Provided by: sway_1.7-5_amd64 
NAME
sway-ipc - IPC protocol for sway
DESCRIPTION
This details the interprocess communication (IPC) protocol for sway(1). This IPC protocol
can be used to control or obtain information from a sway process.
The IPC protocol uses a UNIX socket as the method of communication. The path to the socket
is stored in the environment variable SWAYSOCK and, for backwards compatibility with i3,
I3SOCK. You can also retrieve the socket path by calling sway --get-socketpath.
MESSAGE AND REPLY FORMAT
The format for messages and replies is:
<magic-string> <payload-length> <payload-type> <payload>
Where
<magic-string> is i3-ipc, for compatibility with i3
<payload-length> is a 32-bit integer in native byte order
<payload-type> is a 32-bit integer in native byte order
For example, sending the exit command would look like the following hexdump:
00000000 | 69 33 2d 69 70 63 04 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 65 78 |i3-ipc........ex|
00000010 | 69 74 |it |
The payload for replies will be a valid serialized JSON data structure.
MESSAGES AND REPLIES
The following message types and their corresponding reply types are currently supported.
For all replies, any properties not listed are subject to removal.
┌────────────┬───────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│TYPE NUMBER │ MESSAGE NAME │ PURPOSE │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 0 │ RUN_COMMAND │ Runs the payload as sway │
│ │ │ commands │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 1 │ GET_WORKSPACES │ Get the list of current │
│ │ │ workspaces │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 2 │ SUBSCRIBE │ Subscribe the IPC │
│ │ │ connection to the events │
│ │ │ listed in the payload │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 3 │ GET_OUTPUTS │ Get the list of current │
│ │ │ outputs │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 4 │ GET_TREE │ Get the node layout tree │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 5 │ GET_MARKS │ Get the names of all the │
│ │ │ marks currently set │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 6 │ GET_BAR_CONFIG │ Get the specified bar │
│ │ │ config or a list of bar │
│ │ │ config names │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 7 │ GET_VERSION │ Get the version of sway │
│ │ │ that owns the IPC socket │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 8 │ GET_BINDING_MODES │ Get the list of binding │
│ │ │ mode names │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 9 │ GET_CONFIG │ Returns the config that │
│ │ │ was last loaded │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 10 │ SEND_TICK │ Sends a tick event with │
│ │ │ the specified payload │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 11 │ SYNC │ Replies failure object │
│ │ │ for i3 compatibility │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 12 │ GET_BINDING_STATE │ Request the current │
│ │ │ binding state, e.g. the │
│ │ │ currently active binding │
│ │ │ mode name. │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 100 │ GET_INPUTS │ Get the list of input │
│ │ │ devices │
├────────────┼───────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 101 │ GET_SEATS │ Get the list of seats │
└────────────┴───────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘
0. RUN_COMMAND
MESSAGE
Parses and runs the payload as sway commands
REPLY
An array of objects corresponding to each command that was parsed. Each object has the
property success, which is a boolean indicating whether the command was successful. The
object may also contain the properties error and parse_error. The error property is a
human readable error message while parse_error is a boolean indicating whether the reason
the command failed was because the command was unknown or not able to be parsed.
Example Reply:
[
{
"success": true
},
{
"success": false,
"parse_error": true,
"error": "Invalid/unknown command"
}
]
1. GET_WORKSPACES
MESSAGE
Retrieves the list of workspaces.
REPLY
The reply is an array of objects corresponding to each workspace. Each object has the
following properties:
┌─────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ num │ integer │ The workspace number or │
│ │ │ -1 for workspaces that │
│ │ │ do not start with a │
│ │ │ number │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ name │ string │ The name of the │
│ │ │ workspace │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│visible │ boolean │ Whether the workspace is │
│ │ │ currently visible on any │
│ │ │ output │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│focused │ boolean │ Whether the workspace is │
│ │ │ currently focused by the │
│ │ │ default seat (seat0) │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ urgent │ boolean │ Whether a view on the │
│ │ │ workspace has the urgent │
│ │ │ flag set │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ rect │ object │ The bounds of the │
│ │ │ workspace. It consists │
│ │ │ of x, y, width, and │
│ │ │ height │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ output │ string │ The name of the output │
│ │ │ that the workspace is on │
└─────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
[
{
"num": 1,
"name": "1",
"visible": true,
"focused": true,
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 23,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1057
},
"output": "eDP-1"
},
]
2. SUBSCRIBE
MESSAGE
Subscribe this IPC connection to the event types specified in the message payload. The
payload should be a valid JSON array of events. See the EVENTS section for the list of
supported events.
REPLY
A single object that contains the property success, which is a boolean value indicating
whether the subscription was successful or not.
Example Reply:
{
"success": true
}
3. GET_OUTPUTS
MESSAGE
Retrieve the list of outputs
REPLY
An array of objects corresponding to each output. Each object has the following
properties:
┌──────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ name │ string │ The name of the output. │
│ │ │ On DRM, this is the │
│ │ │ connector │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ make │ string │ The make of the output │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ model │ string │ The model of the output │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ serial │ string │ The output's serial │
│ │ │ number as a hexadecimal │
│ │ │ string │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ active │ boolean │ Whether this output is │
│ │ │ active/enabled │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ dpms │ boolean │ Whether this output is │
│ │ │ on/off (via DPMS) │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ primary │ boolean │ For i3 compatibility, │
│ │ │ this will be false. It │
│ │ │ does not make sense in │
│ │ │ Wayland │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ scale │ float │ The scale currently in │
│ │ │ use on the output or -1 │
│ │ │ for disabled outputs │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│subpixel_hinting │ string │ The subpixel hinting │
│ │ │ current in use on the │
│ │ │ output. This can be rgb, │
│ │ │ bgr, vrgb, vbgr, or none │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ transform │ string │ The transform currently │
│ │ │ in use for the output. │
│ │ │ This can be normal, 90, │
│ │ │ 180, 270, flipped-90, │
│ │ │ flipped-180, or │
│ │ │ flipped-270 │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│current_workspace │ string │ The workspace currently │
│ │ │ visible on the output or │
│ │ │ null for disabled │
│ │ │ outputs │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ modes │ array │ An array of supported │
│ │ │ mode objects. Each │
│ │ │ object contains width, │
│ │ │ height, and refresh │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ current_mode │ object │ An object representing │
│ │ │ the current mode │
│ │ │ containing width, │
│ │ │ height, and refresh │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ rect │ object │ The bounds for the │
│ │ │ output consisting of x, │
│ │ │ y, width, and height │
└──────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
[
{
"name": "HDMI-A-2",
"make": "Unknown",
"model": "NS-19E310A13",
"serial": "0x00000001",
"active": true,
"primary": false,
"scale": 1.0,
"subpixel_hinting": "rgb",
"transform": "normal",
"current_workspace": "1",
"modes": [
{
"width": 640,
"height": 480,
"refresh": 59940
},
{
"width": 800,
"height": 600,
"refresh": 60317
},
{
"width": 1024,
"height": 768,
"refresh": 60004
},
{
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"refresh": 60000
}
],
"current_mode": {
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"refresh": 60000
}
}
]
4. GET_TREE
MESSAGE
Retrieve a JSON representation of the tree
REPLY
An array of objects that represent the current tree. Each object represents one node and
will have the following properties:
┌─────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ id │ integer │ The internal unique ID │
│ │ │ for this node │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ name │ string │ The name of the node │
│ │ │ such as the output name │
│ │ │ or window title. For the │
│ │ │ scratchpad, this will be │
│ │ │ __i3_scratch for │
│ │ │ compatibility with i3. │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ type │ string │ The node type. It can be │
│ │ │ root, output, workspace, │
│ │ │ con, or floating_con │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ border │ string │ The border style for the │
│ │ │ node. It can be normal, │
│ │ │ none, pixel, or csd │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│current_border_width │ integer │ Number of pixels used │
│ │ │ for the border width │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ layout │ string │ The node's layout. It │
│ │ │ can either be splith, │
│ │ │ splitv, stacked, tabbed, │
│ │ │ or output │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ orientation │ string │ The node's orientation. │
│ │ │ It can be vertical, │
│ │ │ horizontal, or none │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ percent │ float │ The percentage of the │
│ │ │ node's parent that it │
│ │ │ takes up or null for the │
│ │ │ root and other special │
│ │ │ nodes such as the │
│ │ │ scratchpad │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ rect │ object │ The absolute geometry of │
│ │ │ the node. The window │
│ │ │ decorations are excluded │
│ │ │ from this, but borders │
│ │ │ are included. │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ window_rect │ object │ The geometry of the │
│ │ │ contents inside the │
│ │ │ node. The window │
│ │ │ decorations are excluded │
│ │ │ from this calculation, │
│ │ │ but borders are │
│ │ │ included. │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ deco_rect │ object │ The geometry of the │
│ │ │ decorations for the node │
│ │ │ relative to the parent │
│ │ │ node │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ geometry │ object │ The natural geometry of │
│ │ │ the contents if it were │
│ │ │ to size itself │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ urgent │ boolean │ Whether the node or any │
│ │ │ of its descendants has │
│ │ │ the urgent hint set. │
│ │ │ Note: This may not exist │
│ │ │ when compiled without │
│ │ │ xwayland support │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ sticky │ boolean │ Whether the node is │
│ │ │ sticky (shows on all │
│ │ │ workspaces) │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ marks │ array │ List of marks assigned │
│ │ │ to the node │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ focused │ boolean │ Whether the node is │
│ │ │ currently focused by the │
│ │ │ default seat (seat0) │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ focus │ array │ Array of child node IDs │
│ │ │ in the current focus │
│ │ │ order │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ nodes │ array │ The tiling children │
│ │ │ nodes for the node │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ floating_nodes │ array │ The floating children │
│ │ │ nodes for the node │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ representation │ string │ (Only workspaces) A │
│ │ │ string representation of │
│ │ │ the layout of the │
│ │ │ workspace that can be │
│ │ │ used as an aid in │
│ │ │ submitting reproduction │
│ │ │ steps for bug reports │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ fullscreen_mode │ integer │ (Only containers and │
│ │ │ views) The fullscreen │
│ │ │ mode of the node. 0 │
│ │ │ means none, 1 means │
│ │ │ full workspace, and 2 │
│ │ │ means global fullscreen │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ app_id │ string │ (Only views) For an xdg- │
│ │ │ shell view, the name of │
│ │ │ the application, if set. │
│ │ │ Otherwise, null │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ pid │ integer │ (Only views) The PID of │
│ │ │ the application that │
│ │ │ owns the view │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ visible │ boolean │ (Only views) Whether the │
│ │ │ node is visible │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ shell │ string │ (Only views) The shell │
│ │ │ of the view, such as │
│ │ │ xdg_shell or xwayland │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ inhibit_idle │ boolean │ (Only views) Whether the │
│ │ │ view is inhibiting the │
│ │ │ idle state │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ idle_inhibitors │ object │ (Only views) An object │
│ │ │ containing the state of │
│ │ │ the application and user │
│ │ │ idle inhibitors. │
│ │ │ application can be │
│ │ │ enabled or none. user │
│ │ │ can be focus, │
│ │ │ fullscreen, open, │
│ │ │ visible or none. │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ window │ integer │ (Only xwayland views) │
│ │ │ The X11 window ID for │
│ │ │ the xwayland view │
├─────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ window_properties │ object │ (Only xwayland views) An │
│ │ │ object containing the │
│ │ │ title, class, instance, │
│ │ │ window_role, │
│ │ │ window_type, and │
│ │ │ transient_for for the │
│ │ │ view │
└─────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
{
"id": 1,
"name": "root",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
3
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "splith",
"orientation": "horizontal",
"percent": null,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "root",
"nodes": [
{
"id": 2147483647,
"name": "__i3",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
2147483646
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "output",
"orientation": "horizontal",
"percent": null,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "output",
"nodes": [
{
"id": 2147483646,
"name": "__i3_scratch",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "splith",
"orientation": "horizontal",
"percent": null,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "workspace"
}
]
},
{
"id": 3,
"name": "eDP-1",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
4
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "output",
"orientation": "none",
"percent": 1.0,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "output",
"active": true,
"primary": false,
"make": "Unknown",
"model": "0x38ED",
"serial": "0x00000000",
"scale": 1.0,
"transform": "normal",
"current_workspace": "1",
"modes": [
{
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"refresh": 60052
}
],
"current_mode": {
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080,
"refresh": 60052
},
"nodes": [
{
"id": 4,
"name": "1",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 23,
"width": 1920,
"height": 1057
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
6,
5
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "splith",
"orientation": "horizontal",
"percent": null,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"num": 1,
"output": "eDP-1",
"type": "workspace",
"representation": "H[URxvt termite]",
"nodes": [
{
"id": 5,
"name": "urxvt",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 23,
"width": 960,
"height": 1057
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
],
"border": "normal",
"current_border_width": 2,
"layout": "none",
"orientation": "none",
"percent": 0.5,
"window_rect": {
"x": 2,
"y": 0,
"width": 956,
"height": 1030
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 960,
"height": 25
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1124,
"height": 422
},
"window": 4194313,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "con",
"fullscreen_mode": 0,
"pid": 23959,
"app_id": null,
"visible": true,
"shell": "xwayland",
"inhibit_idle": true,
"idle_inhibitors": {
"application": "none",
"user": "visible",
},
"window_properties": {
"class": "URxvt",
"instance": "urxvt",
"title": "urxvt",
"transient_for": null
},
"nodes": [
]
},
{
"id": 6,
"name": "",
"rect": {
"x": 960,
"y": 23,
"width": 960,
"height": 1057
},
"focused": true,
"focus": [
],
"border": "normal",
"current_border_width": 2,
"layout": "none",
"orientation": "none",
"percent": 0.5,
"window_rect": {
"x": 2,
"y": 0,
"width": 956,
"height": 1030
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 960,
"height": 25
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 817,
"height": 458
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"sticky": false,
"type": "con",
"fullscreen_mode": 0,
"pid": 25370,
"app_id": "termite",
"visible": true,
"shell": "xdg_shell",
"inhibit_idle": false,
"idle_inhibitors": {
"application": "none",
"user": "fullscreen",
},
"nodes": [
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
5. GET_MARKS
MESSAGE
Retrieve the currently set marks
REPLY
An array of marks current set. Since each mark can only be set for one container, this is
a set so each value is unique and the order is undefined.
Example Reply:
[
"one",
"test"
]
6. GET_BAR_CONFIG (WITHOUT A PAYLOAD)
MESSAGE
When sending without a payload, this retrieves the list of configured bar IDs
REPLY
An array of bar IDs, which are strings
Example Reply:
[
"bar-0",
"bar-1"
]
6. GET_BAR_CONFIG (WITH A PAYLOAD)
MESSAGE
When sent with a bar ID as the payload, this retrieves the config associated with the
specified by the bar ID in the payload. This is used by swaybar, but could also be used
for third party bars
REPLY
An object that represents the configuration for the bar with the bar ID sent as the
payload. The following properties exists and more information about what their value mean
can be found in sway-bar(5):
┌───────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ id │ string │ The bar ID │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ mode │ string │ The mode for the bar. It │
│ │ │ can be dock, hide, or │
│ │ │ invisible │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ position │ string │ The bar's position. It │
│ │ │ can currently either be │
│ │ │ bottom or top │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ status_command │ string │ The command which should │
│ │ │ be run to generate the │
│ │ │ status line │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ font │ string │ The font to use for the │
│ │ │ text on the bar │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ workspace_buttons │ boolean │ Whether to display the │
│ │ │ workspace buttons on the │
│ │ │ bar │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ workspace_min_width │ integer │ Minimum width in px for │
│ │ │ the workspace buttons on │
│ │ │ the bar │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│binding_mode_indicator │ boolean │ Whether to display the │
│ │ │ current binding mode on │
│ │ │ the bar │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ verbose │ boolean │ For i3 compatibility, │
│ │ │ this will be the boolean │
│ │ │ value false. │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ colors │ object │ An object containing the │
│ │ │ #RRGGBBAA colors to use │
│ │ │ for the bar. See below │
│ │ │ for more information │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ gaps │ object │ An object representing │
│ │ │ the gaps for the bar │
│ │ │ consisting of top, │
│ │ │ right, bottom, and left. │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ bar_height │ integer │ The absolute height to │
│ │ │ use for the bar or 0 to │
│ │ │ automatically size based │
│ │ │ on the font │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ status_padding │ integer │ The vertical padding to │
│ │ │ use for the status line │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ status_edge_padding │ integer │ The horizontal padding │
│ │ │ to use for the status │
│ │ │ line when at the end of │
│ │ │ an output │
└───────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
The colors object contains the following properties, which are all strings containing the
#RRGGBBAA representation of the color:
┌──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DESCRIPTION │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ background │ The color to use for the bar │
│ │ background on unfocused outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ statusline │ The color to use for the status │
│ │ line text on unfocused outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ separator │ The color to use for the │
│ │ separator text on unfocused │
│ │ outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focused_background │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the bar on the │
│ │ focused output │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focused_statusline │ The color to use for the status │
│ │ line text on the focused output │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focused_separator │ The color to use for the │
│ │ separator text on the focused │
│ │ output │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focused_workspace_text │ The color to use for the text of │
│ │ the focused workspace button │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focused_workspace_bg │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the focused │
│ │ workspace button │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│focused_workspace_border │ The color to use for the border │
│ │ of the focused workspace button │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ active_workspace_text │ The color to use for the text of │
│ │ the workspace buttons for the │
│ │ visible workspaces on unfocused │
│ │ outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ active_workspace_bg │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the workspace │
│ │ buttons for the visible │
│ │ workspaces on unfocused outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ active_workspace_border │ The color to use for the border │
│ │ of the workspace buttons for the │
│ │ visible workspaces on unfocused │
│ │ outputs │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ inactive_workspace_text │ The color to use for the text of │
│ │ the workspace buttons for │
│ │ workspaces that are not visible │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ inactive_workspace_bg │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the workspace │
│ │ buttons for workspaces that are │
│ │ not visible │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│inactive_workspace_border │ The color to use for the border │
│ │ of the workspace buttons for │
│ │ workspaces that are not visible │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ urgent_workspace_text │ The color to use for the text of │
│ │ the workspace buttons for │
│ │ workspaces that contain an │
│ │ urgent view │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ urgent_workspace_bg │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the workspace │
│ │ buttons for workspaces that │
│ │ contain an urgent view │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ urgent_workspace_border │ The color to use for the border │
│ │ of the workspace buttons for │
│ │ workspaces that contain an │
│ │ urgent view │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ binding_mode_text │ The color to use for the text of │
│ │ the binding mode indicator │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ binding_mode_bg │ The color to use for the │
│ │ background of the binding mode │
│ │ indicator │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ binding_mode_border │ The color to use for the border │
│ │ of the binding mode indicator │
└──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
{
"id": "bar-0",
"mode": "dock",
"position": "top",
"status_command": "while date +'%Y-%m-%d %l:%M:%S %p'; do sleep 1; done",
"font": "monospace 10",
"gaps": {
"top": 0,
"right": 0,
"bottom": 0,
"left": 0
},
"bar_height": 0,
"status_padding": 1,
"status_edge_padding": 3,
"workspace_buttons": true,
"workspace_min_width": 0,
"binding_mode_indicator": true,
"verbose": false,
"pango_markup": false,
"colors": {
"background": "#323232ff",
"statusline": "#ffffffff",
"separator": "#666666ff",
"focused_background": "#323232ff",
"focused_statusline": "#ffffffff",
"focused_separator": "#666666ff",
"focused_workspace_border": "#4c7899ff",
"focused_workspace_bg": "#285577ff",
"focused_workspace_text": "#ffffffff",
"inactive_workspace_border": "#32323200",
"inactive_workspace_bg": "#32323200",
"inactive_workspace_text": "#5c5c5cff",
"active_workspace_border": "#333333ff",
"active_workspace_bg": "#5f676aff",
"active_workspace_text": "#ffffffff",
"urgent_workspace_border": "#2f343aff",
"urgent_workspace_bg": "#900000ff",
"urgent_workspace_text": "#ffffffff",
"binding_mode_border": "#2f343aff",
"binding_mode_bg": "#900000ff",
"binding_mode_text": "#ffffffff"
},
}
7. GET_VERSION
MESSAGE
Retrieve version information about the sway process
REPLY
An object containing the following properties:
┌────────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ major │ integer │ The major version of the │
│ │ │ sway process │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ minor │ integer │ The minor version of the │
│ │ │ sway process │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ patch │ integer │ The patch version of the │
│ │ │ sway process │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ human_readable │ string │ A human readable version │
│ │ │ string that will likely │
│ │ │ contain more useful │
│ │ │ information such as the │
│ │ │ git commit short hash │
│ │ │ and git branch │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│loaded_config_file_name │ string │ The path to the loaded │
│ │ │ config file │
└────────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
{
"human_readable": "1.0-rc1-117-g2f7247e0 (Feb 24 2019, branch 'master')",
"major": 1,
"minor": 0,
"patch": 0,
"loaded_config_file_name": "/home/redsoxfan/.config/sway/config"
}
8. GET_BINDING_MODES
MESSAGE
Retrieve the list of binding modes that currently configured
REPLY
An array of strings, with each string being the name of a binding mode. This will always
contain at least one mode (currently default), which is the default binding mode
Example Reply:
[
"default",
"resize",
]
9. GET_CONFIG
MESSAGE
Retrieve the contents of the config that was last loaded
REPLY
An object with a single string property containing the contents of the config
Example Reply:
{
"config": "set $mod Mod4nbindsym $mod+q exitn"
}
10. SEND_TICK
MESSAGE
Issues a TICK event to all clients subscribing to the event to ensure that all events
prior to the tick were received. If a payload is given, it will be included in the TICK
event
REPLY
A single object contains the property success, which is a boolean value indicating whether
the TICK event was sent.
Example Reply:
{
"success": true
}
11. SYNC
MESSAGE
For i3 compatibility, this command will just return a failure object since it does not
make sense to implement in sway due to the X11 nature of the command. If you are curious
about what this IPC command does in i3, refer to the i3 documentation.
REPLY
A single object that contains the property success, which is set to the boolean value
false.
Exact Reply:
{
"success": false
}
12. GET_BINDING_STATE
MESSAGE
Returns the currently active binding mode.
REPLY
A single object that contains the property name, which is set to the currently active
binding mode as a string.
Exact Reply:
{
"name": "default"
}
100. GET_INPUTS
MESSAGE
Retrieve a list of the input devices currently available
REPLY
An array of objects corresponding to each input device. Each object has the following
properties:
┌────────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ identifier │ string │ The identifier for the │
│ │ │ input device │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ name │ string │ The human readable name │
│ │ │ for the device │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ vendor │ integer │ The vendor code for the │
│ │ │ input device │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ product │ integer │ The product code for the │
│ │ │ input device │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ type │ string │ The device type. │
│ │ │ Currently this can be │
│ │ │ keyboard, pointer, │
│ │ │ touch, tablet_tool, │
│ │ │ tablet_pad, or switch │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│xkb_active_layout_name │ string │ (Only keyboards) The │
│ │ │ name of the active │
│ │ │ keyboard layout in use │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ xkb_layout_names │ array │ (Only keyboards) A list │
│ │ │ a layout names │
│ │ │ configured for the │
│ │ │ keyboard │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│xkb_active_layout_index │ integer │ (Only keyboards) The │
│ │ │ index of the active │
│ │ │ keyboard layout in use │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ scroll_factor │ floating │ (Only pointers) │
│ │ │ Multiplier applied on │
│ │ │ scroll event values. │
├────────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ libinput │ object │ (Only libinput devices) │
│ │ │ An object describing the │
│ │ │ current device settings. │
│ │ │ See below for more │
│ │ │ information │
└────────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
The libinput object describes the device configuration for libinput devices. Only
properties that are supported for the device will be added to the object. In addition to
the possible options listed, all string properties may also be unknown, in the case that a
new option is added to libinput. See sway-input(5) for information on the meaning of the
possible values. The following properties will be included for devices that support them:
┌───────────────────┬───────────┬────────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ send_events │ string │ Whether events are being │
│ │ │ sent by the device. It │
│ │ │ can be enabled, │
│ │ │ disabled, or │
│ │ │ disabled_on_external_mouse │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ tap │ string │ Whether tap to click is │
│ │ │ enabled. It can be enabled │
│ │ │ or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ tap_button_map │ string │ The finger to button │
│ │ │ mapping in use. It can be │
│ │ │ lmr or lrm │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ tap_drag │ string │ Whether tap-and-drag is │
│ │ │ enabled. It can be enabled │
│ │ │ or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ tap_drag_lock │ string │ Whether drag-lock is │
│ │ │ enabled. It can be enabled │
│ │ │ or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ accel_speed │ double │ The pointer-acceleration │
│ │ │ in use │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ accel_profile │ string │ The acceleration profile │
│ │ │ in use. It can be none, │
│ │ │ flat, or adaptive │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ natural_scroll │ string │ Whether natural scrolling │
│ │ │ is enabled. It can be │
│ │ │ enabled or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ left_handed │ string │ Whether left-handed mode │
│ │ │ is enabled. It can be │
│ │ │ enabled or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ click_method │ string │ The click method in use. │
│ │ │ It can be none, │
│ │ │ button_areas, or │
│ │ │ clickfinger │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ middle_emulation │ string │ Whether middle emulation │
│ │ │ is enabled. It can be │
│ │ │ enabled or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ scroll_method │ string │ The scroll method in use. │
│ │ │ It can be none, │
│ │ │ two_finger, edge, or │
│ │ │ on_button_down │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ scroll_button │ int │ The scroll button to use │
│ │ │ when scroll_method is │
│ │ │ on_button_down. This will │
│ │ │ be given as an input event │
│ │ │ code │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ dwt │ string │ Whether disable-while- │
│ │ │ typing is enabled. It can │
│ │ │ be enabled or disabled │
├───────────────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│calibration_matrix │ array │ An array of 6 floats │
│ │ │ representing the │
│ │ │ calibration matrix for │
│ │ │ absolute devices such as │
│ │ │ touchscreens │
└───────────────────┴───────────┴────────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
[
{
"identifier": "1:1:AT_Translated_Set_2_keyboard",
"name": "AT Translated Set 2 keyboard",
"vendor": 1,
"product": 1,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "1267:5:Elan_Touchpad",
"name": "Elan Touchpad",
"vendor": 1267,
"product": 5,
"type": "pointer",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled",
"tap": "enabled",
"tap_button_map": "lmr",
"tap_drag": "enabled",
"tap_drag_lock": "disabled",
"accel_speed": 0.0,
"accel_profile": "none",
"natural_scroll", "disabled",
"left_handed": "disabled",
"click_method": "button_areas",
"middle_emulation": "disabled",
"scroll_method": "edge",
"dwt": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "3034:22494:USB2.0_VGA_UVC_WebCam:_USB2.0_V",
"name": "USB2.0 VGA UVC WebCam: USB2.0 V",
"vendor": 3034,
"product": 22494,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:3:Sleep_Button",
"name": "Sleep Button",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 3,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:5:Lid_Switch",
"name": "Lid Switch",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 5,
"type": "switch",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:6:Video_Bus",
"name": "Video Bus",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 6,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:1:Power_Button",
"name": "Power Button",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 1,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
}
]
101. GET_SEATS
MESSAGE
Retrieve a list of the seats currently configured
REPLY
An array of objects corresponding to each seat. There will always be at least one seat.
Each object has the following properties:
┌─────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ name │ string │ The unique name for the │
│ │ │ seat │
├─────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│capabilities │ integer │ The number of │
│ │ │ capabilities that the │
│ │ │ seat has │
├─────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ focus │ integer │ The id of the node │
│ │ │ currently focused by the │
│ │ │ seat or 0 when the seat │
│ │ │ is not currently focused │
│ │ │ by a node (i.e. a │
│ │ │ surface layer or │
│ │ │ xwayland unmanaged has │
│ │ │ focus) │
├─────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ devices │ array │ An array of input │
│ │ │ devices that are │
│ │ │ attached to the seat. │
│ │ │ Currently, this is an │
│ │ │ array of objects that │
│ │ │ are identical to those │
│ │ │ returned by GET_INPUTS │
└─────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Reply:
[
{
"name": "seat0",
"capabilities": 3,
"focus": 7,
"devices": [
{
"identifier": "1:1:AT_Translated_Set_2_keyboard",
"name": "AT Translated Set 2 keyboard",
"vendor": 1,
"product": 1,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "1267:5:Elan_Touchpad",
"name": "Elan Touchpad",
"vendor": 1267,
"product": 5,
"type": "pointer",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled",
"tap": "enabled",
"tap_button_map": "lmr",
"tap_drag": "enabled",
"tap_drag_lock": "disabled",
"accel_speed": 0.0,
"accel_profile": "none",
"natural_scroll", "disabled",
"left_handed": "disabled",
"click_method": "button_areas",
"middle_emulation": "disabled",
"scroll_method": "edge",
"dwt": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "3034:22494:USB2.0_VGA_UVC_WebCam:_USB2.0_V",
"name": "USB2.0 VGA UVC WebCam: USB2.0 V",
"vendor": 3034,
"product": 22494,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:3:Sleep_Button",
"name": "Sleep Button",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 3,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:5:Lid_Switch",
"name": "Lid Switch",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 5,
"type": "switch",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:6:Video_Bus",
"name": "Video Bus",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 6,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
},
{
"identifier": "0:1:Power_Button",
"name": "Power Button",
"vendor": 0,
"product": 1,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (US)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
}
]
}
]
EVENTS
Events are a way for client to get notified of changes to sway. A client can subscribe to
any events it wants to be notified of changes for. The event is sent in the same format as
a reply. The following events are currently available:
┌───────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│EVENT TYPE │ NAME │ DESCRIPTION │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000000 │ workspace │ Sent whenever an event │
│ │ │ involving a workspace │
│ │ │ occurs such as │
│ │ │ initialization of a new │
│ │ │ workspace or a different │
│ │ │ workspace gains focus │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000002 │ mode │ Sent whenever the │
│ │ │ binding mode changes │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000003 │ window │ Sent whenever an event │
│ │ │ involving a view occurs │
│ │ │ such as being │
│ │ │ reparented, focused, or │
│ │ │ closed │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000004 │ barconfig_update │ Sent whenever a bar │
│ │ │ config changes │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000005 │ binding │ Sent when a configured │
│ │ │ binding is executed │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000006 │ shutdown │ Sent when the ipc shuts │
│ │ │ down because sway is │
│ │ │ exiting │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000007 │ tick │ Sent when an ipc client │
│ │ │ sends a SEND_TICK │
│ │ │ message │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000014 │ bar_state_update │ Send when the visibility │
│ │ │ of a bar should change │
│ │ │ due to a modifier │
├───────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│0x80000015 │ input │ Sent when something │
│ │ │ related to input devices │
│ │ │ changes │
└───────────┴──────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘
0x80000000. WORKSPACE
Sent whenever a change involving a workspace occurs. The event consists of a single object
with the following properties:
┌─────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ change │ string │ The type of change that │
│ │ │ occurred. See below for │
│ │ │ more information │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│current │ object │ An object representing │
│ │ │ the workspace effected │
│ │ │ or null for reload │
│ │ │ changes │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ old │ object │ For a focus change, this │
│ │ │ is will be an object │
│ │ │ representing the │
│ │ │ workspace being switched │
│ │ │ from. Otherwise, it is │
│ │ │ null │
└─────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
The following change types are currently available:
┌───────┬─────────────────────────────────┐
│ TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│ init │ The workspace was created │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│empty │ The workspace is empty and is │
│ │ being destroyed since it is not │
│ │ visible │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│focus │ The workspace was focused. See │
│ │ the old property for the │
│ │ previous focus │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│ move │ The workspace was moved to a │
│ │ different output │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│rename │ The workspace was renamed │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│urgent │ A view on the workspace has had │
│ │ their urgency hint set or all │
│ │ urgency hints for views on the │
│ │ workspace have been cleared │
├───────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│reload │ The configuration file has been │
│ │ reloaded │
└───────┴─────────────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"change": "init",
"old": null,
"current": {
"id": 10,
"name": "2",
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "splith",
"percent": null,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"window": null,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"num": 2,
"output": "eDP-1",
"type": "workspace",
"representation": null,
"nodes": [
]
}
}
0x80000002. MODE
Sent whenever the binding mode changes. The event consists of a single object with the
following properties:
┌─────────────┬───────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────────┼───────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│ change │ string │ The binding mode that │
│ │ │ became active │
├─────────────┼───────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│pango_markup │ boolean │ Whether the mode should │
│ │ │ be parsed as pango │
│ │ │ markup │
└─────────────┴───────────┴─────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"change": "default",
"pango_markup": false
}
0x80000003. WINDOW
Sent whenever a change involving a view occurs. The event consists of a single object with
the following properties:
┌──────────┬───────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├──────────┼───────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│ change │ string │ The type of change that │
│ │ │ occurred. See below for │
│ │ │ more information │
├──────────┼───────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│container │ object │ An object representing │
│ │ │ the view effected │
└──────────┴───────────┴─────────────────────────┘
The following change types are currently available:
┌────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐
│ TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ new │ The view was created │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ close │ The view was closed │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ focus │ The view was focused │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ title │ The view's title has changed │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│fullscreen_mode │ The view's fullscreen mode has │
│ │ changed │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ move │ The view has been reparented in │
│ │ the tree │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ floating │ The view has become floating or │
│ │ is no longer floating │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ urgent │ The view's urgency hint has │
│ │ changed status │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ mark │ A mark has been added or removed │
│ │ from the view │
└────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"change": "new",
"container": {
"id": 12,
"name": null,
"rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"focused": false,
"focus": [
],
"border": "none",
"current_border_width": 0,
"layout": "none",
"percent": 0.0,
"window_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"deco_rect": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 0,
"height": 0
},
"geometry": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1124,
"height": 422
},
"window": 4194313,
"urgent": false,
"floating_nodes": [
],
"type": "con",
"pid": 19787,
"app_id": null,
"window_properties": {
"class": "URxvt",
"instance": "urxvt",
"transient_for": null
},
"nodes": [
]
}
}
0x80000004. BARCONFIG_UPDATE
Sent whenever a config for a bar changes. The event is identical to that of GET_BAR_CONFIG
when a bar ID is given as a payload. See 6. GET_BAR_CONFIG (WITH A PAYLOAD) above for more
information.
0x80000005. BINDING
Sent whenever a binding is executed. The event is a single object with the following
properties:
┌─────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ change │ string │ The change that occurred │
│ │ │ for the binding. │
│ │ │ Currently this will only │
│ │ │ be run │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ command │ string │ The command associated │
│ │ │ with the binding │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│event_state_mask │ array │ An array of strings that │
│ │ │ correspond to each │
│ │ │ modifier key for the │
│ │ │ binding │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ input_code │ integer │ For keyboard bindcodes, │
│ │ │ this is the key code for │
│ │ │ the binding. For mouse │
│ │ │ bindings, this is the │
│ │ │ X11 button number, if │
│ │ │ there is an equivalent. │
│ │ │ In all other cases, this │
│ │ │ will be 0. │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ symbol │ string │ For keyboard bindsyms, │
│ │ │ this is the bindsym for │
│ │ │ the binding. Otherwise, │
│ │ │ this will be null │
├─────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ input_type │ string │ The input type that │
│ │ │ triggered the binding. │
│ │ │ This is either keyboard │
│ │ │ or mouse │
└─────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"change": "run",
"binding": {
"command": "workspace 2",
"event_state_mask": [
"Mod4"
],
"input_code": 0,
"symbol": "2",
"input_type": "keyboard"
}
}
0x80000006. SHUTDOWN
Sent whenever the IPC is shutting down. The event is a single object with the property
change, which is a string containing the reason for the shutdown. Currently, the only
value for change is exit, which is issued when sway is exiting.
Example Event:
{
"change": "exit"
}
0x80000007. TICK
Sent when first subscribing to tick events or by a SEND_TICK message. The event is a
single object with the following properties:
┌─────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ first │ boolean │ Whether this event was │
│ │ │ triggered by subscribing │
│ │ │ to the tick events │
├─────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│payload │ string │ The payload given with a │
│ │ │ SEND_TICK message, if │
│ │ │ any. Otherwise, an empty │
│ │ │ string │
└─────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"first": true
"payload": ""
}
0x80000014. BAR_STATE_UPDATE
Sent when the visibility of a bar changes due to a modifier being pressed. The event is a
single object with the following properties:
┌────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ id │ string │ The bar ID effected │
├────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│visible_by_modifier │ boolean │ Whether the bar should │
│ │ │ be made visible due to a │
│ │ │ modifier being pressed │
└────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"id": "bar-0",
"visible_by_modifier": true
}
0x80000015. INPUT
Sent when something related to the input devices changes. The event is a single object
with the following properties:
┌─────────┬───────────┬────────────────────────┐
│PROPERTY │ DATA TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├─────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ change │ string │ What has changed │
├─────────┼───────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ input │ object │ An object representing │
│ │ │ the input that is │
│ │ │ identical the ones │
│ │ │ GET_INPUTS gives │
└─────────┴───────────┴────────────────────────┘
The following change types are currently available:
┌────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐
│ TYPE │ DESCRIPTION │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ added │ The input device became │
│ │ available │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ removed │ The input device is no longer │
│ │ available │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ xkb_keymap │ (Keyboards only) The keymap for │
│ │ the keyboard has changed │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ xkb_layout │ (Keyboards only) The effective │
│ │ layout in the keymap has changed │
├────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│libinput_config │ (libinput device only) A │
│ │ libinput config option for the │
│ │ device changed │
└────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘
Example Event:
{
"change": "xkb_layout",
"input": {
"identifier": "1:1:AT_Translated_Set_2_keyboard",
"name": "AT Translated Set 2 keyboard",
"vendor": 1,
"product": 1,
"type": "keyboard",
"xkb_layout_names": [
"English (US)",
"English (Dvorak)"
],
"xkb_active_layout_index": 1,
"xkb_active_layout_name": "English (Dvorak)",
"libinput": {
"send_events": "enabled"
}
}
}
SEE ALSO
sway(1) sway(5) sway-bar(5) swaymsg(1) sway-input(5) sway-output(5)
2022-09-12 sway-ipc(7)