FvwmProxy(1) Fvwm Modules FvwmProxy(1)

NAME

FvwmProxy - the fvwm proxy module

SYNOPSIS

FvwmProxy is spawned by fvwm, so no command line invocation will
work.

DESCRIPTION

The FvwmProxy allows the user to locate and control windows obscured
by other windows by using small non-overlapping proxy windows. The
default capabilities include raising and lowering the proxied
windows.

Using the sample configuration, pressing Alt-Tab cycles through the
windows and allows the use of assignable click actions on the
proxies. Releasing the Alt key deactivates the proxy windows. By
default, pressing the left or right mouse buttons on a proxy window
raises or lowers the associated proxied window respectively. An
additional mapping can have the proxies automatically appear by just
holding the Alt key.

Proxy windows are always on top and try to center on the regular
window they proxy. A simple collision algorithm tweaks the positions
of the proxy windows to prevent them from overlapping.

COPYRIGHTS

The FvwmProxy program is original work by Jason Weber.

Copyright 2002, Jason Weber. No guarantees or warranties or anything
are provided or implied in any way whatsoever. Use this program at
your own risk.

INVOCATION

FvwmProxy can be invoked by inserting the line 'Module FvwmProxy' in
the .fvwm2rc file. This can be placed on a line by itself, if
FvwmProxy is to be spawned during fvwm's initialization, or can be
bound to a menu or mouse button or keystroke to invoke it later. Fvwm
will search directory specified in the ModulePath configuration
option to attempt to locate FvwmProxy.

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS

*FvwmProxy: Colorset n
Specifies the color theme for unselected proxy windows.


*FvwmProxy: SelectColorset n
Specifies the color theme for the selected proxy window.


*FvwmProxy: IconifiedColorset n
Specifies the color theme for proxy windows of iconified
windows. This is only meaningful in conjunction with the
ProxyIconified option on.


*FvwmProxy: Font font
Specifies the font used for large proxy window text. This
usually contains the icon string and is nearly vertically
centered in the proxy. If there is no icon string, the title
bar string is used. If this text exceeds the width of the
proxy, it is cropped on the right. If no Font is specified, a
default is used.


*FvwmProxy: SmallFont font
Specifies the font used for the auxiliary proxy window text.
This usually contains the title bar string, but is omitted if
it is identical to the icon string and that text was not
cropped. The text is drawn close to the bottom of the proxy
and should probably be the smallest legible font available.
If this text exceeds the width of the proxy, it is cropped on
the left. If no SmallFont is specified, this text is never
drawn.


*FvwmProxy: Width w
Specifies the size in X of each proxy window. The default is
180.


*FvwmProxy: Height h
Specifies the size in Y of each proxy window. The default is
60.


*FvwmProxy: Separation d
Specifies the minimum distance between proxy windows when
adjusting for collisions. The default is 10.


*FvwmProxy: ShowMiniIcons bool
If true, proxy windows show the mini icon for the window they
represent, if it has a mini icon. The default is true.


*FvwmProxy: EnterSelect bool
If true, a proxy is automatically selected when the mouse is
moved over the proxy, even if no mouse buttons are pressed.
The default is false.


*FvwmProxy: ProxyMove bool
If true, moving a proxy window will move the window it
represents. Currently, the proxied window doesn't recognize
snap effects during this operation. The default is false.


*FvwmProxy: ProxyIconified bool
If true, continue to show proxy windows when they are
iconified. In addition, consider adding click actions that
Iconify on and off, such as on the middlemouse button. The
default is false.


*FvwmProxy: ShowOnly mode
Limits the appearance of proxy windows during the Show action.
The supported modes are Selected, Covered, Grouped, and All.
The default is All which shows every proxy window on the
current desk. Select mode will only show the proxy window for
the selected window. If no window is selected, the currently
focused window is treated as the select window for ShowOnly
filtering. Covered mode extends Select mode to add proxy
windows that overlap the select real window. Just using
Selected mode can result in untouchable proxy windows that
disappear before you can reach them. Grouped mode extends
Covered mode to show proxy windows in the same window group as
the selected window. In all cases, iconified proxy windows
never appear if ProxyIconified is false.


*FvwmProxy: Action mouseaction response
Tells FvwmProxy to do the specified response when the given
action is done. The currently supported mouse actions are:
Click1, Click2, Click3 and so on, representing mouse clicks
with various buttons. By default, the module supports 3 mouse
buttons, but it can be compiled to support more. The default
responses are Raise, Nop, and Lower for Click1, Click2, and
Click3, respectively.


*FvwmProxy: Action Select command
This selects an fvwm function to be called during a FvwmProxy
Hide command for the window whose proxy was selected. The
default is WindowListFunc. WindowListFunc is predefined by
the fvwm install. You can replace it, add to it, or supply an
independent function.


*FvwmProxy: Action Show command
This selects an fvwm function to be called during a FvwmProxy
Show command. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Action Hide command
This selects an fvwm function to be called during a FvwmProxy
Hide command. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Action Abort command
This selects an fvwm function to be called during a FvwmProxy
Abort command. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Action Mark command
This selects an fvwm function to be called on a window after
it is marked. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Action Unmark command
This selects an fvwm function to be called on a marked window
just after another window gets the mark. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Action ModifierRelease modifiers command
This selects an fvwm function to be called while proxies are
shown and the specified modifiers are all released. The
modifiers are specified using the same syntax as in the Mouse
command. The default is Nop.


*FvwmProxy: Group groupname command pattern
For the given named group, adjust inclusion of the windows
matching the pattern. The groupname is a string identifier
used to associate windows. The window pattern uses the same
format as the Style command. The supported commands are
Include, SoftInclude, WeakInclude, WeakSoftInclude, and
Exclude. The commands ending in Include identify a pattern to
add windows to the group. Exclude identifies pattern to
counteract inclusion pattern or auto-inclusion (see flags
below). All exclusion checks follow all inclusion checks.
Soft inclusion limits the windows in that pattern to only move
when an non-soft window in the group moves. Moving or
resizing these windows does not affect any other windows.
They are also immune to edge effects. Soft inclusion also
affects provocation effects (see below). Weak inclusion
prevents inclusion purely on name, instead relying on X11
leader or process id matching. Weakly included names will not
start a group, but will join a group in the same known process
or with the same leader. Once the window has joined, the name
is just used to determine if the inclusion is soft.


*FvwmProxy: Group groupname flag
For the given named group, activate the given flag. The
supported flags are AutoInclude, AutoSoft, and IgnoreIDs. All
window grouping is normally checked to only group windows that
are in the same process or that have the same X11 client
leader. IgnoreIDs deactivates this mechanism. AutoInclude
automatically includes any window that matches the same
process or client leader, without having to name them
specifically. AutoSoft makes all AutoInclusions soft (see
inclusion description above).


*FvwmProxy: Group groupname provocation pattern
The provocation flags allow you to customize whether grouped
windows provoke each other in response to a raise/lower, desk
move, drag, or iconification change. The compound provocation
flag is of the form
(No|Inherit)(Hard|Soft)(Raise|Desk|Drag|Icon|All). The
pattern is optional and should already have been included.
The pattern limits the change to only affect that part of the
group. The first element of the flag is optional and can turn
off the effect, or, with a pattern, can dynamically inherit
the setting for the group. The default is to turn the effect
on. The second element can be used to only apply the change
to windows with the soft state either on or off. The default
is to change both. The third element specifies what provoking
effect is being changed: window raise/lower, moving to another
desk, dragging windows together, toggling iconification, or
all of these. If either the provoking window or a potentially
provoked window has an effect turned off, the provocation does
not occur.


*FvwmProxy: SlotWidth w
This specifies the width of the icons used in slots. The
default is 16.


*FvwmProxy: SlotHeight h
This specifies the height of the icons used in slots. The
default is 16.


*FvwmProxy: SlotSpace d
This specifies the space between icons used in slots. The
default is 4.


*FvwmProxy: GroupSlot n
This specifies the first slot that represent a colored group.
Group slots don't need icons as the are drawn by predetermined
means. The default is 2.


*FvwmProxy: GroupCount n
This specifies the number of group slots. The default is 6.


*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle n style
For non-group slots, this defines the appears of the indicated
slot. The style format matches ButtonStyle command. The
default is nothing.


*FvwmProxy: SlotAction n mouseaction response
For non-group slots, this defines the behavior of the
indicated slot. The mouse action and response is used the
same as the FvwmProxy Action configuration. The default is
Nop.


*FvwmProxy: UndoLimit n
This specifies the number of entries in the undo buffer. this
limits how far back you can undo. The default is 8.

COMMANDS

SendToModule FvwmProxy Show
Activate proxy windows for all windows on the current desk
that do not use the WindowListSkip option. If the desk is
switched, new proxies are automatically generated.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Hide
Deactivate all proxy windows. If a proxy is selected (such as
with the Next and Prev commands), the Select Action is call on
the window that the proxy represents. The default action
includes raising the window and warping the mouse to a
position over that window.


SendToModule FvwmProxy ShowToggle
If shown, hide. If hidden, show.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Abort
Deactivate all proxy windows. This differs from the Hide
command in that no action is taken on any selected window.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Circulate command
Tell FvwmProxy to run a conditional command and mark the
result. The imbedded command SendToModule FvwmProxy Mark is
automatically appended after the optional condition, so
supplying your own imbedded command will probably fail. An
example argument to Circulate is ScanForWindow East South
(CurrentPage). If the proxies aren't already shown (such as
with the Show command), any Circulate command will
automatically show the proxies.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Next (obsolete)
If a proxy window is selected, the next proxy is selected.
Windows with the WindowListSkip option are ignored. The
proxies are sorted left to right during the Show command. If
no proxy is currently selected, but a proxy on this desk was
selected on a recent show, that proxy is selected. If no
proxy on this desk was recently selected, the leftmost proxy
is used. This nearly duplicates the functionality of
Circulate ScanForWindow East South (CurrentPage).


SendToModule FvwmProxy Prev (obsolete)
If a proxy window is selected, the previous proxy is selected.
The starting point is the same as with the Next command,
except that the choice with no recent selection is the
rightmost proxy. This nearly duplicates the functionality of
Circulate ScanForWindow West North (CurrentPage).


SendToModule FvwmProxy SoftToggle
Toggle the soft group inclusion setting for the selected
window. This setting is the same that can be activated using
the SoftInclude and AutoSoft commands inside the FvwmProxy
Group configuration.


SendToModule FvwmProxy IsolateToggle
Toggle the isolation setting for the selected window's group.
Isolated groups only allow one member to not be iconified at a
time. The members are also coerced to the same position and
size, constrained by their size increment.


SendToModule FvwmProxy PrevIsolated
If focused on a member of a isolating group, deiconify the
member higher on list. If no member is higher, deiconify the
last member.


SendToModule FvwmProxy NextIsolated
If focused on a member of a isolating group, deiconify the
member lower on list. If no member is higher, deiconify the
first member.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Undo
Attempt to undo the last window move and/or resize.


SendToModule FvwmProxy Redo
Attempt to redo the most recent Undo. If another move or
resize occurs since the previous undo, the redo buffer will be
cleared.

SAMPLE CONFIGURATION

The following are excerpts from a .fvwm2rc file which describe
FvwmProxy initialization commands:

Key Tab A M SendToModule FvwmProxy Circulate \
ScanForWindow East South (CurrentPage)
Key Tab A SM SendToModule FvwmProxy Circulate \
ScanForWindow West North (CurrentPage)

*FvwmProxy: Action ModifierRelease M SendToModule FvwmProxy Hide

But Meta-Shift-Tab can be awkward, so Meta-Q may be a better
alternative.

Key Q A M SendToModule FvwmProxy Circulate \
ScanForWindow West North (CurrentPage)


You might consider adding !Sticky to the (CurrentPage) conditional if
you use Sticky for low-interactivity programs, like load meters and
music players.

To have the proxies immediately pop up when you hold the Alt key, add

Key Meta_L A N SendToModule FvwmProxy Show

If that's too intrusive, you can assign Alt-Esc to switch the proxies
on and off by adding

Key Escape A M SendToModule FvwmProxy ShowToggle

Some platforms have problems where general Alt key combinations
becoming otherwise dysfunctional after defining these mappings. If
this happens, it might be difficult to take full advantage of this
module.

To have the mouse jump to the center instead of the upper left
corner, try adding

AddToFunc WindowListFunc
+ I WarpToWindow 50 50

or just make your own list function from scratch, for example

DestroyFunc WindowListFunc
AddToFunc WindowListFunc
+ I WindowId $[w.id] Raise
+ I WindowId $[w.id] WarpToWindow 50 50


Note that the default configuration does not activate any Next/Prev
operations for Alt-Tab since that sequence is, by default, used by
another module. Adding appropriate key mappings to your .fvwm2rc
will switch this responsibility to FvwmProxy.

If you use ProxyIconified, you might consider adding Iconify actions.

AddToFunc WindowListFunc
+ I WindowId $[w.id] Iconify Off

AddToFunc Raise-and-Deiconify
+ I WindowId $[w.id] Raise
+ I WindowId $[w.id] Iconify Off

*FvwmProxy: Action Click1 Raise-and-Deiconify
*FvwmProxy: Action Click2 Iconify


You can set up some basic slots fairly easily.

*FvwmProxy: GroupSlot 2
*FvwmProxy: GroupCount 5

*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle 1 MiniIcon
*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle 7 Pixmap "squeeze.xpm"
*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle 8 Pixmap "mini-up.xpm"
*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle 9 Pixmap "mini-bball.xpm"
*FvwmProxy: SlotStyle 10 Pixmap "mini-cross.xpm"

*FvwmProxy: SlotAction 1 Click1 Popup WindowMenu
*FvwmProxy: SlotAction 7 Click1 SendToModule FvwmProxy IsolateToggle
*FvwmProxy: SlotAction 8 Click1 SendToModule FvwmProxy SoftToggle
*FvwmProxy: SlotAction 9 Click1 Iconify
*FvwmProxy: SlotAction 10 Click1 Delete

In this example, WindowMenu is something you would have to define.
If your proxy width is too small, some slots can get cut off.

Undo and redo can be easily mapped to any keys.

Key Z A 3 SendToModule FvwmProxy Undo
Key R A 3 SendToModule FvwmProxy Redo


You can rotate through an isolated group using any keys. For
example, meta cursor-up and cursor-down could traverse the group.

Key Up A 3 SendToModule FvwmProxy PrevIsolated
Key Down A 3 SendToModule FvwmProxy NextIsolated


A somewhat impractical example of a group definition using GIMP is as
follows:

*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" Include "The GIMP"
*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" Include "Module Manager"
*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" SoftInclude "Unit Editor"
*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" AutoInclude
*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" AutoSoft
*FvwmProxy: Group "GIMP" Exclude "Preferences"


This sets up a hard attachment between the windows "The GIMP" and
"Module Manager". The "Unit Editor" is also in the group, but only
responds to movement of one of the hard inclusions. Any window in
the same process or with the same client leader is also associated,
but they default to soft inclusion, except "Preferences" which is
explicitly excluded. Note that in this case, the explicit soft
inclusion of "Unit Editor" is redundant with the combination of
AutoInclude and AutoSoft. However, if AutoSoft was not specified,
the explicit SoftInclude would distinguish that pattern from the
otherwise hard inclusion under just AutoInclude.

AUTHOR

Jason Weber

3rd Berkeley Distribution 19 October 2022 (2.7.0) FvwmProxy(1)