1FLUXBOX(1)                      Fluxbox Manual                      FLUXBOX(1)
2
3
4

NAME

6       fluxbox - A lightweight window manager for the X Windowing System
7

SYNOPSIS

9       fluxbox [-rc rcfile] [-no-slit] [-no-toolbar] [-log logfile] [-display
10       display] [-screen all|scr,scr...] [-verbose] [-sync]
11
12       fluxbox [-v | -version] | [-h | -help] | [-i | -info] |
13       [-list-commands]
14

DESCRIPTION

16       fluxbox(1) is a window manager. As such it provides configurable window
17       decorations, a root menu to launch applications and a toolbar that
18       shows the current workspace name, a set of application names and the
19       current time. There is also a workspace menu to add or remove
20       workspaces.
21
22       Fluxbox can iconify (or minimize) windows to the toolbar One click and
23       they reappear. A double-click on the titlebar of the window will shade
24       it; i.e. the window will disappear, and only the titlebar will remain
25       visible.
26
27       There are also two areas commonly used by small applets: the ‘slit’ can
28       be used to dock small applications; e.g. most of the “bbtools” and
29       “Window Maker dockapps” can use the slit, and the ‘systray’ which lives
30       in the toolbar supports standard system tray icons provided by some
31       applications.
32
33       Fluxbox uses its own graphics class to render its images on the fly. By
34       using style files, you can determine in great detail how your desktop
35       looks. fluxbox styles are compatible with those of Blackbox 0.65 or
36       earlier versions, so users migrating can still use their current
37       favourite themes.
38
39       Most of the default keyboard and mouse button actions mentioned in this
40       manual can be changed and configured in the ‘keys’ file. This powerful
41       configuration file can also be used to automate almost any action you
42       may want to perform, from launching applications to moving windows
43       around the screen. See fluxbox-keys(5) for details.
44
45       Fluxbox can also remember certain attributes of individual application
46       windows and restore these settings the next time the window opens. See
47       the fluxbox-apps(5) for details.
48
49       Fluxbox supports the majority of the Extended Window Manager Hints
50       (EWMH) specification, as well as numerous other Window Hinting
51       standards. This allows all compliant window managers to provide a
52       common interface to standard features used by applications and desktop
53       utilities.
54

OPTIONS

56       -display display
57           Start fluxbox on the specified display. Programs started by fluxbox
58           will share the DISPLAY environment variable also.
59
60       -h, -help
61           Display command line options.
62
63       -i, -info
64           Display useful information concerning the defaults and compiled-in
65           options.
66
67       -log logfile
68           Starting fluxbox with this option will designate a file in which
69           you want to log events to.
70
71       -no-slit
72           Do not use the container for DockApps (aka the Slit)
73
74       -no-toolbar
75           Do not use the toolbar
76
77       -rc rcfile
78           Use a different config file other than the default ~/.fluxbox/init.
79
80       -v, -version
81           The version of fluxbox installed.
82
83       -screen all|scr,scr...
84           Run on specified screens only or all (by default).
85
86       -verbose
87           Print more information in process.
88
89       -sync
90           Synchronize with the X server for debugging.
91
92       -list-commands
93           Lists all available internal commands.
94

STARTING FLUXBOX

96       fluxbox(1) comes with a program called startfluxbox(1) usually located
97       wherever you installed fluxbox. This script provides you with many
98       options and variables that can be set when starting fluxbox. To
99       actually call fluxbox and begin using it, you should place “exec
100       startfluxbox” in your ~/.xinitrc as the last executed command. This is
101       assuming that the location of fluxbox(1) and startfluxbox(1) are in
102       your shell’s $PATH. Also note that you may need to create the
103       ~/.xinitrc file or your setup may use ~/.xsession instead, depending on
104       your X setup. Some X login managers like gdm(1) or kdm(1) may simply
105       provide a “Fluxbox” session for you without having to alter any
106       settings.
107
108       By using fluxbox -i you’ll see the defaults used by fluxbox(1). These
109       are what fluxbox looks for upon startup. In the list of “Defaults:”
110       you’ll see a menu file location, this is where you can provide a
111       system-wide menu file for your users.
112
113       On exit or restart, fluxbox will save user defaults in the file
114       ~/.fluxbox/init. Resources in this file can also be edited by hand, see
115       the RESOURCES section for more details. fluxbox(1) also has many tools
116       to edit these; look through the main menu once fluxbox has started to
117       find different ways of managing your session.
118

USING FLUXBOX

120       When using fluxbox for the first time, users who are more accustomed to
121       full desktop environments such as KDE or Gnome may be a little
122       surprised by the minimal screen content. fluxbox is designed to be fast
123       and powerful, so it may take a bit of getting used to — however, the
124       rewards are worthwhile.
125
126       In this section, we’ll give a quick summary of the common things.
127       However, we recommend that you consult the referenced sections of this
128       manual to further develop your understanding of what you can do with
129       fluxbox.
130
131   Root Window (Main)
132       Looking at the fluxbox desktop immediately after startup you’ll
133       generally see only one thing: the toolbar. If you right-click (mouse
134       button 3) somewhere on the desktop, you can access the Root Menu. A
135       middle-click (mouse button 2) on the desktop shows you the Workspace
136       Menu.
137
138   Root Menu and Workspace Menu
139       From the RootMenu you can launch applications and configure fluxbox.
140       The WorkspaceMenu shows all windows and on which workspaces they are.
141       See section MENUS on how to customize these menus.
142
143   Toolbar
144       The toolbar contains any combination of the following tools, by default
145       in this order:
146
147       ·   Workspace Name: Name of the current visible workspace
148
149       ·   Workspace Arrows: Previous/Next Workspace
150
151       ·   Iconbar: List of windows managed by fluxbox
152
153       ·   Window Arrows: Previous/Next Application Window
154
155       ·   System Tray: Area for applets
156
157       ·   Clock: Date and Time
158
159       The contents and behavior of the toolbar can be configured, see the
160       TOOLBAR section for details.
161
162   Slit
163       Initially you won’t be able to see the slit. It is there, but it isn’t
164       being used yet, which confuses some people initially. Think of it as a
165       dock where you can place smaller programs. If you’ve looked at any
166       screenshots on the official fluxbox web site, you will have noticed
167       some small programs on the edge of some of the screens. These were more
168       than likely docked programs in the slit. To learn more about the slit,
169       we have an entire SLIT section below that goes into detail about the
170       options you have.
171
172   Layers
173       fluxbox manages the following layers (from highest to lowest):
174
175       ·   Above Dock
176
177       ·   Dock
178
179       ·   Top
180
181       ·   Normal
182
183       ·   Bottom
184
185       ·   Desktop
186
187       Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on a lower
188       one. These layers can be used on application windows, the slit or the
189       toolbar. You can assign applications to a certain layer by specifying
190       it in the ‘apps’ file or through the WindowMenu. We discuss the ‘apps’
191       file in fluxbox-apps(5). We discuss the WindowMenu in the MENUS
192       section. We discuss layers in more detail in the LAYERS section.
193
194   Focus Model
195       The window that has the focus is the one that receives key and mouse
196       events. The focus model is selectable via the Configuration menu
197       located in the root menu. We’ll discuss the different types of focus
198       below in the FOCUS MODEL section.
199
200   Windows
201       A left-click (mouse button 1) on any part of the window’s border will
202       raise it. Dragging then moves the window to another part of the
203       desktop. A right click and drag on the border resizes the window.
204       Dragging the resize grips at the left and right bottom corners also
205       will resize the window. Middle clicking on a border or titlebar will
206       immediately lower the window. Right clicking on the titlebar opens the
207       Window menu. The commands unique to this menu are discussed in detail
208       in the Window Menu section.
209
210   Tabs
211       fluxbox allows windows to be ‘grouped’ by middle clicking and holding
212       on a window’s tab and dragging it onto another window. This ‘tabbing’
213       allows you to put multiple applications in one location on the desktop
214       and do several operations (for example, moving or resizing) to all
215       windows in the group. By default, tabs are located just above the
216       window, but they may be embedded in the titlebar or moved to other
217       locations on the outside of the window. Configuration is discussed in
218       TAB OPTIONS section.
219
220       You can also set up automatic grouping using the ‘apps’ file. See GROUP
221       SECTIONS in fluxbox-apps(5) for details.
222
223   Key Bindings
224       There are a number of key bindings set up by default, which can be
225       configured and extended to just about anything you can imagine with the
226       keyboard. See fluxbox-keys(5) for details on how to do this.
227
228       The default bindings set up by fluxbox are as follows:
229
230       Mouse clicks on the empty desktop:
231
232       ·   Left-click (Button 1): hides all fluxbox menus
233
234       ·   Middle-click (Button 2): shows the Workspace Menu
235
236       ·   Right-click (Button 3): shows the Root Menu
237
238       ·   Scroll wheel (Buttons 4 and 5): jump to the previous/next workspace
239
240       Mouse gestures on a window:
241
242       ·   ALT+Drag Left-click anywhere on a window moves the window.
243
244       ·   ALT+Drag Right-click anywhere on a window resizes the window.
245
246       ·   ALT+Middle-click anywhere on a window lowers the current window.
247
248       Mouse gestures on a window’s titlebar:
249
250       ·   CTRL+Drag Left-click on a window’s titlebar lets you drag to attach
251           the window to another’s tab group
252
253       ·   Double Left-click on a window’s titlebar shades the window
254
255       ·   Middle-click on a window’s titlebar lowers the window
256
257       ·   Right-click on a window’s titlebar pops up the Window Menu
258
259       Mouse gestures on the toolbar:
260
261       ·   Scroll wheel on the toolbar cycles through windows
262
263       Keyboard bindings:
264
265       ·   ALT+Tab / ALT+Shift+Tab: Cycle through windows
266
267       ·   WIN+Tab / WIN+Shift+Tab: Cycle through tabs
268
269       ·   WIN+1 - WIN+9: Select the 1st → 9th tab in the current window
270
271       ·   ALT+F1: Run xterm(1) to open a new terminal
272
273       ·   ALT+F2: Run fbrun(1) for a small “run program” dialog
274
275       ·   ALT+F4: Close the current window
276
277       ·   ALT+F5: Kill the current window (like xkill(1))
278
279       ·   ALT+F9: Minimize (iconify) the current window
280
281       ·   ALT+F10: Maximize the current window
282
283       ·   ALT+F11: Full-screen the current window
284
285       ·   ALT+Space: Open the Window Menu
286
287       ·   CTRL+ALT+Del: Exit fluxbox (log out)
288
289       ·   CTRL+ALT+Left / CTRL+ALT+Right: Go to the previous/next workspace
290
291       ·   WIN+Left / WIN+Right: Send the current window to the previous/next
292           workspace, but remain on this workspace
293
294       ·   CTRL+WIN+Left / CTRL+WIN+Right: Take the current window to the
295           previous/next workspace, and switch to that workspace
296
297       ·   CTRL+F1 - CTRL+F12: Switch to the 1st → 12th workspace
298
299       ·   WIN+F1 - WIN+F12: Send the current window to a specific workspace
300
301       ·   CTRL+WIN+F1 - CTRL+WIN+F12: Take the current window to a specific
302           workspace
303
305       fluxbox provides a popup menu facility that is used by a few different
306       types of native menus.
307
308       When a menu is open, you can click on items with the mouse to activate
309       them. Some special menu items react slightly differently depending on
310       the mouse button you use, but normally you will want to use a
311       left-click (button 1).
312
313       You can also use the the keyboard arrow key to navigate, or even type
314       the first few letters of the item’s label to select it, and “enter” to
315       activate the item.
316
317       Normally activating a menu item should close the menu. You can also
318       right-click the title are of a menu or press “esc” to close it without
319       activating an item.
320
321   Root Menu
322       The root menu is where you can launch commonly-used applications and
323       change different aspects of fluxbox by simply clicking on a menu item.
324       By default it is opened by a right-click on the empty area of the
325       desktop.
326
327       The contents of this menu can be configured, see fluxbox-menu(5) for
328       details.
329
330       The default menu, which is created by the “fluxbox-generate_menu”
331       command, contains menus for installed applications, as well as a
332       special “Fluxbox menu” item with the items detailed below:
333
334       Configure
335           The next level under this menu is where you can set certain
336           resources and really begin to customize the look and feel of your
337           desktop. See the Configure Menu section below for more details.
338
339       System Styles
340           This is where the standard styles are listed. You can select one of
341           these by clicking on it, and it will be applied immediately. System
342           styles are located in /usr/local/share/fluxbox/styles/ upon a
343           default install. Remember that you can confirm this with fluxbox
344           -i.
345
346           User Styles
347               This is where your custom styles are listed. It will list any
348               styles from ~/.fluxbox/styles/, which may be styles you grab
349               from the Internet, or your own custom styles, provided you
350               follow the standards described in fluxbox-style(5).
351
352           Workspace List
353               This is the same as the Workspace Menu detailed below.
354
355           Tools
356               Listed here are different tools that you can use. You can
357               rename your workspace, run programs from a command line or
358               regenerate your menu.
359
360           Window Managers
361               Allows you to switch your window manager. (Only listed if you
362               have other window managers/desktop environments installed.)
363
364           Lock Screen
365               Locks the screen, if a suitable locking program has been
366               detected.
367
368           Fluxbox Command
369               A little Commandline will popup where you can enter a fluxbox
370               command. These commands are the same as those detailed in
371               fluxbox-keys(5).
372
373           Reload config
374               Use this to reload the fluxbox configuration files. You must do
375               this after editing the ‘keys’ file, ‘init’ file, or the current
376               style.
377
378           Restart
379               Restart the whole darn thing. This starts a completely new
380               fluxbox process, rereads files and redraws all graphical
381               elements. Running applications will remain open, however, and
382               restored to the same workspaces they were previously in once
383               fluxbox returns.
384
385           Exit
386               Exits fluxbox, which in turn either shuts down the X Window
387               server or returns you to the graphical login screen.
388
389   Configuration Menu
390       This menu offers the opportunity to set up fluxbox. It contains many
391       options which can be altered manually in the ‘init’ file, but this is
392       an easier and faster way to change the most common settings.
393
394       All changes take effect immediately.
395
396       Focus Model
397           Lets you configure the window focus model. For details, see FOCUS
398           MODEL, below.
399
400       Maximize Options
401           Lets you configure what happens when you maximize a window. The
402           four options are:
403
404           Full Maximization:
405               Normally, a maximized window will not overlap the toolbar,
406               slit, or any docked windows (like panels). Enabling this option
407               allows maximized windows to be as large as the actual screen
408               resolution.
409
410           Ignore Resize Increment:
411               Normally, terminal windows specify a “resize increment” which
412               mean fluxbox will only resize the window to an even multiple of
413               the character size. Enabling this option will ignore this
414               specification when maximizing.
415
416           Disable Moving / Disable Resizing:
417               Normally, maximized windows can still be moved and resized.
418               Enabling these options prevents these behaviour.
419
420       Tab Options
421           Lets you configure the properties of tabs. Detailed in TAB OPTIONS,
422           below.
423
424       Slit
425           This menu can also be found by right-clicking the slit (if
426           visible). Find more information about this menu’s options in the
427           Slit Menu section, below.
428
429       Toolbar
430           This menu can also be found by right-clicking any non-icon part of
431           the toolbar. Find more information about this menu’s options in the
432           Toolbar Menu section, below.
433
434       Transparency
435           This sets the default transparency for a focused windows, unfocused
436           window and the menu. Use the left mouse button to decrease and the
437           right mouse button to increase the value. 0 is invisible, 255 is
438           not transparent at all.
439
440           The transparency of individual application windows can be
441           overridden in the ‘apps’ file (fluxbox-apps(5)).
442
443           The Force Pseudo Transparency option will force fluxbox to ignore
444           the xcomposite extension and use pseudo-transparency instead of
445           true transparency. Note: When pseudo-transparency is on, the
446           transparency values here only affect titlebars, not window
447           contents.
448
449       Opaque Window Moving
450           If enabled, you will see the window content while dragging it.
451           Otherwise only an outline of the window will be shown.
452
453       Workspace Warping
454           If enabled, you can drag windows from one workspace to another. The
455           previous workspace is to the left, the next workspace is to the
456           right.
457
458   Window Menu
459       The Window menu is displayed when you right click on the titlebar of a
460       window.
461
462       To customize this menu, see the WINDOW MENU section of fluxbox-menu(5).
463
464       By default, this menu contains:
465
466       Shade
467           Shade the window (display the titlebar only).
468
469       Stick
470           (Un)Stick window. A ‘stuck’ window will always be displayed on all
471           workspaces.
472
473       Send To...
474           Send window to another workspace. When you select the workspace
475           with a middle click, fluxbox will send you along with the
476           application to the selected workspace.
477
478       Maximize
479           (Un)Maximize window. Depending on your toolbar and slit
480           configuration, maximize may cover them. You can use the different
481           mouse buttons for different aspects of maximize function.
482
483           ·   Button 1 (Un)Maximize as normal.
484
485           ·   Button 2 (Un)Maximize window vertically.
486
487           ·   Button 3 (Un)Maximize window horizontally.
488
489       Iconify
490           Iconify (or minimize) a window. The ‘icon’ can be found in the
491           Icons submenu of the workspace menu as well as in the toolbar (if a
492           Toolbar mode showing Icons is selected).
493
494       Raise
495           Raise the window above all others in the same layer.
496
497       Lower
498           Lower the window below all others in the same layer.
499
500       Layer...
501           Change the layer of this window. See LAYERS for more details.
502
503       Transparency
504           Change this window’s transparency, overriding the defaults from the
505           Configuration Menu.
506
507       Remember...
508           Specify which window settings should be stored in the ‘apps’ file
509           and resumed the next time this window is opened.
510
511           Specifically the setting you may store are:
512
513           Workpace:
514               Open this in the same workspace as where the window currently
515               resides.
516
517           Jump to workspace:
518               When Workspace is selected, fluxbox will jump to the
519               appropriate workspace when this window is opened there. If not
520               selected, the window will open in the background.
521
522           Head:
523               For xinerama users only, start this window on the current head
524               (or screen).
525
526           Dimensions:
527               Record the current window height and width.
528
529           Position:
530               Record the current X and Y coordinates of the window.
531
532           Sticky:
533               Record whether the window is on all desktops, or not.
534
535           Decorations:
536               Record the current set of decorations (title bar, grips, tabs,
537               etc) on the window.
538
539           Shaded:
540               Record whether the window is shaded (or rolled-up) or not.
541
542           Minimized:
543               Record whether the window is iconified (or minimized) or not.
544
545           Maximized:
546               Record whether the window is maximized or not.
547
548           Fullscreen:
549               Record whether the window is in fullscreen mode or not.
550
551           Transparency:
552               Record the current Transparency settings.
553
554           Layer:
555               Record the current layer.
556
557           Save on close:
558               If selected, any of the above items which are also selected
559               will be updated with the window’s current values as it is
560               closed.
561
562           These are is covered in more detail in fluxbox-apps(5).
563
564       Close
565           Close the application softly.
566
567       Kill
568           Kill the window’s parent process, like xkill(1).
569
570   Workspace Menu
571       The workspace menu can be found, by default, by middle-clicking on the
572       background. This menu contains entries to explore the currently defined
573       workspaces, windows, and add/remove/rename workspaces.
574
575       Icons
576           This menu shows any iconified (or, minimized) windows. Clicking on
577           a window in this menu will raise it on the current workspace.
578
579       Workspaces
580           The next section provides one submenu per workspace.
581           Middle-clicking on a workspace name will take you to that
582           workspace. The submenu contains a list of all open windows on that
583           workspace. Clicking on a window name will take you to that window
584           and raise it, changing the active workspace if necessary.
585
586       New Workspace
587           This entry adds a new workspace to the end of the list of current
588           workspaces.
589
590       Edit current workspace name
591           Pops up a dialog to enter a new name for the current workspace.
592
593       Remove Last
594           Remove the last workspace in the list. Any windows currently open
595           there will be sent to the next-to-last workspace.
596

TOOLBAR

598       The toolbar is a small area to display information like a clock,
599       workspace name, a system tray or a taskbar (iconbar) that can contain
600       the running programs. The color, look, font etc. is defined in the
601       STYLE.
602
603       The tools in the toolbar can be enabled/disabled in the ‘init’ file
604       with the session.screen0.toolbar.tools resource. See the RESOURCES
605       section for details on how to alter this value.
606
607       The possible tools are:
608
609       Clock
610           This will show an area to display a clock and the date according to
611           the format specification listed in "man strtftime"
612
613       Iconbar
614           This is the area that contains all windows (all running
615           applications, all minimized windows or maybe no window, all
616           depending on the Toolbar Settings).
617
618       Systemtray
619           The Systemtray can hold applications that are made to use it.
620
621       WorkspaceName
622           This displays the name of the current workspace. Also, one is able
623           to switch to the workspace left of the current one with a left
624           click and to the workspace right of the current one with a right
625           click.
626
627       PrevWorkspace
628           This displays an arrow that allows one to switch to the workspace
629           left of the current one.
630
631       NextWorkspace
632           This displays an arrow that allows one to switch to the workspace
633           right of the current one.
634
635       PrevWindow
636           This displays an arrow that switches focus to the previous visible
637           window on the current workspace.
638
639       NextWindow
640           This displays an arrow that switches focus to the next visible
641           window on the current workspace.
642
643       Other aspects of the toolbar can be configured in two ways: through the
644       toolbar menu, which is accessible in the Configuration part of the
645       RootMenu or with a middle click on the edge the toolbar, or by editing
646       the init file (see the RESOURCES section for more information about
647       that).
648
649   Toolbar Menu
650       This menu can be opened by right-clicking on the toolbar (though not on
651       a window’s name in the iconbar), or from the Configuration Menu.
652
653       All changes take effect immediately. Here are the settings:
654
655       Visible
656           Sets the toolbar either to visible or invisible.
657
658       Auto hide
659           If this is enabled the toolbar will disappear after a defined time
660           when the mouse pointer leaves the toolbar. It will slide in when
661           the cursor hits the remaining edge of the toolbar. See the
662           session.autoRaiseDelay resource for the delay time.
663
664       Toolbar width percentage
665           Sets the width of the toolbar in a percentage of your total screen
666           size. Use the left mouse button to decrease and the right
667           mouse-button to increase the value. The value can be from 1-100.
668
669       Maximize Over
670           Enabling this option will allow windows to maximize over the
671           toolbar. With this switched on they will only expand to the edge of
672           the bar. This option may be overridden by the “Full Maximization”
673           from the Configuration Menu. If that option is enabled, this option
674           will have no effect..
675
676       Layer...
677           This sets the layer on which the toolbar is set. With this you can
678           set the toolbar to "Always on top".
679
680       Placement
681           Sets the toolbar to any edge of the screen, either centered or
682           aligned with a corner.
683
684       Alpha
685           This sets the alpha value for the toolbar. Use the left mouse
686           button to decrease and the right mouse button to increase the
687           value. 0 is invisible, 255 is not transparent at all.
688
689       Iconbar Mode
690           Specifies various modes of the iconbar’s operation.
691
692           The first section outlines what types of windows will be shown in
693           the iconbar:
694
695           None:
696               Will not show any windows
697
698           Icons:
699               Shows windows from all workspaces that are iconified (or,
700               minimized)
701
702           NoIcons:
703               Shows windows from all workspaces that are not iconified
704
705           WorkspaceIcons:
706               Shows windows from the current workspace that are iconified
707
708           WorkspaceNoIcons:
709               Shows windows from the current workspace that are not iconified
710
711           Workspace:
712               Shows all windows (iconified or not) from the current workspace
713
714           All Windows:
715               Shows all windows (iconified or not) from all workspaces
716
717           The next section specifies the alignment of the window names shown
718           in the iconbar. The width is specified via the
719           session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth resource:
720
721           Left:
722               All icons will be left-aligned with the width set in the ‘init’
723               file
724
725           Relative:
726               All icons will be sized evenly to fill the iconbar completely
727
728           Right:
729               All icons will be right-aligned with the width set in the
730               ‘init’ file
731
732           The last option in this submenu is:
733
734           Show Pictures:
735               If enabled the iconbar will show the application’s icon (if
736               provided by the application)
737
738       Clock
739           Lets you switch between the 00:00am - 11:59pm and 00:00 - 23:59
740           notation
741
742       Edit Clock Format
743           clicking this entry will pop up a dialog window in which the clock
744           format can be set according to man strftime (or man date).
745

FOCUS MODEL

747       The Focus Model defines how windows gain focus (i.e. become the active
748       window, which receives keyboard and mouse events). The focus model can
749       be changed in the configuration menu (usually located under fluxbox
750       menu in the Root Menu.
751
752       There are two main aspects of the focus model: how windows gain focus
753       and how tabs gain focus. Each of these has two options: focus follows
754       mouse and click to focus. Focus follows mouse means that windows will
755       gain focus when the mouse hovers over them. Click to focus means that
756       windows will gain focus when the mouse clicks on them.
757
758       Thus, there are four main options when choosing a focus model. You
759       should choose one of the first two and one of the last two. They are:
760
761       Click To Focus
762           Click to focus windows.
763
764       Mouse Focus
765           Window focus follows mouse.
766
767       ClickTabFocus
768           Click to focus tabs.
769
770       MouseTabFocus
771           Tab focus follows mouse.
772
773       There are three more settings in the “Focus Model” menu:
774
775       Focus New Windows
776           If enabled, a new window will grab X focus as soon as it is opened.
777
778           Auto Raise
779               If enabled, focusing on a new window will automatically raise
780               that window above all others within its layer. When disabled,
781               you must explicitly raise a focused window using the window
782               menu, keybinding, or Click Raises.
783
784           Click Raises
785               If enabled, clicking anywhere on a window will raise it above
786               all others within its layer.
787

TAB OPTIONS

789       This section of fluxbox configuration menu lets you configure many
790       features of tabs. Inside of it there are three main options:
791
792       Placement
793           You can choose where the external tabs will be positioned relative
794           to the window. For these options to work, Tabs in Titlebar must be
795           off.
796
797       Tabs in Titlebar
798           When this option is on, tabs are fixed in window titlebar and the
799           width varies according to the amount of windows grouped.
800
801       Maximize Over
802           When this option is on, maximizing a window will disregard the size
803           and location of external tabs, which means they may be pushed out
804           of the screen entirely.
805
806       External Tab Width
807           This specifies in pixels the width of external tabs.
808

STYLES

810       fluxbox enables you to use specialized files that contain X(1)
811       resources to specify colors, textures, pixmaps and fonts, and thus the
812       overall look of your window borders, menus and the toolbar.
813
814       The default installation of fluxbox provides some of these style files.
815       See fluxbox-style(5) to accommodate the growing number of style
816       components.
817
818   Style Overlay
819       In addition to the style file, the overlay file, whose location is
820       specified by session.screen0.styleOverlay (default: ~/.fluxbox/overlay)
821       can be used to set style resources that override all styles. For more
822       information about which parts of fluxbox can be controlled by the
823       overlay file, see fluxbox-style(5).
824

THE SLIT

826       The slit is a special fluxbox window frame that can contain dockable
827       applications, such as “bbtools” or “window maker dockapps”.
828
829       When applications are run in the slit they have no window borders of
830       their own; instead they are framed in the slit, and they are always
831       visible in the current workspace.
832
833       Most dockable applications use the -w option to run in the slit. For
834       example, you could put in your ~/.fluxbox/startup:
835
836           bbmail -w &
837           bbpager -w &
838           wmdrawer &
839           exec fluxbox
840
841       To use the slit you must have it compiled into fluxbox. This is the
842       default setting.
843
844   Slit Menu
845       This menu can be opened by right-clicking on the slit (though not on an
846       application running within the slit), or from the Configuration Menu.
847
848       All changes take effect immediately. Here are the settings:
849
850       Placement
851           This lets you set the position of the slit.
852
853       Layer
854           See LAYERS for details on the layer order.
855
856       Auto hide
857           If this is enabled the slit will disappear after a defined time
858           when the mouse pointer leaves the slit. It will slide in when the
859           cursor hits the remaining edge of the slit. See the
860           session.autoRaiseDelay resource for the delay time.
861
862       Maximize Over
863           Enabling this option will allow windows to maximizing over the
864           slit. With this switched off they will only expand to the edge of
865           the slit. This option may be overridden by the “Full Maximization”
866           from the Configuration Menu. If that option is enabled, this option
867           will have no effect..
868
869       Alpha
870           This sets the alpha value for the slit. Use the left mouse button
871           to decrease and the right mouse button to increase the value. 0 is
872           invisible, 255 is not transparent at all.
873
874       Clients
875           This submenu lets you reorder the the applications running in the
876           slit. You are able to hide apps from the slit by unselecting them
877           in the list showing. This will not kill the app. You can make them
878           re-appear by selecting them in the list. The "Save SlitList" option
879           saves the new order to you slitlist located in ~/.fluxbox/slitlist.
880           See the next section for details.
881
882   Slitlist File
883       fluxbox’s slitlist file is available for those that use dockapps in the
884       slit. This file helps fluxbox keep track of the order of the dockapps
885       when in the slit. The file is generally located at ~/.fluxbox/slitlist.
886
887       A simple procedure for getting the slit sequences the way you like it
888       is: 1. Run fluxbox with no pre-loaded dockapps 2. Run dockapps
889       individually in the order you want them 3. Add dockapps to your
890       startfluxbox(1) script
891
892       This sequence will be saved by default to ~/.fluxbox/slitlist and will
893       be remembered for future instances of fluxbox.
894
895       Users are free to manually edit the slitlist file. It is a simple list
896       of window names, as given by xprop(1), one per dockapp. Similar to the
897       init file it should not be edited while fluxbox is running. Otherwise
898       changes may get overwritten.
899
900       The user also has the option of choosing a different path for the
901       slitlist file, by setting the session.session0.slitlistFile resource.
902

LAYERS

904       Layers affect the way that windows will overlap each other on the
905       screen. Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on a
906       lower one, whether they are focused or not. Fluxbox uses 13 layers,
907       starting from 1 (highest).
908
909       There are two ways to assign a window to a different layer. When the
910       window is open, you may select the layer in the ‘Layer ...’ submenu of
911       the window menu. The menu gives six choices for the layer, which
912       fluxbox manages by name. The names are (from highest to lowest layer):
913
914       ·   2 - Above Dock
915
916       ·   4 - Dock
917
918       ·   6 - Top
919
920       ·   8 - Normal
921
922       ·   10 - Bottom
923
924       ·   12 - Desktop
925
926       The other way to set the layer for a window is through the ‘apps’ file.
927       This method is described in fluxbox-apps(5).
928

RESOURCES

930       Usually the ~/.fluxbox/init resource file is created and maintained by
931       fluxbox itself. You can use the Configure Menu, mentioned above, to set
932       most of these options. However, we’ll cover all of the resource options
933       that are available to the user. If you edit this file while fluxbox is
934       running, you must “reconfigure” to reload the resource options.
935
936       When running fluxbox in a multiple-screen environment the screen0 key
937       can also be screen1, screen2, to customize the behavior of fluxbox on
938       each desktop accordingly. Here are the resources that are currently
939       available:
940
941       session.screen0.window.{focus|unfocus}.alpha: integer
942           These resources are available to the user to set different levels
943           of transparency for different components of fluxbox. Each one
944           accepts a value between 0-255, 255 being opaque and 0 being
945           completely transparent.
946
947           Default: 255
948
949       session.screen0.{slit|toolbar}.autoHide: boolean
950           The autoHide resources allow the user to set the behavior of the
951           toolbar and slit. This behavior can be that they disappear when
952           they are not being used actively by the user, or they remain
953           visible at all times.
954
955           Default: False
956
957       session.screen0.{slit|toolbar}.layer: layer
958           With these two resources, you can set the layer you want the
959           toolbar and the slit to appear on. Please read the LAYER section
960           for more information.
961
962           Default: Dock
963
964       session.screen0.{slit|toolbar}.placement: placement
965           These allow users to place the slit and toolbar where they like.
966
967           Possible options are:
968               BottomLeft BottomCenter BottomRight LeftBottom LeftCenter
969               LeftTop RightBottom RightCenter RightTop TopLeft TopCenter
970               TopRight
971
972           Slit default: RightBottom
973
974           Toolbar default: BottomCenter
975
976       session.screen0.{slit|toolbar|tabs}.maxOver: boolean
977           Setting these to True will allow application windows to maximize
978           over the complete screen. Setting to False allows the slit,
979           toolbar, and external tabs to hold their territory and will always
980           be visible when an application is maximized.
981
982           Default: False
983
984       session.screen0.toolbar.height: integer
985           Set the height of the toolbar. If the value is set to 0, the style
986           file will gain control over the toolbar height. It is possible to
987           set a fixed height by changing this value to something greater than
988           0.
989
990           Default: 0
991
992       session.screen0.toolbar.visible: boolean
993           The user can set whether they want to have a toolbar on screen at
994           all. Setting to False removes the toolbar from the screen.
995
996           Default: True
997
998       session.screen0.toolbar.widthPercent: integer
999           This resource sets the width percentage of the toolbar on the
1000           screen.
1001
1002           Default: 100
1003
1004       session.screen0.toolbar.tools: tools
1005           This resource specifies the tools plugged into the toolbar. Read
1006           the TOOLBAR section in this manual for a description of each of
1007           these. They may be specified in any order, delimited by the ,
1008           character. They will appear in the order given.
1009
1010           Possible tools:
1011               clock iconbar nextwindow prevwindow nextworkspace prevworkspace
1012               systemtray workspacename
1013
1014           Default:
1015               workspacename, prevworkspace, nextworkspace, iconbar,
1016               prevwindow, nextwindow, systemtray, clock
1017
1018       session.screen0.{slit|toolbar}.onhead: integer
1019           For those that use xinerama, users can set this value to the number
1020           of the head where they would like to see the slit and toolbar,
1021           starting from 1. Setting this to 0 will ignore xinerama
1022           information.
1023
1024           Default: 0 for slit, 1 for toolbar
1025
1026       session.screen0.iconbar.mode: pattern
1027           This determines which windows will be displayed in the iconbar. Any
1028           window pattern is acceptable. See the section CLIENT PATTERNS in
1029           either fluxbox-keys(5) or fluxbox-apps(5) for details.
1030
1031           Default: {static groups} (workspace)
1032
1033       session.screen0.iconbar.usePixmap: boolean
1034           This is also set in the Iconbar Mode menu. When set to True, this
1035           will show the native icon of applications.
1036
1037           Default: True
1038
1039       session.screen0.iconbar.iconTextPadding: integer
1040           This specifies the space between the window title and the edge of
1041           the button.
1042
1043           Default: 10
1044
1045       session.screen0.iconbar.alignment: position
1046           This value should be changed in the Iconbar Mode menu.
1047
1048           Available options:
1049
1050               ·   Left: Fixed width, aligned left
1051
1052               ·   Relative: Width varies to fill the iconbar
1053
1054               ·   Right: Fixed width, aligned right
1055
1056           Default: Relative
1057
1058       session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth: integer
1059           Used to specify the iconbar button width for Left/Right alignment.
1060
1061           Default: 128
1062
1063       session.screen0.strftimeFormat: date
1064           This adjusts the way the current time is displayed in the toolbar.
1065           The strftime(3) format is used.
1066
1067           Default: %k:%M
1068
1069       session.screen0.tabs.intitlebar: boolean
1070           This specifies whether tabs should be embedded in the titlebar or
1071           placed outside the window.
1072
1073           Default: True
1074
1075       session.screen0.tab.placement: placement
1076           This specifies where external tabs will appear on the window. It
1077           has the same possible values as
1078           sesion.screen0.{slit|toolbar}.placement.
1079
1080           Default: TopLeft
1081
1082       session.screen0.tab.width: integer
1083           This specifies the width of external tabs in pixels.
1084
1085           Default: 64
1086
1087       session.screen0.focusModel: ClickToFocus|MouseFocus|StrictMouseFocus
1088           This controls how windows gain focus via the mouse. With
1089           ‘ClickToFocus’, the user must click on the window. With
1090           ‘MouseFocus’, windows gain focus whenever the mouse moves over
1091           them, but only when the mouse is moving. With ‘StrictMouseFocus’,
1092           windows gain focus whenever the mouse enters any exposed area, even
1093           if this is due to layer changes, window movement, changing
1094           desktops, closing windows, etc.
1095
1096           Default: ClickToFocus
1097
1098       session.screen0.autoRaise: boolean
1099           When True, this setting automatically raises any window that gains
1100           focus.
1101
1102           Default: True
1103
1104       session.autoRaiseDelay: integer
1105           Adjusts the delay (in milli-sec) before focused windows will raise
1106           when using the Autoraise option.
1107
1108           Default: 250
1109
1110       session.screen0.clickRaises: boolean
1111           This setting allows a user to click anywhere on a window to bring
1112           it on top of other windows. Otherwise, only the titlebar will work.
1113
1114           Default: True
1115
1116       session.screen0.workspacewarping: boolean
1117           This setting enables a user to change workspaces by dragging a
1118           window across the edge of the screen.
1119
1120           Default: True
1121
1122       session.screen0.showwindowposition: boolean
1123           Setting this resource to True shows the user, in a little window,
1124           the exact position of the application window while the user is
1125           dragging it. Allows a precise placement of windows on a screen.
1126
1127           Default: False
1128
1129       session.screen0.defaultDeco: string
1130           This specifies the default window decorations, according to the
1131           same options available to the [Deco] option in the ‘apps’ file,
1132           described in fluxbox-apps(5).
1133
1134           Default: NORMAL
1135
1136       session.screen0.menuDelay: integer
1137           This sets the delay in milliseconds for submenus to open when you
1138           hover over them or to close when you hover over another item.
1139
1140           Default: 200
1141
1142       session.screen0.focusNewWindows: boolean
1143           This sets whether or not new windows will become focused
1144           automatically.
1145
1146           Default: True
1147
1148       session.screen0.workspaceNames: names
1149           Here is where the user can name their workspaces, in a
1150           comma-delimited list. However it is recommended to use the tool
1151           available in the Workspace Menu to set these.
1152
1153           Default: Workspace 1, Workspace 2, Workspace 3, Workspace 4
1154
1155       session.screen0.edgeSnapThreshold: integer
1156           When moving a window across your screen, fluxbox is able to have it
1157           ‘snap’ to the edges of the screen and other windows for easy
1158           placement. This variable tells fluxbox the distance (in pixels) at
1159           which the window will jump to the edge.
1160
1161           Default: 10
1162
1163       session.screen0.windowPlacement: strategy
1164           This resource specifies where to place new windows when not
1165           otherwise specified (by the program or the ‘apps’ file, for
1166           example).
1167
1168           Available strategies:
1169
1170               ·   RowSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in rows without
1171                   overlapping
1172
1173               ·   ColSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in columns
1174                   without overlapping
1175
1176               ·   CascadePlacement: places windows below the titlebar of the
1177                   previous one
1178
1179               ·   UnderMousePlacement: places new windows underneath the
1180                   mouse
1181
1182           Default: RowSmartPlacement
1183
1184       session.screen0.rowPlacementDirection: LeftToRight|RightToLeft
1185           These settings control the direction in which windows are tiled
1186           using the RowSmartPlacement and ColSmartPlacement strategies
1187           described above.
1188
1189           Default: LeftToRight
1190
1191       session.screen0.colPlacementDirection: TopToBottom|BottomToTop
1192           These settings control the direction in which windows are tiled
1193           using the RowSmartPlacement and ColSmartPlacement strategies
1194           described above.
1195
1196           Default: TopToBottom
1197
1198       session.screen0.fullMaximization: boolean
1199           If this setting is enabled, windows will maximize over the toolbar,
1200           slit, and any other window that creates a strut, no matter what
1201           their individual settings are.
1202
1203           Default: False
1204
1205       session.screen0.opaqueMove: boolean
1206           When moving a window, setting this to True will draw the window
1207           contents as it moves (this is nasty on slow systems). If False, it
1208           will only draw an outline of the window border.
1209
1210           Default: True
1211
1212       session.screen0.workspaces: integer
1213           Set this to the number of workspaces the users wants.
1214
1215           Default: 4
1216
1217       session.cacheLife: minutes
1218           This tells fluxbox how long unused pixmaps may stay in the X
1219           server’s memory.
1220
1221           Default: 5
1222
1223       session.cacheMax: KbSize
1224           This tells fluxbox how much memory it may use to store cached
1225           pixmaps on the X server. If your machine runs short of memory, you
1226           may lower this value.
1227
1228           Default: 200
1229
1230       session.colorsPerChannel: integer
1231           This tells fluxbox how many colors to take from the X server on
1232           pseudo-color displays. A channel would be red, green, or blue.
1233           fluxbox will allocate this variable ^ 3 and make them always
1234           available. Value must be between 2-6. When you run fluxbox on an
1235           8bpp display, you must set this resource to 4.
1236
1237           Default: 4
1238
1239       session.doubleClickInterval: integer
1240           Adjust the delay in milliseconds between mouse clicks for fluxbox
1241           to consider a double click.
1242
1243           Default: 250
1244
1245       session.forcePseudoTransparency: boolean
1246           If you have Xorg’s composite extension enabled, this setting will
1247           force the menu, windows, toolbar, and slit to use
1248           pseudo-transparency instead of true transparency.
1249
1250           Default: False
1251
1252       session.ignoreBorder: boolean
1253           This configures the ability to move windows by dragging the border.
1254
1255           Default: False
1256
1257       session.tabPadding: integer
1258           This specifies the spacing between tabs.
1259
1260           Default: 0
1261
1262       session.tabsAttachArea: Window|Titlebar
1263           With this set to ‘Window’, windows may be grouped by dragging one
1264           tab with the middle mouse button and dropping it anywhere on
1265           another window. With ‘Titlebar’, the user must drop the tab on the
1266           target window’s titlebar.
1267
1268           Default: Window
1269
1270       session.titlebar.{left|right}: buttons
1271           The buttons or icons to place in the titlebar of decorated windows.
1272           You may specify any number, space-delimited.
1273
1274           The available options are:
1275               Close Maximize MenuIcon Minimize Shade Stick LHalf RHalf
1276
1277           Default left: Stick
1278
1279           Default right: Shade Minimize Maximize Close
1280
1281           LHalf and RHalf are buttons to quickly place a window into the left
1282           and right half of the current monitor.
1283
1284       All of the location resources following require a pathname to their
1285       specific files. This is where you can specify different files. Most of
1286       the defaults will be located in the user’s ~/.fluxbox directory.
1287
1288       session.appsFile: location
1289           Location of persistent application settings, or the ‘apps’ file.
1290           See the Remember...  item in the Window Menu section above or
1291           fluxbox-apps(5) for details.
1292
1293       session.groupFile: location
1294           Deprecated, auto-grouping is now done in the ‘apps’ file, see
1295           fluxbox-apps(5) for details.
1296
1297       session.keyFile: location
1298           Location of the keyboard mapping settings, or the ‘keys’ file. See
1299           fluxbox-keys(5) for details.
1300
1301       session.menuFile: location
1302           Location of the Root Menu file. See fluxbox-menu(5) for details.
1303
1304       session.slitlistFile: location
1305           Location of the file used to remember slit client ordering. See
1306           SLIT above for details.
1307
1308       session.styleFile: location
1309           Location of the currently selected style. See fluxbox-style(5) for
1310           details.
1311
1312       session.styleOverlay: location
1313           Location of the style overlay file. See fluxbox-style(5) for
1314           details.
1315
1316       session.screen0.windowMenu: location
1317           This optionally specifies the location of a user-defined window
1318           menu. If left blank, it will use ~/.fluxbox/windowmenu.
1319
1320           Default: blank
1321
1322       session.menuSearch: nowhere|itemstart|somewhere
1323           This setting controls the way the menu search feature works.
1324
1325       Available options:
1326
1327           ·   nowhere: disables the menu search
1328
1329           ·   itemstart: typed text matches at the start of a menu items
1330
1331           ·   somewhere: typed text matches somewhere in a menu item
1332
1333       + Default: itemstart
1334

ENVIRONMENT

1336       HOME
1337           fluxbox uses $HOME to find the .fluxbox/init file and to resolve
1338           style file and -directory names.
1339
1340       DISPLAY
1341           When no other display was given on the command line, fluxbox will
1342           start on the display specified by this variable.
1343
1344       fluxbox can also take advantage of other environment variables if they
1345       are set before fluxbox is started. For example, if $TERM is set, then
1346       it will be available whenever fluxbox uses the shell, such as the
1347       ‘keys’ file ExecCommand or the root menu’s [exec] tag. See
1348       fluxbox-keys(5) and fluxbox-menu(5) for details.
1349
1350       The ‘keys’ file also provides two commands that can alter the current
1351       environment of fluxbox: SetEnv and Export. Any changes made by these
1352       commands will also affect the environment as seen by fluxbox and all
1353       child processes started after that point. See fluxbox-keys(5) for
1354       details.
1355
1356       For more information about environment variables in general, see your
1357       shell’s manual.
1358

SIGNALS

1360       fluxbox responds to the following signals:
1361
1362       ·   SIGUSR1 restarts fluxbox.
1363
1364       ·   SIGUSR2 Forces reloading of configuration.
1365

AUTHORS

1367       fluxbox is written and maintained by Henrik Kinnunen <fluxgen at
1368       fluxbox org>, Simon Bowden <rathnor at fluxbox org>, Mathias Gumz
1369       <akira at fluxbox org>, and Mark Tiefenbruck <mark at fluxbox org>,
1370       with contributions and patches merged from many individuals around the
1371       world.
1372
1373       Blackbox was written and maintained by Brad Hughes <blackbox at alug
1374       org> and Jeff Raven <jraven at psu edu>.
1375
1376       This manpage is the combined work of:
1377
1378       ·   Jim Ramsay <i.am at jimramsay com> (>fluxbox-1.0.0)
1379
1380       ·   Curt Micol <asenchi at asenchi com> (>fluxbox-0.9.11)
1381
1382       ·   Tobias Klausmann <klausman at users sourceforge net>
1383           (⟨fluxbox-0.9.11)
1384
1385       ·   Grubert <grubert at users sourceforge net> (fluxbox)
1386
1387       ·   Matthew Hawkins <matt at mh dropbear id au> (blackbox)
1388
1389       ·   Wilbert Berendsen <wbsoft at xs4all nl> (blackbox)
1390
1391       ·   Numerous other languages could be available if someone jumps in.
1392

ONLINE DOCUMENTATION

1394       The Official fluxbox website: http://www.fluxbox.org
1395
1396       The Official fluxbox wiki: http://www.fluxbox-wiki.org
1397
1398       Many compatible themes: http://tenr.de
1399

BUGS

1401       If you find any bugs, please visit the #fluxbox irc channel on
1402       irc.freenode.net or submit them to the bug tracker at
1403       http://sf.net/projects/fluxbox . Or you may subscribe to one of the
1404       mailinglists. More information can be found on the official website.
1405

SEE ALSO

1407       fluxbox-apps(5) fluxbox-keys(5) fluxbox-style(5) fluxbox-menu(5)
1408       fluxbox-remote(1) fbsetroot(1) fbsetbg(1) fbrun(1) startfluxbox(1)
1409

AUTHOR

1411       Henrik Kinnunen <fluxgen@fluxbox.org>
1412           Author.
1413
1414
1415
1416fluxbox.txt                    08 February 2015                     FLUXBOX(1)
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