i3(1)
=====
-Michael Stapelberg <michael+i3@stapelberg.de>
-v3.alpha-bf1, March 2009
+Michael Stapelberg <michael@i3wm.org>
+v4.3, September 2012
== NAME
== SYNOPSIS
-i3 [-c configfile]
+i3 [-a] [-c configfile] [-C] [-d all] [-v] [-V]
+
+== OPTIONS
+
+-a::
+Disables autostart.
+
+-c::
+Specifies an alternate configuration file path.
+
+-C::
+Check the configuration file for validity and exit.
+
+-d all::
+Enables debug logging.
+The 'all' parameter is present for historical reasons.
+
+-v::
+Display version number (and date of the last commit).
+
+-V::
+Be verbose.
+
+--force-xinerama::
+Use Xinerama instead of RandR. This option should only be used if you are stuck
+with the old nVidia closed source driver (older than 302.17) which does not
+support RandR.
+
+--get-socketpath::
+Retrieve the i3 IPC socket path from X11, print it, then exit.
+
+--shmlog-size <limit>::
+Limits the size of the i3 SHM log to <limit> bytes. Setting this to 0 disables
+SHM logging entirely. The default is 0 bytes.
== DESCRIPTION
=== INTRODUCTION
i3 was created because wmii, our favorite window manager at the time, didn’t
-provide some features we wanted (Xinerama done right, for example), had some
-bugs, didn’t progress since quite some time and wasn’t easy to hack at all
+provide some features we wanted (multi-monitor done right, for example), had
+some bugs, didn’t progress since quite some time and wasn’t easy to hack at all
(source code comments/documentation completely lacking). Still, we think the
wmii developers and contributors did a great job. Thank you for inspiring us to
create i3.
Please be aware that i3 is primarily targeted at advanced users and developers.
+=== IMPORTANT NOTE TO nVidia BINARY DRIVER USERS
+
+If you are using the nVidia binary graphics driver (also known as 'blob')
+before version 302.17, you need to use the +--force-xinerama+ flag (in your
+~/.xsession) when starting i3, like so:
+
+----------------------------------------------
+exec i3 --force-xinerama -V >>~/.i3/i3log 2>&1
+----------------------------------------------
+
+See also docs/multi-monitor for the full explanation.
+
=== TERMINOLOGY
-Client::
-A client is X11-speak for a window.
+Tree::
+i3 keeps your layout in a tree data structure.
-Table::
-Your workspace is managed using a table. You can move windows around and create new columns
-(move a client to the right) or rows (move it to the bottom) implicitly.
-+
-By "snapping" a client in a specific direction, you increase its colspan/rowspan.
+Window::
+An X11 window, like the Firefox browser window or a terminal emulator.
-Container::
-A container contains a variable number of clients. Each cell of the table is a container.
+Floating Window::
+A window which "floats" on top of other windows. This style is used by i3 to
+display X11 windows with type "dialog", such as the "Print" or "Open File"
+dialog boxes in many GUI applications. Use of floating windows can be
+fine-tuned with the for_window command (see HTML userguide).
+
+Split container::
+A split container contains multiple other split containers or windows.
+
-Containers can be used in various modes. The default mode is called "default" and just
-resizes each client equally so that it fits.
+Containers can be used in various layouts. The default mode is called "default"
+and just resizes each client equally so that it fits.
Workspace::
-A workspace is a set of clients (technically speaking, it’s just a table). Other window
-managers call this "Virtual Desktops".
+A workspace is a set of containers. Other window managers call this "Virtual
+Desktops".
+
-In i3, each workspace is assigned to a specific virtual screen. By default, screen 1
-has workspace 1, screen 2 has workspace 2 and so on… However, when you create a new
-workspace (by simply switching to it), it’ll be assigned the screen you are currently
-on.
-
-Virtual Screen::
-Using Xinerama, you can have an X11 screen spanning multiple real monitors. Furthermore,
-you can set them up in cloning mode or with positions (monitor 1 is left of monitor 2).
+In i3, each workspace is assigned to a specific virtual screen. By default,
+screen 1 has workspace 1, screen 2 has workspace 2 and so on… However, when you
+create a new workspace (by simply switching to it), it’ll be assigned the
+screen you are currently on.
+
+Output::
+Using XRandR, you can have an X11 screen spanning multiple real monitors.
+Furthermore, you can set them up in cloning mode or with positions (monitor 1
+is left of monitor 2).
+
-A virtual screen is the result of your Xinerama setup. For example, if you have attached
-two real monitors (let’s say your laptop screen and a video projector) and enabled cloning, i3
-will use one virtual screen with the size of the smallest screen you have attached (so
-that you can see all your windows on each screen all the time).
-If you have two monitors attached, one configured to be left of the other, i3 will use
-two virtual screens.
+i3 uses the RandR API to query which outputs are available and which screens
+are connected to these outputs.
== KEYBINDINGS
Here is a short overview of the default keybindings:
+Mod1+Enter::
+Open a new terminal emulator window.
+
+Mod1+d::
+Open dmenu for starting any application by typing (part of) its name.
+
j/k/l/;::
-Direction keys (left, down, up, right). They are on your homerow (see the mark on your "j" key).
+Direction keys (left, down, up, right). They are on your homerow (see the mark
+on your "j" key). Alternatively, you can use the cursor keys.
Mod1+<direction>::
Focus window in <direction>.
-Mod3+<direction>::
-Focus container in <direction>.
-
Mod1+Shift+<direction>::
Move window to <direction>.
-Mod3+Shift+<direction>::
-Move container to <direction>.
-
-Mod1+Control+<direction>::
-Snap container to <direction>.
-
Mod1+<number>::
Switch to workspace <number>.
Mod1+s::
Enable stacking layout for the current container.
-Mod1+d::
+Mod1+e::
Enable default layout for the current container.
+Mod1+w::
+Enable tabbed layout for the current container.
+
+Mod1+Shift+Space::
+Toggle tiling/floating for the current container.
+
+Mod1+Space::
+Select the first tiling container if the current container is floating and
+vice-versa.
+
Mod1+Shift+q::
-Kills the current client.
+Kills the current window. This is equivalent to "clicking on the close button",
+meaning a polite request to the application to close this window. For example,
+Firefox will save its session upon such a request. If the application does not
+support that, the window will be killed and it depends on the application what
+happens.
Mod1+Shift+r::
-Restarts i3 in place (without losing any windows, but the layout).
+Restarts i3 in place. Your layout will be preserved.
Mod1+Shift+e::
Exits i3.
== FILES
-=== ~/.i3/config
+=== \~/.i3/config (or ~/.config/i3/config)
-When starting, i3 looks for ~/.i3/config and loads the configuration. If ~/.i3/config is not found,
-i3 tries /etc/i3/config. You can specify a custom path using the -c option.
+When starting, i3 looks for configuration files in the following order:
-At the moment, you can specify only the path to your favorite terminal emulator, the font and keybindings.
+1. ~/.config/i3/config (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/i3/config if set)
+2. ~/.i3/config
+3. /etc/xdg/i3/config (or $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/i3/config if set)
+4. /etc/i3/config
-At the moment, you have to bind to keycodes (find them out via xev(1)).
+You can specify a custom path using the -c option.
.Sample configuration
-------------------------------------------------------------
-terminal /usr/bin/urxvt
-font -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--13-120-75-75-C-70-iso10646-1
-
-# Start terminal (Mod1+Enter)
-bind Mod1+36 exec /usr/bin/urxvt
-
-# Start dmenu (Mod1+v)
-bind Mod1+55 exec /usr/bin/dmenu_run
-
-# Kill current client (Mod1+Shift+q)
-bind Mod1+Shift+24 kill
-
-# Beamer on/off
-bind Mod1+73 exec /home/michael/toggle_beamer.sh
-
-# Screen locking
-bind Mod1+68 exec /usr/bin/i3lock
-
-# Restart i3 inplace (Mod1+Shift+r)
-bind Mod1+Shift+27 restart
-
-# Exit i3 (Mod1+Shift+e)
-bind Mod1+Shift+26 exit
-
-# Brightness
-bind Mod1+97 exec sudo sh -c "echo up > /proc/acpi/ibm/brightness"
-bind Mod1+103 exec sudo sh -c "echo down > /proc/acpi/ibm/brightness"
-
-# Fullscreen
-bind Mod1+41 f
-# Stacking
-bind Mod1+43 s
-# Default
-bind Mod1+26 d
-
-# Focus (Mod1+j/k/l/;)
-bind Mod1+44 h
-bind Mod1+45 j
-bind Mod1+46 k
-bind Mod1+47 l
-
-# Focus Container (Mod3+j/k/l/;)
-bind Mod3+44 wch
-bind Mod3+45 wcj
-bind Mod3+46 wck
-bind Mod3+47 wcl
-
-# Snap (Mod1+Control+j/k/l/;)
-bind Mod1+Control+44 sh
-bind Mod1+Control+45 sj
-bind Mod1+Control+46 sk
-bind Mod1+Control+47 sl
-
-# Move (Mod1+Shift+j/k/l/;)
-bind Mod1+Shift+44 mh
-bind Mod1+Shift+45 mj
-bind Mod1+Shift+46 mk
-bind Mod1+Shift+47 ml
-
-# Move Container (Mod3+Shift+j/k/l/;)
-bind Mod3+Shift+44 wcmh
-bind Mod3+Shift+45 wcmj
-bind Mod3+Shift+46 wcmk
-bind Mod3+Shift+47 wcml
-
-# Workspaces
-bind Mod1+10 1
-bind Mod1+11 2
-...
-
-# Move to Workspace
-bind Mod1+Shift+10 1
-bind Mod1+Shift+11 2
-...
+# i3 config file (v4)
+
+# Font for window titles. Will also be used by the bar unless a different font
+# is used in the bar {} block below.
+# This font is widely installed, provides lots of unicode glyphs, right-to-left
+# text rendering and scalability on retina/hidpi displays (thanks to pango).
+font pango:DejaVu Sans Mono 8
+# Before i3 v4.8, we used to recommend this one as the default:
+# font -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--13-120-75-75-C-70-iso10646-1
+# The font above is very space-efficient, that is, it looks good, sharp and
+# clear in small sizes. However, its unicode glyph coverage is limited, the old
+# X core fonts rendering does not support right-to-left and this being a bitmap
+# font, it doesn’t scale on retina/hidpi displays.
+
+# use Mouse+Mod1 to drag floating windows to their wanted position
+floating_modifier Mod1
+
+# start a terminal
+bindsym Mod1+Return exec /usr/bin/urxvt
+
+# kill focused window
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+q kill
+
+# start dmenu (a program launcher)
+bindsym Mod1+d exec /usr/bin/dmenu_run
+
+# change focus
+bindsym Mod1+j focus left
+bindsym Mod1+k focus down
+bindsym Mod1+l focus up
+bindsym Mod1+semicolon focus right
+
+# alternatively, you can use the cursor keys:
+bindsym Mod1+Left focus left
+bindsym Mod1+Down focus down
+bindsym Mod1+Up focus up
+bindsym Mod1+Right focus right
+
+# move focused window
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+j move left
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+k move down
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+l move up
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+semicolon move right
+
+# alternatively, you can use the cursor keys:
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+Left move left
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+Down move down
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+Up move up
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+Right move right
+
+# split in horizontal orientation
+bindsym Mod1+h split h
+
+# split in vertical orientation
+bindsym Mod1+v split v
+
+# enter fullscreen mode for the focused container
+bindsym Mod1+f fullscreen toggle
+
+# change container layout (stacked, tabbed, default)
+bindsym Mod1+s layout stacking
+bindsym Mod1+w layout tabbed
+bindsym Mod1+e layout default
+
+# toggle tiling / floating
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+space floating toggle
+
+# change focus between tiling / floating windows
+bindsym Mod1+space focus mode_toggle
+
+# focus the parent container
+bindsym Mod1+a focus parent
+
+# focus the child container
+#bindsym Mod1+d focus child
+
+# switch to workspace
+bindsym Mod1+1 workspace 1
+bindsym Mod1+2 workspace 2
+# ..
+
+# move focused container to workspace
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+1 move workspace 1
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+2 move workspace 2
+# ...
+
+# reload the configuration file
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+c reload
+# restart i3 inplace (preserves your layout/session, can be used to upgrade i3)
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+r restart
+# exit i3 (logs you out of your X session)
+bindsym Mod1+Shift+e exit
+
+# display workspace buttons plus a statusline generated by i3status
+bar {
+ status_command i3status
+}
-------------------------------------------------------------
=== ~/.xsession
.Sample xsession
-------------------------------------------------------------
# Disable DPMS turning off the screen
-xset dpms force on
+xset -dpms
xset s off
+
# Disable bell
xset -b
-# Enforce correct locales from the beginning
-unset LC_COLLATE
-export LC_CTYPE=de_DE.UTF-8
-export LC_TIME=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_NUMERIC=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_MONETARY=de_DE.ISO8859-15
+# Enable zapping (C-A-<Bksp> kills X)
+setxkbmap -option terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp
+
+# Enforce correct locales from the beginning:
+# LC_ALL is unset since it overwrites everything
+# LANG=de_DE.UTF-8 is used, except for:
+# LC_MESSAGES=C never translates program output
+# LC_TIME=en_DK leads to yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm date/time output
+unset LC_ALL
+export LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
export LC_MESSAGES=C
-export LC_PAPER=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_NAME=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_ADDRESS=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_TELEPHONE=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_MEASUREMENT=de_DE.ISO8859-15
-export LC_IDENTIFICATION=de_DE.ISO8859-15
+export LC_TIME=en_DK.UTF-8
+
+# Use XToolkit in java applications
+export AWT_TOOLKIT=XToolkit
+
+# Set background color
+xsetroot -solid "#333333"
# Enable core dumps in case something goes wrong
ulimit -c unlimited
# Start i3 and log to ~/.i3/logfile
echo "Starting at $(date)" >> ~/.i3/logfile
-exec /usr/bin/i3 >> ~/.i3/logfile
+exec /usr/bin/i3 -V -d all >> ~/.i3/logfile
-------------------------------------------------------------
+== ENVIRONMENT
+
+=== I3SOCK
+
+This variable overwrites the IPC socket path (placed in
+/tmp/i3-%u.XXXXXX/ipc-socket.%p by default, where %u is replaced with your UNIX
+username, %p is replaced with i3’s PID and XXXXXX is a string of random
+characters from the portable filename character set (see mkdtemp(3))). The IPC
+socket is used by external programs like i3-msg(1) or i3bar(1).
+
== TODO
-There is still lot of work to do. Please check our bugtracker for up-to-date information
-about tasks which are still not finished.
+There is still lot of work to do. Please check our bugtracker for up-to-date
+information about tasks which are still not finished.
+
+== SEE ALSO
+
+You should have a copy of the userguide (featuring nice screenshots/graphics
+which is why this is not integrated into this manpage), the debugging guide,
+and the "how to hack" guide. If you are building from source, run:
+ +make -C docs+
+
+You can also access these documents online at https://i3wm.org/
+
+i3-input(1), i3-msg(1), i3bar(1), i3-nagbar(1), i3-config-wizard(1),
+i3-migrate-config-to-v4(1)
== AUTHOR
projects / i3 / i3 / blobdiff