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Difference between revisions of "Package:I3 (Window Manager)"
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Revision as of 19:46, September 7, 2014
I3 (Window Manager)
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Introduction
i3 is a tiling window manager that is based upon experiences the developers shared while attempting to fix/hack wmii. i3 has the ability for either floating windows, which you can resize and move, and tiling windows. i3 uses a tree as a data structure to allow for more flexibility. i3 defaults with home-row key-bindings which are quick and easy to get beginners off the ground.
NOTE: This wiki is made following the steps produced to get a working i3 using xrandr instead of xinerama, ATI proprietary drivers instead of radeon drivers, a dual-monitor setup, and no login manager. For Nvidia and Twinview users, a link is supplied in X11 and xrandr. Xinerama was initially used and worked in the dual-monitor setup so it possible to substitute xinerama for xrandr with minimal changes.
Installation
Portage
The easiest and quickest way:
root # emerge -avt x11-wm/i3
Manual
Tarball
Download the latest version from the i3 website. i3-4.8
root # cd /PATH/TO/TARBALL root # make root # sudo make install
Git
root # git clone git://code.i3wm.org/i3 root # cd i3 root # make root # sudo make install
Setup
xinitrc
Edit ~/.xinitrc:
exec i3
For i3 logging, edit ~/.xinitrc:
exec i3 -V -d all >~/.i3/i3log-$(date +'%F-%k-%M-%S') 2>&1
If you are using Nvidia or for some reason don't use xrandr, edit ~/.xinitrc
exec i3 --force-xinerama
and nvidia with logging:
exec i3 --force-xinerama -V -d all >~/.i3/i3log-$(date +'%F-%k-%M-%S') 2>&1
Example ~/.xinitrc that uses consolekit and dbus in launch and also logs on exit.
#!/bin/zsh xrdb -merge ~/.Xresources xcompmgr & if [[ $1 == "i3" ]]; then exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session i3 -V -d all > ~/.i3/i3log-$(date +'%F-%k-%M-%S') 2>&1 elif [[ $1 == "razor" ]]; then exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch startrazor elif [[ $1 == "awesome" ]]; then exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch awesome elif [[ $1 == "qtile" ]]; then exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch ~/.qtile-session else echo "Choose a window manager" fi
X11 and xrandr
X and RandR
NOTE: RandR and Xinerama do not play together. Use one or the other.
I use an AMD HD 6870 with 3 monitors (2 DVI and 1 with an AMD validated Mini DisplayPort™ to DVI dongle).
Install No results:
root # emerge x11-apps/xrandr
and if you want a GUI with xrandr:
root # emerge x11-misc/arandr
If you do not have X configured yet, follow the link on the Gentoo Wiki
My xorg.conf.d folder for example: 30-screen.conf
Since the names of the monitors are already known in xrandr, I just use those names in my 30-screen.conf configuration. It doesn't matter what you use in your X configuration however.
Once you have X configured however you like, start qtile with either:
root # startx
or, in a case similar to mine:
root # xinit qtile
i3 config
The i3 configuration file can be found in /etc/i3/config, but I suggest that you copy the file into a local ~/.i3 directory.
# mkdir -p ~/.i3 && cp /etc/i3/config ~/.i3/config
Open up ~/i3/config in your editor of choice.
set $mod Mod1
assigns the variable $mod to be Mod1. In i3, Mod1 is the Alt key. If you wish to use the Windows key then use set $mod Mod4
In the keybinding section, $mod is used in place of Mod1 in the case that you do wish to change the modifier. In the workspace key, the keybindings are set with Mod1 instead of the variable, so remember to change those bindings manually if you are replacing the Mod1 modifier. Else you can change Mod1 in those sections to $mod and change all the keybindings at the same time by setting the $mod variable.
set $mod Mod1
To have programs start automatically in i3, use the command exec APPLICATION
. This is the section that the xrandr screen layout bash file created earlier will be placed. The i3bar is a tray and status bar combination. If you have applications that run in the system tray that you want to autostart, call those applications with exec.
exec /PATH/TO/XRANDR-BASH-FILE exec NAME OF BROWSER exec NAME OF EDITOR exec volumeicon exec dropbox
In the workspace section, you have the opportunity to name the workspaces by setting either the number of the workspace, the name of the workspace, or the number and name of the workspace. bindsym KEYBIND workspace NAME/NUMBER OF WORKSPACE
. Remember to use quotes when naming a workspace.
bindsym Mod1+1 workspace 1 bindsym Mod1+1 workspace "my first workspace" bindsym Mod1+1 workspace "1: my first workspace"
To assign a workspace to a certain output you will need the output from running xrandr again if you do not remember which connections are being used. In the example from [#X11 and xrandr|X11 and xrandr], the connected outputs are DFP3 and DFP4. To assign the workspace, you need to add workspace NAME OF WORKSPACE or NUMBER output CONNECTED OUTPUT
. There are several types of outputs so make sure that you are using the connected outputs from xrandr when assigning workspaces, else the workspace will not show up.
workspace 1 output DFP3 workspace "my first workspace" output DFP3 workspace "1: my first workspace" output DFP3 workspace "2: my second workspace" output DFP4
To assign a program to a certain workspace, you will need to run xprop. If you do not have xprop, emerge it.
# emerge -avt x11-apps/xpropTo run xprop, open a terminal and run
# xpropYour mouse cursor should become a crosshair and you will want to mouse over the window that contains the running application. Click on that window and xprop will then output the window information. The easiest way to assign a program is to look for
WM_CLASS(STRING) = "INSTANCE", "CLASS"Be sure to note that the window INSTANCE is before the window CLASS. In the config file, add
assign [class="^INSTANCE$" instance="^CLASS$] NAME OF WORKSPACE
. For aesthetic purposes, you can add → before NAME OF WORKSPACE, but mind that the → is a UTF-8 character and not ->
. For the assignments, do not put the workspace name within quotes as you do when naming them and setting their output.
assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] 1 assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] web assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] 1: web assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] → 1 assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] → web assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] → 1: web
For aesthetic purposes, their are three types of borders for the windows. This can be set by adding new_window <normal|1pixel|none>
. There are also keybindings that allow you to switch between the 3 border styles.
new_window 1pixel bindsym $mod+t border normal bindsym $mod+y border 1pixel bindsym $mod+u border none
The orientation for new workspaces can be set by adding default_orientation <horizontal|vertical|auto>
default_orientation horizontal
A sample ~/.i3/config:
set $mod Mod1 ######################################################## ######## Autostart ######## ######################################################## exec ~/.screenlayout/dualdtop.sh exec chromium-browser exec gvim exec volumeicon exec parcellite exec dropbox ######################################################## ######## Workspaces ######## ######################################################## # switch to workspace bindsym Mod1+1 workspace "1: web" bindsym Mod1+2 workspace "2: irc" bindsym Mod1+3 workspace "3: gvim" bindsym Mod1+4 workspace "4: ranger" bindsym Mod1+5 workspace "5: terms" bindsym Mod1+6 workspace "6: mplayer" bindsym Mod1+7 workspace "7: mail" bindsym Mod1+8 workspace "8: firefox" bindsym Mod1+9 workspace "9: music" bindsym Mod1+0 workspace "10: office" ## Output certain workspaces workspace "1: web" output DFP3 workspace "2: irc" output DFP4 workspace "3: gvim" output DFP4 workspace "4: ranger" output DFP3 workspace "5: terms" output DFP4 workspace "6: mplayer" output DFP3 workspace "7: mail" output DFP3 workspace "8: firefox" output DFP3 workspace "9: music" output DFP3 workspace "10: office" output DFP4 ## Assign workspaces to programs assign [class="^Chromium-browser$" instance="^chromium-browser$"] → 1: web assign [class="^Gvim$" instance="^gvim$"] → 3: gvim assign [class="^MPlayer$" instance="^gl$"] → 6: mplayer assign [class="^Firefox$" instance="^Navigator$"] → 8: firefox assign [class="^Emacs$" instance="^emacs$"] → 9: emacs assign [class="^libreoffice-startcenter$" instance="^VCLSalFrame.DocumentWindow$"] 10: office # move focused container to workspace bindsym Mod1+Shift+1 move workspace 1 bindsym Mod1+Shift+2 move workspace 2 bindsym Mod1+Shift+3 move workspace 3 bindsym Mod1+Shift+4 move workspace 4 bindsym Mod1+Shift+5 move workspace 5 bindsym Mod1+Shift+6 move workspace 6 bindsym Mod1+Shift+7 move workspace 7 bindsym Mod1+Shift+8 move workspace 8 bindsym Mod1+Shift+9 move workspace 9 bindsym Mod1+Shift+0 move workspace 10 ######################################################## ######## Aesthetics ######## ######################################################## # Window border style: normal: border normal, with window title bar; # none: no border or window title bar; 1pixel: 1 pixel border. new_window 1pixel bindsym $mod+t border normal bindsym $mod+y border 1pixel bindsym $mod+u border none # font for window titles. ISO 10646 = Unicode font -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--13-120-75-75-C-70-iso10646-1 # Orientation for new workspaces # Can be set <horizontal|vertical|auto> default_orientation horizontal # Layout for new containers # Can be set <default|stacking|tabbed> workspace_layout default # Use Mouse+$mod to drag floating windows to their wanted position floating_modifier $mod ######################################################## ######## Keybindings ######## ######################################################## # start a terminal bindsym $mod+Return exec i3-sensible-terminal # kill focused window bindsym $mod+Shift+Q kill # start dmenu (a program launcher) bindsym $mod+d exec dmenu_run # change focus bindsym $mod+j focus left bindsym $mod+k focus down bindsym $mod+l focus up bindsym $mod+semicolon focus right # alternatively, you can use the cursor keys: bindsym $mod+Left focus left bindsym $mod+Down focus down bindsym $mod+Up focus up bindsym $mod+Right focus right # move focused window bindsym $mod+Shift+J move left bindsym $mod+Shift+K move down bindsym $mod+Shift+L move up bindsym $mod+Shift+colon move right # alternatively, you can use the cursor keys: bindsym $mod+Shift+Left move left bindsym $mod+Shift+Down move down bindsym $mod+Shift+Up move up bindsym $mod+Shift+Right move right # split in horizontal orientation bindsym $mod+h split h # split in vertical orientation bindsym $mod+v split v # enter fullscreen mode for the focused container bindsym $mod+f fullscreen # change container layout (stacked, tabbed, default) bindsym $mod+s layout stacking bindsym $mod+w layout tabbed bindsym $mod+e layout default # toggle tiling / floating bindsym $mod+Shift+space floating toggle # change focus between tiling / floating windows bindsym $mod+space focus mode_toggle # focus the parent container bindsym $mod+a focus parent # focus the child container #bindcode $mod+d focus child # reload the configuration file bindsym $mod+Shift+C reload # restart i3 inplace (preserves your layout/session, can be used to upgrade i3) bindsym $mod+Shift+R restart # exit i3 (logs you out of your X session) bindsym $mod+Shift+E exit # resize window (you can also use the mouse for that) mode "resize" { # These bindings trigger as soon as you enter the resize mode # They resize the border in the direction you pressed, e.g. # when pressing left, the window is resized so that it has # more space on its left bindsym j resize shrink left 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+J resize grow left 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym k resize shrink down 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+K resize grow down 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym l resize shrink up 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+L resize grow up 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym semicolon resize shrink right 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+colon resize grow right 10 px or 10 ppt # same bindings, but for the arrow keys bindsym Left resize shrink left 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+Left resize grow left 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Down resize shrink down 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+Down resize grow down 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Up resize shrink up 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+Up resize grow up 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Right resize shrink right 10 px or 10 ppt bindsym Shift+Right resize grow right 10 px or 10 ppt # back to normal: Enter or Escape bindsym Return mode "default" bindsym Escape mode "default" } bindsym $mod+r mode "resize" ######################################################## ######## i3bar ######## ######################################################## # Start i3bar to display a workspace bar (plus the system information i3status # finds out, if available) bar { output DFP3 output DFP4 status_command i3status -c ~/.i3status.conf position top mode dock workspace_buttons yes tray_output DFP3 font -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--13-120-75-75-C-70-iso10646-1 colors { background #000000 statusline #FFFFFF focused_workspace #ffffff #9932CC active_workspace #ffffff #DA70D6 inactive_workspace #888888 #242424 urgent_workspace #ffffff #32CD32 } }
These scripts can be found in /usr/bin/
i3nagbar
The i3nagbar is the error bar that pops up on top of the screen when there is an error in the i3 configuration.
i3-sensible-editor
i3-sensible-editor is callen when the user presses the edit button on the i3nagbar. If $EDITOR is set, that editor will be used, else i3-sensible-editor will open the first editor that is installed according to the order in i3-sensible-editor. If the user has a preference, he will set $EDITOR.
i3-sensible-terminal
i3-sensible-terminal is called when the user opens a terminal. If $TERMINAL is set, that terminal will be used, else i3-sensible-terminal will open the first terminal that is installed according to the order in i3-sensible-terminal. If the user has a preference, he will set $TERMINAL.
i3-sensible-pager
i3-sensible-pager is called when the user presses the view button on the i3nagbar. If $PAGER is set, that pager will be used, else i3-sensible-pager will open the first pager that is installed accordding to the order in i3-sensible-pager. If the user has a preference, he will set $PAGER.
i3status
i3status generates a status bar similar to conky in i3. i3status replaces dzen2, xmobar, and other similar applications used in older versions of i3. It is suggested to create an ~/.i3status.conf file to configure the i3status bar locally. A sample ~/.i3status.conf:
general { colors = true interval = 5 } order = "disk /" order += "disk /home" order += "ethernet eth0" order += "cpu_temperature 0" order += "cpu_temperature 1" order += "cpu_temperature 2" order += "cpu_temperature 3" order += "load" order += "time" ethernet eth0 { # if you use %speed, i3status requires the cap_net_admin capability format_up = "Eth0: %ip (%speed)" format_down = "Eth0: down" } time { format = "%a:%d-%b-%Y %I:%M:%S %p" } load { format = "Load: %5min" } cpu_temperature 0 { format = "T1: %degrees °C" path = "/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp2_input" } cpu_temperature 1 { format = "T2: %degrees °C" path = "/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp3_input" } cpu_temperature 2 { format = "T3: %degrees °C" path = "/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp4_input" } cpu_temperature 3 { format = "T4: %degrees °C" path = "/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp5_input" } disk "/" { format = "/: %free" } disk "/home" { format = "/home: %free" }
i3 uses No results as the application launcher. To install it, run the following:
root # emerge dmenu
The default key-binding for dmenu is Mod1+d.
Default Keybindings
Alt + Enter | Open terminal |
Alt + A | Focus Parent |
Alt + S | Stacked Layout |
Alt + W | Tabbed Layout |
Alt + E | Default Layout |
Alt + SpaceBar | Focus tiling/floating |
Alt + D | dmenu |
Alt + H | Split Horizontal |
Alt + V | Split Vertically |
Alt + J | Left |
Alt + K | Down |
Alt + J | Up |
Alt + ; | Right |
Alt + Shift + Q | Kill window |
Alt + Shift + E | Exit i3 |
Alt + Shift + C | Reload i3config without restarting |
Alt + Shift + R | Restart i3 (reloads i3config without exiting i3) |
Alt + Shift + J | Move left |
Alt + Shift + K | Move down |
Alt + Shift + L | Move up |
Alt + Shift + : | Move right |
Alt + Shift + SpaceBar | Toggle tiling/floating |
Troubleshooting
i3status
i3status may not work out of box
If i3status does not work for you, this can be easily corrected by changing the permissions.
root # sudo chmod 755 /usr/bin/i3status
Documentation
Websites
Man pages
- i3
- i3-config-wizard
- i3-input
- i3-migrate-config-to-v4
- i3-msg
- i3-nagbar
- i3-sensible-editor
- i3-sensible-pager
- i3-sensible-terminal
- i3-wsbar
- i3bar
- i3lock
- i3status