----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- | -- Module : Documentation -- Copyright : (C) 2007 Andrea Rossato -- License : BSD3 -- -- Maintainer : andrea.rossato@unibz.it -- Stability : unstable -- Portability : unportable -- -- This is a module for documenting the xmonad-contrib library. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- module Documentation ( -- * Configuring xmonad -- $configure -- ** A simple example -- $example -- ** Checking whether your xmonad.hs is correct -- $check -- ** Loading your configuration -- $load -- ** Where are the defaults? -- $where -- * The xmonad-contrib library -- $library -- ** Actions -- $actions -- ** Configurations -- $configs -- ** Hooks -- $hooks -- ** Layouts -- $layouts -- ** Prompts -- $prompts -- ** Utilities -- $utils -- * Extending xmonad -- $extending -- ** Editing key bindings -- $keys -- *** Adding key bindings -- $keyAdding -- *** Removing key bindings -- $keyDel -- *** Adding and removing key bindings -- $keyAddDel -- ** Editing the layout hook -- $layoutHook -- ** Editing the manage hook -- $manageHook -- ** The log hook and external status bars -- $logHook -- * Writing new extensions -- $writing -- ** Libraries for writing window managers -- $xmonad-libs -- ** xmonad internals -- $internals -- *** The @main@ entry point -- $main -- *** The X monad and the internal state -- $internalState -- *** Event handling and messages -- $events -- *** The 'LayoutClass' -- $layoutClass -- ** Coding style -- $style -- ** Licensing policy -- $license ) where -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- -- Configuring Xmonad -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- {- $configure #Configuring_xmonad# xmonad can be configured by creating and editing the Haskell file: > ~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs If this file does not exist, xmonad will simply use default settings; if it does exist, xmonad will use whatever settings you specify. Note that this file can contain arbitrary Haskell code, which means that you have quite a lot of flexibility in configuring xmonad. NOTE for users of previous versions (< 0.5) of xmonad: this is a major change in the way xmonad is configured. Prior to version 0.5, configuring xmonad required editing an xmonad source file called Config.hs, recompiling xmonad, and then restarting. From version 0.5 onwards, however, all you have to do is edit xmonad.hs and restart with @mod-q@; xmonad does the recompiling itself. The format of the configuration file has also changed; it is now simpler and much shorter, only requiring you to list those settings which are different from the defaults. -} {- $example #A_simple_example# Here is a basic example, which starts with the default xmonad configuration and overrides the border width, default terminal, and some colours: > -- > -- An example, simple ~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs file. > -- It overrides a few basic settings, reusing all the other defaults. > -- > > import XMonad > > main = xmonad $ defaultConfig > { borderWidth = 2 > , terminal = "urxvt" > , normalBorderColor = "#cccccc" > , focusedBorderColor = "#cd8b00" } This will run \'xmonad\', the window manager, with your settings passed as arguments. Overriding default settings like this (using \"record update syntax\"), will yield the shortest config file, as you only have to describe values that differ from the defaults. An alternative is to inline the entire default config file from xmonad, and edit values you wish to change. This is requires more work, but some users may find this easier. You can find the defaults in the file: > XMonad/Config.hs However, note that you should not edit Config.hs itself. -} {- $check #Checking_whether_your_xmonad.hs_is_correct# After changing your configuration, it is a good idea to check that it is syntactically and type correct. You can do this easily by loading your configuration file in the Haskell interpreter: > $ ghci ~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs > GHCi, version 6.8.1: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ :? for help > Loading package base ... linking ... done. > Ok, modules loaded: Main. > > Prelude Main> :t main > main :: IO () Ok, looks good. -} {- $load #Loading_your_configuration# To get xmonad to use your new settings, type @mod-q@. xmonad will attempt to compile this file, and run it. If everything goes well, xmonad will seamlessly restart itself with the new settings, keeping all your windows, layouts, etc. intact. If something goes wrong, the previous (default) settings will be used. Note this requires that GHC and xmonad are in your @$PATH@. If GHC isn't in your path, you can still compile @xmonad.hs@ yourself: > $ cd ~/.xmonad > $ /path/to/ghc --make xmonad.hs > $ ls > xmonad xmonad.hi xmonad.hs xmonad.o When you hit @mod-q@, this newly compiled xmonad will be used. -} {- $where #Where_are_the_defaults?# The default configuration values are defined in the source file: > XMonad/Config.hs the 'XMonad.Core.XConfig' data structure itself is defined in: > XMonad/Core.hs See "XMonad.Core". -} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- -- The XmonadContrib Library -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- {- $library The xmonad-contrib (xmc) library is a set of modules contributed by xmonad hackers and users. Examples include an ion3-like tabbed layout, a prompt\/program launcher, and various other useful modules. Some of these modules provide libraries and other useful functions to write other modules and extensions. This is a short overview of the xmc content. -} {- $actions In the @XMonad.Actions@ name space you can find modules exporting functions that can be usually attached to, and thus called with, some key bindings. Each module should come with extensive documentation. There are many examples. Just to name two of them: * "XMonad.Actions.CycleWS" provides functions to switch to the next or the previous workspace ('XMonad.Actions.CycleWS.nextWS' and 'XMonad.Actions.CycleWS.prevWS', or to move the focused window to the next of previous workspace ('XMonad.Actions.CycleWS.shiftToNext' and 'XMonad.Actions.CycleWS.shiftToPrev') * "XMonad.Actions.DeManage" provides an a method to cease management of a window, without unmapping it ('XMonad.Actions.DeManage.demanage') See "Documentation#Editing_key_bindings" for instruction on how to edit key bindings for adding actions. -} {- $configs In the @XMonad.Config@ name space you can find modules exporting the default configuration of some of the xmonad and xmonad-contrig libraries developers. You can use the source code of these configuration examples also as starting points for writing your own personal configuration. -} {- $hooks In the @XMonad.Hooks@ name space you can find modules exporting hooks. Hooks are actions that xmonad performs when some events occur. The two most important hooks are: * 'XMonad.Core.manageHook': this hook is called when a new window xmonad must take care of is created. This is a very powerful hook, since it let us look at the new window's properties and act accordingly. For instance, we can configure xmonad to put windows belonging to a given application in the float layer, not to manage dock applications, or open them in a given workspace. See "Documentation#Editing_the_manage_hook" for more information on customizing the 'XMonad.Core.manageHook'. * 'XMonad.Core.logHook': this hook is called when the stack of windows managed by xmonad has been changed, by calling the 'XMonad.Operations.windows' function. For instance "XMonad.Hooks.DynamicLog" will produce a string (whose format can be configured) to be printed to the standard output. This can be used to display some information about the xmonad state in a Status Bar. See "Documentation#The_log_hook_and_external_status_bars" for more information. -} {- $layouts In the @XMonad.Layout@ name space you can find modules exporting contributed tiling algorithms, such as a tabbed layout, a circle and a three columns ones, etc. Other modules provide facilities for combining different layouts, such as "XMonad.Layout.Combo", or a complete set of layout combinators, like "XMonad.Layout.LayoutCombinators" Layouts can be also modified with layout modifiers. A general interface for writing layout modifiers is implemented in "XMonad.Layout.LayoutModifier". For more information on using those modules for customizing your 'XMonad.Core.layoutHook' see "Documentation#Editing_the_layout_hook". -} {- $prompts In the @XMonad.Prompt@ name space you can find modules exporting graphical prompts for getting user input and performing, with it, different actions. "XMonad.Prompt" provides a library for easily writing prompts. These are the available prompts: * "XMonad.Prompt.Directory" * "XMonad.Prompt.Layout" * "XMonad.Prompt.Man" * "XMonad.Prompt.Shell" * "XMonad.Prompt.Ssh" * "XMonad.Prompt.Window" * "XMonad.Prompt.Workspace" * "XMonad.Prompt.XMonad" Usually a prompt is called by some key binding. See "Documentation#Editing_key_bindings" on how to configure xmonad to use some prompts. The give examples include adding some prompts. -} {- $utils In the @XMonad.Util@ name space you can find modules exporting various utility functions that are used by the other modules of the xmonad-contrib library. There are also utilities for helping in configuring xmonad or using external utilities. A non complete list with a brief description: * "XMonad.Util.CustomKeys" or "XMonad.Util.EZConfig" can be used to configure key bindings (see "Documentation#Editing_key_bindings"); * "XMonad.Util.Dzen" "XMonad.Util.Dmenu" provide useful functions for running dzen as a xmonad status bar and dmenu as a program launcher; * "XMonad.Util.XSelection" provide utilities for using the mouse selection; * "XMonad.Util.XUtils" and "XMonad.Util.Font" are libraries for accessing Xlib and XFT function in a convenient way. -} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- -- Extending Xmonad -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- {- $extending #Extending_xmonad# Since the @xmonad.hs@ file is just another Haskell module, you may import and use any Haskell code or libraries you wish, such as extensions from the xmonad-contrib library, or other code you write yourself. -} {- $keys #Editing_key_bindings# Editing key bindings means changing the 'XMonad.Core.XConfig.keys' record of the 'XMonad.Core.XConfig' data type, like: > main = xmonad defaultConfig { keys = myKeys } and providing a proper definition of @myKeys@ such as: > myKeys x = > [ ((modMask x, xK_F12), xmonadPrompt defaultXPConfig) > , ((modMask x, xK_F3 ), shellPrompt defaultXPConfig) > ] Remember that this definition requires importing "Graphics.X11.Xlib", "XMonad.Prompt", "XMonad.Prompt.Shell", and "XMonad.Prompt.XMonad" Sometimes, more than completely redefining the key bindings, as we did above, we may want to add some new bindings, or\/and remove existing ones. -} {- $keyAdding #Adding_key_bindings# Adding key bindings can be done in different ways. The type signature of "XMonad.Core.XConfig.keys" is: > keys :: XConfig Layout -> M.Map (ButtonMask,KeySym) (X ()) which means thatm in order to add new bindings you need to create a 'Data.Map.Map' from the list of your new key bindings, you can do that with 'Data.Map.fromList', and then join this newly created map with the one of the existing bindings. This can be done with 'Data.Map.union'. For instance, if you have defined some additional key bindings like these: > myKeys x = > [ ((modMask x, xK_F12), xmonadPrompt defaultXPConfig) > , ((modMask x, xK_F3 ), shellPrompt defaultXPConfig) > ] then you create a new key bindings map by joining the default one with yours: > newKeys x = M.union (keys defaultConfig x) (M.fromList (myKeys x)) Finally you need to update accordingly the default configuration 'XMonad.Core.XConfig.keys' record: > main = xmonad defaultConfig { keys = newKeys } And that's it. At the end your @~\/.xmonad\/xmonad.hs@ would look like this: > module Main (main) where > > import XMonad > > import qualified Data.Map as M > import Graphics.X11.Xlib > import XMonad.Prompt > import XMonad.Prompt.Shell > import XMonad.Prompt.XMonad > > main :: IO () > main = xmonad defaultConfig { keys = newKeys } > > newKeys x = M.union (keys defaultConfig x) (M.fromList (myKeys x)) > > myKeys x = > [ ((modMask x, xK_F12), xmonadPrompt defaultXPConfig) > , ((modMask x, xK_F3 ), shellPrompt defaultXPConfig) > ] Obviously there are other ways of defining @newKeys@. For instance, you could define it like this: > newKeys x = foldr (uncurry M.insert) (keys defaultConfig x) (myKeys x) An even simpler way to add new key bindings is the use of some of the utilities provided by the xmonad-contrib library. For instance, "XMonad.Util.EZConfig" and "XMonad.Util.CustomKeys" both provide useful functions for editing your key bindings. Look, for instance, at 'XMonad.Util.EZConfig.additionalKeys'. -} {- $keyDel #Removing_key_bindings# Removing key bindings requires modifying the binding 'Data.Map.Map'. This can be done with 'Data.Map.difference' or with 'Data.Map.delete'. Suppose you wan to get rid of @mod-q@ and @mod-shift-q@. To do this you just need to define a @newKeys@ as a 'Data.Map.difference' between the default map and the map of the key bindings you want to remove. > newKeys x = M.difference (keys defaultConfig x) (M.fromList $ keysToRemove x) > > keysToRemove :: XConfig Layout -> [((KeyMask, KeySym),X ())] > keysToRemove x = > [ ((modMask x , xK_q ), return ()) > , ((modMask x .|. shiftMask, xK_q ), return ()) > ] As you may see we do not need to define an action for the key bindings we want to get rid of. We just build a map of keys to remove. It is also possible to define a list of key bindings and then use 'Data.Map.delete' to remove them from the default key bindings, in which case we should write something like: > newKeys x = foldr M.delete (keys defaultConfig x) (keysToRemove x) > > keysToRemove :: XConfig Layout -> [(KeyMask, KeySym)] > keysToRemove x = > [ (modMask x , xK_q ) > , (modMask x .|. shiftMask, xK_q ) > ] Another even simpler possibility is the use of some of the utilities provided by the xmonad-contrib library. Look, for instance, at 'XMonad.Util.EZConfig.removeKeys'. -} {- $keyAddDel #Adding_and_removing_key_bindings# Adding and removing key bindings requires to compose the action of removing and, after that, the action of adding. This is an example you may find in "XMonad.Config.Arossato": > defKeys = keys defaultConfig > delKeys x = foldr M.delete (defKeys x) (toRemove x) > newKeys x = foldr (uncurry M.insert) (delKeys x) (toAdd x) > -- remove some of the default key bindings > toRemove x = > [ (modMask x , xK_j ) > , (modMask x , xK_k ) > , (modMask x , xK_p ) > , (modMask x .|. shiftMask, xK_p ) > , (modMask x .|. shiftMask, xK_q ) > , (modMask x , xK_q ) > ] ++ > -- I want modMask .|. shiftMask 1-9 to be free! > [(shiftMask .|. modMask x, k) | k <- [xK_1 .. xK_9]] > -- These are my personal key bindings > toAdd x = > [ ((modMask x , xK_F12 ), xmonadPrompt defaultXPConfig ) > , ((modMask x , xK_F3 ), shellPrompt defaultXPConfig ) > ] ++ > -- Use modMask .|. shiftMask .|. controlMask 1-9 instead > [( (m .|. modMask x, k), windows $ f i) > | (i, k) <- zip (workspaces x) [xK_1 .. xK_9] > , (f, m) <- [(W.greedyView, 0), (W.shift, shiftMask .|. controlMask)] > ] You can achieve the same result by using "XMonad.Util.CustomKeys" and, specifically, 'XMonad.Util.CustomKeys.customKeys'. -} {- $layoutHook #Editing_the_layout_hook# When you start an application that opens a new window, when you change the focused window, or move it to another workspace, or change that workspace's layout, xmonad will use the 'XMonad.Core.layoutHook' for reordering the visible windows on the visible workspace(s). Since different layouts may be attached to different workspaces, and you can change them, xmonad needs to know which one to pick up, so, the layoutHook may be thought as a stack, or even better a combination of layouts. This also means an order, i.e. a list. The problem is that the layout subsystem is implemented with an advanced feature of the Haskell programming language: type classes. This allows us to very easily write new layouts, combine or modify existing layouts, have some of them with a state, etc. See "Documentation#The_LayoutClass" for more information. The price we have to pay to get all that for free - which is something that makes xmonad so powerful with such a ridiculously low number of lines - is that we cannot simply have a list of layouts as we used to have before the 0.5 release. Instead the combination of layouts to be used by xmonad is created with a specific layout combinator: 'XMonad.Layouts.|||' Suppose we want a list with the 'XMonad.Layouts.Full', the 'XMonad.Layout.Tabbed.tabbed' and the 'XMonad.Layout.Accordion.Accordion' layouts. First we import, in our @~\/.xmonad\/xmonad.hs@, all the needed module: > import XMonad > import XMonad.Layouts > > import XMonad.Layout.Tabbed > import XMonad.Layout.Accordion Then we create the combination of layouts we need: > mylayoutHook = Full ||| tabbed shrinkText defaultTConf ||| Accordion Now, all we need to do is to change the 'XMonad.Core.layoutHook' record of the 'XMonad.Core.XConfig' data type, like: > main = xmonad defaultConfig { layoutHook = mylayoutHook } Thanks to the new combinator we can apply a layout modifier to the combination of layouts, instead of applying it to each one. Suppose we want to use the 'XMonad.Layout.NoBorders.noBorders' layout modifier, from the "XMonad.Layout.NoBorders" module (which must be imported): > mylayoutHook = noBorders (Full ||| tabbed shrinkText defaultTConf ||| Accordion) Obviously, if we want only the tabbed layout without borders, then we may write: > mylayoutHook = Full ||| noBorders (tabbed shrinkText defaultTConf) ||| Accordion The @~\/.xmonad\/xmonad.hs@ will now look like this: > import XMonad.Layouts > > import XMonad.Layout.Tabbed > import XMonad.Layout.Accordion > import XMonad.Layout.NoBorders > > mylayoutHook = Full ||| noBorders (tabbed shrinkText defaultTConf) ||| Accordion > > main = xmonad defaultConfig { layoutHook = mylayoutHook } That's it! -} {- $manageHook #Editing_the_manage_hook# TODO: Manage Hook -} {- $logHook #The_log_hook_and_external_status_bars# TODO: Log Hook -} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- -- Writing Extensions -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- {- $writing Writing Other Extensions -} {- $xmonad-libs xmonad and xmonad-contrib are just libraries for letting users write their own window managers. This is what makes xmonad such a powerful and still simple application. Give some examples: arossato_vm droundy_wm In the previous sections we show how simple it can be to write your own window manager by using the core code (xmonad) and some of the contributed code (xmonad-contrib). In this section we will give you a brief overview of the programming techniques that have been used in order to make writing new extensions very simple. -} {- $internals TODO -} {- $main #The_main_entry_point# TODO -} {- $internalState TODO -} {- $events TODO -} {- $layoutClass #The_LayoutClass# TODO -} {- $style These are the coding guidelines for contributing to xmonad and the xmonad contributed extensions. * Comment every top level function (particularly exported funtions), and provide a type signature. * Use Haddock syntax in the comments. * Follow the coding style of the other modules. * Code should be compilable with -Wall -Werror. There should be no warnings. * Partial functions should be avoided: the window manager should not crash, so do not call 'error' or 'undefined' * Tabs are /illegal/. Use 4 spaces for indenting. * Any pure function added to the core should have QuickCheck properties precisely defining its behaviour. -} {- $license New modules should identify the author, and be submitted under the same license as xmonad (BSD3 license or freer). -}