1ICEWM(1) User Commands ICEWM(1)
2
6 icewm - lightweight X11 window manager
7
9 icewm [OPTIONS]
10
12 icewm is a lightweight window manager for the X11 window system. It
13 aims to be small, fast and familiar to new users. icewm is called a
14 re-parenting window manager, because it draws small frames around
15 application windows. Windows are manipulated via the mouse by dragging
16 or resizing this frame. It is also called a stacking window manager,
17 because windows can overlap. Many windows may exist, some hidden
18 behind others, while interaction takes place with the currently visible
19 ones. icewm supports a configurable number of virtual desktops. It
20 provides a task bar for monitoring applications and a pager to switch
21 between desktops. icewm is largely compliant with the ICCCM 2.0,
22 WinWM/WMH and NetWM/EWMH window manager specifications.
23 icewm was originally designed to emulate the look of Motif, OS/2 Warp
25 4, OS/2 Warp 3 and Windows 95. Since it has a theme engine other
26 styles are possible. The installation comes with several configured
27 themes. A menu allows to choose between themes.
28 Generally, it tries to make all functions available by both keyboard
30 and mouse. Configuration is very good through various preferences
31 files. However, configuring is not required: it works fine out of the
32 box.
33 PROGRAMS
35 The icewm package includes several programs:
36 icewm(1)
38 The actual window manager. It positions application windows on
39 screen and decorates them with borders. It gives input focus to the
40 current active application. icewm supports different focus modes,
41 which are explained below. It draws a small task bar at the bottom
42 of the screen, which gives easy access to programs, to virtual
43 desktops, to active applications, and to a small set of monitoring
44 applets.
45 icewmbg(1)
47 The background setting application. It can assign plain background
48 color or images in different formats to the X background. Each
49 work space can have its own background. It supports semi-
50 transparency. Semitransparent background image and colour can be
51 configured. When the background image has changed then icewmbg(1)
52 can be notified to update the background. Multi-head monitor
53 setups are fully supported. This program should be started before
54 icewm. See the icewmbg(1) man page for details.
55 icewm-session(1)
57 icewm-session(1) is the preferred program to start the IceWM
58 system. It first loads additional environment variables from the
59 optional env file. Then it starts icewmbg(1) and icewm. It also
60 runs the startup script and implements basic session management.
61 On termination the shutdown script will be run first, then
62 icewm-session(1) will terminate icewm and icewmbg(1).
63 icewm-session(1) will also start the optional icesound(1) if you
64 give it the --sound option. See icewm-session(1).
65 icesh(1)
67 A powerful tool to control window properties and to interact with
68 the window manager. It is typically used in shell scripts. See
69 icesh(1).
70 icehelp(1)
72 A small document browser, which is used by icewm to display the
73 'IceWM manual' and some man pages.
74 icewmhint(1)
76 A utility for passing IceWM-specific window options to icewm. The
77 options are used to configure the first application which is
78 started subsequently. See icewmhint(1).
79 icesound(1)
81 Plays audio files on GUI events which are raised by icewm. It
82 supports ALSA, AO and OSS. See the icesound(1) man page.
83 icewm-menu-fdo(1)
85 Generate an icewm menu with executable desktop applications
86 according to XDG specifications. See the icewm-menu-fdo(1) man
87 page.
88 icewm-set-gnomewm(1)
90 Configures GNOME to start IceWM instead of its own WM.
91
93 COMMON OPTIONS
94 Each of the IceWM executables supports the following options:
95 -c, --config=FILE
97 Use FILE as the source of configuration options. By default icewm
98 looks for a file named preferences. Typically this file is stored
99 as one of $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/preferences,
100 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/preferences, or $HOME/.icewm/preferences, or
101 in one of the configuration directories explained below. It
102 contains a long list of options which allow the user to tweak the
103 behaviour of icewm to ones taste. A default preferences file
104 contains comments about the purpose of each option, the range of
105 useful values and the current or default value. A preferences file
106 is a readable text file which can be modified with the help of a
107 text editor. If this option is given to icewm-session(1) then it
108 is passed on to icewm. If icewm is started independently then this
109 option can be given to icewm directly. However, usually one will
110 want to use a preferences file from a default location.
111 -t, --theme=NAME
113 Use NAME as the name of the icewm theme to use. A theme defines
114 the look and feel of icewm, like colours, fonts, buttons and button
115 behaviour. Originally a theme defined options to emulate the
116 appearance of other desktop environments, like Motif, OS/2 Warp, or
117 Windows. Over the years many new original themes have been
118 designed with beautiful icons and backgrounds, which advance the
119 state of the art in desktop look and feel. Many of them can be
120 downloaded from the website <https://www.box-look.org/> and stored
121 in one of the directories $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/icewm/themes/,
122 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/themes/ or in $HOME/.icewm/themes/. You can
123 then activate such a theme via the menu in the lower left corner of
124 the display. A default theme is specified in one of
125 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/icewm/theme, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/theme, or in
126 $HOME/.icewm/theme. When a new theme is selected then this value
127 is overwritten, so that the next time icewm is started this choice
128 is reused.
129 --display=DISPLAY
131 DISPLAY specifies the connection to the X11 server. If this option
132 is missing, as is usually the case, then DISPLAY is read from the
133 environment variable "DISPLAY".
134 --sync
136 This option is sometimes used in software development of icewm. It
137 specifies to use a slower synchronous communication mode with the
138 X11 server. This is irrelevant for normal use of icewm.
139 -h, --help
141 Gives a complete list of all the available command line options
142 with some very brief explanation.
143 -V, --version
145 Shows the software release version for this program.
146 ICEWM OPTIONS
148 The icewm program supports some additional options:
149 -a, --alpha
151 Use a 32-bit visual for translucency. This can also be set in the
152 preferences file as "Alpha=1".
153 --replace
155 Instructs icewm to replace an existing window manager. Provided
156 that the window manager being replaced is ICCCM 2.0 compliant, once
157 it notices that it is to be replaced it will cease operations and
158 typically stop execution. This allows icewm to establish itself as
159 the only active window manager.
160 -r, --restart
162 Tell icewm to restart itself. This reloads the configuration from
163 file.
164 -s, --splash=IMAGE
166 Briefly show IMAGE on startup in the center of the screen. This
167 can also be set in the preferences file as Splash="image.jpg".
168 --configured
170 Shows a list of configuration options which were enabled when icewm
171 was compiled from source code. This can be helpful if one suspects
172 some functionality may be missing.
173 --directories
175 Gives a list of directories where icewm will look for configuration
176 data. This list is printed in the actual order in which icewm uses
177 it to search for configuration files.
178 -l, --list-themes
180 icewm will search all the configuration directories for theme files
181 and print a list of all found themes.
182 -p, --postpreferences
184 This gives a long list of all the internal icewm options with their
185 actual values after icewm has processed all of the configuration
186 and theme files. In some advanced scenarios this can be helpful to
187 inspect which configuration was chosen or whether option formatting
188 was correct.
189 --extensions
191 Give a list of the current X extensions, their versions and status.
192 --trace=conf,icon,prog
194 Enable tracing of the paths which are used to load configuration,
195 and/or icons, and/or executed programs.
196
198 TASKBAR
199 On startup icewm launches the task bar at the bottom of the screen.
200 The task bar consists from left to right of the following components:
201 The Menu button in the lower left corner gives access to the icewm root
203 menu. This menu has sub-menus to start applications, to control icewm
204 settings, and the icewm Logout menu.
205 The Show Desktop button unmaps all application windows to fully uncover
207 the desktop.
208 The Window List Menu button gives access to a menu with a list of
210 active windows for the current work space and a list of work spaces
211 with sub-menus for their active application windows.
212 The Toolbar is a list of icons for applications which are defined in
214 the toolbar configuration file.
215 The Workspace List shows one button for each work space. The current
217 work space is indicated by a pressed button. Pressing another work
218 space button switches to that work space. The work spaces are defined
219 in the preferences file. When "PagerShowPreview" is turned on a small
220 graphical summary for each workspace is shown.
221 The Task Pane consists of a list of wide buttons for each application
223 which is running on the current work space, or all workspaces if
224 "TaskBarShowAllWindows=1". Each task button shows the application icon
225 and the application title. The active application is indicated by a
226 pressed button. This is the application which has input focus.
227 Pressing another button activates that application: it is brought to
228 the foreground and receives input focus. Other mouse controlled
229 activities on the window buttons are: dragging window buttons with the
230 left mouse button to rearrange the order, closing the application
231 window with "Alt" + middle button, lowering the application window with
232 "Ctrl" + middle button, or bringing the application window to the
233 current workspace with "Shift" + middle button if
234 "TaskBarShowAllWindows=1".
235 If there are not many application buttons then a stretch of plain task
237 bar is visible. Clicking on it with the right mouse button gives the
238 task bar menu. Even with a full task pane, this menu can be usually
239 accessed by right-clicking the bottom right corner of the taskbar.
240 The Tray Applet shows system tray objects.
242 The APM Applet shows battery power status.
244 The Net Applet shows network activity. Network devices to monitor are
246 given by the "NetworkStatusDevice" option.
247 The Memory Applet monitors memory usage.
249 The CPU Applet monitors processor utilization.
251 The Mailbox Applet monitors mailbox status changes. The location of
253 the mailbox is given by the "MailBoxPath" preferences option or else by
254 the "MAILPATH" or "MAIL" environment variables. It can be the path of
255 a local mail spool file or the specification of a remote POP3 or IMAP
256 location. For example:
257 MailBoxPath="pop3://myname:password@host.com/"
259 The Clock Applet shows the current time and date. It is configured by
261 the "TimeFormat" option.
262 The Task Bar Collapse button collapses the task bar and hides it.
264 Not all icewm applets may show up on the task bar. They must have been
266 enabled during configuration of the icewm software. Their appearance
267 is also controlled by options in the preferences file.
268 INPUT FOCUS
270 Of all visible windows only one can be the active window. This is the
271 window which has input focus. It is the primary receiver of keyboard
272 and mouse events and hence one can interact with the application which
273 created that window. A primary task of a window manager is to allow
274 the user to switch input focus between different windows. The primary
275 means to do this is the mouse pointer. By moving the mouse pointer
276 over the screen to another window, and perhaps also by clicking on a
277 window, input focus can be directed.
278 The "FocusMode" option controls the way icewm gives input focus to
280 applications. It is initialized by the focus_mode configuration file.
281 The focus mode is set via the Focus menu. icewm supports six focus
282 models:
283 1. Click-to-focus
285 The default focus mode. In this mode changing input focus requires
286 to click a window with the left mouse button. The window is raised
287 if needed. When an application requests focus its task pane button
288 flashes. This gives the option to honor this request or to ignore
289 it. When a new application window appears it automatically
290 receives focus. Also when a hidden application raises to the front
291 it receives focus.
292 2. Sloppy-mouse-focus
294 Sets input focus merely by moving the mouse pointer over a window.
295 It is called sloppy, because if the mouse then leaves the window
296 and moves to the desktop background the input focus remains with
297 the last active window. When a window receives focus it is raised.
298 When an application requests focus its task pane button flashes. A
299 new application or an application which raises to the front
300 automatically receives focus.
301 3. Explicit-focus
303 Focus is even more user-controlled than Click-to-focus. When a
304 window receives focus it is not raised by default, unless the frame
305 border is clicked. No flashing occurs when an application requests
306 focus. When a new application window appears it does not receive
307 focus. Only by explicit clicking on a window is focus directed.
308 4. Strict-mouse-focus
310 Like Sloppy but focus remains with the last window. New
311 applications don't receive focus and are mapped behind other
312 windows. When an application raises to the front it still does not
313 get focus.
314 5. Quiet-sloppy-focus
316 Like Sloppy but no disturbing flashing occurs on the task bar when
317 an application requests focus.
318 6. Custom-mode
320 A focus mode which is defined in detail by ten options in the
321 preferences file. These are: "ClickToFocus", "FocusOnAppRaise",
322 "RequestFocusOnAppRaise", "RaiseOnFocus", "RaiseOnClickClient",
323 "FocusChangesWorkspace", "FocusOnMap", "FocusOnMapTransient",
324 "FocusOnMapTransientActive", "MapInactiveOnTop".
325 All non-Custom focus modes override these ten options.
327 Apart from the mouse, icewm supports changing input focus in two other
329 ways. Both involve the keyboard. The first uses the "QuickSwitch"
330 window. It is activated by pressing "Alt+Tab" or "Alt+Shift+Tab". A
331 window pops up in the centre of the screen with a narrow band over the
332 next or previous window which will receive input focus when the "Alt"
333 key is released. By repeatedly pressing "Alt+Tab" or "Alt+Shift+Tab"
334 one can cycle through all windows.
335 The second keyboard method involves pressing "Alt+Esc" or
337 "Alt+Shift+Esc". Input focus is immediately changed to the next or
338 previous window, which will be raised to make it fully visible.
339 And finally, there is another way which is a hybrid of keyboard and
341 mouse control. It involves the "QuickSwitch" popup explained before,
342 after pressing "Alt+Tab" and while still holding "Alt" a left click on
343 one of the list items causes the activation of the related window.
344 WINDOW PLACEMENT
346 A second important task of a window manager is to place new windows on
347 the screen. By default icewm chooses a placement with minimal overlap,
348 but this is determined by the "SmartPlacement" option in the
349 preferences file. If "SmartPlacement" is turned off then windows are
350 placed in sequence from left to right and top to bottom. One can also
351 turn on "ManualPlacement". Then new windows appear initially in the
352 top left corner and the mouse cursor changes into a fist. By moving
353 the fist cursor to a suitable location and clicking the new window will
354 appear at the mouse click location.
355 WINDOW LAYERS
357 Windows can overlap. Which window appears on top is determined by
358 three features. Newer windows appear over older windows. By clicking
359 on a window it is raised to the top. But both are overruled by the
360 window layer. Windows can be placed in different layers via the Layers
361 menu. Click with the right mouse button on the window frame and select
362 Layer. From there choose one of seven window layers. These are
363 ordered from higher to lower. Windows in higher layers appear over
364 windows in lower layers.
365 WORKSPACES
367 icewm supports multiple virtual desktops called work spaces. A work
368 space is like a screen where a subset of all application windows are
369 mapped. Thanks to multiple work spaces we can more easily manage a
370 large number of applications. The number of work spaces and their
371 names are configurable in the preferences file through the
372 "WorkspaceNames" option. By default four workspaces are created with
373 the names 1, 2, 3 and 4 thus:
374 WorkspaceNames=" 1 ", " 2 ", " 3 ", " 4 "
376 This syntax is typical for icewm options which receive multiple values.
378 It is a list of comma separated values each of which can be quoted.
379 The work spaces are visible on the toolbar. One can switch to a
381 different work space by pressing the work space button in the toolbar,
382 but after becoming familiar with the 'keyboard shortcuts' below one
383 will want to use a hotkey to choose a work space. If the "EdgeSwitch"
384 options is enabled in the preferences file (with sub-options
385 "HorizontalEdgeSwitch" and "VerticalEdgeSwitch") then one can move to
386 the next or previous workspace by moving the mouse to the edge of the
387 screen. The "ContinuousEdgeSwitch" option enables continuous movement
388 to subsequent workspaces. The "EdgeSwitchDelay" option says how long
389 to wait before a change of workspace occurs.
390 To move an application window to a different work space one can use a
392 keyboard shortcut. Another option is to select the Move To submenu in
393 the window menu of the window frame.
394 ADDRESS BAR
396 If EnableAddressBar=1 then KeySysAddressBar="Alt+Ctrl+Space" activates
397 the address bar in the task bar. If ShowAddressBar=1 it is always
398 shown. This is a command line in the task bar where a shell command can
399 be typed. Pressing "Enter" will execute the command.
400 AddressBarCommand="/bin/sh" will be used to execute the command. On
401 "Control+Enter" the command is executed in a terminal as given by
402 TerminalCommand. The address bar maintains a history which is
403 navigable by the Up and Down keys. It supports file completion using
404 "Tab" or "Ctrl+I". A rich set of editing operations is supported,
405 including cut-/copy-/paste-operations.
406 WINDOW LIST
408 The window list window shows a list of all workspaces. For each
409 workspace it shows the window titles of the windows which are mapped on
410 it. The bottom entry reads "All Workspaces". It holds the sticky
411 windows. These windows are mapped in all workspaces.
412 The window list window is normally hidden. Choose one of the following
414 four methods to make it visible:
415 · Select the bottom window list menu entry.
417 · Press the "KeySysWindowList=Ctrl+Alt+Esc" key.
419 · Press the right Windows key if "Win95Keys=1"
421 · Press the "DesktopWinListButton=2" mouse button in the root window.
423 A single-click on a window entry selects it. A group of windows can be
425 selected by "Shift+Pointer_Button1" or by dragging with the left mouse
426 button. Use "Ctrl+Pointer_Button1" to individually select windows in a
427 multi-selection. A right mouse click over a selection will popup the
428 system menu for this selection. To close the selected windows, press
429 "Delete". Press "Shift+Delete" to forcefully kill them. Right mouse
430 click below the sticky windows for a menu with window arranging
431 actions.
432 Double-click on a workspace to switch to it. Double-click on a window
434 to activate it. Or navigate by arrow keys and press Enter. The space
435 bar toggles a selection of a window. "Ctrl+a" and "Ctrl+/" will select
436 the entire list of windows. "Ctrl+\\" deselects everything. Press the
437 first letter of a window title to navigate to it and select it. If
438 titles of multiple windows start with the same letter then repeatedly
439 pressing the first letter cycles over those windows. "Home" selects
440 the first entry and "End" the last. "PageUp" and "PageDown" move up or
441 down by ten entries. Combine this with the "Shift" key to extend a
442 selection over the range of motion.
443 KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
445 icewm supports a large number of hotkeys to activate some behaviour
446 with a single key combination. These are all configurable in the
447 preferences file. Here we give their default values, followed by their
448 preferences names and short descriptions of their effect:
449 "Alt+F1"
451 "KeyWinRaise" raises the window which currently has input focus.
452 "Alt+F2"
454 "KeyWinOccupyAll" makes the active window occupy all work spaces.
455 "Alt+F3"
457 "KeyWinLower" lowers the window which currently has input focus.
458 "Alt+F4"
460 "KeyWinClose" closes the active window.
461 "Alt+F5"
463 "KeyWinRestore" restores the active window to its visible state.
464 "Alt+F6"
466 "KeyWinNext" switches focus to the next window.
467 "Alt+Shift+F6"
469 "KeyWinPrev" switches focus to the previous window.
470 "Alt+F7"
472 "KeyWinMove" starts movement of the active window.
473 "Alt+F8"
475 "KeyWinSize" starts resizing of the active window.
476 "Alt+F9"
478 "KeyWinMinimize" iconifies the active window.
479 "Alt+F10"
481 "KeyWinMaximize" maximizes the active window with borders.
482 "Alt+Shift+F10"
484 "KeyWinMaximizeVert" maximizes the active window vertically.
485 "undefined"
487 "KeyWinMaximizeHoriz" maximizes the active window horizontally.
488 "Alt+F11"
490 "KeyWinFullscreen" maximizes the active window without borders.
491 "Alt+F12"
493 "KeyWinRollup" rolls up the active window.
494 "Alt+Shift+F12"
496 "KeyWinHide" hides the active window.
497 "Alt+Space"
499 "KeyWinMenu" posts the window menu.
500 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_7"
502 "KeyWinArrangeNW" moves the active window to the top left corner of
503 the screen.
504 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_8"
506 "KeyWinArrangeN" moves the active window to the top middle of the
507 screen.
508 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_9"
510 "KeyWinArrangeNE" moves the active window to the top right of the
511 screen.
512 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_6"
514 "KeyWinArrangeE" moves the active window to the middle right of the
515 screen.
516 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_3"
518 "KeyWinArrangeSE" moves the active window to the bottom right of
519 the screen.
520 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_2"
522 "KeyWinArrangeS" moves the active window to the bottom middle of
523 the screen.
524 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_1"
526 "KeyWinArrangeSW" moves the active window to the bottom left of the
527 screen.
528 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_4"
530 "KeyWinArrangeW" moves the active window to the middle left of the
531 screen.
532 "Ctrl+Alt+KP_5"
534 "KeyWinArrangeC" moves the active window to the center of the
535 screen.
536 "Shift+Esc"
538 "KeySysWinMenu" posts the system window menu.
539 "Alt+Esc"
541 "KeySysWinNext" give focus to the next window and raise it.
542 "Alt+Shift+Esc"
544 "KeySysWinPrev" give focus to the previous window and raise it.
545 "Alt+Ctrl+Del"
547 "KeySysDialog" opens the IceWM system dialog in the center of the
548 screen.
549 "Ctrl+Esc"
551 "KeySysMenu" activates the IceWM root menu in the lower left
552 corner.
553 "Alt+Ctrl+Esc"
555 "KeySysWindowList" opens the IceWM system window list in the center
556 of the screen.
557 "Alt+Ctrl+Space"
559 "KeySysAddressBar" opens the address bar in the task bar where a
560 command can be typed.
561 "Alt+Ctrl+Left"
563 "KeySysWorkspacePrev" goes one workspace to the left.
564 "Alt+Ctrl+Right"
566 "KeySysWorkspaceNext" goes one workspace to the right.
567 "Alt+Ctrl+Down"
569 "KeySysWorkspaceLast" goes to the previous workspace.
570 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Left"
572 "KeySysWorkspacePrevTakeWin" takes the active window one workspace
573 to the left.
574 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Right"
576 "KeySysWorkspaceNextTakeWin" takes the active window one workspace
577 to the right.
578 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Down"
580 "KeySysWorkspaceLastTakeWin" takes the active window to the
581 previous workspace.
582 "Alt+Ctrl+1"
584 "KeySysWorkspace1" goes to workspace 1.
585 "Alt+Ctrl+2"
587 "KeySysWorkspace2" goes to workspace 2.
588 "Alt+Ctrl+3"
590 "KeySysWorkspace3" goes to workspace 3.
591 "Alt+Ctrl+4"
593 "KeySysWorkspace4" goes to workspace 4.
594 "Alt+Ctrl+5"
596 "KeySysWorkspace5" goes to workspace 5.
597 "Alt+Ctrl+6"
599 "KeySysWorkspace6" goes to workspace 6.
600 "Alt+Ctrl+7"
602 "KeySysWorkspace7" goes to workspace 7.
603 "Alt+Ctrl+8"
605 "KeySysWorkspace8" goes to workspace 8.
606 "Alt+Ctrl+9"
608 "KeySysWorkspace9" goes to workspace 9.
609 "Alt+Ctrl+0"
611 "KeySysWorkspace10" goes to workspace 10.
612 "Alt+Ctrl+bracketleft"
614 "KeySysWorkspace11" goes to workspace 11.
615 "Alt+Ctrl+bracketright"
617 "KeySysWorkspace12" goes to workspace 12.
618 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+1"
620 "KeySysWorkspace1TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 1.
621 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+2"
623 "KeySysWorkspace2TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 2.
624 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+3"
626 "KeySysWorkspace3TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 3.
627 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+4"
629 "KeySysWorkspace4TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 4.
630 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+5"
632 "KeySysWorkspace5TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 5.
633 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+6"
635 "KeySysWorkspace6TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 6.
636 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+7"
638 "KeySysWorkspace7TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 7.
639 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+8"
641 "KeySysWorkspace8TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 8.
642 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+9"
644 "KeySysWorkspace9TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 9.
645 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+0"
647 "KeySysWorkspace10TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 10.
648 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+bracketleft"
650 "KeySysWorkspace11TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 11.
651 "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+bracketright"
653 "KeySysWorkspace12TakeWin" takes the active window to workspace 12.
654 "Alt+Shift+F2"
656 "KeySysTileVertical" tiles all windows from left to right maximized
657 vertically.
658 "Alt+Shift+F3"
660 "KeySysTileHorizontal" tiles all windows from top to bottom
661 maximized horizontally.
662 "Alt+Shift+F4"
664 "KeySysCascade" makes a horizontal cascade of all windows which are
665 maximized vertically.
666 "Alt+Shift+F5"
668 "KeySysArrange" rearranges the windows.
669 "Alt+Shift+F7"
671 "KeySysUndoArrange" undoes arrangement.
672 "Alt+Shift+F8"
674 "KeySysArrangeIcons" rearranges icons.
675 "Alt+Shift+F9"
677 "KeySysMinimizeAll" minimizes all windows.
678 "Alt+Shift+F11"
680 "KeySysHideAll" hides all windows.
681 "Alt+Ctrl+d"
683 "KeySysShowDesktop" unmaps all windows to show the desktop.
684 "Alt+Ctrl+h"
686 "KeySysCollapseTaskBar" hides the task bar.
687 "undefined"
689 "KeyTaskBarSwitchNext" switches to the next window in the task bar.
690 "undefined"
692 "KeyTaskBarSwitchPrev" switches to the previous window in the task
693 bar.
694 "undefined"
696 "KeyTaskBarMoveNext" moves the task bar button of the current
697 window right.
698 "undefined"
700 "KeyTaskBarMovePrev" moves the task bar button of the current
701 window left.
702 "undefined"
704 "KeySysWinListMenu" shows the window list menu.
705 "Alt+Tab"
707 "KeySysSwitchNext" opens the "QuickSwitch" popup (see "INPUT
708 FOCUS") and/or moves the selector in the "QuickSwitch" popup.
709 "Alt+Shift+Tab"
711 "KeySysSwitchLast" works like "KeySysSwitchNext" but moving in the
712 opposite direction.
713 "Alt+grave"
715 "KeySysSwitchClass" is like "KeySysSwitchNext" but only for windows
716 with the same WM_CLASS property as the currently focused window.
717 MOUSE BINDINGS
719 You can control windows by a modified mouse button press:
720 "Alt+Pointer_Button1"
722 "MouseWinMove" moves the window under the mouse over the screen.
723 "Alt+Pointer_Button3"
725 "MouseWinSize" resizes the window. Keep the key and button
726 pressed. To enlarge the window move the mouse button away from the
727 center. To shrink it move towards the centre.
728 "Ctrl+Alt+Pointer_Button1"
730 "MouseWinRaise" raises the window under the mouse.
731 "Ctrl+Alt+Pointer_Button1"
733 "MouseWinLower" lowers the window under the mouse. If this is
734 equal to "MouseWinRaise" and the window can be raised then
735 "MouseWinRaise" takes preference over "MouseWinLower".
736 Clicking on the desktop activates a menu. The middle button shows the
738 window list ("DesktopWinListButton=2"). The right button shows the
739 root menu ("DesktopMenuButton=3").
740 The title frame of a window also listens for mouse clicks. Left double
742 clicking maximizes the window ("TitleBarMaximizeButton=1"). Middle
743 double clicking rolls up the window ("TitleBarRollupButton=2").
744 Pressing a mouse button and moving it will move the window. "Alt+left"
745 button lowers the window.
746 When the mouse is on the window frame then a left click raises the
748 window. Dragging with the left button down resizes the window.
749 Clicking the right button pops up the context menu. Dragging with the
750 right button moves the window.
751
753 icewm supports the following signals:
754 SIGHUP
756 icewm will restart itself. It is a way to reload the configuration.
757 SIGINT, SIGTERM
759 icewm will cease to manage application windows and terminate.
760 SIGQUIT
762 icewm will initiate the logout procedure. If a "LogoutCommand"
763 preferences option was configured it will be executed.
764
766 ICEWM_PRIVCFG
767 The directory for user private configuration files. When this
768 environment variable is not specified, the default directory is
769 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm when that directory exists, otherwise the
770 default value is $HOME/.icewm.
771 DISPLAY
773 The name of the X11 server. See Xorg(1) or Xserver(1). This value
774 can be overridden by the --display option.
775 MAILPATH, MAIL
777 Gives the location of your mailbox. If the schema is omitted the
778 local "file" schema is assumed. This is used by the mailbox applet
779 in the task bar to show the status of your mailbox. If the
780 "MailBoxPath" option in the preferences file is set, then that one
781 takes precedence.
782
784 icewm looks for configuration files in the following directories, in
785 the given order, until it finds one:
786 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/
788 Contains user-specific configurations. When ICEWM_PRIVCFG is
789 specified, this directory takes precedence over
790 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm and $HOME/.icewm.
791 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/
793 Contains user-specific configurations. When this directory exists
794 it take precedence over $HOME/.icewm.
795 $HOME/.icewm/
797 Contains user-specific configurations. This is the historical
798 default directory.
799 /etc/icewm/
801 Contains system-wide customized defaults. Please note that your
802 local installation may have been configured to use a different
803 system location. The output of "icewm --directories" will show
804 this location.
805 /usr/share/icewm/
807 Default local installation settings.
808 CONFIGURATION FILES
810 env icewm-session(1) loads additional environment variables from the
811 file env. Each line is subjected to POSIX shell expansion by
812 wordexp(3). Comment lines starting by a hash-sign ("#") are
813 ignored. icewm-session(1) will load those expanded lines which
814 contain a name, followed by an equals sign, followed by the value
815 (which may be empty).
816 See icewm-env(5).
818 focus_mode
820 Defines the initial value for "FocusMode". Its default value is
821 "FocusMode=1" (Click-to-focus). This can be changed via the menu.
822 icewm will save the Focus menu choice in this file.
823 See icewm-focus_mode(5).
825 keys
827 Global keybindings to launch applications, which need not be window
828 manager related. Each non-empty line starts with the word "key".
829 After one or more spaces follows a double-quoted string of the
830 bound X11 key combination like "Alt+Ctrl+Shift+X". Then after at
831 least one space follows a shell command line which will be executed
832 by icewm whenever this key combination is pressed. For example,
833 the following line creates a hotkey to reload the icewm
834 configuration:
835 key "Ctrl+Shift+r" icesh restart
837 See icewm-keys(5).
839 menu
841 A menu of applications; usually customized by the user. icewm
842 provides the icewm-menu-fdo(1) program to generate a default menu.
843 Similar programs are xdg_menu(1), mmaker(1) (MenuMaker),
844 xde-menu(1), xdgmenumaker(1).
845 See icewm-menu(5).
847 preferences
849 Contains general settings like paths, colors and fonts, but also
850 options to control the icewm focus behaviour and the applets which
851 are started in the task bar. The icewm installation will provide a
852 default preferences file, which can be copied to the icewm user
853 configuration directory and modified.
854 See icewm-preferences(5).
856 prefoverride
858 Settings which override the settings from a theme. Some of the
859 icewm configuration options from the preferences file which control
860 the look-and-feel may be overridden by the theme, if the theme
861 designer thinks this is desirable. However, this prefoverride file
862 will again override this for a few specific options of your
863 choosing. It is safe to leave this file empty initially.
864 See icewm-prefoverride(5).
866 programs
868 An automatically generated menu of applications. This could be
869 used by wmconfig(1), menu or similar programs to give easy access
870 to all the desktop applications which are installed on the system.
871 See icewm-programs(5).
873 theme
875 This file contains the name of the default theme. On startup icewm
876 reads this file to obtain the theme name, unless icewm was started
877 with the --theme option. Whenever a different theme is selected
878 from the icewm Menu then the theme file is overwritten with the
879 name of the selected theme. This theme file contains the keyword
880 "Theme", followed by an equals sign, followed by a double-quoted
881 string with the theme name. The theme name is the name of the
882 theme directory, followed by a slash, followed by the theme file.
883 Usually the theme file is just default.theme, but a theme may have
884 alternatives. Alternatives are small tweaks of a theme. These are
885 specified in their own .theme file, which replaces default.theme.
886 If no theme file exists then icewm will use the default setting of
887 "Theme="default/default.theme"".
888 See icewm-theme(5).
890 toolbar
892 Contains names of quick to launch applications with icons for the
893 task bar. Each non-empty non-comment line starts with the keyword
894 prog. After one or more spaces follows a name, which is displayed
895 in a tool tip whenever the mouse cursor hovers over the toolbar
896 icon. This name may be a double quoted string. Then follows the
897 bare name of the icon to use without extensions. This icon will be
898 shown in the toolbar. The last component is a shell command line
899 which will be executed whenever the user presses the icon in the
900 toolbar. For example, the following line in toolbar will create a
901 button with tool tip "Mozilla Firefox" with the firefox icon which
902 launches firefox(1) when clicked:
903 prog "Mozilla Firefox" firefox /usr/bin/firefox --private-window
905 See icewm-toolbar(5).
907 winoptions
909 Contains settings to control window appearance and behaviour which
910 are specific to applications or groups of applications. Options
911 can control the border, whether it appears on the task bar, the
912 window list, the system tray and the work spaces. Also its layer,
913 geometry, whether it can be moved, resized and closed.
914 See icewm-winoptions(5).
916 startup
918 Contains commands to be executed on icewm startup. This is an
919 executable script with commands to tweak X11 settings and launch
920 some applications which need to be active whenever icewm is
921 started. It is run by icewm-session(1) when icewm starts.
922 See icewm-startup(5).
924 shutdown
926 Contains commands to be executed on icewm shutdown. This is an
927 executable script with commands to be executed in the last stage of
928 icewm termination. Typically they may undo some of the effects of
929 the startup script. It is run by icewm-session(1) when icewm
930 terminates.
931 See icewm-shutdown(5).
933 CONFIGURATION SUBDIRECTORIES
935 icons
936 Contains icons which are used to identify applications. Usually
937 these files are in the XPM format, but the PNG and SVG image
938 formats are also supported. The names of icon files may follow a
939 specific naming pattern, like app_32x32.xpm. They start with a
940 base name, usually this is just a single word. Then follows an
941 underscore, followed by a size specification in the format
942 "SIZExSIZE". This is followed by a dot and the file extension,
943 where the extension denotes the icon image format. Common sizes
944 are 16, 32 and 48 for small, large and huge icons. This depends on
945 the respective "IconSize" preferences options.
946 ledclock
948 Pictures of digits for the LED clock which is displayed in the
949 bottom-right corner of the task bar. These can be seen when the
950 "TaskBarShowClock" and "TaskBarClockLeds" options are both set to
951 1.
952 mailbox
954 Icons which are used to display different states of the mailbox
955 applet in the task bar. There are five states and each has its own
956 icon: mail.xpm, newmail.xpm, unreadmail.xpm, nomail.xpm,
957 errmail.xpm.
958 sounds
960 Audio files which are played by icesound(1) on GUI events. These
961 are: startup.wav, shutdown.wav, restart.wav, launchApp.wav,
962 workspaceChange.wav, windowOpen.wav, windowClose.wav,
963 dialogOpen.wav, dialogClose.wav, windowMax.wav, windowRestore.wav,
964 windowMin.wav, windowHide.wav, windowRollup.wav, windowMoved.wav,
965 windowSized.wav, windowLower.wav.
966 taskbar
968 Pictures to customize the look of the task bar. These include:
969 taskbarbg.xpm, taskbuttonactive.xpm, taskbuttonbg.xpm,
970 taskbuttonminimized.xpm, toolbuttonbg.xpm,
971 workspacebuttonactive.xpm, workspacebuttonbg.xpm.
972 themes
974 A directory to store themes. Each theme is stored in its own sub-
975 directory in the themes directory. A theme contains at least a
976 default.theme file, and optionally theme alternatives which are
977 additional files which have a .theme file name extension and which
978 contain tweaks of the default.theme file. How to create a theme is
979 explained in the IceWM Theme Creation Howto.
980 OPACITY
982 IceWM supports window opacity and transparency in connection with an
983 external compositor like compton(1). If a client window sets the
984 "_NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY" property on its window then icewm will copy
985 this to the outer frame window where compton will read it to adjust the
986 opacity of the client window. The opacity can also be controlled by
987 icewm when this is configured in the icewm-winoptions(5) file. Another
988 way is to use icewmhint(1) to preset the opacity level immediately
989 before starting the application. The opacity level of running
990 applications can always be queried or modified by icesh(1).
991 The _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE properties which icewm sets on its windows are
993 DIALOG, NOTIFICATION, POPUP_MENU and TOOLTIP. The output of "icesh
994 windows" shows their WM_CLASS values. These can be helpful to configure
995 compton.
996
998 Examples of the above configuration files can be found in the default
999 installation path or in the system-wide defaults. See the output of
1000 "icewm --directories" for their locations.
1001
1003 ICCCM 2.0: partial. NetWM/EWMH: extensive. See the file COMPLIANCE in
1004 the distribution for full details.
1005
1007 icehelp(1), icesh(1), icesound(1), icewm-env(5), icewm-focus_mode(5),
1008 icewm-keys(5), icewm-menu(5), icewm-menu-fdo(1), icewm-menu-xrandr(1),
1009 icewm-preferences(5), icewm-prefoverride(5), icewm-programs(5),
1010 icewm-session(1), icewm-set-gnomewm(1), icewm-shutdown(5),
1011 icewm-startup(5), icewm-theme(5), icewm-toolbar(5),
1012 icewm-winoptions(5), icewmbg(1), icewmhint(1), Xorg(1), Xserver(1),
1013 xinit(1), xprop(1), xwininfo(1), wmctrl(1).
1014
1016 icewm had no known bugs at the time of release. Please report bugs for
1017 current versions to the source code repository at
1018 <https://github.com/bbidulock/icewm/issues>.
1019
1021 Brian Bidulock <mailto:bidulock@openss7.org>.
1022 See --copying for full copyright notice and copying permissions.
1024
1026 IceWM is licensed under the GNU Library General Public License. See
1027 the COPYING file in the distribution or use the --copying flag to
1028 display copying permissions.
1029icewm 1.6.5 2020-03-17 ICEWM(1)