Initial Experience of tiled Window Manager Musca

Author: Wu Jiqing version: 1.0 Release: 2009-11-04update: 2009-11-04

 

Why is tiled window manager used?

What is tiling window manager )? As the name implies, windows are flat on the screen without overlapping windows. Window managers, such as metacity in GNOME, kwin in Kde, and lightweight FVWM and openbox, are all floating Window managers that overlap with each other, the Window Manager uses a stack-like structure to manage these windows. Therefore, such Window managers are also called Stack-style Window managers.

With the increase of the display and people's pursuit of work efficiency, tiled window manager is becoming more and more important, because it does not require users to spend too much energy adjusting the size and position of the window, most importantly, it can save users' brain cells. For example, when you take notes on a computer, you can use a tiled window manager to open an e-book on the left and a text editor on the right. If you want to copy the content in the book, you do not need to switch the window back and forth. This tile requires no effort to adjust, and naturally maximizes the use of desktop space.

I think, I can read it here. If I like tiled window manager, I will continue to read it. If I am not interested, I can do other things.

Let's talk about Musca, the main character.

Why select Musca?

Those who are interested in Tiled window manager must have come into contact with some tiled Window managers, such as larswm, DWM, WMII, ion, xmonad, and recently popular awesome. From Wikipedia, Windows 1.0 is also a tiled Window Management Service, which is always used for floating window management.

Why have we selected Musca for so many Window managers?

To clarify this question, we should first talk about the concept of frames. Generally, the tiled Window Manager divides the screen into several rectangles, each of which is called a frame ), put the window of each application in the frame.

Careful users may find that some window managers provide one or several basic frame la S. When users start a new application, they do not need to manually generate frames, the window manager automatically generates a frame to store this application, and automatically places frames according to the set layout. Generally, each layout has a primary frame, and the newly started application will be placed in the primary frame. This tiled window manager is calledDynamic tiled Window Manager(Dynamic tiling window manager ). Such as larswm, DWM, WMII, and awesome. I have never experienced xmonad. It should also belong to this dynamic tiled window manager. If any error occurs, please correct it.

Another tiled window manager is calledManual tiled Window Manager(Manual tiling window manager ). When you use this tiled window manager, the window manager does not automatically generate frames. You need to manually split existing frames. This manual split is not troublesome, And it frees users from the layout restriction. windows can be split at will and any frame layout can be generated. Therefore, it is more flexible. Such Window managers include ion, ratpoison, and Musca.

At this point, we should understand why I ignored awesome, just because I don't like dynamic tiling, and awesome 3 is difficult to compile and relies heavily on. I like manual tiling's freedom. This is a matter of opinion and wisdom. Dynamic tiling's friends can no longer read it. The purpose of this article is to take notes by myself, in addition, I shared it with my friends who like manual tiling.

I have been using ion2 In the Ubuntu source. I am very satisfied with other aspects, that is, it has poor support for floating temporary windows and dialog windows. I don't know how ion3 has improved. When I was about to install ion3, I found that ion3 had complex dependencies and had a tendency to develop to heavyweight levels, which was daunting. I also heard that many people decided to give up ion because of its new license.

Ratpoison, a mouse drug, is lightweight but does not support floating windows at all. Use gimp to pull it down. Of course, you can use the tmpwm command to temporarily use another window manager, but this dependency on other Window managers is quite unpleasant. So I gave up ratpoison.

It is not until Musca is met that you have encountered one of the most desirable ones. It supports manual split screen and multiple desktops, and the dialog forms are floating. You can also use the shortcut key to switch between tiling mode and Stacking Mode (that is, floating window mode. Very convenient.

What does Musca mean? It seems like a fly. I prefer Moscow. The following is an example of Musca I am using. You can find more beautiful ones on the Internet.

The following table compares various tiled Window managers (refer to archwiki ):

Window Manager	Development language	Configuration language	Tile Mode	System Tray	Re-load configuration in use	Information bar
Awesome	C	Lua	Dynamic	Built-in	Yes	Built-in and supported
DWM	C	C, need to be re-compiled	Dynamic	None	Optional	Built-in
Scrotwm	C	Text	Dynamic	None	Yes	Built-in
WMII	C	Anything?	Dynamic	None	Yes	Built-in
Xmonad	Haskell	Haskell	Dynamic	None	Yes	None
Musca	C	C and Musca commands	Manual	None	No, but can be configured using the Musca command	None
Ion3	C	Lua	Manual	Trayion	Yes	Configurable
Ratpoison	C	Text	Manual	None	Yes	Yes. It is displayed when needed.
Stumpwm	LISP	LISP	Manual	None	Yes	Yes
Subtle	C	Ruby	Manual	Built-in	Yes	Built-in (Ruby)

Install Musca

I have been using Ubuntu 8.04, so there is no Musca in the source. So I downloaded the Musca source code compilation and installation on the Musca homepage. The current stable version is 0.9.24.

Apart from the dependency on dmenu during runtime, Musca has almost no dependencies, so compilation and installation are very simple. After extracting the source code, we can find that there are few source code files. Makefile is ready-made, so you can make it directly. It should be 100% successful. Then put the generated execution file into/usr/local/bin.

In this way, you can use Musca. Add exec Musca to your. xinitrc. Then startx enters Musca.

Musca basic usage

Before using Musca, let's talk about the concept of Musca window organization.

The concept of window ORGANIZATION IN MUSCA

• The split rectangle in the screen is called a frame.
• The program window in a virtual desktop is calledWindow Group.
• The number of windows in a window group can be greater than the number of frames in the virtual desktop.
• By pressing the shortcut key, a window hidden in a window group can be displayed in turn in the selected frame.

Default Key Binding in Musca

The default Musca Key Binding is more comfortable. The default mod key is mod4, that is, the Left window key. (My right window key can also be used ).

In the following table, m represents the MOD key, s represents shift, and c Represents control.

Keys	Command	Action
M + m	Command	Run the Musca command through dmenu
M + H	Heatmap 1/2	Vertically split the selected frame into two vertical frames
M + V	Vsplit 1/2	Splits the selected frame into two horizontal frames.
M + R	Remove	Remove current frame
M + O	Only	Remove other frames to maximize the current frame
M + u	Undo	Restore to the frame layout just now
M + d	Dedicate flip	(Toggle) the selected frame is dedicated to the current application.
M +	Catchall flip	(Toggle) sets the selected frame to catchall, and all newly opened application windows appear in this frame.
M + left	Focus left	Focus on the left Frame
M + Right	Focus right	Focus on the right frame
M + up	Focus up	Focus on the above Frame
M + down	Focus down	Focus on the following Frames
M + C + left	Resize left	Adjust the horizontal size of the current frame
M + C + Right	Resize right	Adjust the horizontal size of the current frame
M + C + up	Resize up	Adjust the vertical size of the current frame
M + C + down	Resize down	Adjust the vertical size of the current frame
M + T	Exec xterm	Start an xterm. You can link other terminals to xterm.
M + x	Shell	Start the application through dmenu
M + W	Switch window	Use dmenu to switch the window in the current group
M + k	Kill	Close the application politely once, and force close twice
M + c	Cycle	Display the hidden window cyclically in the current frame
M + S + left	Swap left	Swap the window in the current frame with the window in the left Frame
M + S + Right	Swap right	Swap the window in the current frame with the window in the right frame
M + S + up	Swap up	Swap the window in the current frame with the window in the above Frame
M + S + down	Swap down	Swap the window in the current frame with the window in the following Frame
M + G	Switch Group	Change the window group through dmenu (similar to a virtual desktop)
M + Pageup	Use (prev)	Switch to the previous window Group
M + pagedn	Use (next)	Switch to the next window Group
M + S	Stack flip	(Toggle) switches the current group between tiling and stacking modes.
M + Tab	Screen (next)	Switch to the next available Screen

Java program bug

Some Java graphics programs may run abnormally. In fact, this has nothing to do with Musca, because Sun Java violates the ICCCM compatibility protocol after 1.5, so some programs that use xtoolkit/xawt may run abnormally. The solution to this problem is to set the environment variable awt_toolkit = mtoolkit to use the older motif style.

I added this line to my. bashrc:

AWT_TOOLKIT=MToolkit

I know that many awesome users are also worried about some Java programs. Try this method to solve your problem.

More proficient in Musca

The following content mainly refers to the document on the Musca homepage.

We can not only control Musca through shortcuts, but also control Musca Through Musca commands. One way to pass commands to Musca is MoD + M. You can run the Musca command by entering the Musca command in dmenu.

Another way is to directly input Musca-C 'xxx' in the terminal and let Musca execute XXX, where XXX is the Musca command.

Why do we need to understand the Musca command, because we can let Musca execute some command at Musca startup to customize Musca.

Musca command Overview

Command	Purpose
Add <Name>	Add a window group and switch to it
Alias <Name> <command>	Generate a Musca command alias
Bind <on | off> <modifier> + <key> <command>	Add (on) or clear (off) Key Binding. Only the command parameter is required for on. Bind off all will clear all key bindings
Border <on | off>	Whether the current frame shows edges.
Catchall	Whether the current frame is catchall
Client hints <on | off>	Whether the current application window follows the X size prompt.
Command	Start dmenu and wait for Musca command input
Cycle <local> <next | Prev>	Hide the window in the current frame in a loop. All options are optional.
Dedicate <on | off>	(Toggle) Whether to assign the current frame to the current application.
Drop <name | number>	Delete a window group by name or number
Dump <File>	Export the description (current group name and frame layout) to the specified file
Exec <command>	Execute a shell command
Focus <left | right | up | down>	Focus on the left/right/top/Bottom Frames
Lfocus | rfocus | ufocus | dfocus	Focus on the left/right/top/Bottom Frames
Height <relative | pixel>	Specifies the height of the current frame, which can be pixel or XX %
Hook <on | off> <pattern> <command>	Bind a Musca command to a Musca command in any matching mode
Heatmap <relative | pixel>	Horizontal segmentation.
Kill <number | Name>	If number or name is given, the corresponding application is disabled; otherwise, the current frame is disabled.
Load <File>	Import a description file to the current window Group
Manage <on | off> <Name>	Whether the window class with the corresponding name is managed by Musca
Move <name | number>	Move the current window to the window group with the specified number or name.
Name <Name>	Renaming the current window Group
Only	Remove other frames to maximize the current frame
Pad <left> <right> <top> <bottom>	Set the screen range used by the current group
Quit	Exit Musca
Raise <number | title>	Raise and focus on the window with the specified number or title
Refresh	Refresh current frame
Remove	Remove current frame
Resize <left | right | up | down>	Reset the frame size in the specified direction
Run <File>	Run a file containing the Musca command, one command per line
Say <text>	Use the method set in 'composer y' to display text
Screen <number>	Switch to the screen of the specified number.
Set <setting> <value>	Set the Musca variable value
Shell	Start dmenu and wait for Musca command input
Show <Settings>	Display the Musca variable value. It is best to add silent when show is in the background, such as silent show XXX.
Show <bindings>	Display Key Binding
Show <unmanaged>	Display unmanageable window classes
Show	Display command triggers
Show <Groups>	Display window Group
Show <frames>	Show all frames
Show <Windows>	Show all windows
Show <aliases>	Display command alias
Shrink <name | ID>	Minimize a window and use raise <name | ID> to restore it.
Slide <left | right | up | down>	Move the current window to a specified frame
Lslide | rslide | uslide | dslide	Move the current window to a specified frame
Stack <on | off | flip>	Switches the current group between tiling and stacking modes.
Swap <left | right | up | down>	Swap the current window with the window in the specified direction Frame
Lswap | rswap | uswap | dswap	Swap the current window with the window in the specified direction Frame
Switch <window | group>	Start the dmenu window switch or group switch
Undo	Restore to the layout of the previous Frame
Use <name | Number | (other) | (prev) | (next)>	Switch the group by name or number.
Vsplit <relative | pixel>	Vertically split the current frame.
Width <relative | pixel>	Set the width of the current frame.

Musca startup Customization

At Musca startup, you can read a file that stores the Musca commands and execute these commands. Each command line can contain empty lines. The comment line starts.

When Musca is started, the. musca_start file in the startup directory is read by default. Generally, the startup directory is $ home ~ /. Put the command that I want Musca to execute in musca_start.

The following is the content of my. musca_start file:

# musca startup file.# musca is a light weight tiling window manager.# This file list the commands that you want musca to execute.# make Trayer and Conky not managed by musca.manage off trayermanage off Conky# set backgroundexec feh --bg-scale ~/images/wallpapers/1440x900-injunctions.jpg# startup conkyexec conky# startup trayerexec trayer --edge top --align right --widthtype request --height 20--SetDockType true --transparent true --alpha 255 --tint 0x00ff00border off# set active range, leave 20 pixels in top for conky and trayerpad 0 0 20 0# set active range after a new group is added.hook on ^add pad 0 0 20 0# add a new group named geekadd geek# switch back to group 0 (default)use 0

Musca variable

You can also run the Musca command set MuscaVariable someValue to set the Musca appearance and behavior, so it is also useful to understand the Musca variable.

Variable name	Default Value	Description
Border_focus	Blue	Border color when focusing
Border_unfocus	Dim gray	Border color when the focus is lost
Border_dedicate_focus	Red	The color of a dedicated frame.
Border_dedicate_unfocus	Dark red	The color when the private frame loses the focus.
Border_catchall_focus	Green	Color of catchall frame focus
Border_catchall_unfocus	Dark green	Specifies the color of a catchall frame when the focus is lost.
Border_width	1	Border width, minimum 0
Frame_min_wh	100	Minimum width and height of frames and managed windows
Frame_resize	20	Frame size adjustment
Startup	. Musca_start	File name in the startup directory that is executed at startup
Dmenu	Dmenu-I-B	Command Line when dmenu is started
Switch_window	Sed's/^/raise/'| $ Musca-I	Command executed when the window is selected in dmenu
Switch_group	Sed's/^/use/'| $ Musca-I	Command executed when selecting a window group in dmenu
Run_musca_command	$ Musca-I	Processing Method when a user enters a command through dmenu
Run_shell_command	Sed's/^/exec/'| $ Musca-I	How to handle a shell command input through dmenu
Notify	EchoCat	Display messages to users. The default method is displayed in standard output.
Stack_mouse_modifier	Mod4	Click the modify key in Stacking Mode to move the window and adjust the window size with the left and right mouse keys.
Focus_follow_mouse	0	Whether to move the focus with the mouse. If it is set to 1, it is
Window_open_frame	Current	If it is current, the new window is opened in the focused frame. If it is empty, try to find an empty frame to open the new window.
Window_open_focus	1	The new window gets the focus. If it is set to 0, it is blocked.
Window_size_hints	1	If it is set to 0, the X size prompt is ignored.
Command_buffer_size	4096	Command buffer size passed to Musca-C or Musca-I
Notify_buffer_size	4096	User message buffer size
Frame_display_hidden	1	0: empty frames remain empty; 1: automatically display available hidden windows; 2: automatically displayed in the displayed windows of this frame
Frame_split_focus	Current	After the frame is split, current: Focus is kept in the original frame; new: focus on the new frame.
Group_close_empty	0	When an empty group loses focus, 1: The group is automatically closed; 0: The Group remains unchanged.

Musca expectations

Although Musca can quickly and easily change from the tiling mode to the Stacking Mode, I still hope to continue working in the tiling mode while using pidgin programs, which are preferably floating. Therefore, I hope that Musca can provide functions to set that some programs are always floating. As in larswm and awesome, you can set which programs are always floating in the configuration file. I will write to the Musca development team and hope they will consider this feature.

 

Initial Experience of tiled Window Manager Musca