alttab - the task switcher
alttab [-w N] [-d N]
[-sc N] [-mk str] [-kk str]
[-bk str] [-mm N] [-bm N]
[-t NxM] [-i NxM] [-vp str]
[-p str] [-s N] [-theme name]
[-bg color] [-fg color] [-frame
color] [-font name] [-v|-vv]
The task switcher designed for minimalistic window managers or
standalone X11 session.
Unlike task switchers integrated in most simple WMs, alttab
features visual interface and convenient tactile behaviour, switching
windows on releasing Alt key.
Being lightweight and depending only on core X11 libs, it still
features customizable look and behaviour.
Most command line options have corresponding X resource, see
doc/alttab.ad for example.
- -w NUMBER
- resource: alttab.windowmanager
default: autodetect, fallback to 3
- Control how to obtain window list and set focus. NUMBER must be
between 0 and 3:
- 0: No WM, raw X.
- Set this value manually, as it´s not autodetected. Only top-level
viewable children of root window are listed. Running -w 0 under WM
is discouraged: hidden windows or windows on another desktops will not be
listed; instead, some strange windows may be included.
- 1: EWMH compatible.
- Compatible WM list is in [SEE ALSO] below. alttab functions in xmonad
(EWMH must be allowed, details in doc/wm-setup.md), i3, evilwm, xfwm4,
metacity, jwm, openbox, fluxbox, icewm, enlightenment, blackbox, aewm,
fvwm, sawfish. The following WMs support EWMH partially but work in -w
1 mode too: dwm (issue #9), matchbox (issue #34), windowmaker (issue
#9), xpra (issue #37), cwm (issue #35), ctwm (issue #39), lwm (issue #40),
awesome (issue #41).
- 2: Ratpoison.
- Alttab uses ratpoison own remote control capability. Additionally, alttab
registers itself in its "unmanaged list" automatically.
- 3: Ancient WM.
- Fallback, worse than 0. Search for application windows at random
nodes of window tree (WM is probably reparenting) and select only those
with a name, including non-viewable (WM is probably iconifying). May cause
lag. Tested in twm, flwm, wm2.
- -d NUMBER
- resource: alttab.desktops
default: 0
- Show windows belonging to desktops (workspaces, groups). NUMBER
must be between 0 and 3:
- 0: Current desktop.
- This is default, although in non EWMH-compatible WM, except ratpoison,
it´s effectively the same as 1.
- 1: All desktops.
- 2: All desktops, excluding special (-1) one.
- In various EWMH WM this desktop may be designed hidden or containing
sticky windows. In i3, it´s "scratchpad".
- 3: All desktops, excluding current and special.
- -sc NUMBER
- resource: alttab.screens
default: 1
- Show windows belonging to xrandr/xinerama screens. NUMBER must be 0
or 1:
- 0: Current screen.
- As defined according to -vp pointer or -vp
focus.
- 1: All screens.
- This is default.
- -mk str
- resource: alttab.modifier.keysym
default: Alt_L
- Keysym of main modifier. String or number accepted. Suitable examples:
Control_L, Super_L.
- -kk str
- resource: alttab.key.keysym
default: Tab
- Keysym of main key. For example, grave (aka tilde), Escape.
- -bk str
- resource: alttab.backscroll.keysym
default: any Shift, according to ShiftMask
- Keysym of backward scroll key.
- -mm NUM
- resource: alttab.modifier.mask
- OBSOLETED, guessed from -mk instead.
- -bm NUM
- resource: alttab.backscroll.mask
- OBSOLETED, guessed from -bk instead.
- -t NNxMM
- resource: alttab.tile.geometry
default: 112x128
- Size of a single tile (mini-window). If switcher doesn´t fit the
viewport (-vp), tile may be thinner.
- -i NNxMM
- resource: alttab.icon.geometry
default: 32x32
- Size of icons.
- -vp str
- resource: alttab.viewport
default: focus
- Limit viewport for the switcher. The switcher always has variable size and
position, but tries to never break out of -vp container, while
-p specifies position relative to this container. Together these
options allow for multi-monitor support. Possible values for
-vp:
- focus: in multihead configuration: the monitor which shows largest
part of currently focused window. If this part is shared with other
monitors, then the smallest of these monitors is choosen. In single head
configuration: the geometry of default root window.
- pointer: the monitor which has mouse pointer, otherwise the same as
focus.
- The "multihead" above means more than one active XRANDR output.
They are detected at runtime, so hopefully monitors may be
attached/detached without restarting alttab.
- total: the geometry of default root window.
- If you specify this in tiling multihead, then the switcher will be drawn
relative to the entire combined screen, crossing monitors´
borders.
- WxH+X+Y: Specific position relative to default root window.
- This allows for static manual bounding if XRANDR detection fails. Suppose
X operates in tiling configuration for two 2560х1440 monitors,
resulting in combined screen of 5120x1440 size. Then the switcher may be
positioned at the center of the right monitor with -vp 2560x1440+2560+0 -p
center.
- -p str
- resource: alttab.position
default: center
- Position of switcher: "center", "none" or specific
position relative to upper left corner of viewport, in the form
+X+Y.
- -s NUMBER
- resource: alttab.icon.source
default: 2
- Source of icons. NUMBER must be between 0 and 3:
- 0: Use icons from X11 window attributes only.
- 1: Load icon from file if not found in window attributes.
- Alttab searches for PNG icons under:
- /usr/share/icons
/usr/local/share/icons
~/.icons
~/.local/share/icons
- Directory structure should obey freedesktop standard, but desktop files
are ignored, instead file name is expected to be equal to application
class. That is, if alttab doesn´t recognize an icon for window of
class foo, as obtained by ´xprop WM_CLASS´, then just drop a
32x32 icon into /usr/local/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/foo.png.
- 2: Prefer icon from file when it matches requested size better (see
-i option).
- 3: Use icons from files only.
- -theme
name
- resource: alttab.theme
default: hicolor
- Desktop theme for application icons. Used when -s is 1, 2 or
3.
The following three options accept color names or #rrggbb.
Special value _rnd_low or _rnd_high produce random color from
lower or upper RGB space respectively.
- -bg color
- resource: alttab.background
default: black
- Tile background color.
- -fg color
- resource: alttab.foreground
default: grey
- Foreground color.
- -frame
color
- resource: alttab.framecolor
default: #a0abab
- Color of frame around selected tile.
- -font
name
- resource: alttab.font
default: xft:sans-10
- Label font name in format: xft:fontconfig_pattern, like in emacs
and rxvt. See [SEE ALSO] for fontconfig pattern. It´s neither GTK
font pattern nor legacy XLFD.
Your Xresources database probably already has *background,
*foreground or *font wildcard definitions, which alttab will obey.
Precedence order (preferred first):
alttab.font resource,
-font option,
wildcard resource like *font in xfd: format.
- -v, -vv
- resource: no
default: silent
- Verbosity.
- -h
- short help
Run alttab after WM, or autodetection will fail.
Copyright 2017-2018 Alexander Kulak <sa-dev AT rainbow POINT
by>.
Please report issues on github
https://github.com/sagb/alttab/issues.
skippy-xd(1)
EWMH compatible WM list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Window_Manager_Hints#List_of_window_managers_that_support_Extended_Window_Manager_Hints.
Description of fontconfig pattern
https://www.freedesktop.org/software/fontconfig/fontconfig-user.html.