangle into smaller rectangular regions.
-Colors are either [X color names](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X11_color_names) or *#RRGGBB*, booleans are *true* or *false*.
+Each node in a tree either has zero or two children.
- focused_border_color
- Color of the main border of a focused window of a focused monitor.
+Each internal node is responsible for splitting a rectangle in half.
- active_border_color
- Color of the main border of a focused window of an unfocused monitor.
+A split is defined by two parameters: the type (horizontal or vertical) and the ratio (a real number *r* such that *0 < r < 1*).
- normal_border_color
- Color of the main border of an unfocused window.
+Each leaf node holds exactly one window.
- inner_border_color
- Color of the inner border of a window.
+## Insertion Modes
- outer_border_color
- Color of the outer border of a window.
+### Prelude
- presel_border_color
- Color of the *presel* message feedback.
+When *bspwm* receives a new window, it inserts it into a window tree at the specified insertion point (a leaf) using the insertion mode specified for that insertion point.
- focused_locked_border_color
- Color of the main border of a focused locked window of a focused monitor.
+The insertion mode tells *bspwm* how it should alter the tree in order to insert new windows on a given insertion point.
- active_locked_border_color
- Color of the main border of a focused locked window of an unfocused monitor.
+By default the insertion point is the focused window and its default insertion mode is *automatic*.
- normal_locked_border_color
- Color of the main border of an unfocused locked window.
+### Automatic Mode
- urgent_border_color
- Color of the border of an urgent window.
+The *automatic* mode, as opposed to the *manual* mode, doesn't require any user choice: the new window will *take the space* of the insertion point.
- inner_border_width
- main_border_width
- outer_border_width
- Width of the inner, main and outer borders.
+For example, let's consider the following scenario:
- window_gap
- Value of the gap that separates windows.
+```
+ a a a
+ / \ / \ / \
+ 1 b ---> 1 c ---> 1 d
+ / \ / \ / \
+ 2 3 4 b 5 c
+ ^ ^ / \ ^ / \
+ 3 2 b 4
+ / \
+ 3 2
- {top,right,bottom,left}_padding
- Padding space added at the sides of the current monitor.
+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
+ | | | | | | | | |
+ | | 2 | | | 4 | | | 5 |
+ | | ^ | | | ^ | | | ^ |
+ | 1 |-----------| | 1 |-----------| | 1 |-----------|
+ | | | | | | | | | 3 | |
+ | | 3 | | | 3 | 2 | | |-----| 4 |
+ | | | | | | | | | 2 | |
+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
- wm_name
- The value that shall be used for the _NET_WM_NAME property of the root window.
+ X Y Z
+```
- button_modifier
- The modifier mask used for mouse bindings (possible values: 'shift', 'control', 'lock', 'mod1' ... 'mod5').
+In state *X*, the insertion point, *2* is in automatic mode.
- numlock_modifier
- The modifier holding Num_Lock (cf. xmodmap).
+When we add a new window, *4*, the whole tree rooted at *b* is reattached, as the second child of a new internal node, *c*.
- capslock_modifier
- The modifier holding Lock.
+The splitting parameters of *b* (type: *horizontal*, ratio: *½*) are copied to *c* and *b* is rotated by 90° clockwise.
- borderless_monocle
- Whether to remove borders for tiled windows in monocle mode.
+The tiling rectangle of *4* in state *Y* is equal to the tiling rectangle of *2* in state *X*.
- gapless_monocle
- Whether to remove gaps for tiled windows in monocle mode.
+Then the insertion of *5*, with *4* as insertion point, leads to *Z*.
- focus_follows_mouse
- Wether to focus the window under the mouse pointer.
+The automatic mode generates window spirals that rotate clockwise (resp. anti-clockwise) if the insertion point is the first (resp. second) child of its parent.
-## Mouse Bindings
+### Manual Mode
- button_modifier + left mouse button
- Move the window under the pointer.
+The user can specify a region in the insertion point where the next new window should appear by sending a *window --presel DIR* message to *bspwm*.
- button_modifier + middle mouse button
- Focus the window under the pointer.
+The *DIR* argument allows to specify how the insertion point should be split (horizontally or vertically) and if the new window should be the first or the second child of the new internal node (the insertion point will become its *brother*).
- button_modifier + right mouse button
- Resize the window under the pointer (by moving one of its four corners).
+After doing so the insertion point goes into *manual* mode.
-## Key Features
+For example, let's consider the following scenario:
-- Configured and controlled through messages
-- Multiple monitors support (via *Xinerama*)
-- EWMH support (`tint2` works)
-- Automatic and manual modes
-- Triple window borders
+```
+ a a a
+ / \ / \ / \
+ 1 b ---> c b ---> c b
+ ^ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
+ 2 3 4 1 2 3 d 1 2 3
+ ^ / \
+ 5 4
+ ^
-## Panel
++-----------------------+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
+| | | | | | | | | |
+| | 2 | | 4 | 2 | | 5 | 4 | 2 |
+| | | | ^ | | | ^ | | |
+| 1 |-----------| |-----------|-----------| |-----------|-----------|
+| ^ | | | | | | | |
+| | 3 | | 1 | 3 | | 1 | 3 |
+| | | | | | | | |
++-----------------------+ +-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
-`dzen2` fed with the output of `ewmhstatus`. Example: [launchpanel](https://github.com/baskerville/bin/blob/master/launchpanel).
+ X Y Z
+```
-Or any EWMH compliant panel.
+In state *X*, the insertion point is *1*.
-## Required Libraries:
+We send the following message to *bspwm*: *window --presel up*.
-- libxcb
-- xcb-util
-- xcb-util-wm
+Then add a new window: *4*, this leads to state *Y*: the new internal node, *c* becomes *a*'s first child.
-## Installation
+Finally we send another message: *window --presel left* and add window *5*.
- make
- make install
+The ratio of the preselection (that ends up being the ratio of the split of the new internal node) can be change with the *window --ratio* message.
-## Contributors
+## Supported protocols and standards
-- [Ivan Kanakarakis](https://github.com/c00kiemon5ter)
+- The RandR and Xinerama protocols.
+- A subset of the EWMH and ICCCM standards.
projects / bspwm.git / blobdiff