Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[lithpr]

Here's a .pet for wmctrl 1.07, built from the lucid .deb file. Tested on Lupu 5.2.5 (caveat: a derivative called RexBang).

[Béèm]

What does it do?

[DPUP5520]

wmctrl is a UNIX/Linux command line tool to interact with an EWMH/NetWM compatible X Window Manager.

The tool provides command line access to almost all the features defined in the EWMH specification. It can be used, for example, to get information about the window manager, to get a detailed list of desktops and managed windows, to switch and resize desktops, to make windows full-screen, always-above or sticky, and to activate, close, move, resize, maximize and minimize them.

The command line access to these window management functions makes it easy to automate and execute them from any application that is able to run a command in response to an event.

Please note that wmctrl only works with window managers that implement the EWMH specification. The tool is known to work - either fully or partially - with the following window managers:

blackbox >= 0.70
icewm
kwin (the default WM for KDE)
metacity (the default WM for GNOME)
openbox >= 3
sawfish
fvwm >= 2.5
waimea
pekwm
enlightenment >= 0.16.6
xfce >= 4
fluxbox >= 0.9.6
matchbox
window maker >= 0.91

[`f00]

wmctrl in general

One of those tools that sometimes gets into an offering (like musher0's wmx wm package) and you overlook it until it comes in handy. For example, I was trying to get a (nicer) graphical pager in ede wm, but most only displayed on one desktop (kind of useless for anything but observation) and the appdir that was sticky was fairly clunky. How to make a window that's usually undecorated sticky (on all desks)? Load something like fbpanel's pager, do a "wmctrl -l" to get some info, then if the desktop info hasn't got a "-1" in that column for "panel" .. "wmctrl -r panel -b toggle,sticky" and voila.

It's not always that simple, but still it can be useful if you've banged your head on most of the options you can think of and the control eludes your grasp when it seems like there should be a way of accomplishing this or that tweak you might want.

Yep, afterstep has its own way for sure

[lithpr]

Very cool `f00!

I've found all sorts of uses for it- not major accomplishments, but little things. I've used it to supplement Openbox's already excellent facilities for controlling application windows, implemenedt a "quake-terminal" type thingie, a window placing/resizing setup ala unity's Super-Keypad, replacing windows with a copy in the same size & position, a script to display a different background image on each virtual desktop... all sorts of fun little stuff.

It is a very cool little utility, and goes very well with xprop & xwininfo.