path: root/doc/asciidoc/fluxbox-keys.txt

fluxbox-keys(5)
===============
Jim Ramsay <i.am@jimramsay.com>
v1.3.2, 28 October 2011
:man source:   fluxbox-keys.txt
:man version:  {revision}
:man manual:   Fluxbox Manual

NAME
----
fluxbox-keys - keyboard shortcuts configuration for fluxbox(1)

SYNOPSIS
--------
~/.fluxbox/keys

SYNTAX
------
Variable parameters are shown in emphasis: 'argument'

Optional parameters are shown in square brackets: ['argument']

Other characters shown are required verbatim. Exceptions to these rules are
mentioned when appropriate.

DESCRIPTION
-----------
The keys file defines the keyboard shortcuts for 'fluxbox(1)'.

You can customize fluxbox's key handling through the ~/.fluxbox/keys file. The
file consists of entries of the basic format (the outer set of square brackets
is verbatim):

'keymode'*["*['modifiers'] 'key'*"]* = 'action'

For description of 'keymode' see the KEYMODES section.

The string in square brackets specifies the key combination to which an action
is bound. It consists of key names optionally preceded by modifiers. Keys and
modifiers are separated by spaces. Modifiers are case-insensitive, while some
key names are case-sensitive.

'action' can either be a lua funcion or a string representing a fluxbox command.
Lua functions can for example be used to change values of fluxbox resources (see
*fluxbox(1)* for a description of resources) or to add further keybindings.
Fluxbox commands are described in the COMMANDS section.

To remove a binding for a specific key combination use *nil* as 'action'. To
remove all keybindings from a keymode, use the syntax:

'keymode'*:clear()*

Standard lua comments are used: everything from *--* to the end of the line is
ignored. Block comments are enclosed in *--[[* and *]]*.

Changes to this file are automatically picked up by fluxbox so there is no need
to restart or reconfigure. Fluxbox will never overwrite this file.

MODIFIERS
---------
You can get a list of possible modifiers by calling `xmodmap -pm'. This also
shows you to which keys the modifiers are mapped, but the following modifiers
are most commonly used:

*Shift Control Mod1 Mod4*

where *Mod1* is the Alt key on the PC keyboard and *Mod4* is usually a key
branded with a familiar company logo.

There are also some special modifiers that refer to mouse button events:::
*OnDesktop*;;
	The mouse cursor is over the desktop (root window), and not any
	window.
*OnToolbar*;;
	The mouse cursor is over the toolbar (which is normally at the bottom
	of the screen).
*OnWindow*;;
	The mouse cursor is over a window.
*OnTitlebar*;;
	The mouse cursor is over a window's titlebar.
*Double*;;
	Limits this action to double-clicks only.

Combining Modifiers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To combine two or more modifiers, just list them (space-delimited) in any
order.

KEYS
----
You may specify a key by its key name (for example, *a* or *space*) or by its
numeric keycode (for example, *38* or *0xf3*).

If you don't know the name of a key, you can run *xev(1)* in a terminal, push
the key, and see the name in the output. If you have some "special" keys that
do not produce a key name in the output of *xev(1)*, you can just use the
keycode (NOT the keysym!) in your keys file.

Commands can also be bound to mouse events ('N' denotes the number of the
button, eg. '1' is the primary button, '4'/'5' are the wheel buttons):

*MouseN*;;
	The mouse button 'N' is pressed down and held.
*ClickN*;;
	The mouse button 'N' is clicked (pressed and released with no
	movement in between)
*MoveN*;;
	The mouse button 'N' is currently held, the bound action is triggered
	as often as the mouse moves.


There are some special "keys" that let you bind events to non-keyboard events:

*ChangeWorkspace*;;
	Fires when the workspace changes. This can be used to change backgrounds or
	do anything else you like when you switch to a new workspace. See the
	*EXAMPLES* below for one idea.

WARNING: Use caution with this event! For example, do NOT bind this to any
action that changes your current workspace. If you break your fluxbox with this
feature, you get to keep the pieces.

////////////////
TODO: Advanced users only?
*FocusIn* / *FocusOut*;;
	Fires when the focus is given to or removed from a window. It may be
	useful to combine this with the 'If' command, in the section *Special
	Commands* below.
*MouseOver* / *MouseOut*;;
	Fires when the mouse cursor enters or leaves a specific area of the
	screen. It may be useful to combine this with the 'On*' modifiers
	detailed above and/or the 'If' command.
////////////////

CHAINING
--------
Key bindings can be chained in a fashion similar to Emacs key bindings using the
syntax:

'keymode'*["*['modifiers-1'] 'key-1' ['modifiers-2'] 'key-2'... *"]* = 'action'

To abort a chained command part-way through typing it, press the <ESC> key.

.To Bind CTRL+C CTRL+X (Which means, press CTRL+C then CTRL+X) to quit fluxbox
........
default_keymode["Control c Control x"] = "Quit"
........

KEYMODES
--------
A specific set of key mappings can be activated and de-activated on-the-fly
using what are called keymodes. Fluxbox provides a default keymode called
*default_keymode*. To create a new keymode use the syntax:

'keymode' *= newKeymode()*

Where 'keymode' is any legal lua variable name. If you want to activate this
keymode when a certain key combination is pressed, use the syntax:

'other_keymode'*["*'key combination'*"] = function()* 'keymode'*:activate() end*

When this keymode is activated, all bindings
prefaced by that keymode name become active (and all other keybindings will be
deactivated) until the keymode changes again. Do not forget to add a binding
which will reactivate the old keymode if you want to be able to return to it.

If you do not want to type *default_keymode* for every binding, you can create
an alias for it using the syntax:

'x' *= default_keymode*

COMMANDS
--------
Some commands have multiple names which are shown below as:::
	CMD1 | CMD2

Related commands have been grouped below as:::
	CMD1 / CMD2

The commands are broken up into sections as follows:::
- Mouse Commands
- Window Commands
- Workspace Commands
- Menu Commands
- Window Manager Commands
- Special Commands

Mouse Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands may only be bound to mouse buttons (plus modifiers), not
keystrokes. In all cases, the action finishes when the mouse button is
released.

*StartMoving*::
	Start dragging to move the window.

*StartResizing* ['corner']::
Start dragging to resize the window as if you had grabbed the window
at the specified 'corner'.
+
By default 'corner' is *BottomRight*, but may be overridden with one of:;;
*NearestCorner NearestEdge Center TopLeft Top TopRight Left Right BottomLeft
Bottom BottomRight*

*StartTabbing*::
	Start dragging to add this window to another's tabgroup.

*ActivateTab*::
	Activates the tab underneath the mouse.

Window Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands ordinarily affect only the currently focused window. The
*OnWindow* modifier and *ForEach* command may affect the window that is used.

*Minimize* | *MinimizeWindow* | *Iconify*::
	Minimize the current window, equivalent to the window button.

*Maximize* | *MaximizeWindow*::
	Maximize the current window, equivalent to the window button.

*MaximizeHorizontal* / *MaximizeVertical*::
	Maximize the current window in one direction only, leaving the other
	dimension unchanged.

*Fullscreen*::
	Resize the window's content to fit the whole screen, without
	any window decoration.

*Raise* / *Lower*::
	Reorder this window to the top or bottom of the window stack, within
	its current layer. See 'fluxbox(1)' for a discussion of layers.

*RaiseLayer* / *LowerLayer* ['offset']::
	Raise the window up to the layer above, or lower it to the layer
	below. See 'fluxbox(1)' for a discussion of layers.

*SetLayer* 'layer'::
	Move the window to the specified layer. 'layer' should be one of
	*AboveDock*, *Dock*, *Top*, *Normal*, *Bottom*, *Desktop*. See
	'fluxbox(1)' for a discussion of layers.

*Close*::
	Close the current window, equivalent to the window button.

*Kill* | *KillWindow*::
	Close a window that's not responding to *Close*, like using *xkill(1)*.

*Shade* | *ShadeWindow*::
	Toggle the *shaded* state of the current window, equivalent to the
	window button. A *shaded* window appears as only the title bar.

*ShadeOn* / *ShadeOff*::
	Set the *shaded* state of the window to On / Off.

*Stick* | *StickWindow*::
	Toggle the *sticky* state of the current window, equivalent to the
	window button. A *sticky* window is visible on all workspaces.

*SetDecor* 'decor'::
	Sets which window decorations will be shown. 'decor' has the same format
	as the `[Deco]' parameter in the apps file. See 'fluxbox-apps(5)' for more info.

*ToggleDecor*::
	Toggles the presence of the window decorations (title bar, window
	buttons, and resize bar).

*NextTab* / *PrevTab*::
	Cycle to the next / previous tab in the current tab group.

*Tab* 'number'::
	Cycle to the given tab in the current tab group, where *1* is the
	first tab. A negative 'number' counts from the end of the tab group
	(*-1* is the last tab, *-2* is the next-to-last, etc.).

*MoveTabRight* / *MoveTabLeft*::
	Reorder the tabs in the current tab group, swapping the current tab
	with the one to the right / left.

*DetachClient*::
	Remove the current tab from the tab group, placing it in its own window.

*ResizeTo* 'width[%]' 'height[%]'::
	Resizes the window to the given width and height. If the value is given in
	percent, then the window size will be based on the current screen's size.

*Resize* 'delta-width[%]' 'delta-height[%]'::
	Resizes the window relative to the current width and height. If the value
	is given in percent, then the window size will be based on the current
	window's size.

*ResizeHorizontal* 'delta-width[%]' / *ResizeVertical* 'delta-height[%]'::
	Resizes the window in one dimension only. If the value is given in
	percent, then the window size will be based on the current window's size.

*MoveTo* 'x[%]' 'y[%]' ['anchor']::
Moves the window to the given coordinates, given in pixels or relatively to
the current screen size if % is specified after the value.
+
If either 'x' or 'y' is set to *\**, that coordinate will be ignored, and the
movement will only take place in one dimension.
+
The default 'anchor' is the upper left corner, but this may be overridden with one of:;;
*TopLeft Left BottomLeft Top Center Bottom TopRight Right BottomRight*

*Move* 'delta-x' 'delta-y'::
	Moves the window relative to its current position. Positive numbers
	refer to right and down, and negative to left and up, respectively.

*MoveRight* 'd' / *MoveLeft* 'd' / *MoveUp* 'd' / *MoveDown* 'd'::
	Moves the window relative to its current position by the number of
	pixels specified in 'd'. If the number is negative, it moves in the
	opposite direction.

*TakeToWorkspace* 'workspace' / *SendToWorkspace* 'workspace'::
	Sends you along with the current window to the selected workspace.
	SendToWorkspace just sends the window. The first workspace is number
	*1*, not 0.

*TakeToNextWorkspace* ['offset'] / *TakeToPrevWorkspace* ['offset']::
	Sends you along with the current window to the next or previous
	workspace. If you set 'offset' to a value greater than the default of
	*1*, it will move you that number of workspaces ahead or behind. If
	you go beyond the end of the currently defined workspaces, it will
	wrap around to the other end automatically.

*SendToNextWorkspace* ['offset'] / *SendToPrevWorkspace* ['offset']::
	Identical to the "TakeTo..." commands, but again this sends only the
	window, and does not move you away from your current workspace.

*SetAlpha* ['alpha' ['unfocused-alpha']]::
Sets the alpha value of a window.
+
Putting a *+* or *-* in front of
the value adds or subtracts from the current value. A plain integer
sets the value explicitly.
+
no arguments;;
	Resets both focused and unfocused settings to default opacity.
one argument;;
	Changes both focused and unfocused alpha settings.
two arguments;;
	First value becomes the focused alpha, second becomes the unfocused
	alpha value.

*SetHead* 'number'::
	Moves the window to the given display head. Only available when fluxbox
	has been compiled with Xinerama support.

*SendToNextHead* ['offset'] / *SendToPrevHead* ['offset']::
	Sends the current window to the next/previous display head. If you
	specify an 'offset' greater than *1*, it will move the window that many
	heads. If this takes the window beyond the total number of heads, it
	will wrap around to the beginning.

*SetXProp* 'PROP=value'::
	Sets the xproperty 'PROP' of the current window to 'value'. Delete the
	content of 'PROP' by using 'PROP='.

Workspace Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands affect the entire workspace (or "desktop" as it is sometimes
called).

*AddWorkspace* / *RemoveLastWorkspace*::
	Adds or removes a workspace from the end of the list of workspaces.

*NextWorkspace* ['n'] / *PrevWorkspace* ['n'] / *RightWorkspace* ['n'] / *LeftWorkspace* ['n']::
	Switch to the Next / Previous workspace. All versions accept an
	offset value 'n', which defaults to *1* and refers to the number of
	workspaces to move at one time. {Next,Prev}Workspace wrap around when
	going past the last workspace, whereas {Right,Left}Workspace do not.

*Workspace* 'number'::
	Jumps to the given workspace 'number'. The first workspace is *1*.

*NextWindow* [{'options'}] ['pattern'] / *PrevWindow* [{'options'}] ['pattern']::
Focuses the next / previous window in the focus list.
+
'options' is one or more of the following, space delimited:;;
+
--
	*static*;;
		Instead of moving in order of most-recent focus, move in
		order of when the window was opened (or, the order shown in
		the iconbar).
	*groups*;;
		Only include the current tab in windows with multiple tabs.
--
+
If 'pattern' arguments are supplied, only windows that match all the
patterns are considered - all others are skipped. See the section *CLIENT
PATTERNS* below for more information.
+
This pair of commands has a special side-effect when the keybinding used has a
modifier - It will temporarily raise the cycled window to the front so you can
see it, but if you continue holding down the modifier and press the key again
(For example, keep holding "Alt" while you tap the "Tab" key a few times),
fluxbox will lower the window again when you move on to the next one. This
allows you to preview the windows in order, but does not change the order in
doing so.

*NextGroup* [{'options'}] ['pattern'] / *PrevGroup* [{'options'}] ['pattern']::
	Equivalent to NextWindow / PrevWindow above, but with the *groups*
	option forced on.

*GotoWindow* 'number' [{'options'}] ['pattern']::
	Focuses and activates the window at position 'number' in the focus
	list. The 'options' and 'pattern' arguments have the same meaning as
	*NextWindow* above.

*Activate* ['pattern'] | *Focus* ['pattern']::
	With 'pattern', this is an alias for *GoToWindow* 1 'pattern'. Without,
	this behaves like a window command, so that OnWindow events can change
	the focused window.

*Attach* 'pattern'::
	Combines all windows that match the 'pattern' into a single tab group.
	See *CLIENT PATTERNS* for more about the 'pattern' arguments.

*FocusLeft* / *FocusRight* / *FocusUp* / *FocusDown*::
	Focus to the next window which is located in the direction specified.

*ArrangeWindows* 'pattern' / *ArrangeWindowsVertical* 'pattern' / *ArrangeWindowsHorizontal* 'pattern'::
	Tries to arrange all windows on the current workspace so that they overlap the
	least amount possible. *ArrangeWindowsVertical* prefers vertical splits
	(windows side by side), whereas *ArrangeWindowsHorizontal* prefers horizontal
	splits (windows on top of eachother). See *CLIENT PATTERNS* for more about the
	'pattern' arguments.

*ShowDesktop*::
	Minimizes all windows on the current workspace. If they are already all
	minimized, then it restores them.

*Deiconify* 'mode' 'destination'::
Deiconifies windows (or, restores from a minimized state).
+
Where 'mode' may be one of:;;
+
--
	*All*;;
		All icons across all workspaces.
	*AllWorkspace*;;
		All icons on the current workspace.
	*Last*;;
		The last icon across all workspaces.
	*LastWorkspace* (default);;
		The last icon on the current workspace.

--
+
And 'destination' may be one of:;;
+
--
	*Current* (default);;
		Deiconify to the current workspace.
//////
	TODO: Leave this out until it is stable!
	*Origin*;;
		Deiconify to the window's original workspace, and moves you
		there.... sometimes?
//////
	*OriginQuiet*;;
		Deiconify to the window's original workspace, but does so in
		the background, without moving you there.
--

*SetWorkspaceName* 'name' / *SetWorkspaceNameDialog*::
	Sets the name of the current workspace.

*CloseAllWindows*::
	Closes all windows on all desktops.

Menu Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands open or close fluxbox popup menus. For more information on
what these menus contain or how to configure them, see 'fluxbox(1)'.

*RootMenu*;;
	Opens the root menu. See *ROOT MENU* in *fluxbox-menu(5)* for details.

*WorkspaceMenu*;;
	Opens a menu showing all workspaces and windows. See *Workspace Menu* in
	*fluxbox(1)* for details.

*WindowMenu*;;
	Opens a menu containing actions for the current window. See *WINDOW MENU* in
	*fluxbox-menu(5)* for details.

*ClientMenu* ['pattern']::
	Opens a menu that contains all windows. If you specify a 'pattern', only
	matching windows will be in the menu. Selecting a window will jump to that
	workspace and raise the window. See *CLIENT PATTERNS* below for more details
	on the 'pattern' argument.

*CustomMenu* 'path'::
	Opens a custom menu file. This 'path' must be a valid menu file in the same
	format as detailed by the *ROOT MENU* section of *fluxbox-menu(5)*.

*HideMenus*::
	Hide all fluxbox popup menus.

Window Manager Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands affect the Window Manager, or more than one window.

*Restart* ['path']::
	Restarts fluxbox. This does not close any running applications. If
	the optional 'path' is a path to an executable window manager, that
	manager is started in place of fluxbox.

*Quit* | *Exit*::
	Exits fluxbox. This will normally cause X to stop as well and
	terminate all existing applications, returning you to the login
	manager or console.

*Reconfig* | *Reconfigure*::
	Reloads all fluxbox configuration files including the keys file, apps
	file, and init file, if they have changed.

*SetStyle* 'path'::
	Sets the current style to that given in 'path', which must be the full
	path to a fluxbox style.

*ReloadStyle*::
	Reloads only the current style. Useful after editing a style which is
	currently in use.

*ExecCommand* 'args ...' | *Exec* 'args ...' | *Execute* 'args ...'::
	Probably the most-used binding of all. Passes all the arguments to
	your *$SHELL* (or /bin/sh if $SHELL is not set). You can use this to
	launch applications, run shell scripts, etc. Since all arguments are
	passed verbatim to the shell, you can use environment variables,
	pipes, or anything else the shell can do. Note that processes only
	see environment variables that were set before fluxbox started (such
	as in *\~/.fluxbox/startup*), or any that are set via the *Export* or
	*SetEnv* commands, below. See *fluxbox(1)* for more details on the
	*ENVIRONMENT* and *\~/.fluxbox/startup* file.

*CommandDialog*::
	Pops up a dialog box that lets you type in any of these commands
	manually.

*SetEnv* 'name' 'value' | *Export* 'name'='value'::
	Sets an environment variable in Fluxbox. It will be passed to any
	applications spawned by any future ExecCommand commands.

*SetResourceValue* 'resourcename' 'resourcevalue' | *SetResourceValueDialog*::
	Sets a fluxbox resource value, which are normally stored in the init
	file. See 'fluxbox(1)' for more details on available resources and
	allowed values.

Special Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These commands have special meanings or behaviors.

*MacroCmd* {'command1'} {'command2'} {'command3'} '...'::
	Allows you to execute more than one command with one keybinding. The
	commands will be executed in series. The *{* *}* brackets are
	literally required, as in the following example:

	MacroCmd {MoveTo 0 0} {ResizeTo 1280 800}

*Delay* {'command'} ['microseconds']::
	Delays running 'command' for the given amount of time. If the same
	key binding is activated again, the timer will be restarted.

*ToggleCmd* {'command1'} {'command2'} '...'::
	Alternates between the commands. On the first press of the bound
	key, runs 'command1'. On the next press, runs 'command2'.

*ForEach* {'command'} [{'condition'}] | *Map* {'command'} [{'condition'}]::
	Runs the given 'command' (normally one from the *Window Commands*
	section above) on each window. If you specify a 'condition' (See
	*Conditions*, below) the action will be limited to matching windows.

*If* {'condition'} {'then-command'} [{'else-command'}] | *Cond*  {'condition'} {'then-command'} [{'else-command'}]::
	If the 'condition' command returns *true*, then run the
	'then-command', otherwise run the optional 'else-command'. See
	*Conditions* below for more information on the 'condition' argument.

Conditions
~~~~~~~~~~
These special commands are used to match windows conditionally. They are
commonly used by the *If* and *ForEach* command.

*Matches* 'pattern'::
Returns *true* if the current window matches the given 'pattern'. See *CLIENT
PATTERNS* below for details on the 'pattern' syntax.
+
If your key binding uses the *OnWindow* modifier, it matches against the window
you clicked, not the currently focused window.
+
To check other windows besides the currently focused one, see the *Every* and
*Some* conditions below.

*Some* 'condition'::
	Returns *true* if any window on any workspace (not just the currently
	focused one) matches the 'condition'.

*Every* 'condition'::
	Returns *true* if every window on every workspace (not just the
	current one) matches the 'condition'.

*Not* 'condition'::
	Returns *true* if 'condition' returns *false*, and vice-versa.

*And* {'condition1'} {'condition2'} [{'condition3'} ...]::
	Returns *true* if and only if all given conditions return *true*.

*Or* {'condition1'} {'condition2'} [{'condition3'} ...]::
	Returns *true* if any of the listed conditions return *true*.

*Xor* {'condition1'} {'condition2'} [{'condition3'} ...]::
	Returns the boolean *xor* of the truth values for all conditions
	listed.


CLIENT PATTERNS
---------------
Many of the more advanced commands take a 'pattern' argument, which allows you
to direct the action at a specific window or set of windows which match the
properties specified in the 'pattern'.

include::client-patterns.txt[]

FILES
-----
*~/.fluxbox/keys.lua*::
	This is the default location for the keybinding definitions.
*/usr/X11R6/include/X11/keysymdef.h*::
	X key names are in this file.
*/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XKeysymDB*::
	X key names are also in this file.

RESOURCES
---------
*session.keyFile:* 'location'::
      This may be set to override the location of the keybinding definitions.

ENVIRONMENT
-----------
Remember that *ExecCommand* command can take advantage of other environment
variables if they are set before fluxbox is started, or via the *Export* or
*SetEnv* commands. For example, if *$TERM* is set, it could be use like this:

...........................
Mod1 x :ExecCommand $TERM
...........................

For more information about environment variables, see your shell's manual.

EXAMPLES
--------
Here are some interesting and/or useful examples you can do with your keys
file.

..................
-- Mod4+drag moves a window
default_keymode["OnWindow Mod4 Mouse1"] = "StartMoving"

-- If any xterm windows are open, cycle through them. If none are open, open
-- one:
default_keymode["Mod4 t"] = "If {Some Matches (xterm)} {NextWindow (xterm)} {Exec xterm}"

-- Set a different wallpaper on every workspace:
default_keymode["ChangeWorkspace"] = "Exec fbsetbg ~/.fluxbox/bg$(xprop -root _NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP | awk '{print $3}').png"

-- Focusses the next window with it's xproperty 'PROP' set to 'foo'
default_keymode["Mod4 p Mod4 Tab"] = "NextWindow (@PROP=foo)"
..................


AUTHORS
-------
- Jim Ramsay <i.am at jimramsay com> (>fluxbox-1.0.0)
- Curt Micol <asenchi at asenchi com> (>fluxbox-0.9.11)
- Tobias Klausmann <klausman at users sourceforge net> (<=fluxbox-0.9.11)
- Grubert <grubert at users sourceforge net> (fluxbox)
- Matthew Hawkins <matt at mh dropbear id au> (blackbox)
- Wilbert Berendsen <wbsoft at xs4all nl> (blackbox)

SEE ALSO
--------
fluxbox(1) xprop(1) xev(1) xkill(1) regex(7)