path: root/man/xmonad.1

.TH xmonad 1 "31 December 2012" xmonad-0.11 "xmonad manual".TH  "" "" 
.SH Name
.PP
xmonad - a tiling window manager
.SH Description
.PP
\f[I]xmonad\f[] is a minimalist tiling window manager for X, written in
Haskell.
Windows are managed using automatic layout algorithms, which can be
dynamically reconfigured.
At any time windows are arranged so as to maximize the use of screen
real estate.
All features of the window manager are accessible purely from the
keyboard: a mouse is entirely optional.
\f[I]xmonad\f[] is configured in Haskell, and custom layout algorithms
may be implemented by the user in config files.
A principle of \f[I]xmonad\f[] is predictability: the user should know
in advance precisely the window arrangement that will result from any
action.
.PP
By default, \f[I]xmonad\f[] provides three layout algorithms: tall, wide
and fullscreen.
In tall or wide mode, windows are tiled and arranged to prevent overlap
and maximize screen use.
Sets of windows are grouped together on virtual screens, and each screen
retains its own layout, which may be reconfigured dynamically.
Multiple physical monitors are supported via Xinerama, allowing
simultaneous display of a number of screens.
.PP
By utilizing the expressivity of a modern functional language with a
rich static type system, \f[I]xmonad\f[] provides a complete, featureful
window manager in less than 1200 lines of code, with an emphasis on
correctness and robustness.
Internal properties of the window manager are checked using a
combination of static guarantees provided by the type system, and
type-based automated testing.
A benefit of this is that the code is simple to understand, and easy to
modify.
.SH Usage
.PP
\f[I]xmonad\f[] places each window into a "workspace".
Each workspace can have any number of windows, which you can cycle
though with mod-j and mod-k.
Windows are either displayed full screen, tiled horizontally, or tiled
vertically.
You can toggle the layout mode with mod-space, which will cycle through
the available modes.
.PP
You can switch to workspace N with mod-N.
For example, to switch to workspace 5, you would press mod-5.
Similarly, you can move the current window to another workspace with
mod-shift-N.
.PP
When running with multiple monitors (Xinerama), each screen has exactly
1 workspace visible.
mod-{w,e,r} switch the focus between screens, while shift-mod-{w,e,r}
move the current window to that screen.
When \f[I]xmonad\f[] starts, workspace 1 is on screen 1, workspace 2 is
on screen 2, etc.
When switching workspaces to one that is already visible, the current
and visible workspaces are swapped.
.SS Flags
.PP
xmonad has several flags which you may pass to the executable.
These flags are:
.TP
.B --recompile
Recompiles your configuration in \f[I]~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs\f[]
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B --restart
Causes the currently running \f[I]xmonad\f[] process to restart
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B --replace
Replace the current window manager with xmonad
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B --version
Display version of \f[I]xmonad\f[]
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B --verbose-version
Display detailed version of \f[I]xmonad\f[]
.RS
.RE
.SS Default keyboard bindings
.TP
.B mod-shift-return
Launch terminal
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-p
Launch dmenu
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-p
Launch gmrun
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-c
Close the focused window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-space
Rotate through the available layout algorithms
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-space
Reset the layouts on the current workspace to default
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-n
Resize viewed windows to the correct size
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-tab
Move focus to the next window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-tab
Move focus to the previous window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-j
Move focus to the next window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-k
Move focus to the previous window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-m
Move focus to the master window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-return
Swap the focused window and the master window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-j
Swap the focused window with the next window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-k
Swap the focused window with the previous window
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-h
Shrink the master area
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-l
Expand the master area
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-t
Push window back into tiling
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-comma
Increment the number of windows in the master area
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-period
Deincrement the number of windows in the master area
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-q
Quit xmonad
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-q
Restart xmonad
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-slash
Run xmessage with a summary of the default keybindings (useful for
beginners)
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-[1..9]
Switch to workspace N
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-[1..9]
Move client to workspace N
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-{w,e,r}
Switch to physical/Xinerama screens 1, 2, or 3
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-shift-{w,e,r}
Move client to screen 1, 2, or 3
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-button1
Set the window to floating mode and move by dragging
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-button2
Raise the window to the top of the stack
.RS
.RE
.TP
.B mod-button3
Set the window to floating mode and resize by dragging
.RS
.RE
.SH Examples
.PP
To use xmonad as your window manager add to your \f[I]~/.xinitrc\f[]
file:
.IP
.nf
\f[C]
exec\ xmonad
\f[]
.fi
.SH Customization
.PP
xmonad is customized in ~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs, and then restarting with
mod-q.
.PP
You can find many extensions to the core feature set in the xmonad-
contrib package, available through your package manager or from
xmonad.org (http://xmonad.org).
.SS Modular Configuration
.PP
As of \f[I]xmonad-0.9\f[], any additional Haskell modules may be placed
in \f[I]~/.xmonad/lib/\f[] are available in GHC\[aq]s searchpath.
Hierarchical modules are supported: for example, the file
\f[I]~/.xmonad/lib/XMonad/Stack/MyAdditions.hs\f[] could contain:
.IP
.nf
\f[C]
module\ XMonad.Stack.MyAdditions\ (function1)\ where
\ \ \ \ function1\ =\ error\ "function1:\ Not\ implemented\ yet!"
\f[]
.fi
.PP
Your xmonad.hs may then import XMonad.Stack.MyAdditions as if that
module was contained within xmonad or xmonad-contrib.
.SH Bugs
.PP
Probably.
If you find any, please report them to the
bugtracker (http://code.google.com/p/xmonad/issues/list)