1FLUXBOX(1) FLUXBOX(1)
2
6 fluxbox - A lightweight window manager for the X Windowing System
7
9 fluxbox [-rc rcfile] [-log logfile] [-display display] [-screen
10 scr,scr|all] [-verbose] [-sync]
11 fluxbox [-v | -version] | [-h | -help] | [-i | -info] |
13 [-list-commands]
14
17 fluxbox(1) provides configurable window decorations, a root menu to
18 launch applications and a toolbar that shows the current workspace
19 name, a set of application names and the current time. There is also a
20 workspace menu to add or remove workspaces. The `slit´ can be used to
21 dock small applications; e.g. most of the bbtools can use the slit.
22 fluxbox(1) can iconify windows to the toolbar, in addition to adding
24 the window to the Icons submenu of the workspace menu. One click and
25 they reappear. A double-click on the titlebar of the window will shade
26 it; i.e. the window will disappear, and only the titlebar will remain
27 visible.
28 fluxbox(1) uses its own graphics class to render its images on the fly.
30 By using style files, you can determine in great detail how your
31 desktop looks. fluxbox styles are compatible with those of Blackbox
32 0.65 or earlier versions, so users migrating can still use their
33 current favourite themes.
34 fluxbox(1) supports the majority of the Extended Window Manager Hints
36 (EWMH) specification, as well as numerous other Window Hinting
37 standards. This allows all compliant window managers to provide a
38 common interface to standard features used by applications and desktop
39 utilities.
40
43 -display display
44 Start fluxbox on the specified display. Programs started by fluxbox
45 will share the DISPLAY environment variable also.
46 -h, -help
48 Display command line options.
49 -i, -info
51 Display useful information concerning the defaults and compiled-in
52 options.
53 -log logfile
55 Starting fluxbox with this option will designate a file in which
56 you want to log events to.
57 -rc rcfile
59 Use a different config file other than the default ~/.fluxbox/init.
60 -v, -version
62 The version of fluxbox installed.
63 -screen scr,scr|all
65 Run on specified screens only or all (by default).
66 -verbose
68 Print more information in process.
69 -sync
71 Synchronize with the X server for debugging.
72
74 fluxbox(1) comes with a program called startfluxbox(8) usually located
75 wherever you installed fluxbox. This script provides you with many
76 options and variables that can be set when starting fluxbox. To
77 actually call fluxbox and begin using it, you should place "exec
78 startfluxbox" in your /.xinitrc or /.xsession (depending on your
79 distribution and/or display manager) as the last executed command. This
80 is assuming that the location of fluxbox(1) and startfluxbox(8) are in
81 your shell´s $PATH. Also note that you may need to create the /.xinitrc
82 file or your setup may use /.xsession instead, depending on your X
83 setup. For more information on your shell, please visit your shell´s
84 manual page.
85 By using fluxbox -i you´ll see the defaults used by fluxbox(1). These
87 are what fluxbox looks for upon startup. In the list of `Defaults:´
88 you´ll see a menu file location, this is where you can provide a
89 system-wide menu file for your users.
90 On exit or restart, fluxbox will save user defaults in the file
92 ~/.fluxbox/init. Resources in this file can be edited by hand. fluxbox
93 also has many tools to edit these; look through the main menu once
94 fluxbox has started to find different ways of managing your session.
95
98 When using fluxbox for the first time, users who are more accustomed to
99 full desktop environments such as KDE or Gnome may be a little
100 surprised by the minimal screen content. fluxbox is designed to be fast
101 and powerful, so it may take a bit of getting used to — however, the
102 rewards are worthwhile.
103 In this section, we´ll give a quick summary of the common things.
105 However, we recommend that you consult the referenced sections of this
106 manual to further develop your understanding of what you can do with
107 fluxbox.
108 Root Window (Main)
111 Looking at the fluxbox desktop immediately after startup you´ll
112 generally see only one thing: the toolbar. If you right click (mouse
113 button 3) somewhere on the desktop, you can access the RootMenu. A
114 middle click (mouse button 2) on the desktop shows you the
115 WorkspaceMenu.
116 RootMenu and WorkspaceMenu
119 From the RootMenu you can launch applications and configure fluxbox.
120 The WorkspaceMenu shows all windows and on which workspaces they are.
121 See section MENUS on how to customize these menus.
122 Toolbar
125 The toolbar contains any combination of the following tools:
126 · Workspace Name: Name of the current visible workspace
129 · Iconbar: List of windows managed by fluxbox
131 · System Tray: Area for applets
133 · Clock: Date and Time
135 · Workspace Arrows: Previous/Next Workspace
137 · Window Arrows: Previous/Next Application Window
139 The contents of the toolbar can be configured in the `init´ file. We
140 discuss the `init´ file at great length in the RESOURCES section.
141 Slit
144 Initially you won´t be able to see the slit. It is there, but it isn´t
145 being used yet. The slit confuses some people initially. Think of it as
146 a dock where you can place smaller programs. If you´ve looked at any
147 screenshots on the official fluxbox web site, you will have noticed
148 some small programs on the edge of some of the screens. These were more
149 than likely docked programs in the slit. To learn more about the slit,
150 we have an entire section below that goes into detail about the options
151 you have.
152 Layers
155 fluxbox manages the following layers (from highest to lowest):
156 · Above Dock
159 · Dock
161 · Top
163 · Normal
165 · Bottom
167 · Desktop
169 Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on a lower
170 one. These layers can be used on application windows, the slit or the
171 toolbar. You can assign applications to a certain layer by specifying
172 it in the `apps´ file or through the WindowMenu. We discuss the `apps´
173 file in the APPLICATIONS section. We discuss the WindowMenu in the
174 MENUS section. We discuss layers in more detail in the LAYERS section.
175 Focus Model
178 The window that has the focus is the one that receives key and mouse
179 events. The focus model is selectable via the Configuration menu
180 located in the root menu. We´ll discuss the different types of focus
181 below in the FOCUS MODEL section.
182 Windows
185 A left click (mouse button 1) on any part of the window´s border will
186 raise it. Dragging then moves the window to another part of the
187 desktop. A right click and drag on the border resizes the window.
188 Dragging the resize grips at the left and right bottom corners also
189 will resize the window. Middle clicking on a border or titlebar will
190 immediately lower the window. Right clicking on the titlebar opens the
191 Window menu. The commands unique to this menu are discussed in detail
192 in the Window Menu section of MENUS.
193 Tabs
196 fluxbox allows windows to be `grouped´ by middle clicking and holding
197 on a window´s tab and dragging it onto another window. This `tabbing´
198 allows you to put multiple applications in one location on the desktop
199 and do several operations (for example, moving or resizing) to all
200 windows in the group. By default, tabs are located just above the
201 window, but they may be embedded in the titlebar or moved to other
202 locations on the outside of the window. Configuration is discussed in
203 TAB OPTIONS section.
204
207 fluxbox installs a default menu file in /usr/share/fluxbox/menu. You
208 can also use fluxbox -i to confirm this action. Of course this
209 system-wide menu can be customized for all users at once, but it is
210 also possible to create an individual menu file for each user. By
211 convention, users create a menu file in ~/.fluxbox/menu . Once you´ve
212 created your own menu file, you´ll want to make sure that you properly
213 declare this location in your `init´ file so that fluxbox knows where
214 to look. The value you´ll want to add or change is:
215 session.menuFile: <menufile>
218 For this change to take effect, fluxbox must be restarted. Be sure that
219 your menu is usable, then choose `Restart´ from the default fluxbox
220 root menu. This restart is only necessary if you make changes to the
221 `init´ file; otherwise, fluxbox will automatically detect your changes.
222 Root Menu
225 The root menu is where you can change different aspects of fluxbox by
226 simply clicking on a menu item. Most of the changes in this menu can
227 also be done in the `init´ file. However it makes it very easy to
228 change certain options without having to open up an editor and find the
229 resource. In the root menu, you usually have a `fluxbox menu´ or
230 `Settings´ submenu, where you will find lots of different options.
231 We´ll take a look at most, if not all, of those here.
232 · Configure: The next level under this menu is where you can set
235 certain resources and really begin to customize the look and feel
236 of your desktop.
237 · System Styles: This is where the standard styles are listed. You
239 can select one of these by clicking on it. You may have to `reload´
240 the config or `restart´ to get every graphical element to change to
241 the new style. System styles are located in
242 /usr/share/fluxbox/styles/ upon a default install. Remember that
243 you can confirm this with fluxbox -i.
244 · User Styles: ~/.fluxbox/styles This is the location where you will
246 store new styles that you grab from the Internet. If you create
247 your own styles this is also where you will put yours (provided
248 that you follow the standards described in fluxstyle(1)).
249 · Workspace List: This is a list of the workspaces configured in
251 your `init´ file. If there are programs running on any of the
252 workspaces, they will be listed one level down.
253 · Tools: Listed here are different tools that you can use. You can
255 rename your workspace, run programs from a command line or
256 regenerate your menu.
257 · Window: Allows you to switch your window manager. (Only listed if
259 you have other window managers/desktop environments installed.)
260 · Lock Screen: Locks the screen...
262 · fluxbox Command: A little Commandline will popup where you can
264 enter a fluxbox command.
265 · Reload Config: Use this to reload any menu files or style files.
267 Just a basic re-read of the files by a running fluxbox.
268 · Restart: Restart the whole darn thing. This starts a completely
270 new fluxbox process, rereads files and redraws all graphical
271 elements. Running applications will remain open, however.
272 · *Exit: Exits fluxbox and probably shuts down the X Window server.
274 Configuration Menu
276 This menu offers the opportunity to set up fluxbox. It contains many
277 options from the init file, but this is an easier and faster way for
278 most users.
279 · Focus Model: Please read the FOCUS MODEL section at the end of
282 this manual.
283 · Tab Options: Lets you configure the properties of tabs. Detailed
285 in TAB OPTIONS section.
286 · Slit: This Menu can be opened by right clicking the slit (if
288 visible). Find more information about this menu´s options in the
289 SLIT section.
290 · Toolbar: Please take a look at the "Configuration via the Toolbar
292 Menu" part of the TOOLBAR section.
293 · Transparency: This sets the transparency for a focused, unfocused
295 window and the menu.
296 · Opaque Window Moving: If enabled, you will see the window content
298 while dragging it. Otherwise the window will be shown as a
299 "border".
300 · Full Maximization: Enabling this will override the separate
302 settings for the slit/toolbar. Windows will always maximize
303 over/under both of them.
304 · Focus New Window: If enabled, a newly opened window will gain
306 focus.
307 · Windows Warping: If enabled, you can drag windows from one
309 workspace to another.
310 · Click Raises: If enabled a click anywhere on a window area
312 (including the decorations) will raise it. Otherwise you can only
313 raise it by clicking the titlebar.
314 Window Menu
316 The Window menu is displayed when you right click on the titlebar of a
317 window. The options available are:
318 · Send To...: Send window to another workspace. When you select the
321 workspace with a middle click, fluxbox will send you along with the
322 application to the selected workspace.
323 · Shade: Shade the window (display the titlebar only).
325 · Iconify: Iconify window. The `icon´ can be found in the Icons
327 submenu of the workspace menu as well as in the toolbar (if a
328 Toolbar mode showing Icons is selected).
329 · Maximize: (Un)Maximize window. Depending on your toolbar and slit
331 configuration, maximize may cover them. You can use the different
332 mouse buttons for different aspects of maximize function.
333 · Button 1 (Un)Maximize as normal.
335 · Button 2 (Un)Maximize window vertically.
337 · Button 3 (Un)Maximize window horizontally.
339 · Raise: Raise the window.
341 · Lower: Lower the window.
343 · Stick: (Un)Stick window. A `stuck´ window will always be displayed
345 on all workspaces.
346 · Layer...: Change the layer of this window.
348 · Remember...: Specify which window settings should be stored in the
350 apps file, covered later on in the APPLICATIONS section.
351 · Close: Close the application softly.
353 Workspace Menu
355 The workspace menu can be found by middle clicking on the background. A
356 menu will popup giving you the option to add or remove a workspace. You
357 will also see your workspaces listed there; middle clicking on a
358 workspace name will take you to that workspace, whereas clicking on a
359 window name in one of the per-workspace submenus will take you to the
360 workspace that window is on, and select the window. Last but not least
361 you will notice the Icons menu. This is for applications which have
362 been `iconified´.
363 Menu Behavior
366 The behavior of the submenus in a menu can be configured in the `init´
367 file, with the following entries (default for both is 0):
368 session.screen0.menuDelay: <msec>
371 session.screen0.menuDelayClose: <msec>
372 Menu Syntax
374 There are up to four fields in a menu line. They are of the form:
375 [tag] (label|filename) {command|filename} <icon file>
378 The supported tags are:
379 [begin] (label)
381 This tells fluxbox to start parsing the menu file. This tag is
382 required for fluxbox to read your menu file. If it cannot find it,
383 the system default menu is used in its place.
384 [config] (label)
386 Inserts a fluxbox native submenu item, containing numerous
387 configuration options concerning window placement, focus style,
388 window moving style, etc.
389 [end]
391 This tells fluxbox that it is at the end of a menu. This can either
392 be a submenu or the main root menu. There must be at least one of
393 these tags in your menu to correspond to the required [begin] tag.
394 [exec] (label) {command}
396 Inserts a command item into the menu. When you select the menu item
397 from the menu, fluxbox runs command.
398 [exit] (label)
400 Inserts an item that shuts down and exits fluxbox. Any open windows
401 are reparented to the root window before fluxbox exits.
402 [include] (file-or-directory-name)
404 Parses the file specified by filename inline with the current menu.
405 The filename can be the full path to a file or it can begin with
406 ~/, which will be expanded into your home directory. If the path is
407 a directory, then all files in the directory are included.
408 [nop] (label)
410 Insert a non-operational item into the current menu. This can be
411 used to help format the menu into blocks or sections if so desired.
412 This tag does support a label, but one is not required in which
413 case a blank item will be used instead.
414 [separator]
416 This will create a nice separation line. Useful for splitting up
417 sections in a pretty way.
418 [style] (label) {filename}
420 This tells fluxbox to insert an item that, when selected, reads
421 style file named filename and apply the new textures, colors and
422 fonts to the current running session.
423 [stylesmenu] (directory)
425 Reads all filenames from the specified directory, assuming that
426 they are all valid style files, and creates menu items in the
427 current menu for every filename, that, when selected by the user
428 will apply the selected style file to the current session. The
429 labels that are created in the menu are the filenames of the style
430 files.
431 [stylesdir] (label) {directory}
433 Creates a submenu entry with label (that is also the title of the
434 new submenu), and inserts in that submenu all filenames in the
435 specified directory, assuming that they are all valid style files
436 (directories are ignored) in the same way as the [stylesdir]
437 command does. Both [stylesdir] and [stylesmenu] commands make it
438 possible to install style files without editing your init file.
439 [submenu] (label) {menutitle}
441 This tells fluxbox to create and parse a new menu. This menu is
442 inserted as a submenu into the parent menu. These menus are parsed
443 recursively, so there is no limit to the number of levels or nested
444 submenus you can have. The title for the new menu is optional, if
445 none is supplied, the new menu´s title is the same as the item
446 label. An [end] tag is required to end the submenu.
447 [reconfig] (label)
449 When selected this item re-reads the current style and menu files
450 and applies any changes. This is useful for creating a new style or
451 theme, as you don´t have to constantly restart fluxbox every time
452 you save your style. However, fluxbox automatically rereads the
453 menu whenever it changes.
454 [restart] (label) {command}
456 This tells fluxbox to restart. If command is supplied, it shuts
457 down and runs the command (which is commonly the name of another
458 window manager). If the command is omitted, fluxbox restarts
459 itself.
460 [wallpapers] (directory) {command}
462 This inserts a menu item to set the wallpaper for each file in the
463 given directory. The command is optional and defaults to fbsetbg.
464 [workspaces] (label)
466 This tells fluxbox to insert a link to the workspaces menu directly
467 into your menu. This is handy for those users who can´t access the
468 workspace menu directly (e.g. if you don´t have a 3 button mouse,
469 it is rather hard to middle click to show the workspace menu).
470 [command] (label)
472 In addition to the commands above, any legal key command may be
473 used as a menu item. See fluxbox-keys(5) for more information.
474 Any line that starts with a # or ! is considered a comment and ignored
475 by fluxbox. Also, in the label/command/filename fields you can escape
476 any character. Using \\ inserts a literal back-slash into the
477 label/command/filename field.
478 Here is an example menu file:
480 # fluxbox menu file
483 [begin] (fluxbox)
484 [exec] (rxvt) {rxvt -ls} </usr/X11R6/share/icons/terminal.xpm>
485 [exec] (netscape) {netscape -install}
486 [exec] (The GIMP) {gimp}
487 [exec] (XV) {xv}
488 [exec] (Vim) {rxvt -geometry 132x60 -name VIM -e screen vim}
489 [exec] (Mutt) {rxvt -name mutt -e mutt}
490 [submenu] (mozilla)
491 [exec] (browser) {mozilla -browser}
492 [exec] (news) {mozilla -news}
493 [exec] (mail) {mozilla -mail}
494 [exec] (edit) {mozilla -edit}
495 [exec] (compose) {mozilla -compose}
496 [end]
497 [submenu] (Window Manager)
498 [exec] (Edit Menus) {nedit ~/.fluxbox/menu}
499 [submenu] (Style) {Which Style?}
500 [stylesdir] (~/.fluxbox/styles)
501 [stylesmenu] (fluxbox Styles) {/usr/share/fluxbox/styles}
502 [end]
503 [config] (Config Options)
504 [reconfig] (Reconfigure)
505 [restart] (Restart)
506 [end]
507 [exit] (Log Out)
508 [end]
509
511 The toolbar is a small area to display information like a clock,
512 workspace name, a system tray or a taskbar (iconbar) that can contain
513 the running programs. The color, look, font etc. is defined in the
514 style and can´t be defined as a global setting (except with the style
515 overlay).
516 The tools in the toolbar can be enabled/disabled in the init file with
518 the arguments given to the line:
519 session.screen0.toolbar.tools
522 The order and number of tools is freely selectable, but they must be
523 separated by a ",". E.g.:
524 session.screen0.toolbar.tools: workspacename, systemtray, iconbar, clock
527 The possible tools are:
528 · Clock: This will show an area to display a clock and the date
531 according to the format specification listed in "man strtftime"
532 · Iconbar: This is the area that contains all windows (all running
534 applications, all minimized windows or maybe no window, all
535 depending on the Toolbar Settings).
536 · Systemtray: The Systemtray can hold applications that are made to
538 use it.
539 · WorkspaceName: This displays the name of the current workspace.
541 · PrevWorkspace: This displays an arrow that allows to switch to the
543 workspace left of the current one.
544 · NextWorkspace: This displays an arrow that allows to switch to the
546 workspace right of the current one.
547 · PrevWindow: This displays an arrow that switches focus to the
549 previous visible window on the current workspace.
550 · NextWindow: This displays an arrow that switches focus to the next
552 visible window on the current workspace.
553 Other aspects of the toolbar can be configured in two ways: through the
554 toolbar menu, which is accessable in the Configuration part of the
555 RootMenu or with a right click on the edge the toolbar, or by editing
556 the init file (see the RESOURCES section for more information about
557 that).
558 Configuration via the Toolbar Menu
561 All changes take effect immediately, except for a change of the
562 "Toolbar Alpha", which needs a restart to make the change visible. Here
563 are the settings:
564 · Visible: Sets the toolbar either to visible or invisible.
567 session.screen0.toolbar.visible: <boolean>
569 · Auto hide: If this is enabled the toolbar will disappear after a
571 defined time when the mouse pointer leaves the toolbar. It will
572 slide in when the cursor hits the remaining edge of the toolbar.
573 session.screen0.toolbar.autoHide: <boolean>
575 session.autoRaiseDelay: <int>
576 · Toolbar width percentage: Sets the width of the toolbar in
578 percent. Use the left mouse button to decrease and the right
579 mouse-button to increase the value. The value can be from 1-100.
580 session.screen0.toolbar.widthPercent: <int>
582 · Maximize Over: Enabling this option will prevent windows from
584 maximizing over the toolbar. With this switched on they will only
585 expand to the edge of the bar. To use this option, "Full
586 Maximization" from the Configuration menu must be DISABLED.
587 Otherwise this option will not work.
588 session.screen0.toolbar.maxOver: <boolean>
590 session.screen0.fullMaximization: <boolean>
591 · Layer...: This sets the layer on which the toolbar is set. With
593 this you can set the toolbar to "Always on top".
594 session.screen0.toolbar.layer: <layer>
596 · Placement: Sets the toolbar to any edge of the screen, either
598 centered or aligned with a corner.
599 session.screen0.toolbar.placement: <direction>
601 · Alpha: This sets the alpha value for the toolbar. Use the left
603 mouse button to decrease and the right mouse button to increase the
604 value. 0 is invisible, 255 is not transparent at all.
605 session.screen0.toolbar.alpha: <int>
607 · Iconbar Mode:
609 Specifies the mode of the iconbar:
611 · None: will not show any windows
613 · Icons: shows windows from all workspaces that are minimized
615 (iconified)
616 · NoIcons: shows windows from all workspaces that are not minimized
618 (iconified)
619 · WorkspaceIcons: shows windows from the current workspace that are
621 minimized (iconified)
622 · WorkspaceNoIcons: shows windows from the current workspace that
624 are not minimized (iconified)
625 · Workspace: shows all windows from the current workspace
627 · All Windows: shows all windows from all workspaces
629 session.screen0.iconbar.mode: <mode>
631 · Alignment:
633 · Left: all icons will be left-aligned with the width set in the
635 init file
636 · Relative: all icons will be sized evenly to fill the iconbar
638 completely
639 · Right: all icons will be right-aligned with the width set in the
641 init file
642 session.screen0.iconbar.alignment: <alignment>
644 session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth: <int>
645 · Show Pictures: If enabled the iconbar will show the application´s
647 icon (if provided by the application)
648 session.screen0.iconbar.usePixmap: <boolean>
650 · Clock: Lets you switch between the 00:00am - 11:59pm and 00:00 -
652 23:59 notation
653 · Edit Clock Format: clicking this entry will pop up a little window
655 in which the clock format can be set according to man strftime (or
656 man date).
657 session.screen0.strftimeFormat: <format>
659
661 Usually the ~/.fluxbox/init resource file is created and maintained by
662 fluxbox itself. You can use the [config] menu to set most of these
663 options. However, we´ll cover all of the resource options that are
664 available to the user. If you edit this file while fluxbox is running,
665 you must `reconfigure´ to reload the resource options.
666 When running fluxbox in a multiple desktop environment the screen0 key
668 can also be screen1, screen2, etc. You can customize the behavior of
669 fluxbox on each desktop accordingly. Here are the resources that are
670 currently available:
671 session.screen0.window.focus.alpha: <integer>
674 session.screen0.window.unfocus.alpha: <integer>
675 These resources are available to the user to set different levels of
676 transparency for different components of fluxbox. Each one accepts a value
677 between 0-255, 255 being opaque and 0 being completely transparent.
678 Default: 255
679 session.screen0.slit.autoHide: <boolean>
681 session.screen0.toolbar.autoHide: <boolean>
682 The autoHide resources allow the user to set the behavior of the toolbar
683 and slit. This behavior can be that they disappear when they are not being
684 used actively by the user, or they remain visible at all times. Default:
685 False
686 session.screen0.windowScrollAction: shade|nexttab
688 This allows you to execute a command by scrolling on the titlebar of a
689 window. For `shade´, scrolling down will shade the window, and scrolling
690 up will unshade it. For `nexttab´, scrolling down will focus the next tab,
691 and scrolling up will focus the previous one. Default: <blank>
692 session.screen0.windowScrollReverse: <boolean>
694 This switches the role of scrolling up and scrolling down for the previous
695 resource. Default: False
696 session.screen0.slit.layer: <layer>
698 session.screen0.toolbar.layer: <layer>
699 With these two resources, you can set the layer you want the toolbar and
700 the slit to appear on. Please read the LAYER section for more information.
701 Default: Dock
702 session.screen0.slit.placement: <placement>
704 session.screen0.toolbar.placement: <placement>
705 These allow users to place the slit and toolbar where they like. Possible
706 options are:
707 - BottomCenter
708 - BottomLeft
709 - BottomRight
710 - LeftBottom
711 - LeftCenter
712 - LeftTop
713 - RightBottom
714 - RightCenter
715 - RightTop
716 - TopCenter
717 - TopLeft
718 - TopRight
719 session.screen0.slit.maxOver: <boolean>
721 session.screen0.toolbar.maxOver: <boolean>
722 session.screen0.tabs.maxOver: <boolean>
723 Setting these to True will allow application windows to maximize over the
724 complete screen. Setting to False allows the slit, toolbar, and external
725 tabs to hold their territory and will always be visible when an
726 application is maximized. Default: False
727 session.screen0.toolbar.height: <integer>
729 Set the height of the toolbar. If the value is set to 0, the style file
730 will gain control over the toolbar height. It is possible to set a fixed
731 height by changing this value to something greater than 0. Default: 0
732 session.screen0.toolbar.visible: <boolean>
734 The user can set whether they want to have a toolbar on screen at all.
735 Setting to False removes the toolbar from the screen. Default: True
736 session.screen0.toolbar.widthPercent: <integer>
738 This resource sets the width percentage of the toolbar on the screen.
739 Default: 65
740 session.screen0.toolbar.tools: <tools>
742 This resource specifies the tools plugged into the toolbar. Read the
743 TOOLBAR section in this manual for a description of each of these.
744 Possible tools::
745 - clock
746 - iconbar
747 - nextwindow
748 - prevwindow
749 - nextworkspace
750 - prevworkspace
751 - systemtray
752 - workspacename
753 session.screen0.slit.onhead: <integer>
755 session.screen0.toolbar.onhead: <integer>
756 For those that use xinerama, users can set this value to the number of the
757 head where they would like to see the slit and toolbar, starting from 1.
758 Setting this to 0 will ignore xinerama information. Default: 0
759 session.screen0.iconbar.mode: <pattern>
761 This determines which windows will be displayed in the iconbar. Any window
762 pattern available to the Next/PrevWindow keybindings is acceptable.
763 Default: {static groups} (workspace)
764 session.screen0.iconbar.usePixmap: <boolean>
766 This is also set in the Iconbar Mode menu. When set to True, this will
767 show the native icon of applications. Default: True
768 session.screen0.iconbar.iconTextPadding: <integer>
770 This specifies the space between the window title and the edge of the
771 button. Default: 10
772 session.screen0.iconbar.alignment: <position>
774 This value should be changed in the Iconbar Mode menu. Default:
775 Relative
776 Available options:
778 - Left: Fixed width, aligned left
779 - Relative: Width varies to fill the iconbar
780 - Right: Fixed width, aligned right
781 session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth: <integer>
783 Used to specify the iconbar button width for Left/Right alignment.
784 Default: 70
785 session.screen0.overlay.lineWidth: 1
787 session.screen0.overlay.lineStyle: LineSolid
788 session.screen0.overlay.joinStyle: JoinMiter
789 session.screen0.overlay.capStyle: CapNotLast
790 These are options for how fluxbox draws lines. See
791 `man XSetLineAttributes´ for more details. Defaults: listed above
792 session.screen0.strftimeFormat: <date>
794 This adjusts the way the current time is displayed in the toolbar. The
795 strftime(3) format is used. Default: %I:%M %p
796 session.screen0.tabs.intitlebar: <boolean>
798 This specifies whether tabs should be embedded in the titlebar or placed
799 outside the window. Default: True
800 session.screen0.tab.placement: <placement>
802 This specifies where external tabs will appear on the window. Default:
803 TopLeft
804 session.screen0.tab.width: <integer>
806 This specifies the width of external tabs in pixels. Default: 64
807 session.screen0.userFollowModel: <model>
809 This specifies the behavior when a window on another workspace becomes the
810 active window. `Ignore´ does nothing. `Follow´ moves to the window´s
811 workspace. `Current´ moves the window to the current workspace.
812 `SemiFollow´ acts like `Current´ for minimized windows and like `Follow´
813 otherwise. Default: Follow
814 session.screen0.followModel: <model>
816 This specifies the behavior when a window on another workspace requests to
817 be focused. `Ignore´ does nothing, and `Follow´ uses the setting in
818 session.screen0.userFollowModel. Default: Ignore
819 session.screen0.focusModel: ClickToFocus|MouseFocus
821 This controls how windows gain focus via the mouse. With `ClickToFocus´,
822 the user must click on the window. With `MouseFocus´, windows gain focus
823 whenever the mouse moves over them. Default: ClickToFocus
824 session.screen0.autoRaise: <boolean>
826 When True, this setting automatically raises any window that gains focus.
827 Default: True
828 session.autoRaiseDelay: <integer>
830 Adjusts the delay (in milli-sec) before focused windows will raise
831 when using the Autoraise option. Default: 250
832 session.screen0.clickRaises: <boolean>
834 This setting allows a user to click anywhere on a window to bring it on
835 top of other windows. Otherwise, only the titlebar will work. Default:
836 True
837 session.screen0.workspacewarping: <boolean>
839 This setting enables a user to change workspaces by dragging a window
840 across the edge of the screen. Default: True
841 session.screen0.showwindowposition: <boolean>
843 Setting this resource to True shows the user, in a little window,
844 the exact position of the application window while the user is
845 dragging it. Allows a precise placement of windows on a screen.
846 Default: True
847 session.screen0.defaultDeco: <string>
849 This specifies the default window decorations, according to the same
850 options available to the `[Deco]´ option in the `apps´ file, described in
851 the APPLICATIONS section. Default: NORMAL.
852 session.screen0.menuMode: Delay|Click
854 This setting controls the circumstances under which submenus open. With
855 `Click´, the user must click on the menu item in order for the submenu to
856 open. With `Delay´, submenus open when the mouse hovers over the menu
857 item. Default: Delay
858 session.screen0.menuDelay: <integer>
860 This sets the delay in milliseconds for submenus to open with the previous
861 option set to `Delay´. Default: 0
862 session.screen0.menuDelayClose: 0
864 This value sets the delay in milliseconds that you would like the menu to
865 remain visible after you´ve clicked out of it. Default: 0
866 session.screen0.focusNewWindows: <boolean>
868 This sets whether or not new windows will become focused automatically.
869 Default: True
870 session.screen0.workspaceNames: <names>
872 Here is where the user can name their workspaces. However it is
873 recommended to use the tool available in the Configuration Menu to set
874 these. Default: one, two, three, four
875 session.screen0.edgeSnapThreshold: <integer>
877 When moving a window across your screen, fluxbox is able to have it `snap´
878 to the edges of the screen and other windows for easy placement. This
879 variable tells fluxbox the distance (in pixels) at which the window will
880 jump to the edge. Default: 10
881 session.screen0.windowPlacement: <placement strategy>
883 This resource specifies where to place new windows when not otherwise
884 specified (by the program or the `apps´ file, for example). Here are the
885 options:
886 - RowSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in rows without overlapping
887 - ColSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in columns without overlapping
888 - CascadePlacement: places windows below the titlebar of the previous one
889 - UnderMousePlacement: places new windows underneath the mouse
890 Default: RowSmartPlacement
891 session.screen0.rowPlacementDirection: LeftToRight|RightToLeft
893 session.screen0.colPlacementDirection: TopToBottom|BottomToTop
894 These settings control the direction in which windows are tiled using the
895 RowSmartPlacement and ColSmartPlacement strategies described above.
896 Default: LeftToRight/TopToBottom
897 session.screen0.fullMaximization: <boolean>
899 If this setting is enabled, windows will maximize over the toolbar, slit,
900 and any other window that creates a strut, no matter what their individual
901 settings are. Default: False
902 session.screen0.rootCommand: <command>
904 This runs a command when fluxbox starts, intended for setting a default
905 background. If you want to override backgrounds set by styles, you should
906 add `background: none´ to your style overlay (see section STYLE OVERLAY).
907 NOTE: Setting this command can be dangerous. Please make sure you know
908 what you are doing when setting this resource to a value other than a
909 desktop wallpaper command.
910 session.screen0.opaqueMove: <boolean>
912 When moving a window, setting this to True will draw the window
913 contents as it moves (this is nasty on slow systems). If False, it
914 will only draw an outline of the window border. Default: True
915 session.screen0.workspaces: <integer>
917 Set this to the number of workspaces the users wants. Default: 4
918 session.screen0.windowMenu: <blank>|<location>
920 This specifies the location of a user-defined window menu. Default: blank
921 session.appsFile: <location>
923 session.groupFile: <location>
924 session.keyFile: <location>
925 session.menuFile: <location>
926 session.slitlistFile: <location>
927 session.styleFile: <location>
928 session.styleOverlay: <location>
929 All of these resources require a pathname to their specific files. This is
930 where you can specify different files. Most of the defaults will be
931 located in the user´s ~/.fluxbox directory.
932 session.cacheLife: <integer>
934 This tells fluxbox how long (in minutes) unused pixmaps may stay in the X
935 server´s memory. Default: 5
936 session.cacheMax: <integer>
938 This tells fluxbox how much memory (in Kb) it may use to store cached
939 pixmaps on the X server. If your machine runs short of memory, you may
940 lower this value. Default: 200
941 session.colorsPerChannel: <integer>
943 This tells fluxbox how many colors to take from the X server on
944 pseudo-color displays. A channel would be red, green, or blue. fluxbox
945 will allocate this variable ^ 3 and make them always available. Value must
946 be between 2-6. When you run fluxbox on an 8bpp display, you must set this
947 resource to 4. Default: 4
948 session.doubleClickInterval: <integer>
950 Adjust the delay in milliseconds between mouse clicks for fluxbox to
951 consider a double click. Default: 250
952 session.forcePseudoTransparency: <boolean>
954 If you have Xorg´s composite extension enabled, this setting will force
955 the menu, windows, toolbar, and slit to use pseudo-transparency instead of
956 true transparency. Default: False
957 session.ignoreBorder: <boolean>
959 This configures the ability to move windows by dragging the border.
960 Default: False
961 session.tabPadding: <integer>
963 This specifies the spacing between tabs. Default: 0
964 session.tabsAttachArea: Window|Titlebar
966 With this set to `Window´, windows may be grouped by dragging one tab with
967 the middle mouse button and dropping it anywhere on another window. With
968 `Titlebar´, the user must drop the tab on the target window´s titlebar.
969 Default: Window
970 session.titlebar.left: Stick
972 session.titlebar.right: Minimize Maximize Close
973 The icons to place in the titlebar of decorated windows. The available
974 options are Close, Maximize, MenuIcon, Minimize, Shade, and Stick.
975
977 You can customize fluxbox´s key handling through the ~/.fluxbox/keys
978 file. See fluxbox-keys(5) for more information on the syntax of this
979 file.
980
983 Layers affect the way that windows will overlap each other on the
984 screen. Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on a
985 lower one, whether they are focused or not. By default, fluxbox uses 13
986 layers, starting from 1 (highest). The number of layers can be changed
987 by using the following resource:
988 session.numLayers: <integer>
991 There are two ways to assign a window to a different layer. When the
992 window is open, you may select the layer in the `Layer ...´ submenu of
993 the window menu. The menu gives six choices for the layer, which
994 fluxbox manages by name. The names are (from highest to lowest layer):
995 · 2 - Above Dock
998 · 4 - Dock
1000 · 6 - Top
1002 · 8 - Normal
1004 · 10 - Bottom
1006 · 12 - Desktop
1008 The other way to set the layer for a window is through the `apps´ file.
1009 This method is described in the APPLICATIONS section.
1010
1013 The Focus Model defines how windows gain focus (i.e. become the active
1014 window, which receives keyboard and mouse events). The focus model can
1015 be changed in the configuration menu (usually located under fluxbox
1016 menu in the Root Menu.
1017 There are two main aspects of the focus model: how windows gain focus
1019 and how tabs gain focus. Each of these has two options: focus follows
1020 mouse and click to focus. Focus follows mouse means that windows will
1021 gain focus when the mouse hovers over them. Click to focus means that
1022 windows will gain focus when the mouse clicks on them.
1023 Thus, there are four main options when choosing a focus model. You
1025 should choose one of the first two and one of the last two. They are:
1026 · Click To Focus: click to focus windows
1029 · Mouse Focus: window focus follows mouse
1031 · ClickTabFocus: click to focus tabs
1033 · MouseTabFocus: tab focus follows mouse
1035 There is one more option in the focus model menu. It is called
1036 AutoRaise. When AutoRaise is enabled, focused windows will appear on
1037 top of other windows in the same layer. When AutoRaise is disabled, you
1038 must explicitly raise a focused window, using the window menu or
1039 keybinding.
1040
1043 This section of fluxbox configuration menu lets you configure many
1044 features of tabs. Inside of it there are three main options:
1045 · Placement: You can choose where the external tabs will be
1048 positioned relative to the window. For these options to work, Tabs
1049 in Titlebar must be off.
1050 · Tabs in Titlebar: When this option is on, tabs are fixed in window
1052 titlebar and the width varies according to the amount of windows
1053 grouped.
1054 · Maximize Over: When this option is on, maximizing a window will
1056 disregard the size and location of external tabs.
1057 · External Tab Width: This specifies in pixels the width of external
1059 tabs.
1060 As with most Fluxbox configurations, these options can be changed by
1061 editing the init file. The resources that you should look at are:
1062 session.screen0.tabs.intitlebar: <boolean>
1065 session.screen0.tab.width: <integer>
1066 session.screen0.tab.placement: <direction>
1067
1069 fluxbox enables you to use specialized files that contain X(1)
1070 resources to specify colors, textures, pixmaps and fonts, and thus the
1071 overall look of your window borders, menus and the toolbar.
1072 The default installation of fluxbox provides some of these style files.
1074 See fluxstyle(1) to accommodate the growing number of style components.
1075
1078 In addition to the style file, the overlay file, whose location is
1079 specified by session.screen0.styleOverlay (default: ~/.fluxbox/overlay
1080 ) can be used to set style resources that override all styles. For more
1081 information about which parts of fluxbox can be controlled by the
1082 overlay file, see fluxstyle(1).
1083
1086 It is possible to force an application to always have the same
1087 dimensions, position, and other settings when it is first launched. The
1088 easiest way to do this is to use the `Remember...´ submenu of the
1089 window menu, which can usually be opened with a right click on the
1090 titlebar. More advanced features require manually editing the
1091 ~/.fluxbox/apps file, where these settings are saved.
1092 The format of a section in the `apps´ file is:
1094 [app] (Property=´value´) ... {count - optional}
1097 [Setting1] {value1}
1098 [Setting2] {value2}
1099 ...
1100 [end]
1101 Property can be one of the following tags:
1102 o name - the name of the window (the first field of WM_CLASS) o class -
1104 class of the window (the second field of WM_CLASS) o title - title of
1105 the window (the WM_NAME property) o role - role of the window (the
1106 WM_WINDOW_ROLE property)
1107 You can find out the value for these fields for a particular window by
1109 running xprop(1). The window title should be used only as a last
1110 resort, since it often changes after the window opens. Each value can
1111 be a string or a regular expression. All values are case sensitive.
1112 You can specify multiple properties, which must ALL match for the
1114 settings to be applied. If a count is supplied in curly brackets at the
1115 end of the app line, then the entry will only match at most that many
1116 at any time (default is to match all matching windows). Settings
1117 associated with an [app] line will not be applied to transient windows.
1118 [transient] may be used instead to match them.
1119 # match a standard xterm
1122 [app] (name=xterm)
1123 # match an xterm started like: xterm -name myshell
1124 [app] (name=myshell)
1125 # match the gaim buddy list window
1126 [app] (role=buddy_list)
1127 # match an rdesktop window to a particular host
1128 [app] (title=rdesktop - hostname.*)
1129 # match pidgin IRC windows
1130 [app] (pidgin) (title=#.*)
1131 The following are the settings that can be defined in each [app] entry.
1132 Each name must be enclosed in square brackets, and the value is
1133 generally in curly brackets:
1134 · [Workspace] {0-N}: Forces the application to open on the workspace
1137 specified. Workspaces are set by number, beginning with 0.
1138 · [Dimensions] {Width Height}: Open the application with the
1140 specified width and height, in pixels.
1141 · [Position] (refspot) {X Y}: Position the application at a
1143 particular spot:
1144 · TOPLEFT
1146 · TOP
1148 · TOPRIGHT
1150 · LEFT
1152 · CENTER
1154 · RIGHT
1156 · BOTTOMLEFT
1158 · BOTTOM
1160 · BOTTOMRIGHT
1162 You can optionally specify what X and Y are relative to. By default the
1164 upper left corner is placed at screen coordinates (X, Y). If you specify a
1165 reference point, say LOWERRIGHT, then the lower right corner of the window
1166 is positioned (X,Y) pixels from the lower right of the screen.
1167 · Specify the layer to open the window on (by number). Each layer has
1169 a number. The named ones are: 2-AboveDock, 4-Dock, 6-Top, 8-Normal,
1170 10-Bottom, 12-Desktop.
1171 · [Shaded] {yes|no}: The window is started shaded, or not.
1173 · [Tab] {yes|no}: Whether this window can be tabbed with others.
1175 · [IconHidden] {yes|no}: Hides the app from the icon bar
1177 · [FocusHidden] {yes|no}: Hides the app from the window cycling list
1179 used by Next/PrevWindow key bindings.
1180 · [Hidden] {yes|no}: is both [IconHidden] plus [FocusHidden]
1182 · [Deco] {NONE|NORMAL|TOOL|TINY|BORDER}: Specify the decoration
1184 state. There are several predefined dec- oration sets:
1185 o NORMAL - standard decorations
1187 o NONE - no decorations
1188 o BORDER - like NONE except keep the X window border
1189 o TINY - titlebar with an iconify button
1190 o TOOL - titlebar only
1191 A bitmask can also be used for fine-grained control. The bits are (from
1193 "1" to 1<<10): titlebar, handle/grips, border, iconify button, maximize
1194 button, close button, menu enabled, sticky button, shade button, tabbing
1195 enabled, focus enabled.
1196 · [Sticky] {yes|no}: Whether the window is initially stuck or not.
1198 · [Jump] {yes|no}: Jump to workspace. This one is only useful if
1200 `Workspace´ is set too. The workspace is changed to the workspace
1201 containing the application being launched.
1202 · [Close] {yes|no}: Save settings on close. By default, application
1204 settings are not saved when a window is closed. Set this option if
1205 you want previous settings to be saved when the window is closed.
1206 · [Alpha] {int [int]} Where numbers represent focused and unfocused
1208 transparency, respectively. One number only will be used for both.
1209 The apps file also allows you to specify applications that should be
1210 started only valid option is (screen=NN), where NN is the screen number
1211 on which the command should be run.
1212 Finally, you can set windows to group together by using the `apps´
1214 file. Just place a [group] tag around several [app] tags, with an [end]
1215 tag to indicate the end of the group. If you place (workspace) after
1216 the [group] tag, a new window will only get grouped with other windows
1217 on the current workspace. You can also specify dimensions, positions,
1218 etc. for the group as for normal app entries. Here is a short example
1219 of an `apps´ file:
1220 [startup] {xterm}
1223 # match anything ending with term, up to 2 instances
1224 [app] (name=.*[tT]erm) {2}
1225 [Workspace] {1}
1226 [end]
1227 [app] (name=kate)
1228 [Dimensions] {1022 747}
1229 [Position] (WINCENTER) {0 0}
1230 [Close] {yes}
1231 [end]
1232 [app] (name=konqueror)
1233 [Workspace] {1}
1234 [Dimensions] {1006 749}
1235 [Position] {16 0}
1236 [Jump] {yes}
1237 [end]
1238 # start all aterms without decorations
1239 [app] (name=aterm)
1240 [Deco] {NONE}
1241 [end]
1242 # a group with the gimp dock and toolbox
1243 # appears on layer 4 (bottom)
1244 [group]
1245 [app] (name=gimp) (role=gimp-dock)
1246 [app] (name=gimp) (role=gimp-toolbox)
1247 [Layer] {4}
1248 [end]
1249
1251 The slit is a special fluxbox window frame that can contain dockable
1252 applications, e.g. bbtools or wmapps.
1253 When applications are run in the slit they have no window borders of
1255 their own; instead they are framed in the slit, and they are always
1256 visible in the current workspace.
1257 Most dockable applications use the -w option to run in the slit. For
1259 example, you could put in your ~/.xinitrc:
1260 bbmail -w &
1263 bbpager -w &
1264 wmdrawer &
1265 exec fluxbox
1266 NOTE: You can also put all of these in the startfluxbox(8) script. This
1267 way you would only need to specify: exec startfluxbox in your
1268 ~/.xinitrc.
1269 To use the slit you must have it compiled into fluxbox. This is the
1271 default setting.
1272
1275 You can right click on the edge of the slit window to get a menu to
1276 configure its position, whether its contained applications should be
1277 grouped horizontally or vertically and whether the slit should hide
1278 itself when the mouse moves away. The slit menu items are described in
1279 more detail below:
1280 · Placement: This lets you set the position of the slit.
1283 · Layer: Look above for the layer priorities.
1285 · Auto hide: If enabled, the slit will disappear after a given
1287 amount of time and hide from the view of the user. You can make it
1288 appear if you move the mouse to the edge of the desktop where the
1289 slit is positioned.
1290 · Maximize over: If this is enabled, all windows, if you maximize
1292 them, will stretch over/under the slit. Otherwise the will be
1293 limited to the slit´s edge.
1294 · Alpha: By changing the value the slit (only the decoration not the
1296 apps in the slit) will become transparent. 0 (transparent) - 255
1297 (opaque)
1298 · Clients: This submenu lets you reorder the the applications
1300 running in the slit. You are able to hide apps from the slit by
1301 unselecting them in the list showing. This will not kill the app.
1302 You can make them appear by selecting them in the list. The "Save
1303 SlitList" option saves the new order to you slitlist located in
1304 ~/.fluxbox (useful if you reordered the apps with the cycle
1305 option).
1306
1308 fluxbox´s slitlist file is available for those that use dockapps in the
1309 slit. This file helps fluxbox keep track of the order of the dockapps
1310 when in the slit. The file is generally located at ~/.fluxbox/slitlist
1311 A simple procedure for getting the slit sequences the way you like it
1313 is: 1. Run fluxbox with no pre-loaded dockapps 2. Run dockapps
1314 individually in the order you want them 3. Add dockapps to your
1315 auto-run script, or better yet your startfluxbox(8) script.
1316 This sequence will be saved by default to ~/.fluxbox/slitlist and will
1318 be remembered for future instances of fluxbox.
1319 Users are free to manually edit the slitlist file. It is a simple list
1321 of window names, as given by xprop(1), one per dockapp. Similar to the
1322 init file it should not be edited while fluxbox is running. Otherwise
1323 changes may get overwritten.
1324 The user also has the option of choosing a different path for the
1326 slitlist file. The following is the init file component that needs to
1327 be changed:
1328 session.session0.slitlistFile: <filename>
1331
1333 HOME
1334 fluxbox uses HOME to find the .fluxbox/init file and to resolve
1335 style file and -directory names.
1336 DISPLAY
1338 When no other display was given on the command line, fluxbox will
1339 start on the display specified by this variable.
1340 fluxbox can also take advantage of other environment variables if they
1341 are set before fluxbox is started. For example, if $TERM is set, then
1342 it will be available whenever fluxbox uses the shell, such as certain
1343 commands in the keys and menu files. So one can do:
1344 Mod1 x ExecCommand :$TERM
1347 For more information about environment variables, see your shell´s
1348 manual.
1349
1352 fluxbox responds to the following signals:
1353 · SIGHUP fluxbox loads the configuration.
1356 · SIGUSR1 Forces reloading of configuration.
1358 · SIGUSR2 Forces reloading of menu file.
1360
1362 fluxbox is written and maintained by Henrik Kinnunen <fluxgen at
1363 fluxbox org>, Simon Bowden <rathnor at fluxbox org>, Mathias Gumz
1364 <akira at fluxbox org>, and Mark Tiefenbruck <mark at fluxbox org>,
1365 with contributions and patches merged from many individuals around the
1366 world.
1367 Blackbox was written and maintained by Brad Hughes <blackbox at alug
1369 org> and Jeff Raven <jraven at psu edu>.
1370 The Official fluxbox website: http://www.fluxbox.org
1372 Many compatible themes: - http://boxwhore.org -
1374 http://themes.freshmeat.net/
1375 This manpage is the combined work of:
1377 · Curt Micol <asenchi at asenchi com> (>fluxbox-0.9.11)
1380 · Tobias Klausmann <klausman at users sourceforge net>
1382 (⇐fluxbox-0.9.11)
1383 · Grubert <grubert at users sourceforge net> (fluxbox)
1385 · Matthew Hawkins <matt at mh dropbear id au> (blackbox)
1387 · Wilbert Berendsen <wbsoft at xs4all nl> (blackbox)
1389 · Numerous other languages could be available if someone jumps in.
1391
1393 If you find any bugs, please visit the #fluxbox irc channel on
1394 irc.freenode.net or submit them to the bug tracker at
1395 http://sf.net/projects/fluxbox . Or you may subscribe to one of the
1396 mailinglists. More information can be found on the official website.
1397
1400 fluxbox-keys(5) bsetroot(1) fbsetbg(1) fbrun(1) fluxstyle(1)
1401 09/04/2008 FLUXBOX(1)