1FLUXBOX(1) FLUXBOX(1)
2
6 fluxbox - A lightweight window manager for the X Windowing System
7
9 fluxbox [-v | -version] [-h | -help] [-i | -info] fluxbox [-rc rcfile]
10 [-log logfile] [-display display] [-screen scr,scr|all] [-verbose]
11
14 fluxbox(1) provides configurable window decorations, a root menu to
15 launch applications and a toolbar that shows the current workspace
16 name, a set of application names and the current time. There is also a
17 workspace menu to add or remove workspaces. The `slit' can be used to
18 dock small applications; e.g. most of the bbtools can use the slit.
19 fluxbox(1) can iconify windows to the toolbar, in addition to adding
21 the window to the Icons submenu of the workspace menu. One click and
22 they reappear. A double-click on the titlebar of the window will shade
23 it; i.e. the window will disappear, and only the titlebar will remain
24 visible.
25 fluxbox(1) uses its own graphics class to render its images on the fly.
27 By using style files, you can determine in great detail how your
28 desktop looks. fluxbox styles are compatible with those of Blackbox
29 0.65 or earlier versions, so users migrating can still use their
30 current favourite themes.
31 fluxbox(1) supports the majority of the Extended Window Manager Hints
33 (EWMH) specification, as well as numerous other Window Hinting
34 standards. This allows all compliant window managers to provide a
35 common interface to standard features used by applications and desktop
36 utilities.
37
40 -display display
41 Start fluxbox on the specified display. Programs started by fluxbox
42 will share the DISPLAY environment variable also.
43 -h, -help
45 Display command line options.
46 -i, -info
48 Display useful information concerning the defaults and compiled-in
49 options.
50 -log logfile
52 Starting fluxbox with this option will designate a file in which
53 you want to log events to.
54 -rc rcfile
56 Use a different config file other than the default ~/.fluxbox/init.
57 -v, -version
59 The version of fluxbox installed.
60 -screen scr,scr|all
62 Run on specified screens only or all (by default).
63 -verbose
65 Print more information in process.
66
68 fluxbox(1) comes with a program called startfluxbox(8) usually located
69 wherever you installed fluxbox. This script provides you with many
70 options and variables that can be set when starting fluxbox. To
71 actually call fluxbox and begin using it, you should place "exec
72 startfluxbox" in your ~/.xinitrc or ~/.xsession (depending on your
73 distribution and/or display manager) as the last executed command. This
74 is assuming that the location of fluxbox(1) and startfluxbox(8) are in
75 your shell's $PATH. Also note that you may need to create the
76 ~/.xinitrc file or your setup may use ~/.xsession instead, depending on
77 your X setup. For more information on your shell, please visit your
78 shell's manual page.
79 By using fluxbox -i you'll see the defaults used by fluxbox(1). These
81 are what fluxbox looks for upon startup. In the list of `Defaults:'
82 you'll see a menu file location, this is where you can provide a
83 system-wide menu file for your users.
84 On exit or restart, fluxbox will save user defaults in the file
86 ~/.fluxbox/init. Resources in this file can be edited by hand. fluxbox
87 also has many tools to edit these; look through the main menu once
88 fluxbox has started to find different ways of managing your session.
89
92 When using fluxbox for the first time, users who are more accustomed to
93 full desktop environments such as KDE or Gnome may be a little
94 surprised by the minimal screen content. fluxbox is designed to be fast
95 and powerful, so it may take a bit of getting used to — however, the
96 rewards are worthwhile.
97 In this section, we'll give a quick summary of the common things.
99 However, we recommend that you consult the referenced sections of this
100 manual to further develop your understanding of what you can do with
101 fluxbox.
102 Root Window (Main)
105 Looking at the fluxbox desktop immediately after startup you'll
106 generally see only one thing: the toolbar. If you right click (mouse
107 button 3) somewhere on the desktop, you can access the RootMenu. A
108 middle click (mouse button 2) on the desktop shows you the
109 WorkspaceMenu.
110 RootMenu and WorkspaceMenu
113 From the RootMenu you can launch applications and configure fluxbox.
114 The WorkspaceMenu shows all windows and on which workspaces they are.
115 See section MENUS on how to customize these menus.
116 Toolbar
119 The toolbar contains any combination of the following tools:
120 ·
123 Workspace Name: Name of the current visible workspace
125 ·
127 Iconbar: List of windows managed by fluxbox
129 ·
131 System Tray: Area for applets
133 ·
135 Clock: Date and Time
137 ·
139 Workspace Arrows: Previous/Next Workspace
141 ·
143 Window Arrows: Previous/Next Application Window The contents of the
145 toolbar can be configured in the `init' file. We discuss the `init'
146 file at great length in the RESOURCES section.
147 Slit
150 Initially you won't be able to see the slit. It is there, but it isn't
151 being used yet. The slit confuses some people initially. Think of it as
152 a dock where you can place smaller programs. If you've looked at any
153 screenshots on the official fluxbox web site, you will have noticed
154 some small programs on the edge of some of the screens. These were more
155 than likely docked programs in the slit. To learn more about the slit,
156 we have an entire section below that goes into detail about the options
157 you have.
158 Layers
161 fluxbox manages the following layers (from highest to lowest):
162 · Above Dock
165 · Dock
167 · Top
169 · Normal
171 · Bottom
173 · Desktop Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on
175 a lower one. These layers can be used on application windows, the
176 slit or the toolbar. You can assign applications to a certain layer
177 by specifying it in the `apps' file or through the WindowMenu. We
178 discuss the `apps' file in the APPLICATIONS section. We discuss the
179 WindowMenu in the MENUS section. We discuss layers in more detail
180 in the LAYERS section.
181 Focus Model
184 The window that has the focus is the one that receives key and mouse
185 events. The focus model is selectable via the Configuration menu
186 located in the root menu. We'll discuss the different types of focus
187 below in the FOCUS MODEL section.
188 Windows
191 A left click (mouse button 1) on any part of the window's border will
192 raise it. Dragging then moves the window to another part of the
193 desktop. A right click and drag on the border resizes the window.
194 Dragging the resize grips at the left and right bottom corners also
195 will resize the window. Middle clicking on a border or titlebar will
196 immediately lower the window. Right clicking on the titlebar opens the
197 Window menu. The commands unique to this menu are discussed in detail
198 in the Window Menu section of MENUS.
199 Tabs
202 fluxbox allows windows to be `grouped' by middle clicking and holding
203 on a window's tab and dragging it onto another window. This `tabbing'
204 allows you to put multiple applications in one location on the desktop
205 and do several operations (for example, moving or resizing) to all
206 windows in the group. By default, tabs are located just above the
207 window, but they may be embedded in the titlebar or moved to other
208 locations on the outside of the window. Configuration is discussed in
209 TAB OPTIONS section.
210
213 fluxbox installs a default menu file in /usr/share/fluxbox/menu. You
214 can also use fluxbox -i to confirm this action. Of course this
215 system-wide menu can be customized for all users at once, but it is
216 also possible to create an individual menu file for each user. By
217 convention, users create a menu file in ~/.fluxbox/menu . Once you've
218 created your own menu file, you'll want to make sure that you properly
219 declare this location in your `init' file so that fluxbox knows where
220 to look. The value you'll want to add or change is:
221 session.menuFile: <menufile>
224 For this change to take effect, fluxbox must be restarted. Be sure that
225 your menu is usable, then choose `Restart' from the default fluxbox
226 root menu. This restart is only necessary if you make changes to the
227 `init' file; otherwise, fluxbox will automatically detect your changes.
228 Root Menu
231 The root menu is where you can change different aspects of fluxbox by
232 simply clicking on a menu item. Most of the changes in this menu can
233 also be done in the `init' file. However it makes it very easy to
234 change certain options without having to open up an editor and find the
235 resource. In the root menu, you usually have a `fluxbox menu' or
236 `Settings' submenu, where you will find lots of different options.
237 We'll take a look at most, if not all, of those here.
238 ·
241 Configure: The next level under this menu is where you can set
243 certain resources and really begin to customize the look and feel
244 of your desktop.
245 ·
247 System Styles: This is where the standard styles are listed. You
249 can select one of these by clicking on it. You may have to `reload'
250 the config or `restart' to get every graphical element to change to
251 the new style. System styles are located in
252 /usr/share/fluxbox/styles/ upon a default install. Remember that
253 you can confirm this with fluxbox -i.
254 ·
256 User Styles: ~/.fluxbox/styles This is the location where you will
258 store new styles that you grab from the Internet. If you create
259 your own styles this is also where you will put yours (provided
260 that you follow the standards described in fluxstyle(1)).
261 ·
263 Workspace List: This is a list of the workspaces configured in your
265 `init' file. If there are programs running on any of the
266 workspaces, they will be listed one level down.
267 ·
269 Tools: Listed here are different tools that you can use. You can
271 rename your workspace, run programs from a command line or
272 regenerate your menu.
273 ·
275 Window: Allows you to switch your window manager. (Only listed if
277 you have other window managers/desktop environments installed.)
278 ·
280 Lock Screen: Locks the screen.
282 ·
284 fluxbox Command: A little Commandline will popup where you can
286 enter a fluxbox command.
287 ·
289 Reload Config: Use this to reload any menu files or style files.
291 Just a basic re-read of the files by a running fluxbox.
292 ·
294 Restart: Restarts the windowmanager. This starts a completely new
296 fluxbox process, rereads files and redraws all graphical elements.
297 Running applications will remain open, however.
298 · Exit: Exits fluxbox and shuts down the X Window server.
300 Configuration Menu
302 This menu offers the opportunity to set up fluxbox. It contains many
303 options from the init file, but this is an easier and faster way for
304 most users.
305 ·
308 Focus Model: Please read the FOCUS MODEL section at the end of this
310 manual.
311 ·
313 Tab Options: Lets you configure the properties of tabs. Detailed in
315 TAB OPTIONS section.
316 ·
318 Slit: This Menu can be opened by right clicking the slit (if
320 visible). Find more information about this menu's options in the
321 SLIT section.
322 ·
324 Toolbar: Please take a look at the "Configuration via the Toolbar
326 Menu" part of the TOOLBAR section.
327 ·
329 Image Dithering: Enable or disable dithering of images.
331 ·
333 Opaque Window Moving: If enabled, you will see the window content
335 while dragging it. Otherwise the window will be shown as a
336 "border".
337 ·
339 Full Maximization: Enabling this will override the separate
341 settings for the slit/toolbar. Windows will always maximize
342 over/under both of them.
343 ·
345 Focus New Window: If enabled, a newly opened window will gain
347 focus.
348 ·
350 Focus Last Window on Workspace: This focuses the previous window
352 when switching back to a workspace if the option is enabled.
353 ·
355 Windows Warping: If enabled, you can drag windows from one
357 workspace to another.
358 ·
360 Decorate Transient Windows: With this option enabled all temporary
362 windows will have a border and grips.
363 ·
365 Click Raises: If enabled a click anywhere on a window area
367 (including the decorations) will raise it. Otherwise you can only
368 raise it by clicking the titlebar.
369 ·
371 Transparency: This sets the transparency for a focused, unfocused
373 window and the menu.
374 Window Menu
376 The Window menu is displayed when you right click on the titlebar of a
377 window. The options available are:
378 ·
381 Send To...: Send window to another workspace. When you select the
383 workspace with a middle click, fluxbox will send you along with the
384 application to the selected workspace.
385 ·
387 Shade: Shade the window (display the titlebar only).
389 ·
391 Iconify: Iconify window. The `icon' can be found in the Icons
393 submenu of the workspace menu as well as in the toolbar (if a
394 Toolbar mode showing Icons is selected).
395 ·
397 Maximize: (Un)Maximize window. Depending on your toolbar and slit
399 configuration, maximize may cover them. You can use the different
400 mouse buttons for different aspects of maximize function.
401 · Button 1 (Un)Maximize as normal.
403 · Button 2 (Un)Maximize window vertically.
405 · Button 3 (Un)Maximize window horizontally.
407 ·
409 Raise: Raise the window.
411 ·
413 Lower: Lower the window.
415 ·
417 Stick: (Un)Stick window. A `stuck' window will always be displayed
419 on all workspaces.
420 ·
422 Layer...: Change the layer of this window.
424 ·
426 Remember...: Specify which window settings should be stored in the
428 apps file, covered later on in the APPLICATIONS section.
429 ·
431 Close: Close the application softly.
433 Workspace Menu
435 The workspace menu can be found by middle clicking on the background. A
436 menu will popup giving you the option to add or remove a workspace. You
437 will also see your workspaces listed there; middle clicking on a
438 workspace name will take you to that workspace, whereas clicking on a
439 window name in one of the per-workspace submenus will take you to the
440 workspace that window is on, and select the window. Last but not least
441 you will notice the Icons menu. This is for applications which have
442 been `iconified'.
443 Menu Behavior
446 The behavior of the submenus in a menu can be configured in the `init'
447 file, with the following entries (default for both is 0):
448 session.screen0.menuDelay: <msec>
451 session.screen0.menuDelayClose: <msec>
452 Menu Syntax
454 There are up to four fields in a menu line. They are of the form:
455 [tag] (label|filename) {command|filename} <icon file>
458 The supported tags are:
459 [begin] (label)
462 This tells fluxbox to start parsing the menu file. This tag is
463 required for fluxbox to read your menu file. If it cannot find it,
464 the system default menu is used in its place.
465 [end]
467 This tells fluxbox that it is at the end of a menu. This can either
468 be a submenu or the main root menu. There must be at least one of
469 these tags in your menu to correspond to the required [begin] tag.
470 [exec] (label) {command}
472 Inserts a command item into the menu. When you select the menu item
473 from the menu, fluxbox runs command.
474 [exit] (label)
476 Inserts an item that shuts down and exits fluxbox. Any open windows
477 are reparented to the root window before fluxbox exits.
478 [include] (file-or-directory-name)
480 Parses the file specified by filename inline with the current menu.
481 The filename can be the full path to a file or it can begin with
482 ~/, which will be expanded into your home directory. If the path is
483 a directory, then all files in the directory are included.
484 [nop] (label)
486 Insert a non-operational item into the current menu. This can be
487 used to help format the menu into blocks or sections if so desired.
488 This tag does support a label, but one is not required in which
489 case a blank item will be used instead.
490 [separator]
492 This will create a nice separation line. Useful for splitting up
493 sections in a pretty way.
494 [style] (label) {filename}
496 This tells fluxbox to insert an item that, when selected, reads
497 style file named filename and apply the new textures, colors and
498 fonts to the current running session.
499 [stylesmenu] (directory)
501 Reads all filenames from the specified directory, assuming that
502 they are all valid style files, and creates menu items in the
503 current menu for every filename, that, when selected by the user
504 will apply the selected style file to the current session. The
505 labels that are created in the menu are the filenames of the style
506 files.
507 [stylesdir] (label) {directory}
509 Creates a submenu entry with label (that is also the title of the
510 new submenu), and inserts in that submenu all filenames in the
511 specified directory, assuming that they are all valid style files
512 (directories are ignored) in the same way as the [stylesdir]
513 command does. Both [stylesdir] and [stylesmenu] commands make it
514 possible to install style files without editing your init file.
515 [submenu] (label) {menutitle}
517 This tells fluxbox to create and parse a new menu. This menu is
518 inserted as a submenu into the parent menu. These menus are parsed
519 recursively, so there is no limit to the number of levels or nested
520 submenus you can have. The title for the new menu is optional, if
521 none is supplied, the new menu's title is the same as the item
522 label. An [end] tag is required to end the submenu.
523 [reconfig] (label)
525 When selected this item re-reads the current style and menu files
526 and applies any changes. This is useful for creating a new style or
527 theme, as you don't have to constantly restart fluxbox every time
528 you save your style. However, fluxbox automatically rereads the
529 menu whenever it changes.
530 [restart] (label) {command}
532 This tells fluxbox to restart. If command is supplied, it shuts
533 down and runs the command (which is commonly the name of another
534 window manager). If the command is omitted, fluxbox restarts
535 itself.
536 [config] (label)
538 Inserts a fluxbox native submenu item, containing numerous
539 configuration options concerning window placement, focus style,
540 window moving style, etc.
541 [wallpapers] (label)
543 This allows you to list your backgrounds. This tag is built in to
544 use fbsetbg(1) and allows you to simply click on an image to set
545 your wallpaper. See? fluxbox makes it easy...
546 [wallpapermenu] (directory) {command}
548 This inserts a menu item to set the wallpaper for each file in the
549 given directory. The command is optional and defaults to fbsetbg.
550 [workspaces] (label)
552 This tells fluxbox to insert a link to the workspaces menu directly
553 into your menu. This is handy for those users who can't access the
554 workspace menu directly (e.g. if you don't have a 3 button mouse,
555 it is rather hard to middle click to show the workspace menu).
556 Any line that starts with a # or ! is considered a comment and ignored
557 by fluxbox. Also, in the label/command/filename fields you can escape
558 any character. Using \\ inserts a literal back-slash into the
559 label/command/filename field.
560 Here is an example menu file:
562 # fluxbox menu file
565 [begin] (fluxbox)
566 [exec] (rxvt) {rxvt -ls} </usr/X11R6/share/icons/terminal.xpm>
567 [exec] (netscape) {netscape -install}
568 [exec] (The GIMP) {gimp}
569 [exec] (XV) {xv}
570 [exec] (Vim) {rxvt -geometry 132x60 -name VIM -e screen vim}
571 [exec] (Mutt) {rxvt -name mutt -e mutt}
572 [submenu] (mozilla)
573 [exec] (browser) {mozilla -browser}
574 [exec] (news) {mozilla -news}
575 [exec] (mail) {mozilla -mail}
576 [exec] (edit) {mozilla -edit}
577 [exec] (compose) {mozilla -compose}
578 [end]
579 [submenu] (Window Manager)
580 [exec] (Edit Menus) {nedit ~/.fluxbox/menu}
581 [submenu] (Style) {Which Style?}
582 [stylesdir] (~/.fluxbox/styles)
583 [stylesmenu] (fluxbox Styles) {/usr/share/fluxbox/styles}
584 [end]
585 [config] (Config Options)
586 [reconfig] (Reconfigure)
587 [restart] (Restart)
588 [end]
589 [exit] (Log Out)
590 [end]
591
593 The toolbar is a small area to display information like a clock,
594 workspace name, a system tray or a taskbar (iconbar) that can contain
595 the running programs. The color, look, font etc. is defined in the
596 style and can't be defined as a global setting (except with the style
597 overlay).
598 The tools in the toolbar can be enabled/disabled in the init file with
600 the arguments given to the line:
601 session.screen0.toolbar.tools
604 The order and number of tools is freely selectable, but they must be
605 separated by a ",". E.g.:
606 session.screen0.toolbar.tools: workspacename, systemtray, iconbar, clock
609 The possible tools are:
610 ·
613 Clock: This will show an area to display a clock and the date
615 according to the format specification listed in "man strtftime"
616 ·
618 Iconbar: This is the area that contains all windows (all running
620 applications, all minimized windows or maybe no window, all
621 depending on the Toolbar Settings).
622 ·
624 Systemtray: The Systemtray can hold applications that are made to
626 use it.
627 ·
629 WorkspaceName: This displays the name of the current workspace.
631 ·
633 PrevWorkspace: This displays an arrow that allows to switch to the
635 workspace left of the current one.
636 ·
638 NextWorkspace: This displays an arrow that allows to switch to the
640 workspace right of the current one.
641 ·
643 PrevWindow: This displays an arrow that switches focus to the
645 previous visible window on the current workspace.
646 ·
648 NextWindow: This displays an arrow that switches focus to the next
650 visible window on the current workspace. Other aspects of the
651 toolbar can be configured in two ways: through the toolbar menu,
652 which is accessable in the Configuration part of the RootMenu or
653 with a right click on the edge the toolbar, or by editing the init
654 file (see the RESOURCES section for more information about that).
655 Configuration via the Toolbar Menu
658 All changes take effect immediately, which needs a restart to make the
659 change visible. Here are the settings:
660 ·
663 Visible: Sets the toolbar either to visible or invisible.
665 session.screen0.toolbar.visible: <boolean>
667 ·
669 Auto hide: If this is enabled the toolbar will disappear after a
671 defined time when the mouse pointer leaves the toolbar. It will
672 slide in when the cursor hits the remaining edge of the toolbar.
673 session.screen0.toolbar.autoHide: <boolean>
675 session.autoRaiseDelay: <int>
676 ·
678 Toolbar width percentage: Sets the width of the toolbar in percent.
680 Use the left mouse button to decrease and the right mouse-button to
681 increase the value. The value can be from 1-100.
682 session.screen0.toolbar.widthPercent: <int>
684 ·
686 Maximize Over: Enabling this option will prevent windows from
688 maximizing over the toolbar. With this switched on they will only
689 expand to the edge of the bar. To use this option, "Full
690 Maximization" from the Configuration menu must be DISABLED.
691 Otherwise this option will not work.
692 session.screen0.toolbar.maxOver: <boolean>
694 session.screen0.fullMaximization: <boolean>
695 ·
697 Layer...: This sets the layer on which the toolbar is set. With
699 this you can set the toolbar to "Always on top".
700 session.screen0.toolbar.layer: <layer>
702 ·
704 Placement: Sets the toolbar to any edge of the screen, either
706 centered or aligned with a corner.
707 session.screen0.toolbar.placement: <direction>
709 ·
711 Alpha: This sets the alpha value for the toolbar. Use the left
713 mouse button to decrease and the right mouse button to increase the
714 value. 0 is invisible, 255 is not transparent at all.
715 session.screen0.toolbar.alpha: <int>
717 ·
719 Iconbar Mode:
721 Specifies the mode of the iconbar:
723 ·
725 None: will not show any windows
727 ·
729 Icons: shows windows from all workspaces that are minimized
731 (iconified)
732 ·
734 NoIcons: shows windows from all workspaces that are not minimized
736 (iconified)
737 ·
739 WorkspaceIcons: shows windows from the current workspace that are
741 minimized (iconified)
742 ·
744 WorkspaceNoIcons: shows windows from the current workspace that are
746 not minimized (iconified)
747 ·
749 Workspace: shows all windows from the current workspace
751 ·
753 All Windows: shows all windows from all workspaces
755 session.screen0.iconbar.mode: <mode>
757 ·
759 Alignment:
761 ·
763 Left: all icons will be left-aligned with the width set in the init
765 file
766 ·
768 Relative: all icons will be sized evenly to fill the iconbar
770 completely
771 ·
773 Right: all icons will be right-aligned with the width set in the
775 init file
776 session.screen0.iconbar.alignment: <alignment>
778 session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth: <int>
779 ·
781 Show Pictures: If enabled the iconbar will show the application's
783 icon (if provided by the application)
784 session.screen0.iconbar.usePixmap: <boolean>
786 ·
788 Clock: Lets you switch between the 00:00am - 11:59pm and 00:00 -
790 23:59 notation
791 ·
793 Edit Clock Format: clicking this entry will pop up a little window
795 in which the clock format can be set according to man strftime (or
796 man date).
797 session.screen0.strftimeFormat: <format>
799
801 Usually the ~/.fluxbox/init resource file is created and maintained by
802 fluxbox itself. You can use the [config] menu to set most of these
803 options. However, we'll cover all of the resource options that are
804 available to the user. If you edit this file while fluxbox is running,
805 you must `reconfigure' to reload the resource options.
806 When running fluxbox in a multiple desktop environment the screen0 key
808 can also be screen1, screen2, etc. You can customize the behavior of
809 fluxbox on each desktop accordingly. Here are the resources that are
810 currently available:
811 session.screen0.window.focus.alpha: <integer>
814 session.screen0.window.unfocus.alpha: <integer>
815 These resources are available to the user to set different levels of
816 transparency for different components of fluxbox. Each one accepts a value
817 between 0-255, 255 being opaque and 0 being completely transparent.
818 Default: 255
819 session.screen0.slit.autoHide: <boolean>
821 session.screen0.toolbar.autoHide: <boolean>
822 The autoHide resources allow the user to set the behavior of the toolbar
823 and slit. This behavior can be that they disappear when they are not being
824 used actively by the user, or they remain visible at all times. Default:
825 False
826 session.screen0.desktopwheeling: <boolean>
828 This sets the ability to utilize the user's scroll wheel to change the
829 current workspace. Default: True
830 session.screen0.windowScrollAction: shade|nexttab
832 This allows you to execute a command by scrolling on the titlebar of a
833 window. For `shade', scrolling down will shade the window, and scrolling
834 up will unshade it. For `nexttab', scrolling down will focus the next tab,
835 and scrolling up will focus the previous one. Default: <blank>
836 session.screen0.reversewheeling: <boolean>
838 session.screen0.windowScrollReverse: <boolean>
839 These switch the roles of scrolling up and scrolling down for the previous
840 two sets of resources. Default: False
841 session.screen0.slit.layer: <layer>
843 session.screen0.toolbar.layer: <layer>
844 With these two resources, you can set the layer you want the toolbar and
845 the slit to appear on. Please read the LAYER section for more information.
846 Default: Dock
847 session.screen0.slit.placement: <placement>
849 session.screen0.toolbar.placement: <placement>
850 These allow users to place the slit and toolbar where they like. Possible
851 options are:
852 - BottomCenter
853 - BottomLeft
854 - BottomRight
855 - LeftBottom
856 - LeftCenter
857 - LeftTop
858 - RightBottom
859 - RightCenter
860 - RightTop
861 - TopCenter
862 - TopLeft
863 - TopRight
864 session.screen0.slit.maxOver: <boolean>
866 session.screen0.toolbar.maxOver: <boolean>
867 session.screen0.tabs.maxOver: <boolean>
868 Setting these to True will allow application windows to maximize over the
869 complete screen. Setting to False allows the slit, toolbar, and external
870 tabs to hold their territory and will always be visible when an
871 application is maximized. Default: False
872 session.screen0.toolbar.height: <integer>
874 Set the height of the toolbar. If the value is set to 0, the style file
875 will gain control over the toolbar height. It is possible to set a fixed
876 height by changing this value to something greater than 0. Default: 0
877 session.screen0.toolbar.visible: <boolean>
879 The user can set whether they want to have a toolbar on screen at all.
880 Setting to False removes the toolbar from the screen. Default: True
881 session.screen0.toolbar.widthPercent: <integer>
883 This resource sets the width percentage of the toolbar on the screen.
884 Default: 65
885 session.screen0.toolbar.tools: <tools>
887 This resource specifies the tools plugged into the toolbar. Read the
888 TOOLBAR section in this manual for a description of each of these.
889 Possible tools::
890 - clock
891 - iconbar
892 - nextwindow
893 - prevwindow
894 - nextworkspace
895 - prevworkspace
896 - systemtray
897 - workspacename
898 session.screen0.slit.onhead: <integer>
900 session.screen0.toolbar.onhead: <integer>
901 For those that use xinerama, users can set this value to the number of the
902 head where they would like to see the slit and toolbar, starting from 1.
903 Setting this to 0 will ignore xinerama information. Default: 0
904 session.screen0.iconbar.mode: <mode>
906 This value is set in the Iconbar Mode menu. The available options are::
907 - All Windows
908 - Icons
909 - NoIcons
910 - None
911 - Workspace
912 - WorkspaceIcons
913 - WorkspaceNoIcons
914 session.screen0.iconbar.usePixmap: <boolean>
916 This is also set in the Iconbar Mode menu. When set to True, this will
917 show the native icon of applications. Default: True
918 session.screen0.iconbar.iconTextPadding: <integer>
920 This specifies the space between the window title and the edge of the
921 button. Default: 10
922 session.screen0.iconbar.wheelMode: Screen|On|Off
924 This defines the behavior for scrolling on the iconbar. `Screen' uses the
925 value set in session.screen0.desktopWheeling . `On' means scrolling on the
926 iconbar will change the current workspace. `Off' means scrolling on the
927 iconbar will do nothing. Default: Screen
928 session.screen0.iconbar.alignment: <position>
930 This value should be changed in the Iconbar Mode menu. Default:
931 Relative
932 Available options:
934 - Left: Fixed width, aligned left
935 - Relative: Width varies to fill the iconbar
936 - Right: Fixed width, aligned right
937 session.screen0.iconbar.iconWidth: <integer>
939 Used to specify the iconbar button width for Left/Right alignment.
940 Default: 70
941 session.screen0.overlay.lineWidth: 1
943 session.screen0.overlay.lineStyle: LineSolid
944 session.screen0.overlay.joinStyle: JoinMiter
945 session.screen0.overlay.capStyle: CapNotLast
946 These are options for how fluxbox draws lines. See
947 `man XSetLineAttributes' for more details. Defaults: listed above
948 session.screen0.slit.direction: Vertical|Horizontal
950 This specifies whether clients in the slit are arranged horizontally or
951 vertically. Default: Vertical
952 session.screen0.strftimeFormat: <date>
954 This adjusts the way the current time is displayed in the toolbar. The
955 strftime(3) format is used. Default: %I:%M %p
956 session.screen0.tabs.intitlebar: <boolean>
958 This specifies whether tabs should be embedded in the titlebar or placed
959 outside the window. Default: False
960 session.screen0.tab.placement: <placement>
962 This specifies where external tabs will appear on the window. Default:
963 TopLeft
964 session.screen0.tab.width: <integer>
966 This specifies the width of external tabs in pixels. Default: 64
967 session.screen0.followModel: <model>
969 session.screen0.userFollowModel: <model>
970 This specifies the behavior when a window on another workspace becomes the
971 active window. The former is used when an application asks to focus the
972 window, and the latter is used when the window is activated due to user
973 actions, such as clicking in the iconbar, menu, or a pager. `Ignore' does
974 nothing. `Follow' moves to the window's workspace. `Current' moves the
975 window to the current workspace. `SemiFollow' acts like `Current' for
976 iconified windows and like `Follow' otherwise. Defaults: Ignore and
977 Follow, respectively.
978 session.screen0.resizeMode: Bottom|Quadrant|Center
980 Setting this resource to `Quadrant' makes resizing by using the modkey
981 grab the corner closest to the mouse pointer instead of the bottom right
982 corner. `Center' resizes all corners at the same time. Default: Bottom
983 session.screen0.focusModel: ClickToFocus|MouseFocus
985 This controls how windows gain focus via the mouse. With `ClickToFocus',
986 the user must click on the window. With `MouseFocus', windows gain focus
987 whenever the mouse moves over them. Default: ClickToFocus
988 session.screen0.autoRaise: <boolean>
990 When True, this setting automatically raises any window that gains focus.
991 Default: True
992 session.autoRaiseDelay: <integer>
994 Adjusts the delay (in milli-sec) before focused windows will raise
995 when using the Autoraise option. Default: 250
996 session.screen0.clickRaises: <boolean>
998 This setting allows a user to click anywhere on a window to bring it on
999 top of other windows. Otherwise, only the titlebar will work. Default:
1000 True
1001 session.screen0.workspacewarping: <boolean>
1003 This setting enables a user to change workspaces by dragging a window
1004 across the edge of the screen. Default: True
1005 session.screen0.showwindowposition: <boolean>
1007 Setting this resource to True shows the user, in a little window,
1008 the exact position of the application window while the user is
1009 dragging it. Allows a precise placement of windows on a screen.
1010 Default: True
1011 session.screen0.decorateTransient: <boolean>
1013 This controls whether or not transient windows get certain window
1014 decorations, currently the maximize button and handle.
1015 Default: True
1016 session.screen0.defaultDeco: <bitmask>
1018 This specifies the default window decorations, according to the same
1019 bitmask as used by the `[Deco]' option in the `apps' file, described in
1020 the APPLICATIONS section. Default: all bits set.
1021 session.screen0.menuMode: Delay|Click
1023 This setting controls the circumstances under which submenus open. With
1024 `Click', the user must click on the menu item in order for the submenu to
1025 open. With `Delay', submenus open when the mouse hovers over the menu
1026 item. Default: Delay
1027 session.screen0.menuDelay: <integer>
1029 This sets the delay in milliseconds for submenus to open with the previous
1030 option set to `Delay'. Default: 0
1031 session.screen0.menuDelayClose: 0
1033 This value sets the delay in milliseconds that you would like the menu to
1034 remain visible after you've clicked out of it. Default: 0
1035 session.screen0.focusNewWindows: <boolean>
1037 This sets whether or not new windows will become focused automatically.
1038 Default: True
1039 session.screen0.workspaceNames: <names>
1041 Here is where the user can name their workspaces. However it is
1042 recommended to use the tool available in the Configuration Menu to set
1043 these. Default: one, two, three, four
1044 session.screen0.edgeSnapThreshold: <integer>
1046 When moving a window across your screen, fluxbox is able to have it `snap'
1047 to the edges of the screen and other windows for easy placement. This
1048 variable tells fluxbox the distance (in pixels) at which the window will
1049 jump to the edge. Default: 0
1050 session.screen0.windowPlacement: <placement strategy>
1052 This resource specifies where to place new windows when not otherwise
1053 specified (by the program or the `apps' file, for example). Here are the
1054 options:
1055 - RowSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in rows without overlapping
1056 - ColSmartPlacement: tries to place windows in columns without overlapping
1057 - CascadePlacement: places windows below the titlebar of the previous one
1058 - UnderMousePlacement: places new windows underneath the mouse
1059 Default: RowSmartPlacement
1060 session.screen0.rowPlacementDirection: LeftToRight|RightToLeft
1062 session.screen0.colPlacementDirection: TopToBottom|BottomToTop
1063 These settings control the direction in which windows are tiled using the
1064 RowSmartPlacement and ColSmartPlacement strategies described above.
1065 Default: LeftToRight/TopToBottom
1066 session.screen0.fullMaximization: <boolean>
1068 If this setting is enabled, windows will maximize over the toolbar, slit,
1069 and any other window that creates a strut, no matter what their individual
1070 settings are. Default: False
1071 session.screen0.rootCommand: <command>
1073 This runs a command when fluxbox starts, intended for setting a default
1074 background. If you want to override backgrounds set by styles, you should
1075 add `background: none' to your style overlay (see section STYLE OVERLAY).
1076 NOTE: Setting this command can be dangerous. Please make sure you know
1077 what you are doing when setting this resource to a value other than a
1078 desktop wallpaper command.
1079 session.screen0.imageDither: <boolean>
1081 This controls whether or not fluxbox created dithered images. Default:
1082 False
1083 session.screen0.opaqueMove: <boolean>
1085 When moving a window, setting this to True will draw the window
1086 contents as it moves (this is nasty on slow systems). If False, it
1087 will only draw an outline of the window border. Default: False
1088 session.screen0.workspaces: <integer>
1090 Set this to the number of workspaces the users wants. Default: 4
1091 session.screen0.windowMenu: <blank>|<location>
1093 This specifies the location of a user-defined window menu. Default: blank
1094 session.appsFile: <location>
1096 session.groupFile: <location>
1097 session.keyFile: <location>
1098 session.menuFile: <location>
1099 session.slitlistFile: <location>
1100 session.styleFile: <location>
1101 session.styleOverlay: <location>
1102 All of these resources require a pathname to their specific files. This is
1103 where you can specify different files. Most of the defaults will be
1104 located in the user's ~/.fluxbox directory.
1105 session.cacheLife: <integer>
1107 This tells fluxbox how long (in minutes) unused pixmaps may stay in the X
1108 server's memory. Default: 5
1109 session.cacheMax: <integer>
1111 This tells fluxbox how much memory (in Kb) it may use to store cached
1112 pixmaps on the X server. If your machine runs short of memory, you may
1113 lower this value. Default: 200
1114 session.colorsPerChannel: <integer>
1116 This tells fluxbox how many colors to take from the X server on
1117 pseudo-color displays. A channel would be red, green, or blue. fluxbox
1118 will allocate this variable ^ 3 and make them always available. Value must
1119 be between 2-6. When you run fluxbox on an 8bpp display, you must set this
1120 resource to 4. Default: 4
1121 session.doubleClickInterval: <integer>
1123 Adjust the delay in milliseconds between mouse clicks for fluxbox to
1124 consider a double click. Default: 250
1125 session.forcePseudoTransparency: <boolean>
1127 If you have Xorg's composite extension enabled, this setting will force
1128 the menu, windows, toolbar, and slit to use pseudo-transparency instead of
1129 true transparency. Default: False
1130 session.ignoreBorder: <boolean>
1132 This configures the ability to move windows by dragging the border.
1133 Default: False
1134 session.tabPadding: <integer>
1136 This specifies the spacing between tabs. Default: 0
1137 session.tabsAttachArea: Window|Titlebar
1139 With this set to `Window', windows may be grouped by dragging one tab with
1140 the middle mouse button and dropping it anywhere on another window. With
1141 `Titlebar', the user must drop the tab on the target window's titlebar.
1142 Default: Window
1143 session.titlebar.left: Stick
1145 session.titlebar.right: Minimize Maximize Close
1146 The icons to place in the titlebar of decorated windows. The available
1147 options are Close, Maximize, MenuIcon, Minimize, Shade, and Stick.
1148 session.modKey: <modifier>
1150 This specifies a modifier to use to drag and resize windows without
1151 clicking on the border or titlebar. For example, Alt + Left click will
1152 move windows, and Alt + Right click will resize. Default: Mod1
1153
1155 You can customize fluxbox's key handling through the ~/.fluxbox/keys
1156 file. The file takes the format of:
1157 [keymode:] <modifier> <key> :<command> <operation>
1160 In the example below, Mod1 is the ALT key on the PC keyboard and Mod4
1161 is one of the three extra keys on a pc104 branded with a familiar
1162 company logo. Lines beginning with a # or ! are considered comments and
1163 unread by fluxbox.
1164 You can get a list of possible modifiers by calling xmodmap -pm. This
1166 also shows you to which keys the modifiers are mapped. Additionally
1167 there is the OnDesktop modifier. To find valid keynames check the
1168 following files:
1169 /usr/X11R6/include/X11/keysymdef.h
1172 /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XKeysymDB
1173 Furthermore you can use Mouse1, Mouse2, etc to define actions for your
1174 mouse buttons.
1175 # fluxbox keys file.
1178 Mod1 Tab :NextWindow
1179 Mod1 Shift Tab :PrevWindow
1180 Mod1 F1 :Workspace 1
1181 Mod1 F2 :Workspace 2
1182 Mod1 F3 :Workspace 3
1183 Mod1 F4 :Workspace 4
1184 Mod1 F5 :Workspace 5
1185 Mod1 F6 :Workspace 6
1186 Mod1 F7 :Workspace 7
1187 Mod1 F8 :Workspace 8
1188 Mod1 F9 :Workspace 9
1189 Mod4 b :PrevWorkspace
1190 Mod4 c :Minimize
1191 Mod4 r :ExecCommand rxvt
1192 Mod4 v :NextWorkspace
1193 Mod4 x :Close
1194 Mod4 m :RootMenu
1195 Control n Mod1 n :NextTab
1196 As you can see from the last line, keybindings can be chained in a
1197 fashion similar to Emacs keybindings.
1198 Some things to know: - Commands are case-insensitive. - Workspace
1200 numbering starts at "1". - Some commands have synonyms. - The space
1201 between the last key and the :Command is mandatory.
1202 Here are fluxbox key commands to use:
1204 Window Manager Commands
1207 · Restart <argument>
1208 · Quit
1210 · Reconfigure
1212 · SetStyle <argument>
1214 · ExecCommand <argument>
1216 Currently Focused Window Commands
1218 · Minimize
1219 · MinimizeWindow
1221 · Iconify
1223 · Maximize
1225 · MaximizeWindow
1227 · MaximizeHorizontal
1229 · MaximizeVertical
1231 · ResizeTo <width> <height>
1233 · Resize <delta-width> <delta-height>
1235 · ResizeHorizontal <delta-width>
1237 · ResizeVertical <delta-height>
1239 · MoveTo <x> <y>
1241 · Move <delta-x> <delta-y>
1243 · MoveRight <delta-x>
1245 · MoveLeft <delta-x>
1247 · MoveUp <delta-y>
1249 · MoveDown <delta-y>
1251 · Raise
1253 · Lower
1255 · Close
1257 · Shade
1259 · ShadeWindow
1261 · Stick
1263 · StickWindow
1265 · ToggleDecor
1267 · TakeToWorkspace <number>
1269 · TakeToNextWorkspace <offset>
1271 · TakeToPrevWorkspace <offset>
1273 · SendToWorkspace <number>
1275 · SendToNextWorkspace <offset>
1277 · SendToPrevWorkspace <offset>
1279 · KillWindow
1281 · NextTab
1283 · PrevTab
1285 · MoveTabLeft
1287 · MoveTabRight
1289 · DetachClient
1291 · SetAlpha [[-]<int> [[-]<int>]]
1293 Workspace Commands
1295 · NextWorkspace
1296 · PrevWorkspace
1298 · RightWorkspace <by-number>
1300 · LeftWorkspace <by-number>
1302 · Workspace <number>
1304 · NextWindow <bitmask>
1306 · PrevWindow <bitmask>
1308 · NextGroup <by-number>
1310 · PrevGroup <by-number>
1312 · FocusLeft
1314 · FocusRight
1316 · FocusUp
1318 · FocusDown
1320 · ArrangeWindows
1322 · ShowDesktop (Iconifies all windows)
1324 · Deiconify all|allworkspace|last|lastworkspace
1326 current|origin|originquiet
1327 · RootMenu
1329 · WorkspaceMenu
1331 · WindowMenu
1333 · HideMenu
1335 · CustomMenu <path_to_file>
1337 · SetWorkspaceName <name>
1339 Special Commands
1341 · MacroCmd
1342 · ToggleCmd
1344 · ReloadStyle
1346 · SetResourceValue <resourcename> <resource> value
1348 · BindKey <key><value>: <action>
1350 · KeyMode <keymode name> <return key sequence>
1352 · SetModKey <modifier>
1354 Couple of things
1356 · Exec: fluxbox utilizes /bin/sh to start the commands. This means,
1357 that you can use environment variables to do some tricks here. E.g:
1358 :Exec $XTERM This would fire up the term of your choice, if you set
1359 XTERM to something usefull before fluxbox starts, e.g. in the
1360 .fluxbox/startup file.
1361 · TakeToWorkspace: Will send you along with the window to the
1363 selected workspace. SendToWorkspace just sends the window.
1364 · TakeToNextWorkspace <offset>: Will send you and the window to
1366 workspace number <current offset>; that is, move you and the window
1367 <offset> spaces to the right (offset defaults to 1).
1368 SendToNextWorkspace does the same, except that it only sends the
1369 window (as for SendToWorkspace). TakeToPrevWorkspace and
1370 SendToPrevWorkspace work similarly, except moving to the previous
1371 workspaces, not the next ones.
1372 · PrevWindow/NextWindow parameters take an integer: 0 or unspecified
1374 = Default/current behavior - most recently used. 1 = Groups instead
1375 of Windows - only visit one tab in each group 2 = Skip stuck
1376 windows 4 = Skip shaded windows 8 = Switch between windows
1377 `linearly'; that is, if you repeatedly press the NextWindow key,
1378 you will walk through all windows in the, order that they were
1379 opened, instead of switching back and forth between the most
1380 recently focused windows. 16 = Skip iconified windows
1381 To combine any of these effects, add the corresponding numbers.
1383 For instance, 14 means switch linearly, skipping stuck and shaded
1384 windows, since 14 = 8 + 4 + 2.
1385 · Bindkey will append key string and action to your keys file and
1387 bind the key.
1388 · KeyMode allows you to have different keybindings that aren't all
1390 active at the same time. For instance, you can use `KeyMode Xnest'
1391 to switch to the `Xnest' key mode, which will disable all of your
1392 key bindings that don't have `Xnest:
1393 before them and will enable all the ones that do. <return key
1394 sequence> will then return you to the `default key mode. If not
1395 provided, this defaults to the escape key.
1396 · The delta value means the difference between the current setting
1398 and the requested setting. So if you have a window that is 100
1399 pixels wide, you could set
1400 Mod1 r :ResizeHorizontal 10
1402 and when you use that key it would increase the size of your window to
1403 110 pixels. If you had used
1404 Mod1 R :ResizeHorizontal -10
1407 then it would have decreased the size by 10, setting it to 90 pixels.
1408 · Resize commands do not necessarily change the number of pixels. For
1411 instance, many terminals will use the size of a character as the
1412 resize unit. Most applications, however, use pixels.
1413 · MacroCmd:
1415 Mod1 r :MacroCmd {command1} {command2}
1417 allows you to execute more than one command with one keybinding. The commands
1419 will be executed in serial.
1420 · ToggleCmd:
1422 Mod1 t :ToggleCmd {command1} {command2}
1424 alternates between the given commands each time you press Mod1 + t.
1426 · SetAlpha [[-]<int> [[-]<int>]]: Works on the currently focussed
1428 window. Given
1429 · no arguments: reset to default alpha settings
1431 · one argument: changes both focused and unfocused alpha settings
1433 · two arguments: first value becomes the focused alpha, second
1435 becomes the unfocused alpha value. E.g: SetAlpha 127 +5 will
1436 set the focused alpha to 127 and increment the unfocused alpha
1437 by 5 (until it reaches 255)
1438
1440 Layers affect the way that windows will overlap each other on the
1441 screen. Windows on a higher layer will always appear above those on a
1442 lower one, whether they are focused or not. By default, fluxbox uses 13
1443 layers, starting from 1 (highest). The number of layers can be changed
1444 by using the following resource:
1445 session.numLayers: <integer>
1448 There are two ways to assign a window to a different layer. When the
1449 window is open, you may select the layer in the `Layer ...' submenu of
1450 the window menu. The menu gives six choices for the layer, which
1451 fluxbox manages by name. The names are (from highest to lowest layer):
1452 · 2 - Above Dock
1455 · 4 - Dock
1457 · 6 - Top
1459 · 8 - Normal
1461 · 10 - Bottom
1463 · 12 - Desktop The other way to set the layer for a window is through
1465 the `apps' file. This method is described in the APPLICATIONS
1466 section.
1467
1470 The Focus Model defines how windows gain focus (i.e. become the active
1471 window, which receives keyboard and mouse events). The focus model can
1472 be changed in the configuration menu (usually located under fluxbox
1473 menu in the Root Menu.
1474 There are two main aspects of the focus model: how windows gain focus
1476 and how tabs gain focus. Each of these has two options: focus follows
1477 mouse and click to focus. Focus follows mouse means that windows will
1478 gain focus when the mouse hovers over them. Click to focus means that
1479 windows will gain focus when the mouse clicks on them.
1480 Thus, there are four main options when choosing a focus model. You
1482 should choose one of the first two and one of the last two. They are:
1483 ·
1486 Click To Focus: click to focus windows
1488 ·
1490 Mouse Focus: window focus follows mouse
1492 ·
1494 ClickTabFocus: click to focus tabs
1496 ·
1498 MouseTabFocus: tab focus follows mouse There is one more option in
1500 the focus model menu. It is called AutoRaise. When AutoRaise is
1501 enabled, focused windows will appear on top of other windows in the
1502 same layer. When AutoRaise is disabled, you must explicitly raise a
1503 focused window, using the window menu or keybinding.
1504
1507 This section of fluxbox configuration menu lets you configure many
1508 features of tabs. Inside of it there are three main options:
1509 ·
1512 Placement: You can choose where the external tabs must be
1514 positioned. The options are:
1515 · Top Left: tabs are located on the left side of the top border
1517 of the window.
1518 · Top Right: tabs are located on the right side of the top border
1520 of the window.
1521 · Left Top: tabs are located on the top part of the left border
1523 of the window.
1524 · Right Top: tabs are located on the top part of the right border
1526 of the window.
1527 · Left Bottom: tabs are located on the bottom part of the left
1529 border of the window.
1530 · Right Bottom: tabs are located on the bottom part of the right
1532 border of the window.
1533 · Bottom Left: tabs are located on the left side of the bottom
1535 border of the window.
1536 · Bottom Right: tabs are located on the right side of the bottom
1538 border of the window.
1539 For these options to work 'Tabs in Titlebar' must be off.
1541 ·
1543 Tabs in Titlebar: When this option is on, tabs are fixed in window
1545 titlebar and the width varies according to the amount of windows
1546 grouped.
1547 ·
1549 Maximize Over: When this option is on, maximizing a window will
1551 disregard the size and location of external tabs.
1552 ·
1554 External Tab Width: This specifies in pixels the width of external
1556 tabs. As with most Fluxbox configurations, these options can be
1557 changed by editing the init file. The resources that you should
1558 look at are:
1559 session.screen0.tabs.intitlebar: <boolean>
1562 session.screen0.tab.width: <integer>
1563 session.screen0.tab.placement: <direction>
1564
1566 fluxbox enables you to use specialized files that contain X(1)
1567 resources to specify colors, textures, pixmaps and fonts, and thus the
1568 overall look of your window borders, menus and the toolbar.
1569 The default installation of fluxbox provides some of these style files.
1571 See fluxstyle(1) to accommodate the growing number of style components.
1572
1575 In addition to the style file, the overlay file, whose location is
1576 specified by session.screen0.styleOverlay (default: ~/.fluxbox/overlay
1577 ) can be used to set style resources that override all styles. For more
1578 information about which parts of fluxbox can be controlled by the
1579 overlay file, see fluxstyle(1).
1580
1583 It is possible to force an application to always have the same
1584 dimensions, position, and other settings when it is first launched.
1585 This is done using either the window-menu `Remember... submenu, or by
1586 directly using the ~/.fluxbox/apps file. Be careful about editing the
1587 apps file while fluxbox is running. Your changes may be overwritten.
1588 Following is a listing of the valid entries for the `apps file. The
1589 `Remember... submenu has entries for most options that store the
1590 current state in the `apps file for future use.
1591 The format of a line in the `apps' file is:
1593 [app] (app-name) {count - optional}
1596 [Property1] {value1}
1597 [Property2] {value2}
1598 ...
1599 [end]
1600 Each app-name can be a string, or a regular expression. By default the
1601 name is matched against a window's WM_CLASS property (the first string
1602 in it, called the "instance"). You can match against the title,
1603 instance name (default), class name, or role (the WM_WINDOW_ROLE
1604 property) by explicitly specifying it. You can also specify multiple
1605 matches, which must ALL match for the properties to be applied. If a
1606 count is supplied in curly brackets at the end of the app line, then
1607 the entry will only match at most that many at any time (default is to
1608 match all matching windows).
1609 # match a standard xterm
1612 [app] (xterm)
1613 # match an xterm started like: xterm -name myshell
1614 [app] (myshell)
1615 # match any one Firefox window (the instance name is "Gecko")
1616 [app] (class=Firefox-bin) {1}
1617 # match the gaim buddy list window
1618 [app] (role=buddy_list)
1619 # match an rdesktop window to a particular host
1620 [app] (title=rdesktop - hostname.*)
1621 # match gaim IRC windows
1622 [app] (gaim) (title=#.*)
1623 The following are the properties that can be defined in each [app]
1624 entry. Each name must be enclosed in square brackets, and the value is
1625 generally in curly brackets:
1626 · [Workspace] {0-N}: Forces the application to open on the workspace
1629 specified. Workspaces are set by number, beginning with 0.
1630 · [Dimensions] {Width Height}: Open the application with the
1632 specified width and height, in pixels.
1633 · [Position] (refspot)) {X Y}: Position the application at a
1635 particular spot:
1636 · WINCENTER
1638 · CENTER
1640 · UPPERLEFT
1642 · UPPERRIGHT
1644 · LOWERLEFT
1646 · LOWERRIGHT
1648 You can optionally specify what X and Y are relative to. By default the
1650 upper left corner is placed at screen coordinates (X, Y). If you specify
1651 LOWERRIGHT, then the lower right corner of the window is positioned (X,Y)
1652 pixels from the lower right of the screen. Note that CENTER puts the top
1653 left corner of the window relative to the center of the screen (WINCENTER
1654 acts like the rest - positions the center of the window relative to the
1655 center of the screen).
1656 · Specify the layer to open the window on (by number). Each layer has
1658 a number. The named ones are: 2-AboveDock, 4-Dock, 6-Top, 8-Normal,
1659 10-Bottom, 12-Desktop.
1660 · [Shaded] {yes|no}: The window is started shaded, or not.
1662 · [Tab] {yes|no}: Whether this window can be tabbed with others.
1664 · [IconHidden] {yes|no}: Hides the app from the icon bar
1666 · [FocusHidden] {yes|no}: Hides the app from the window cycling list
1668 used Next/PrevWindow key bindings.
1669 · [Hidden] {yes|no}: is both [IconHidden] plus [FocusHidden]
1671 · [Deco] {NONE|NORMAL|TOOL|TINY|BORDER}: Specify the decoration
1673 state. There are several predefined dec- oration sets:
1674 o NORMAL - standard decorations
1676 o NONE - no decorations
1677 o BORDER - like NONE except keep the X window border
1678 o TINY - titlebar with an iconify button
1679 o TOOL - titlebar only
1680 A bitmask can also be used for fine-grained control. The bits are (from
1682 "1" to 1<<10): titlebar, handle/grips, border, iconify button, maximize
1683 button, close button, menu enabled, sticky button, shade button, tabbing
1684 enabled, focus enabled.
1685 · [Sticky] {yes|no}: Whether the window is initially stuck or not.
1687 · [Jump] {yes|no}: Jump to workspace. This one is only useful if
1689 `Workspace' is set too. The workspace is changed to the workspace
1690 containing the application being launched.
1691 · [Close] {yes|no}: Save settings on close. By default, application
1693 settings are not saved when a window is closed. Set this option if
1694 you want previous settings to be saved when the window is closed.
1695 · [Alpha] {int [int]} Where numbers represent focused and unfocused
1697 transparency, respectively. One number only will be used for both.
1698 The apps file also allows you to specify applications that should
1699 be started only valid option is (screen=NN), where NN is the screen
1700 number on which the command should be run.
1701 Finally, you can set windows to group together by using the `apps'
1703 file. This can be achieved with regular expressions using:
1704 [app] (property=expr) ... {number}
1707 Property can be one of the following tags:
1708 o name - the name of the window (the first field of WM_CLASS) o class -
1710 class of the window (the second field of WM_CLASS) o title - title of
1711 the window ( WM_NAME property) o role - role of the window (the
1712 WM_WINDOW_ROLE property)
1713 If no `property' is specified, the name property is assumed. You can
1715 find out the value for these fields for a particular window by running
1716 xprop(1).
1717 You can also place [group] tag around several [app] tags, with an [end]
1719 tag to indicate the end of the group. If you place (workspace) after
1720 the [group] tag, a new window will only get grouped with other windows
1721 on the current workspace. You can also specify dimensions, positions,
1722 etc. for the group as for normal app entries. Here is a short example
1723 of an `apps' file:
1724 [startup] {xterm}
1727 # match anything ending with term, up to 2 instances
1728 [app] (.*[tT]erm) {2}
1729 # match anything with `gaim' in the title
1730 [app] (title=.*gaim.*)
1731 [app] (kate)
1732 [Dimensions] {1022 747}
1733 [Position] (WINCENTER) {0 0}
1734 [Close] {yes}
1735 [end]
1736 [app] (konqueror)
1737 [Workspace] {1}
1738 [Dimensions] {1006 749}
1739 [Position] {16 0}
1740 [Jump] {yes}
1741 [end]
1742 # start all aterms without decorations
1743 [app] (aterm)
1744 [Deco] {NONE}
1745 [end]
1746 # a group with the gimp dock and toolbox
1747 # appears on layer 4 (bottom)
1748 [group]
1749 [app] (gimp) (role=gimp-dock)
1750 [app] (gimp) (role=gimp-toolbox)
1751 [Layer] {4}
1752 [end]
1753 Parameters in the `apps' file are case-sensitive. Application names are
1754 taken from the first X window WM_CLASS attribute by default (WM_NAME =
1755 title, WM_WINDOW_ROLE = role). You can see this attribute by using the
1756 xprop command. Transient windows are not affected by application
1757 settings. Take care when using regular expressions. If you are not
1758 familiar with regular expressions you can disable this feature by
1759 specifying --disable-regexp during configure. Plain strings will then
1760 be matched.
1761
1764 The slit is a special fluxbox window frame that can contain dockable
1765 applications, e.g. bbtools or wmapps.
1766 When applications are run in the slit they have no window borders of
1768 their own; instead they are framed in the slit, and they are always
1769 visible in the current workspace.
1770 Most dockable applications use the -w option to run in the slit. For
1772 example, you could put in your ~/.xinitrc:
1773 bbmail -w &
1776 bbpager -w &
1777 wmdrawer &
1778 exec fluxbox
1779 NOTE: You can also put all of these in the startfluxbox(8) script. This
1780 way you would only need to specify: exec startfluxbox in your
1781 ~/.xinitrc.
1782 To use the slit you must have it compiled into fluxbox. This is the
1784 default setting.
1785
1788 You can right click on the edge of the slit window to get a menu to
1789 configure its position, whether its contained applications should be
1790 grouped horizontally or vertically and whether the slit should hide
1791 itself when the mouse moves away. The slit menu items are described in
1792 more detail below:
1793 ·
1796 Placement: This lets you set the position of the slit.
1798 ·
1800 Layer: Look above for the layer priorities.
1802 ·
1804 Auto hide: If enabled, the slit will disappear after a given amount
1806 of time and hide from the view of the user. You can make it appear
1807 if you move the mouse to the edge of the desktop where the slit is
1808 positioned.
1809 ·
1811 Maximize over: If this is enabled, all windows, if you maximize
1813 them, will stretch over/under the slit. Otherwise the will be
1814 limited to the slit's edge.
1815 ·
1817 Alpha: By changing the value the slit (only the decoration not the
1819 apps in the slit) will become transparent. 0 (transparent) - 255
1820 (opaque)
1821 ·
1823 Slit direction: Changing the value will set the slit's direction
1825 for ordering apps sitting in the slit. There is no effect with only
1826 on application.
1827 ·
1829 Clients: This submenu lets you reorder the the applications running
1831 in the slit. You are able to hide apps from the slit by unselecting
1832 them in the list showing. This will not kill the app. You can make
1833 them appear by selecting them in the list. The "Save SlitList"
1834 option saves the new order to you slitlist located in ~/.fluxbox
1835 (useful if you reordered the apps with the cycle option).
1836
1838 fluxbox's slitlist file is available for those that use dockapps in the
1839 slit. This file helps fluxbox keep track of the order of the dockapps
1840 when in the slit. The file is generally located at ~/.fluxbox/slitlist
1841 A simple procedure for getting the slit sequences the way you like it
1843 is: 1. Run fluxbox with no pre-loaded dockapps 2. Run dockapps
1844 individually in the order you want them 3. Add dockapps to your
1845 auto-run script, or better yet your startfluxbox(8) script.
1846 This sequence will be saved by default to ~/.fluxbox/slitlist and will
1848 be remembered for future instances of fluxbox.
1849 Users are free to manually edit the slitlist file. It is a simple list
1851 of window names, as given by xprop(1), one per dockapp. Similar to the
1852 init file it should not be edited while fluxbox is running. Otherwise
1853 changes may get overwritten.
1854 The user also has the option of choosing a different path for the
1856 slitlist file. The following is the init file component that needs to
1857 be changed:
1858 session.session0.slitlistFile: <filename>
1861
1863 HOME
1864 fluxbox uses HOME to find the .fluxbox/init file and to resolve
1865 style file and -directory names.
1866 DISPLAY
1868 When no other display was given on the command line, fluxbox will
1869 start on the display specified by this variable.
1870 fluxbox can also take advantage of other environment variables if they
1871 are set before fluxbox is started. For example, if $TERM is set, then
1872 it will be available whenever fluxbox uses the shell, such as certain
1873 commands in the keys and menu files. So one can do:
1874 Mod1 x ExecCommand :$TERM
1877 For more information about environment variables, see your shell's
1878 manual.
1879
1882 fluxbox responds to the following signals:
1883 · SIGHUP fluxbox loads the configuration.
1886 · SIGUSR1 Forces reloading of configuration.
1888 · SIGUSR2 Forces reloading of menu file.
1890
1892 fluxbox is written and maintained by Henrik Kinnunen <fluxgen at
1893 fluxbox org>, Simon Bowden <rathnor at fluxbox org>, Mathias Gumz
1894 <akira at fluxbox org>, and Mark Tiefenbruck <mark at fluxbox org>,
1895 with contributions and patches merged from many individuals around the
1896 world.
1897 Blackbox was written and maintained by Brad Hughes <blackbox at alug
1899 org> and Jeff Raven <jraven at psu edu>.
1900 The Official fluxbox website: http://www.fluxbox.org
1902 This manpage is the combined work of:
1904 · Curt Micol <asenchi at asenchi com> (>fluxbox-0.9.11)
1907 · Tobias Klausmann <klausman at users sourceforge net>
1909 (<=fluxbox-0.9.11)
1910 · Grubert <grubert at users sourceforge net> (fluxbox)
1912 · Matthew Hawkins <matt at mh dropbear id au> (blackbox)
1914 · Wilbert Berendsen <wbsoft at xs4all nl> (blackbox)
1916 · Numerous other languages could be available if someone jumps in.
1918
1920 If you find any bugs, please visit the #fluxbox irc channel on
1921 irc.freenode.net or submit them to the bug tracker at
1922 http://sf.net/projects/fluxbox . Or you may subscribe to one of the
1923 mailinglists. More information can be found on the official website.
1924
1927 bsetroot(1) fbsetbg(1) fbrun(1) fluxstyle(1)
1928 04/21/2007 FLUXBOX(1)