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ALTTAB(1)		    General Commands Manual		     ALTTAB(1)

NAME
       alttab -	the task switcher

SYNOPSIS
       alttab  [-w  N]	[-d N] [-sc N] [-mk str] [-kk str] [-bk	str] [-pk str]
       [-nk str] [-ck str] [-dk	str] [-mm N] [-bm N] [-t NxM]  [-i  NxM]  [-vp
       str]  [-p  str]	[-s  N]	 [-theme name] [-bg color] [-fg	color] [-frame
       color] [-inact color] [-bc color] [-bw N] [-font	name] [-vertical] [-e]
       [-b N] [-v|-vv]

DESCRIPTION
       The task	switcher designed for minimalistic window managers  or	stand-
       alone 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  fea-
       tures customizable look and behaviour.

OPTIONS
       Most  command  line options have	corresponding X	resource, see doc/alt-
       tab.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 an-
	      other 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,  enlight-
	      enment,  blackbox, aewm, fvwm, sawfish, bspwm. 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),  awe-
	      some (issue #41).

	      2: Ratpoison.

	      Alttab  uses  ratpoison own remote control capability. Addition-
	      ally, alttab registers itself in its "unmanaged list"  automati-
	      cally.

	      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 4:

	      0: Current desktop.

	      This is default, although	in non EWMH-compatible WM, except rat-
	      poison, 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  con-
	      taining sticky windows. In i3, it's "scratchpad".

	      3: All desktops, excluding current and special.

	      4: Special (-1) desktop only.

       -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 ex-
	      amples: 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.

       -pk str
	      resource:	alttab.prevkey.keysym
	      default: no key assigned

	      Keysym of	auxiliary 'previous' key. For example, Left, H.

       -nk str
	      resource:	alttab.nextkey.keysym
	      default: no key assigned

	      Keysym of	auxiliary 'next' key. For example, Right, L.

       -ck str
	      resource:	alttab.cancelkey.keysym
	      default: Escape

	      Keysym of	auxiliary 'cancel' key.

       -dk str
	      resource:	alttab.killkey.keysym
	      default: k

	      Keysym of	key for	killing	X client to which  currently  selected
	      window belongs.

       -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 vari-
	      able size	and position, but tries	to never break out of -vp con-
	      tainer, while -p specifies position relative to this  container.
	      Together	these  options	allow for WM-independent 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  at-
	      tached/detached without restarting alttab.

	      total: the geometry of default root window.

	      If  you specify this in tiling multihead configuration, 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 root window spans over two  25601440  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 rel-
	      ative 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 4:

	      0: Use icons from	X11 window attributes only.

	      1: Load icon from	file if	not found in window attributes.

	      Alttab searches for PNG and XPM icons in $XDG_DATA_DIRS and also
	      under:

	      /usr/share/icons
	      /usr/local/share/icons
	      ~/.icons
	      ~/.local/share/icons

	      Directory	 structure should obey freedesktop standard, but desk-
	      top 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/hi-
	      color/32x32/apps/foo.png.

	      Also,  alttab  scans  for	 icons	in  legacy directories without
	      freedesktop directory structure:

	      /usr/share/pixmaps
	      ~/.local/share/pixmaps

	      2: Prefer	icon from file when it matches requested  size	better
	      (see -i option).

	      3: Use icons from	files only.

	      4: Don't draw icons.

       -theme name
	      resource:	alttab.theme
	      default: hicolor

	      Desktop theme for	application icons. Used	when -s	is 1, 2	or 3.

       The following five 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.

       -inact color
	      resource:	alttab.inactcolor
	      default: foreground color

	      Color of frame around non-selected tiles.

       -bc color
	      resource:	alttab.bordercolor
	      default: black

	      Color of extra border around the entire  switcher.  This	border
	      may look redundant. Do not confuse with -frame.

       -bw N  resource:	alttab.borderwidth
	      default: 0 (no extra border)

	      Width of extra border above.

       -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.

       -vertical
	      resource:	alttab.vertical
	      default: no

	      Vertical layout.

       -e     resource:	alttab.keep
	      default: no

	      On release of Alt, don't switch, keep showing the	switcher. This
	      allows  for  external  call:  xdotool  key alt+Tab . See doc/mo-
	      bile.md for possible usage.

       -b NUMBER
	      resource:	alttab.bottomline
	      default: 0 in single-desktop mode, 1 otherwise

	      Content of auxiliary line	at the bottom  of  each	 tile.	NUMBER
	      must be 0	or 1:

	      0: Empty.

	      1: Desktop to which the window belongs.

       -v, -vv
	      resource:	no
	      default: silent

	      Verbosity.

       -h     short help

CAVEATS
       Run alttab after	WM, or autodetection will fail.

AUTHOR
       Copyright 2017-2023 Alexander Kulak <sa-dev AT odd POINT	systems>.

REPORTING BUGS
       Please report issues on github https://github.com/sagb/alttab/issues.

SEE ALSO
       EWMH  compatible	 WM  list  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Win-
       dow_Manager_Hints#List_of_window_managers_that_support_Extended_Win-
       dow_Manager_Hints.

       Description  of	fontconfig  pattern  https://www.freedesktop.org/soft-
       ware/fontconfig/fontconfig-user.html.

				  March	2023			     ALTTAB(1)

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