\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename ratpoison.info @settitle ratpoison manual @setchapternewpage odd @c %**end of header @dircategory X11 @direntry * ratpoison: (ratpoison). Say good-bye to the rodent @end direntry @ifinfo This is the ratpoison user manual. Copyright @copyright{} 2000, 2001 Shawn Betts Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. @ignore Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the results, provided the printed document carries a copying permission notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual). @end ignore Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the sections entitled ``Copying'' and ``GNU General Public License'' are included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation. @end ifinfo @titlepage @sp 10 @titlefont{ratpoison} @author Shawn Betts @page @vskip 0pt plus 1filll Copyright @copyright{} 2000, 2001 Shawn Betts Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the sections entitled ``Copying'' and ``GNU General Public License'' are included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation. @end titlepage @node Top, About, (dir), (dir) @ifinfo This document explains how to use ratpoison. @end ifinfo @menu * About:: What Is Ratpoison? * Contacting:: How Do I Contact The Ratpoison Developers? * Concepts:: Window Manipulation Concepts * General Use:: How Does This Thing Work?? * Windows:: Navigating The Windows * Groups:: Grouping Windows Together * Frames:: Dividing The Screen * Multiple Monitors:: What To Do With All Your Computer Junk * Keystrokes:: Key Commands And Functionality * Hooks:: Attaching Scripts To Ratpoison Events * The Status Bar:: Ratpoison's Input/Output Area * Using Other Window Managers:: Return To Evil * Other Commands:: Miscellaneous Commands * Input:: Typing Text Into Ratpoison * Command Line Arguments:: ratpoison Command-Line Actions * Startup file:: They Threatened Me...With Violence! * Command Index:: Index @detailmenu --- The Detailed Node Listing --- Windows * Manipulating Windows:: * Unmanaged Windows:: * Rudeness:: Frames * Splitting Frames:: * Resizing Frames:: * Frame Navigation Commands:: * Saving and Restoring Frame Sets:: * Frame Numbering:: Keystrokes * Key Maps:: * Default Key Bindings:: @end detailmenu @end menu @node About, Contacting, Top, Top @chapter About ratpoison is a simple Window Manager with no fat library dependencies, no fancy graphics, no window decorations, and no rodent dependence. It is largely modeled after GNU Screen which has done wonders in the virtual terminal market. All interaction with the window manager is done through keystrokes. ratpoison has a prefix map to minimize the key clobbering that cripples EMACS and other quality pieces of software. ratpoison was written by Shawn Betts (@email{sabetts@@users.sourceforge.net}). @node Contacting, Concepts, About, Top @chapter Contacting ratpoison is hosted on @url{sourceforge.net}. To see the latest developments in ratpoison go to @url{http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/ratpoison} or visit the ratpoison webpage at @url{http://ratpoison.sourceforge.net}. There is also a ratpoison mailing list: @email{ratpoison-devel@@lists.sourceforge.net}. For details on subscribing and for the list archives go to the ratpoison sourceforge.net project. There is a #ratpoison irc channel on irc.openprojects.net. @node Concepts, General Use, Contacting, Top @chapter Concepts ratpoison uses the concept of @dfn{panes} to place and size windows. Instead of allowing windows to have arbitary shapes at arbitary locations on the screen, the display is divided into panes, the same way a physical window might contain several pieces of glass seperated by wood. In ratpoison, the panes are called @dfn{frames}, and windows are placed in them, maximised. ratpoison starts with one frame, which can be split into an arbitary number of smaller ones. Each frame can be split in half either horizontally or vertically. You can move among them, making different ones the current. For more information, see @ref{Splitting Frames}. Each frame has at most one window associated with it, which is visible in that frame. If you select a window that is associated with a frame, the focus will move to its associated frame, rather than moving the window to the current frame. If you select a window that is not associated with a frame, that window will be opened in the current frame and resized to fit that frame. If the window associated with a frame does not fill the frame completely, the various gravity commands control how it is placed. If no window was open in that frame before the current window was opened, the X root will be visible behind it. Transient windows (dialog boxes, splash screens, and the like) are handled specially. In order to understand the contents of a transient window, the previously focused window is often required. Take a search window, it is useful to be able to see the document you are searching as well as the search window. For this reason transient windows appear overtop (according to their gravity) of the previously focused window. Every window belongs in a group. A group is simply that: a group of windows. By default there is only one group (the @dfn{default group}) that all windows exist in. You can create new groups. When a program creates a window it will be added to the current group. Groups are generally used to organize windows into different classes such as work and wasting-time-at-work. @node General Use, Windows, Concepts, Top @chapter General Use When ratpoison starts you should see an empty X server. To open an x terminal hit @kbd{C-t c}. You can now run shell commands as you would on any terminal. Notice the terminal maximized full screen. @kbd{C-t !} will run a single shell command and saves you the effort of opening a terminal. Once you have a couple X programs running, you'll want to navigate between windows. To see what windows are being managed hit @kbd{C-t w}. Each window has a number. You can jump to a window by hitting @kbd{C-t} followed by the window's number. This assumes the the window's number is one digit. You can also switch to a window by typing in part of its name. To do this hit @kbd{C-t '}. ratpoison allows you to cycle through the windows with @kbd{C-t n} and @kbd{C-t p}. And That concludes a brief introduction on how to use ratpoison. Notice how we didn't have to drag a single window, or click a single maximize button? Beautiful wasn't it? Felt fast? Cool? It's modern computing at its best. @node Windows, Groups, General Use, Top @chapter Windows Windows are what ratpoison manages. @menu * Manipulating Windows:: * Unmanaged Windows:: * Rudeness:: @end menu @node Manipulating Windows, Unmanaged Windows, Windows, Windows @section Manipulating Windows The following are commands used to manipulate windows. @deffn Command select @var{n} This jumps you to window @var{n} where @var{n} is the window number as shown in the Program Bar. You can do the same trick with @command{C-@var{n}} too. To select no window, blanking the current frame, type @samp{select -}. @end deffn @deffn Command select @var{window-name} Go to a window by name. A shortcut is @kbd{C-t '}. @end deffn @deffn Command windows @var{fmt} This displays the Program Bar which displays the windows you currently have running. The number before each window name is used to jump to that window. You can do this by typing @kbd{C-t @var{n}} where @var{n} is the number of the window. Note that only windows with numbers from 0 to 9 can be referenced using this keystroke. To reach windows with numbers greater than 9, use @kbd{C-t '} and type the number at the prompt. After 5 seconds the Program Bar disappears. This command is bound to @kbd{C-t w} by default. When invoked from the command-line like this, @example $ ratpoison -c windows @end example Instead of a message bar, you will get a list of the windows printed to stdout. This allows you to write more advanced scripts than simple keyboard macros. This is where @var{fmt} comes into play. If @command{windows} is given an arg it treats it as the format string as described in @command{defwinfmt}. @end deffn @deffn Command title @var{title} Rename the currently active window. This name will remain for the duration of the window's life, unless you change it again. By default, the @kbd{C-t A} keystroke is bound to this command. @end deffn @deffn Command other This toggles between the current window and the last window. By default, this is bound to @kbd{C-t C-t}. @end deffn @deffn Command prev This jumps you to the previous window in the window list. By default, this is bound to @kbd{C-t p}. @end deffn @deffn Command next This jumps you to the next window in the window list. This one is bound to three keystrokes, namely @kbd{C-t n}, @kbd{C-t space}, and @kbd{C-t enter}. @end deffn @deffn Command kill This destroys the current window. Normally you should only need to use @command{delete}, but just in case you need to rip the heart out of a misbehaving window this command should do the trick. Also available as @kbd{C-t K}. @end deffn @deffn Command info Display information about the current window. @end deffn @deffn Command gravity @var{g} Change the gravity of the current window. A normal window will default to the top-left corner of the screen, but it can also be placed at the bottom-right corner of the screen. Valid values for @var{g} are the 8 directions @samp{northwest}, @samp{north}, @samp{northeast}, @samp{east}, @samp{southeast}, @samp{south}, @samp{southwest} and @samp{west}, clockwise from the top left corner. @samp{center} will center the window in the frame. @var{g} and can be abbreviated to the standard compass 1 and 2 letter abbreviations (i.e. @samp{nw}, @samp{s}, etc). When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command delete This deletes the current window. You can access it with the @kbd{C-t k} keystroke. @end deffn @deffn Command {set winname} @var{name} @deffnx Command defwinname @var{name} There are three resources ratpoison can get a window's name from: the WMNAME hint, the res_name from the WMCLASS hint, or the res_class from the WMCLASS hint. @var{name} can be @samp{title} which is what most window managers put in the title bar, @samp{name} which is the res_name, or @samp{class} which is the res_class. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set wingravity} @var{g} @deffnx Command defwingravity @var{g} Set the default gravity for normal windows. See the @command{gravity} command. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set winliststyle} @var{setting} @deffnx Command defwinliststyle @var{setting} The window list can be displayed in a row or a column. @var{setting} can be @samp{row} or @samp{column}. @end deffn @deffn Command {set winfmt} @var{fmt} @deffnx Command defwinfmt @var{fmt} Set the default window format for the @command{windows} command. By default it is @samp{%n%s%t}. The following is a list of valid format characters: @table @samp @item %n The window number @item %s Window status (current window, last window, etc) @item %t Window Name @item %a Application Name @item %c Resource Class @item %i X11 Window ID @item %l A unique number based on when the window was last accessed. The higher the number, the more recently it was accessed. @item %f The frame number the window is displayed in or a space if it is not in a frame. @end table When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command number @var{n} @var{target} Set a window's number to @var{n}. If another window occupies the requested number already, then the windows' numbers are swapped. The second argument, @var{target}, is optional. It should be the number of the window whose number will be changed. If @var{target} is omitted ratpoison defaults to the current window. @end deffn @deffn Command {set transgravity} @var{g} @deffnx Command deftransgravity @var{g} Set the default alignment for transient windows. See the @command{gravity} command. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set maxsizegravity} @var{g} @deffnx Command defmaxsizegravity @var{g} Set the default alignment for windows with maxsize hints. See the @command{gravity} command. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set border} @var{n} @deffnx Command defborder @var{n} Set the border width for all windows. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @node Unmanaged Windows, Rudeness, Manipulating Windows, Windows @section Unmanaged Windows ratpoison can intentionally not manage windows. ratpoison keeps a list of strings and if any new window's name matches a string in the list, then it will not be picked up and managed by ratpoison. The following are commands to manipulate this list @deffn Command clrunmanaged Clear the unmanaged window list. @end deffn @deffn Command unmanage @var{text} Add @var{text} to the unmanaged window list. Any window whose name matches any of the strings in the unmanaged window list will not be handled in any way by ratpoison. This only applies to new windows (not windows already managed by ratpoison). When called non-interactively with no arguments, the list is returned. @end deffn @node Rudeness, , Unmanaged Windows, Windows @section Rudeness Some programs will attempt to steal the focus without the users permission. Not only is this a sign of a lame programmers attempt to fix a window manager problem in the wrong place, it's just plain rude. By default ratpoison will honour these rudeness requests, but it doesn't have to. Use the @command{rudeness} command to deal with such programs. @deffn Command rudeness @var{n} The rudeness command lets you decide what windows pop-up automatically and when. This is often useful for those deep hack sessions when you absolutely can't be disturbed. There are two kinds of windows: normal windows (like an xterm) and transient windows (generally pop-up dialog boxes). When a client program wants to display a new window it makes a requests to ratpoison. ratpoison then decides whether to grant the request and display the window or ignore it. A client program can also request that one of its windows be raised. You can customize ratpoison to either honour these requests (the default operation) or ignore them. @var{n} is a number from 0 to 15. Each of the four bits determine which requests ratpoison grants. @table @asis @item Bit 0 Tells ratpoison to grant raise requests on transient windows @item Bit 1 Tells ratpoison to grant raise requests on normal windows @item Bit 2 Tells ratpoison to grant display requests on new transient windows @item Bit 3 Tells ratpoison to grant display requests on new normal windows @end table For example, if you wanted only wanted to grant transient windows raise requests and display requests you would type @samp{rudeness 5}. If a request is not granted ratpoison will tell you about the request with a message like @samp{Raise request from window 1 (emacs)}. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @node Groups, Frames, Windows, Top @chapter Groups ratpoison provides functionality to group windows together. This coupled with saving and restoring frames configurations is what most people would call @dfn{virtual desktops} or @dfn{workspaces}. While ratpoison doesn't explicity provide support for such things, it does allow you to write scripts to this end. Such a script exists in @file{contrib/} called @file{rpws}. Consult that file for details on seting up workspaces inside ratpoison. Groups are more general purpose than workspaces. windows from one group can be visible along with windows from another group. If you switch to a different group nothing changes except the list of windows you can cycle through. ratpoison allows the user to move a window from one group to another, merge two groups, create new groups, and delete existing ones. The following is a list of of commands used for manipulating groups. @deffn Command gnew @var{name} Create a new group with the name @var{name}. @var{name} is optional. This new group becomes the new group. @end deffn @deffn Command gnewbg @var{name} This is the same as @command{gnew} except that the current group does not change. @end deffn @deffn Command groups Display a list of groups with a similar format to @command{windows}. @end deffn @deffn Command gmove @var{group} Move the current window to @var{group}. @end deffn @deffn Command gnext Go to the next group in the list. @end deffn @deffn Command gprev Go to the previous group in the list. @end deffn @deffn Command gselect @var{group} Select a particular group by name or number. If @var{group} is not provided, ratpoison will interactively prompt for the group. @end deffn @deffn Command gmerge @var{group} Merge @var{group} with the current group. All windows in @var{group} will be moved to the current group. @var{group} is not deleted. @end deffn @deffn Command gdelete @var{group} Delete a group. @var{group} is optional. If it is not specified ratpoison will attempt to delete the current group. Only empty groups can be deleted. To empty a group see @command{gmerge}. @end deffn @node Frames, Multiple Monitors, Groups, Top @chapter Frames Sometimes you may want to see two or more windows at the same time. ratpoison allows you to split the display into frames (see @ref{Concepts}). Each frame can then contain 1 window. @menu * Splitting Frames:: * Resizing Frames:: * Frame Navigation Commands:: * Saving and Restoring Frame Sets:: * Frame Numbering:: @end menu @node Splitting Frames, Resizing Frames, Frames, Frames @section Splitting Frames To split the current frame horizontally use @kbd{C-t s}. To split the current frame vertically use @kbd{C-t S}. If you have enough windows, you'll notice that the new frame will find a window for itself. You can now use the normal navigation commands to switch windows in the frame. Note, however, that if you switch by name or number to a window that is already in another frame, you'll switch to that frame. Before too long, you'll probably want to switch to another frame. Use @kbd{C-t tab} to cycle through the frames. If you want to remove a frame use @kbd{C-t R}. ratpoison automatically adjusts the size of the other frames to take up the free space. Unfortunately ratpoison may not always fill it in the way you might like it to. Finally, when you've had enough of the splitting and you just want good ol' full screen ratpoison press @kbd{C-t Q} to remove all splits and leave you with the current window full screen. @deffn Command remove Kill the current frame. This is a no-op if there is only one frame. @end deffn @deffn Command only Kill all frames but the current one. @end deffn @deffn Command split @var{n} @deffnx Command vsplit @var{n} Split the current frame vertically in two. The last accessed window not occupying a frame will be the second window. @var{n} is either a fraction of the form @code{x/y} or a number. If it is a fraction then the current frame is resized to that fraction of its original size and the new frame takes up the remaining space. For instance, @code{split 1/4} will split the current frame to a quarter of its original size and the new frame will then be 3/4 of the size of the original frame. If it is a pixel, the original frame is resized to that many pixels. If @var{n} has a minus sign before it, then the new frame will shrink by that many pixels. @end deffn @deffn Command hsplit @var{n} Split the current frame horizontally in two. The last accessed window not occupying a frame will be the second window. @var{n} is either a fraction of the form @code{x/y} or a number. If it is a fraction then the current frame is resized to that fraction of its original size and the new frame takes up the remaining space. For instance, @code{split 1/4} will split the current frame to a quarter of its original size and the new frame will then be 3/4 of the size of the original frame. If it is a pixel, the original frame is resized to that many pixels. If @var{n} has a minus sign before it, then the new frame will shrink by that many pixels. @end deffn @node Resizing Frames, Frame Navigation Commands, Splitting Frames, Frames @section Resizing Frames ratpoison provides a command, @command{resize}, that resizes the current frame. It is bound to the key @kbd{C-t r} by default. @command{resize} can be used non-interactively by providing two arguments: the number of pixels to grow horizontally and the number to grow vertically. For example, if you wanted to grow the current window by 10 pixels horizontally and shrink it vertically by 50 you could enter the command: @example resize 10 -50 @end example When resizing interactively, the following keys are used: @table @kbd @item C-p Grow the frame vertically. @item C-n Shrink the frame vertically. @item C-f Grow the frame horizontally. @item C-b Shrink the frame horizontally. @item return Accept the new frame size. @item C-g Abort and restore the frame to its original size. @end table The increment size used to resize the frame interactively is customized with the command @command{defresizeunit}. @deffn Command {set resizeunit} @var{pixels} @deffnx Command defresizeunit @var{pixels} Set the number of pixels a frame will grow or shrink by when being dynamically resized. @end deffn @deffn Command resize @var{horizontal} @var{vertical} Resize the current frame by @var{horizontal} pixels horizontally, and @var{vertical} pixels vertically. If no arguments are given and the command is called interactively, ratpoison will let the user dynamically resize the frame using @kbd{C-p} to shrink vertically, @kbd{C-n} to grow vertically, @kbd{C-b} to shrink horizontally, @kbd{C-f} to grow horizontally, and @kbd{s} to shrink the frame to the size of the window (See the @command{shrink} command). When you have resized the frame to your liking, press @kbd{Return} to finish. @end deffn @deffn Command shrink If a window has resize increment hints, such as xterms, the window may not be able to take up the whole frame. In this case, use this command to suck the frame up to the to window, reclaiming any wasted space. @end deffn @node Frame Navigation Commands, Saving and Restoring Frame Sets, Resizing Frames, Frames @section Frame Navigation Commands Here are the commands for Navigating frames. @deffn Command fselect @var{n} Select a frame by number. If an argument is passed to it then attempt to select the frame whose number is @var{n}. If not, ratpoison will print a number at the top left corner of each frame and wait for the user to type the number they wish to select. Currently there is no way to select a frame whose number is greater than 9 unless the number is passed as an argument. @end deffn @deffn Command curframe Indicate which frame is the current frame. @end deffn @deffn Command focus cycle through ratpoison's frames. @end deffn @deffn Command focusdown Move to the frame below the current frame. @end deffn @deffn Command focuslast Switch to the last focused frame. @end deffn @deffn Command focusleft Move to the frame left of the current frame. @end deffn @deffn Command focusright Move to the frame right of the current frame. @end deffn @deffn Command focusup Move to the frame above the current frame. @end deffn @node Saving and Restoring Frame Sets, Frame Numbering, Frame Navigation Commands, Frames @section Saving and Restoring Frame Sets ratpoison provides two commands, @command{fdump} and @command{frestore}, that allow the user to save and restore frame configurations. Let's say, for example, you have split your desktop into several frames with some windows in these frames and now you want to quickly bring Emacs forward and browse some code (full-screen of course) then return to your funky frame configuration. You could use @command{fdump} to dump the frames, hit @kbd{C-t Q} to remove all frames, and then select your emacs window. When you've finished with emacs you could use @command{frestore} to restore the windows and frames. If a frame contained a window when you dumped the frame layout but that window is not present when you restore the layout, the frame holding that window will be blank. Calling @command{fdump} and @command{frestore} and copying and pasting the layout by hand each time is a bit cumbersome. There are some simple bindings in @file{doc/sample.ratpoisonrc} that allow you to save and restore frame layouts with the press of a key. @deffn Command fdump dump the current frame layout as text. When used non-interactively (from the command-line), ratpoison will print the frame layout. When used interactively, nothing happens. @end deffn @deffn Command frestore @var{frames} Restore the frame layout based on the list of frames @var{frames}. @var{frames} should be the text that was printed after calling @code{fdump}. @end deffn @node Frame Numbering, , Saving and Restoring Frame Sets, Frames @section Frame Numbering Frames are normally numbered starting from 0. But this can be changed with @command{defframesels} to, for instance, include letters as well. @example defframesels abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz @end example The above code will bind letters to frames instead of numbers. @deffn Command defframesels @var{order} Tell ratpoison what alphanumeric character to give each frame and in what order. @end deffn @node Multiple Monitors, Keystrokes, Frames, Top @chapter Multiple Monitors When you've finally accumulated enough computer junk, you'll find youself attaching a second monitor to your computer. ratpoison has functionality to help you get around your new and improved desktop space. The X Windowing System assigns each monitor a screen number. To switch to another screen use the commands @command{nextscreen} and @command{prevscreen}. Or, @command{sselect} to jump to a specified screen. ratpoison will tell you which frame has focus by drawing the current frame indicator in it. Many commands operate only on the current screen. This becomes apparent when you have 2 screens each with 1 frame. In each frame you have an xterm. If you try to switch to the other xterm with the command @command{other}, for instance, you'll get a message ``No other window.'' ratpoison means there's no other window to switch to in the current screen. If you want to switch to the other xterm you can switch to it by name (use @command{select} or @kbd{C-t '}), by number, or you can use @command{nextscreen}, @command{prevscreen}, and @command{sselect}. @deffn Command nextscreen This jumps you to the next X11 screen. @command{nextscreen} is used for dual-head displays and multiple monitor setups. @end deffn @deffn Command prevscreen This jumps you to the previous X11 screen. @command{prevscreen} is used for dual-head displays and multiple monitor setups. @end deffn @deffn Command sselect @var{n} This jumps you to the @var{n}th X11 screen. Screen numbers start at 0. @end deffn @node Keystrokes, Hooks, Multiple Monitors, Top @chapter Keystrokes Interactive control of ratpoison is done entirely through keystrokes. This chapter explains how keystrokes are stored and manipulated. ratpoison uses the Emacs style key notation. A combination of modifiers and one non-modifier key combine to invoke an action. The syntax is one or more modifiers seperated with dashes followed by a dash and the non-modifier key name. For instance, holding down control, shift, and super then pressing the spacebar would be described as: @example S-C-s-space @end example The following is a list of modifiers ratpoison accepts: @table @asis @item S Shift modifier @item C Control modifier @item M Meta modifier @item A Alt modifier @item H Hyper modifier @item s Super modifier @end table @menu * Key Maps:: * Default Key Bindings:: @end menu @node Key Maps, Default Key Bindings, Keystrokes, Keystrokes @section Key Maps All keystrokes exist inside a keymap. When you press the prefix key you are accessing the @samp{root} keymap. By default all commands reside in the @samp{root} key map and are accessed by pressing @kbd{C-t}. There is also a top level key map, @samp{top}. Any keystroke in this key map can be accessed simply by pressing the key. This is where the prefix key resides. The following example adds a @kbd{C-x b} keybinding to switch windows, much like @kbd{C-x b} in Emacs. See the functions below for full descriptions. @example # Create the key map newkmap ctrl-x # Bind b to 'select' on our new key map definekey ctrl-x b select # Attach our keymap to the top level key map via C-x. definekey top C-x readkey ctrl-x @end example The following functions control creating, editing, and deleting key maps. @deffn Command newkmap @var{kmap} Create a new keymap named @var{kmap}. @end deffn @deffn Command delkmap @var{kmap} Delete the keymap, @var{kmap}. @end deffn @deffn Command bind @var{Key} @var{command} Bind a key to a ratpoison command. This command takes two arguments: the key to bind and the command to run. For example, to bind @kbd{C-t R} to restart ratpoison: @example bind R restart @end example If no command is specified then bind works exactly like @command{unbind}, unbinding the key. @end deffn @deffn Command unbind @var{key} Unbind a keystroke. @end deffn @deffn Command definekey @var{kmap} @var{key} @var{command} @command{definekey} works exactly like @command{bind} and @command{unbind} except that it can bind keys on any key map (not just @samp{root}). @end deffn @deffn Command undefinekey @var{kmap} @var{key} Like @command{unbind} except that you pass it a key map in @var{kmap}. @end deffn @deffn Command readkey @var{kmap} Read a key from the keyboard and execute the command associated with it in the keymap, @var{kmap}. @end deffn @deffn Command link @var{key} Call the command that @var{key} is bound to. For instance @command{link C-t} would call the command @command{other} and switch to the last window. @end deffn @node Default Key Bindings, , Key Maps, Keystrokes @section Default Key Bindings ratpoison is a very simple window manager. Each window is maximized and has no border decorations. The default keystrokes are listed in this chapter. Not all commands are accessible by default by keys. A full list of ratpoison commands is in the next section. @table @kbd @item C-t C-t Switch to the last window. @item C-t t Sometimes you need to send a C-t to the current window. This keystroke does just that. @item C-t 0-9 Switch to the numbered window. @item C-t - Select no window, essentially hiding all windows in the current frame. @item C-t A @item C-t C-A Rename the current window. The window's new name will prevail for the rest of its lifetime. @item C-t K @item C-t C-K Send a DestroyClient event to the current window. This will terminate the application without question. @item C-t n @item C-t C-n @item C-t Return @item C-t C-Return @item C-t Space @item C-t C-Space Go to next window. @item C-t p @item C-t C-p Go to previous window. @item C-t ' @item C-t C-' Go to a window by name. You will usually only need to type the first few characters of the window name. @item C-t a @item C-t C-a Display the current time of day. @item C-t c @item C-t C-c Open a new X terminal. @item C-t : This allows you to execute a single ratpoison command. @item C-t ! Run a shell command. @item C-t C-! Run a shell command through an X terminal. @item C-t i @item C-t C-i Display information about the current window. @item C-t k @item C-t C-k Close the current window. @item C-t l @item C-t C-l Redisplay the current window. Sometimes windows don't respond correctly to the initial maximize event and need some coaxing. This is a fancy way of saying there are still bugs in ratpoison. @kbd{C-t l} will force the current window to maximize. @item C-t m @item C-t C-m Display the last message. @item C-t v @item C-t C-v Display the version of ratpoison. @item C-t V @item C-t C-V Display ratpoison's license. @item C-t w @item C-t C-w Display the list of managed windows. The current window is highlighted. @item C-t s @item C-t C-s Split the current window horizontally in two. The last accessed window not occupying a frame will be the second window. @item C-t S @item C-t C-S Split the current window vertically in two. The last accessed window not occupying a frame will be the second window. @item C-t tab Cycle through ratpoison's frames. @item C-t M-tab Switch to the last focused frame. @item C-t Q Kill all frames but the current one. @item C-t R Kill the current frame. This is a no-op if there is only one frame. @item C-t r @item C-t C-r Resize the current frame. @item C-t b @item C-t C-b Banish the mouse to the lower right corner of the screen. @item C-t ? Display a help screen. @item C-t f @item C-t C-f select a frame by number. @item C-t F Indicate which frame is the current frame. @end table @node Hooks, The Status Bar, Keystrokes, Top @chapter Hooks One of the goals of ratpoison is to allow users to create exciting customization to fit their specific needs. Hooks allow a user to latch scripts onto certain events. Each hook contains a list of commands to be executed when the appropriate event occurs in ratpoison. For example, if you want to warp the rat to corner of the screen everytime you press a top level bound key, you could add this to you .ratpoisonrc file: @example addhook key banish @end example That should keep the rat out of your way. @deffn Command addhook @var{hook} @var{command} Add a @var{command} to @var{hook}. When the hook is run, @var{command} will be executed. The following hooks are available: @table @asis @item key Run when a top level key is pressed (by default the only top level key is the prefix key). @item switchwin Run when the user switches to a different window in the current frame. @item switchframe Run when the user switches to another frame. This is also run when the user switches to a different screen, since a frame switch also occurs. @item switchgroup Run when the user switches to a different group. @item quit Run when ratpoison exits. @item restart Run when ratpoison restarts. @end table @end deffn @deffn Command remhook @var{hook} @var{command} Remove @var{command} from the hook. See @command{addhook} for a list of available hooks. @end deffn @node The Status Bar, Using Other Window Managers, Hooks, Top @chapter The Status Bar ratpoison presents status and output through the status bar. By default it is located in the top right corner of the screen. This chapter presents commands for manipulating the status bar. Since it is the only visible evidence that ratpoison is running (as opposed to the invisible evidence including the lack of title bars and your favorite desktop background) there are also copious visual customizations available for those rainy days. @deffn Command msgwait @var{n} Set the bar's timeout in seconds. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command lastmsg Display the last message. @end deffn @deffn Command echo @var{text} Display @var{text} as a message. @end deffn @deffn Command {set inputwidth} @var{n} @deffnx Command definputwidth @var{n} Set the width of the input window. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set font} @var{font} @deffnx Command deffont @var{font} Set the font. @var{font} is a font string like @samp{9x15bold}. @end deffn @deffn Command {set fgcolor} @var{color} @deffnx Command deffgcolor @var{color} Set the foreground color for all text ratpoison displays. @var{color} is any valid X11 color. @end deffn @deffn Command {set bgcolor} @var{color} @deffnx Command defbgcolor @var{color} Set the background color for all text ratpoison displays. @var{color} is any valid X11 color. @end deffn @deffn Command {set barpadding} @var{x} @var{y} @deffnx Command defbarpadding @var{x} @var{y} Set the horizontal and vertical padding inside the bar. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set bargravity} @var{g} @deffnx Command defbargravity @var{g} Set the default alignment for the message bar. See the @command{gravity} command. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set barborder} @var{n} @deffnx Command defbarborder @var{n} Set the border width for the bar window. @end deffn @node Using Other Window Managers, Other Commands, The Status Bar, Top @chapter Using Other Window Managers There are times when a program has been so badly written that it is virtually impossible to use under ratpoison. Some authors have tailored their programs to certain window management paradigms so aggressively that very little can be done. Ratpoison has two commands to help you through these difficult times: @command{tmpwm} and @command{newwm}. These commands should be used sparingly. They were created to allow users to understand how a poorly designed program is intended to function so they can build a replacement or patch an existing alternative's missing functionality. According to independant studies, @command{tmpwm} has been used almost exclusively to verify it's correct operation -- like a vintage sports care: always kept in prime condition and never used. @command{tmpwm} and @command{newwm} are provided for boasting and completeness. @deffn Command tmpwm @var{WM} Gives control over to another window manager and regains control once it has terminated. @var{WM} is the path to the new window manager. This command is useful when you want to temporarily take a look at another window manager, or program under a different window manager, but you want to come back to ratpoison when you've finished your investigation. @end deffn @deffn Command newwm @var{window-manager} This is a bad-bad command. It kills ratpoison and revives that ugly rodent! Yuck! Avoid! @end deffn @node Other Commands, Input, Using Other Window Managers, Top @chapter Other Commands The following is a list of commands that don't fit in any existing chapters. @deffn Command abort This is a pretty useless command. By default, it is bound to @kbd{C-t g} and its purpose is to abort the current chain of keystrokes (just like @kbd{C-g} in @samp{Emacs}). @end deffn @deffn Command alias @var{name} @var{command} Allows you to name a ratpoison command something else. For instance, if you frequently open emacs you may want to make an alias called @samp{emacs} that loads emacs. You would do it like this: @example alias emacs exec emacs @end example An alias is treated exactly like a colon command in that you can call it from the colon prompt, bind it to a key, and call it non-interactively with @command{ratpoison -c}. @end deffn @deffn Command banish Banish the mouse to the lower right corner of the screen. @end deffn @deffn Command chdir Change the current directory for ratpoison. @end deffn @deffn Command colon @var{command} Run a ratpoison command. @end deffn @deffn Command {set padding} @var{left} @var{top} @var{right} @var{bottom} @deffnx Command defpadding @var{left} @var{top} @var{right} @var{bottom} Set the padding around the edge of the screen. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command {set waitcursor} @var{n} @deffnx Command defwaitcursor @var{n} Set whether the rat cursor should change into a square when waiting for a key. A non-zero number means change the cursor. Zero means don't change the cursor. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command escape @var{key} Set the prefix to @var{key}. For example @samp{escape C-b} sets the prefix key to @key{C-b}. @end deffn @deffn Command exec @var{command} Execute a shell command. By default, @kbd{C-t !} does this. @end deffn @deffn Command getenv @var{env} Display the value of the environment variable, @var{env}. @end deffn @deffn Command help Display a help screen that lists all bound keystrokes. @end deffn @deffn Command license Display ratpoison's license. By default, this is bound to @kbd{C-t V}. @end deffn @deffn Command meta Send a @kbd{C-t} to the current window. @end deffn @deffn Command quit Quit ratpoison. @end deffn @deffn Command redisplay Redisplay the current window. This is often used to fix xterms that didn't catch ratpoison's initial maximize event. @end deffn @deffn Command restart Restart ratpoison. @end deffn @deffn Command set @var{var} @var{value} Set the value of a ratpoison variable. This command replaces the older @samp{def*} variable get/set style. Here is a list of variables that can be set: @itemize @bullet @item resizeunit @item wingravity @item transgravity @item maxsizegravity @item bargravity @item font @item padding @item border @item barborder @item inputwidth @item waitcursor @item winfmt @item winname @item fgcolor @item bgcolor @item barpadding @item winliststyle @end itemize @end deffn @deffn Command setenv @var{env} @var{value} Set the environment variable @var{env} to @var{value} @end deffn @deffn Command source @var{file} Read a text file containing ratpoison commands. @end deffn @deffn Command startup_message @var{state} Turn on or off the startup_message. This is most useful in your .ratpoisonrc file. @var{state} can be @code{on} or @code{off}. When called non-interactively with no arguments, the current setting is returned. @end deffn @deffn Command time Show current time in the status bar. @end deffn @deffn Command unalias @var{name} Remove @var{name} from the list of defined aliases. @end deffn @deffn Command unsetenv @var{env} Clear the value of the environment variable, @var{env}. @end deffn @deffn Command verbexec @var{command} Verbosely exec the shell command @var{command}. Raptoison displays a message saying command was executed. @end deffn @deffn Command version Print ratpoison version. By default, this is bound to @kbd{C-t v}. @end deffn @deffn Command warp @var{state} Toggle rat warping. By default ratpoison saves the position of the rat when leaving a window and when the user returns to the window the rat's position is restored. This can be counter-intuitive, so you can toggle it with this command. @var{state} can be @code{on} or @code{off}. @end deffn @node Input, Command Line Arguments, Other Commands, Top @chapter Input At various times ratpoison will prompt you for input. Ratpoison sports a fully featured line editor. The following table lists the keystrokes and actions: @table @key @item C-g @itemx escape abort the command requesting input. @item C-f @itemx right arrow move forward a character. @item C-b @itemx left arrow move backward a character. @item M-f move forward a word. @item M-b move backward a word. @item C-a @itemx home move to the beginning of the line. @item C-e @itemx end move to the end of the line. @item C-d @itemx delete delete the character at point. @item M-d delete the word at point. @item backspace delete the character before the point. @item M-backspace delete the word before the point. @item C-k delete from the point to the end of the line. @item C-u delete from the point to the beginning of the line. @item C-y Yank the text from the X11 cut buffer. @item C-p @itemx up arrow Cycle backwards through the history (This command does nothing if ratpoison was configured with the @code{--disable-history} configure option). @item C-n @itemx down arrow Cycle forwards through the history (This command does nothing if ratpoison was configured with the @code{--disable-history} configure option). @item return submit the line of text. @item tab complete the text up to the point or if there are several possible completions, cycle through them. This only works in certain contexts. Tab completion will complete a shell command, a window name, a group name, and colon commands in their apropriate context (i.e. when being asked for a window name). @item S-iso-lefttab This is shift + tab by the way. This does the same as tab, but cycles backwards through the completions. @end table All input is stored in the same history list. By default ratpoison has a history length of 100 entries. This history is saved to the file @file{~/.ratpoison_history} and is loaded when you start ratpoison. This means your history sticks between sessions. This assumes history has not been disabled on compilation. @node Command Line Arguments, Startup file, Input, Top @chapter Command Line Arguments ratpoison supports command line arguments to request various actions when invoking ratpoison. @table @code @item -h, --help Display this help screen @item -v, --version Display the version @item -d, --display Specify the X display to connect to. @item -s, --screen Specify the screen to use. By default ratpoison runs on all screens. You can tell it to use just one with this option. @item -c, --command Send ratpoison a colon-command. This allows you to control ratpoison from the command-line. with the @option{-c} option you can script ratpoison using any programming language that can spawn a process. Some commands behave differently when invoked this way. Currently the only commands that behaves differently are the @code{windows} command and some def* commands. Instead of displaying the window list in a message window, it is printed to stdout. The output can then be captured and used in the ratpoison script. For instance, this could be used to check whether a program is running and if it is switch to its window otherwise launch it. It should also be noted that multiple @option{-c} options can be used. @example $ ratpoison -c split -c split @end example Here ratpoison would split the current frame twice. @item -i, --interactive Force ratpoison to execute commands in interactive mode. This is used in conjuction with the @option{-c} option. @item -f, --file Specify an alternate configuration file. @xref{Startup file}. @end table @node Startup file, Command Index, Command Line Arguments, Top @chapter Startup file Now you've probably read the web page, and you've no doubt dug up some old file I forgot about. You're probably wondering, ``say, didn't he say there was no configuration file to customize?''. Okay, ya got me. But let's be honest here: ratpoison is so pure and fast-acting, customization is barely worth the extra effort. In the off chance that you need to make ratpoison your own, we now support it. On startup ratpoison looks for @file{~/.ratpoisonrc} and runs it through the command parser. If @file{~/.ratpoisonrc} does not exist, ratpoison tries @file{/etc/ratpoisonrc}. This means any command you can bind a key to or run at the command prompt (@kbd{C-t :}) you can execute in this rc file. You can also use the @option{-f} option to specify another startup file, allowing you to switch between different configurations (@pxref{Command Line Arguments}). @node Command Index, , Startup file, Top @unnumbered Command Index @printindex fn @bye