Provided by: bspwm_0.9.3-1_amd64 
NAME
bspwm - Binary space partitioning window manager
SYNOPSIS
bspwm [-h|-v|-c CONFIG_PATH]
bspc DOMAIN [SELECTOR] COMMANDS
bspc COMMAND [OPTIONS] [ARGUMENTS]
DESCRIPTION
bspwm is a tiling window manager that represents windows as the leaves of a full binary
tree.
It is controlled and configured via bspc.
OPTIONS
-h
Print the synopsis and exit.
-v
Print the version and exit.
-c CONFIG_PATH
Use the given configuration file.
COMMON DEFINITIONS
DIR := north | west | south | east
CYCLE_DIR := next | prev
SELECTORS
Selectors are used to select a target node, desktop, or monitor. A selector can either
describe the target relatively or name it globally.
Selectors consist of an optional reference, a descriptor and any number of non-conflicting
modifiers as follows:
[REFERENCE#]DESCRIPTOR(.MODIFIER)*
The relative targets are computed in relation to the given reference (the default
reference value is focused).
An exclamation mark can be prepended to any modifier in order to reverse its meaning.
Node
Select a node.
NODE_SEL := [NODE_SEL#](DIR|CYCLE_DIR|PATH|last|older|newer|focused|pointed|biggest|<node_id>)[.[!]focused][.[!]automatic][.[!]local][.[!]active][.[!]leaf][.[!]window][.[!]STATE][.[!]FLAG][.[!]LAYER][.[!]same_class][.[!]descendant_of][.[!]ancestor_of]
STATE := tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen
FLAG := hidden|sticky|private|locked|urgent
LAYER := below|normal|above
PATH := @[DESKTOP_SEL:][[/]JUMP](/JUMP)*
JUMP := first|1|second|2|brother|parent|DIR
Descriptors
DIR
Selects the window in the given (spacial) direction relative to the reference
node.
CYCLE_DIR
Selects the window in the given (cyclic) direction relative to the reference node.
PATH
Selects the node at the given path.
last
Selects the previously focused node relative to the reference node.
older
Selects the node older than the reference node in the history.
newer
Selects the node newer than the reference node in the history.
focused
Selects the currently focused node.
pointed
Selects the window under the pointer.
biggest
Selects the biggest window.
<node_id>
Selects the node with the given ID.
Path Jumps
The initial node is the focused node (or the root if the path starts with /) of the
reference desktop (or the selected desktop if the path has a DESKTOP_SEL prefix).
1|first
Jumps to the first child.
2|second
Jumps to the second child.
brother
Jumps to the brother node.
parent
Jumps to the parent node.
DIR
Jumps to the node holding the edge in the given direction.
Modifiers
[!]focused
Only consider focused or unfocused nodes.
[!]automatic
Only consider nodes in automatic or manual insertion mode. See also --presel-dir
under Node in the DOMAINS section below.
[!]local
Only consider nodes in or not in the reference desktop.
[!]active
Only consider nodes in or not in the active desktop of their monitor.
[!]leaf
Only consider leaves or internal nodes.
[!]window
Only consider nodes that hold or don’t hold a window.
[!](tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen)
Only consider windows in or not in the given state.
[!]same_class
Only consider windows that have or don’t have the same class as the reference
window.
[!]descendant_of
Only consider nodes that are or aren’t descendants of the reference node.
[!]ancestor_of
Only consider nodes that are or aren’t ancestors of the reference node.
[!](hidden|sticky|private|locked|urgent)
Only consider windows that have or don’t have the given flag set.
[!](below|normal|above)
Only consider windows in or not in the given layer.
Desktop
Select a desktop.
DESKTOP_SEL := [DESKTOP_SEL#](CYCLE_DIR|last|older|newer|[MONITOR_SEL:](focused|^<n>)|<desktop_id>|<desktop_name>)[.[!]occupied][.[!]focused][.[!]urgent][.[!]local]
Descriptors
CYCLE_DIR
Selects the desktop in the given direction relative to the reference desktop.
last
Selects the previously focused desktop relative to the reference desktop.
older
Selects the desktop older than the reference desktop in the history.
newer
Selects the desktop newer than the reference desktop in the history.
focused
Selects the currently focused desktop.
^<n>
Selects the nth desktop.
<desktop_id>
Selects the desktop with the given ID.
<desktop_name>
Selects the desktop with the given name.
Modifiers
[!]occupied
Only consider occupied or free desktops.
[!]focused
Only consider focused or unfocused desktops.
[!]urgent
Only consider urgent or non urgent desktops.
[!]local
Only consider desktops inside or outside of the reference monitor.
Monitor
Select a monitor.
MONITOR_SEL := [MONITOR_SEL#](DIR|CYCLE_DIR|last|older|newer|focused|primary|^<n>|<monitor_id>|<monitor_name>)[.[!]occupied][.[!]focused]
Descriptors
DIR
Selects the monitor in the given (spacial) direction relative to the reference
monitor.
CYCLE_DIR
Selects the monitor in the given (cyclic) direction relative to the reference
monitor.
last
Selects the previously focused monitor relative to the reference monitor.
older
Selects the monitor older than the reference monitor in the history.
newer
Selects the monitor newer than the reference monitor in the history.
focused
Selects the currently focused monitor.
primary
Selects the primary monitor.
^<n>
Selects the nth monitor.
<monitor_id>
Selects the monitor with the given ID.
<monitor_name>
Selects the monitor with the given name.
Modifiers
[!]occupied
Only consider monitors where the focused desktop is occupied or free.
[!]focused
Only consider focused or unfocused monitors.
WINDOW STATES
tiled
Its size and position are determined by the splitting type and ratio of each node of
its path in the window tree.
pseudo_tiled
Has an unrestricted size while being centered in its tiling space.
floating
Can be moved/resized freely. Although it doesn’t occupy any tiling space, it is still
part of the window tree.
fullscreen
Fills its monitor rectangle and has no borders. It is send in the ABOVE layer by
default.
NODE FLAGS
hidden
Is hidden and doesn’t occupy any tiling space.
sticky
Stays in the focused desktop of its monitor.
private
Tries to keep the same tiling position/size.
locked
Ignores the node --close message.
urgent
Has its urgency hint set. This flag is set externally.
STACKING LAYERS
There’s three stacking layers: BELOW, NORMAL and ABOVE.
In each layer, the window are orderered as follow: tiled & pseudo-tiled < fullscreen <
floating.
DOMAINS
Node
General Syntax
node [NODE_SEL] COMMANDS
If NODE_SEL is omitted, focused is assumed.
Commands
-f, --focus [NODE_SEL]
Focus the selected or given node.
-a, --activate [NODE_SEL]
Activate the selected or given node.
-d, --to-desktop DESKTOP_SEL
Send the selected node to the given desktop.
-m, --to-monitor MONITOR_SEL
Send the selected node to the given monitor.
-n, --to-node NODE_SEL
Transplant the selected node to the given node.
-s, --swap NODE_SEL
Swap the selected node with the given node.
-p, --presel-dir [~]DIR|cancel
Preselect the splitting area of the selected node (or cancel the preselection). If
~ is prepended to DIR and the current preselection direction matches DIR, then the
argument is interpreted as cancel. A node with a preselected area is said to be in
"manual insertion mode".
-o, --presel-ratio RATIO
Set the splitting ratio of the preselection area.
-v, --move dx dy
Move the selected window by dx pixels horizontally and dy pixels vertically.
-z, --resize top|left|bottom|right|top_left|top_right|bottom_right|bottom_left dx dy
Resize the selected window by moving the given handle by dx pixels horizontally
and dy pixels vertically.
-r, --ratio RATIO|(+|-)(PIXELS|FRACTION)
Set the splitting ratio of the selected node (0 < RATIO < 1).
-R, --rotate 90|270|180
Rotate the tree rooted at the selected node.
-F, --flip horizontal|vertical
Flip the the tree rooted at selected node.
-E, --equalize
Reset the split ratios of the tree rooted at the selected node to their default
value.
-B, --balance
Adjust the split ratios of the tree rooted at the selected node so that all
windows occupy the same area.
-C, --circulate forward|backward
Circulate the windows of the tree rooted at the selected node.
-t, --state [~](tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen)
Set the state of the selected window. If ~ is present and the current state
matches the given state, then the argument is interpreted as the last state.
-g, --flag hidden|sticky|private|locked[=on|off]
Set or toggle the given flag for the selected node.
-l, --layer below|normal|above
Set the stacking layer of the selected window.
-i, --insert-receptacle
Insert a receptacle node at the selected node.
-c, --close
Close the windows rooted at the selected node.
-k, --kill
Kill the windows rooted at the selected node.
Desktop
General Syntax
desktop [DESKTOP_SEL] COMMANDS
If DESKTOP_SEL is omitted, focused is assumed.
COMMANDS
-f, --focus [DESKTOP_SEL]
Focus the selected or given desktop.
-a, --activate [DESKTOP_SEL]
Activate the selected or given desktop.
-m, --to-monitor MONITOR_SEL
Send the selected desktop to the given monitor.
-l, --layout CYCLE_DIR|monocle|tiled
Set or cycle the layout of the selected desktop.
-n, --rename <new_name>
Rename the selected desktop.
-s, --swap DESKTOP_SEL
Swap the selected desktop with the given desktop.
-b, --bubble CYCLE_DIR
Bubble the selected desktop in the given direction.
-r, --remove
Remove the selected desktop.
Monitor
General Syntax
monitor [MONITOR_SEL] COMMANDS
If MONITOR_SEL is omitted, focused is assumed.
Commands
-f, --focus [MONITOR_SEL]
Focus the selected or given monitor.
-s, --swap MONITOR_SEL
Swap the selected monitor with the given monitor.
-a, --add-desktops <name>...
Create desktops with the given names in the selected monitor.
-o, --reorder-desktops <name>...
Reorder the desktops of the selected monitor to match the given order.
-d, --reset-desktops <name>...
Rename, add or remove desktops depending on whether the number of given names is
equal, superior or inferior to the number of existing desktops.
-g, --rectangle WxH+X+Y
Set the rectangle of the selected monitor.
-n, --rename <new_name>
Rename the selected monitor.
-r, --remove
Remove the selected monitor.
Query
General Syntax
query COMMANDS [OPTIONS]
Commands
The optional selectors are references.
-N, --nodes [NODE_SEL]
List the IDs of the matching nodes.
-D, --desktops [DESKTOP_SEL]
List the IDs (or names) of the matching desktops.
-M, --monitors [MONITOR_SEL]
List the IDs (or names) of the matching monitors.
-T, --tree
Print a JSON representation of the matching item.
Options
-m,--monitor [MONITOR_SEL], -d,--desktop [DESKTOP_SEL], -n, --node [NODE_SEL]
Constrain matches to the selected monitor, desktop or node. The descriptor can be
omitted for -M, -D and -N.
--names
Print names instead of IDs.
Wm
General Syntax
wm COMMANDS
Commands
-d, --dump-state
Dump the current world state on standard output.
-l, --load-state <file_path>
Load a world state from the given file.
-a, --add-monitor <name> WxH+X+Y
Add a monitor for the given name and rectangle.
-o, --adopt-orphans
Manage all the unmanaged windows remaining from a previous session.
-h, --record-history on|off
Enable or disable the recording of node focus history.
-g, --get-status
Print the current status information.
Rule
General Syntax
rule COMMANDS
Commands
-a, --add (<class_name>|*)[:(<instance_name>|*)] [-o|--one-shot]
[monitor=MONITOR_SEL|desktop=DESKTOP_SEL|node=NODE_SEL] [state=STATE] [layer=LAYER]
[split_dir=DIR] [split_ratio=RATIO]
[(hidden|sticky|private|locked|center|follow|manage|focus|border)=(on|off)]
[rectangle=WxH+X+Y]
Create a new rule.
-r, --remove ^<n>|head|tail|(<class_name>|*)[:(<instance_name>|*)]...
Remove the given rules.
-l, --list
List the rules.
Config
General Syntax
config [-m MONITOR_SEL|-d DESKTOP_SEL|-n NODE_SEL] <setting> [<value>]
Get or set the value of <setting>.
Subscribe
General Syntax
subscribe (all|report|monitor|desktop|node|...)*
Continuously print status information. See the EVENTS section for the detailed
description of each event.
Quit
General Syntax
quit [<status>]
Quit with an optional exit status.
EXIT CODES
If the server can’t handle a message, bspc will return with a non-zero exit code.
SETTINGS
Colors are in the form #RRGGBB, booleans are true, on, false or off.
All the boolean settings are false by default unless stated otherwise.
Global Settings
normal_border_color
Color of the border of an unfocused window.
active_border_color
Color of the border of a focused window of an unfocused monitor.
focused_border_color
Color of the border of a focused window of a focused monitor.
presel_feedback_color
Color of the node --presel-{dir,ratio} message feedback area.
split_ratio
Default split ratio.
status_prefix
Prefix prepended to each of the status lines.
external_rules_command
External command used to retrieve rule consequences. The command will receive the
following arguments: window ID, class and instance names, monitor, desktop and node
selectors. The output of that command must have the following format: key1=value1
key2=value2 ... (the valid key/value pairs are given in the description of the rule
command).
initial_polarity
On which child should a new window be attached when adding a window on a single window
tree in automatic mode. Accept the following values: first_child, second_child.
directional_focus_tightness
The tightness of the algorithm used to decide whether a window is on the DIR side of
another window. Accept the following values: high, low.
borderless_monocle
Remove borders of tiled windows for the monocle desktop layout.
gapless_monocle
Remove gaps of tiled windows for the monocle desktop layout.
paddingless_monocle
Remove padding space for the monocle desktop layout.
single_monocle
Set the desktop layout to monocle if there’s only one tiled window in the tree.
pointer_motion_interval
The minimum interval, in milliseconds, between two motion notify events.
pointer_modifier
Keyboard modifier used for moving or resizing windows. Accept the following values:
shift, control, lock, mod1, mod2, mod3, mod4, mod5.
pointer_action1, pointer_action2, pointer_action3
Action performed when pressing pointer_modifier + button<n>. Accept the following
values: move, resize_side, resize_corner, focus, none.
click_to_focus
Button used for focusing a window (or a monitor). The possible values are: button1,
button2, button3, any, none.
swallow_first_click
Don’t replay the click that makes a window focused if click_to_focus isn’t none.
focus_follows_pointer
Focus the window under the pointer.
pointer_follows_focus
When focusing a window, put the pointer at its center.
pointer_follows_monitor
When focusing a monitor, put the pointer at its center.
ignore_ewmh_focus
Ignore EWMH focus requests coming from applications.
center_pseudo_tiled
Center pseudo tiled windows into their tiling rectangles. Defaults to true.
honor_size_hints
Apply ICCCM window size hints.
remove_disabled_monitors
Consider disabled monitors as disconnected.
remove_unplugged_monitors
Remove unplugged monitors.
merge_overlapping_monitors
Merge overlapping monitors (the bigger remains).
Monitor and Desktop Settings
top_padding, right_padding, bottom_padding, left_padding
Padding space added at the sides of the monitor or desktop.
Desktop Settings
window_gap
Size of the gap that separates windows.
Node Settings
border_width
Window border width.
POINTER BINDINGS
click_to_focus
Focus the window (or the monitor) under the pointer if the value isn’t none.
pointer_modifier + button1
Move the window under the pointer.
pointer_modifier + button2
Resize the window under the pointer by dragging the nearest side.
pointer_modifier + button3
Resize the window under the pointer by dragging the nearest corner.
The behavior of pointer_modifier + button<n> can be modified through the pointer_action<n>
setting.
EVENTS
report
See the next section for the description of the format.
monitor_add <monitor_id> <monitor_name> <monitor_geometry>
A monitor is added.
monitor_rename <monitor_id> <old_name> <new_name>
A monitor is renamed.
monitor_remove <monitor_id>
A monitor is removed.
monitor_swap <src_monitor_id> <dst_monitor_id>
A monitor is swapped.
monitor_focus <monitor_id>
A monitor is focused.
monitor_geometry <monitor_id> <monitor_geometry>
The geometry of a monitor changed.
desktop_add <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <desktop_name>
A desktop is added.
desktop_rename <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <old_name> <new_name>
A desktop is renamed.
desktop_remove <monitor_id> <desktop_id>
A desktop is removed.
desktop_swap <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <dst_monitor_id> <dst_desktop_id>
A desktop is swapped.
desktop_transfer <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <dst_monitor_id>
A desktop is transferred.
desktop_focus <monitor_id> <desktop_id>
A desktop is focused.
desktop_activate <monitor_id> <desktop_id>
A desktop is activated.
desktop_layout <monitor_id> <desktop_id> tiled|monocle
The layout of a desktop changed.
node_manage <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> <ip_id>
A window is managed.
node_unmanage <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>
A window is unmanaged.
node_swap <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <src_node_id> <dst_monitor_id>
<dst_desktop_id> <dst_node_id>
A node is swapped.
node_transfer <src_monitor_id> <src_desktop_id> <src_node_id> <dst_monitor_id>
<dst_desktop_id> <dst_node_id>
A node is transferred.
node_focus <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>
A node is focused.
node_activate <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id>
A node is activated.
node_presel <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> (dir DIR|ratio RATIO|cancel)
A node is preselected.
node_stack <node_id_1> below|above <node_id_2>
A node is stacked below or above another node.
node_geometry <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> <node_geometry>
The geometry of a window changed.
node_state <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> tiled|pseudo_tiled|floating|fullscreen
on|off
The state of a window changed.
node_flag <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> hidden|sticky|private|locked|urgent on|off
One of the flags of a node changed.
node_layer <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> below|normal|above
The layer of a window changed.
pointer_action <monitor_id> <desktop_id> <node_id> move|resize_corner|resize_side
begin|end
A pointer action occured.
Please note that bspwm initializes monitors before it reads messages on its socket,
therefore the initial monitor events can’t be received.
REPORT FORMAT
Each report event message is composed of items separated by colons.
Each item has the form <type><value> where <type> is the first character of the item.
M<monitor_name>
Focused monitor.
m<monitor_name>
Unfocused monitor.
O<desktop_name>
Occupied focused desktop.
o<desktop_name>
Occupied unfocused desktop.
F<desktop_name>
Free focused desktop.
f<desktop_name>
Free unfocused desktop.
U<desktop_name>
Urgent focused desktop.
u<desktop_name>
Urgent unfocused desktop.
L(T|M)
Layout of the focused desktop of a monitor.
T(T|P|F|=|@)
State of the focused node of a focused desktop.
G(S?P?L?)
Active flags of the focused node of a focused desktop.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
BSPWM_SOCKET
The path of the socket used for the communication between bspc and bspwm. If it isn’t
defined, then the following path is used:
/tmp/bspwm<host_name>_<display_number>_<screen_number>-socket.
CONTRIBUTORS
• Steven Allen <steven at stebalien.com>
• Thomas Adam <thomas at xteddy.org>
• Ivan Kanakarakis <ivan.kanak at gmail.com>
AUTHOR
Bastien Dejean <nihilhill at gmail.com>