Feel(7x)

📦
version 2.2.12 · 4 versions
, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 Feel(7x) — AfterStep X11 window manager 💖

okay so bestie, this is the Feel(7x) manual page for AfterStep, the X11 window manager. It's part 1 because this page is long, and every config option below is still 100% factual — I'm just saying it with main character energy. No cap. ✨

✨ NAME ✨

Feel — AfterStep feel configuration. It's literally the vibe file for how your window manager feels, bestie. 💅

🌸 CONFIGURATION OPTIONS 🌸

okay so here comes the full list, in order, no skips, no summarizing, periodt. 🫶

  • AnimateDeskChange — This setting asks for nice animation to be drawn over the desktop during desktop switching. Comment it out to speed up desktop switching. ✨
  • AppsBackingStore — Specifies that app windows should request backing store. X-terminals and low memory systems should avoid this, because redrawing will be quicker than pulling the saved image from swap space. Backing store will always be faster than redraw on machines that have enough memory. This causes non-ICCCM compliance.
  • AutoFocus — Do not use. Obsolete.
bestie, for real, don't use it. It's obsolete. 💀
  • AutoRaise delay — Specifies the delay in milliseconds of focus a window must attain before being raised.
  • AutoReverse 0|1|2 — Specifies the window Warping (also called alt-tabbing) style. 0 (the default) causes switching among windows in one direction. 1 causes a closed loop switching — #1->#2->#3->#4 then #4->#3->#2->#1. 2 causes an open loop switching — #1->#2->#3->#4 then #4->#1->#2->#3 etc. 🦋
  • AutoTabThroughDesks — In conjunction with AutoReverse, this will Warp (alt-tab) through windows on all desks.
  • BackingStore — Specifies that decorations should request backing store. Refer to AppsBackingStore for further details.
  • CenterOnCirculate — Specifies that when Warping (alt-tabbing), the desktop page containing the window to which the pointer is moving will be automatically selected, and afterstep will attempt to center the target window in the desktop viewport, rather than just flipping to the desktop the window resides in.
  • CirculateSkipIcons — Specifies that all icons should be skipped when Warping (alt-tabbing) between windows.
  • ClickTime — Specifies that afterstep should consider two mouse clicks made within delay milliseconds to be a double mouse click, and not two single mouse clicks. The default delay is 150 milliseconds.
  • ClickToFocus — Specifies that the keyboard input (aka focus) stays with one window until a new window's TitleBar is clicked on, or gains focus through Warping or de-iconification.

AfterStep will not switch focus following mouse pointer, but instead will switch it when window is explicitly clicked. This is the same as before. The only difference is that AfterStep will not Raise window automagically, unless some other settings are set. Possible way to Raise window on focusing include:

  • set AutoRaise 0 in feel file ( delay of 0 )
  • bind mouse clicks to Raise or RaiseLower function in feel file.
  • set ClickToRaise flag in feel file.
  • ClickToRaise — Specifies that windows should be raised when a button is clicked in the titlebar, handle (low bar), or application area. buttons specifies the list of buttons which triggers this function. In AutoRaise mode this will simply raise the window if the click is before the delay specified in AutoRaise. In ClickToFocus mode, this will raise the window and give it focus.
  • CoverAnimationSteps steps count — CoverAnimationSteps is the number of animation steps to take while removing blue-tinted cover window.
  • CoverAnimationType type — CoverAnimationType determines what type of animation to use while removing blue-tinted desktop cover — use values from 0 to 13.
  • Cursor cursor_number cursor_type — Specifies the cursor_type for the given cursor_number. Valid cursor_numbers are 0 though 10 and listed in all the shipped feel.name files. The cursor_types are listed in the /usr/include/X11/cursorfont.h file.
  • CustomCursor path — Adds a custom cursor from the search paths. AfterStep searches the following paths in addition to the system Xorg/Xfree paths: ~/.afterstep/desktop/cursors/ and $SHAREDIR/afterstep/desktop/cursors/.

Note: under Xorg, this is probably depreciated. Current Xorg uses the Xcursor library to load cursor data from a single file.

  • DecorateTransients — Specifies that transient windows (pop-up dialog boxes), which are normally not decorated, should be given the usual title and low bars. Note: some pop-up windows and menus are not managed by the window manager, so do not get these decorations.
  • DefaultWindowBox "windowbox_name" — Window boxes are processed in order they were listed in config. If suitable windowbox could not be found for the window in the database file — then windowbox named in DefaultWindowBox will be forced.
  • DeskAnimationSteps steps — Specifies how many animation steps should be rendered while switching desktops/removing blue cover. Reduce that number to speedup animation.
  • DeskAnimationType value — This requests particular type of animation to be rendered while switching desktops. Available values are in range of 0 to 12.
  • DontMoveOff — Specifies that windows should not be moved off or initially placed off of the desktop. A few programs will not work correctly if you use this option. This only keeps windows from being completely lost off the edge of the desktop. It insists on keeping 16 pixels on the desktop, but does not attempt to keep the entire window on the desk.
  • DontRestoreFocus — Will not restore focus to the recently focused application while switching desktops.
  • EdgeResistance delay pixels — Specifies how hard it should be to change views within a desktop by moving the mouse over the edge of the screen, and how hard it should be to move a window over the edge of a screen.

The delay in milliseconds defines how long the pointer must spend at the screen edge before that view becomes current. This is useful in conjunction with EdgeScroll 100 100, so the views don't get switched accidently.

The pixels defines how far over the edge a window must "appear" to move before it actually moves partially off the screen.

Note that with EdgeScroll 0 0, it is still possible to move or resize windows across the edge of the current screen. By setting the pixels parameter of EdgeResistance to 10000, this type of motion is impossible. However, with EdgeResistances less than 10000, but greater than 0, moving over pages becomes difficult but not impossible.

  • EdgeScroll horizontal vertical — Specifies the percentage of a page to scroll when the cursor hits the edge of a page. Setting EdgeScroll to 0 0 will disable scrolling. Setting this option to 100 100 will scroll whole pages. Set to 1000 1000, scrolling will wrap around at the edge of the desktop. Both horizontal and vertical should be positive numbers.
  • FollowTitleChanges — That will force AfterStep to reread and merge all the hints and settings from the database files, whenever window changes either its name or icon name.
  • Function — Specifies a complex function definition and is covered in the built-in command/function.

See Also: AS Function for further details.

  • IconTitle — Specifies that a title should be displayed under an iconified app. The colors used are the ForeColor and BackColor of the ButtonTitleFocus in the look.name file. Note: less space is left for the app's icon, so it will be resized accordingly. Only a portion of the icon title will be displayed until the icon gains focus, and then the title "box" will expand to reveal the window's entire name.
  • KeepIconWindows — Specifies that applications should be allowed to specify their own icon windows.
  • Key keyname context modifier Command — Specifies a key-stroke binding definition, similar to Mouse. keyname is the keyboard key name. Valid keyname's are found in the /usr/X11/include/X11/keysymdef.h file and are specified here without the leading "XK_". The context describes where the mouse is resting when the keyname is pressed and can be any combination of the following:
    • R = Root window (main background)
    • F = Window Frame (the BottomBar handle corners)
    • S = Window TitleBar or BottomBar
    • I = Iconified Button (minimized window icon)
    • T = Window TitleBar
    • W = Application Window
    • A = Any of the above except for TitleButtons
    • 1-10 = TitleButton number of the TitleBar [ not very useful here ]

modifier is the key-stroke combination associated with the context entry, to issue the Command. Valid modifier 's are:

  • N = No modifiers
  • C = Control
  • S = Shift
  • M = Meta
  • A = Any modifier

Command can be any afterstep Built-in command/function, Popup or user defined Function.

See Also: AS Function for further details.

  • MenusHigh — Specifies that any pop-up menu's submenu should appear at the top of the parent menu instead of starting at the point in the parent window where the submenu item lies.
  • Mouse button context modifier Command — Specifies a mouse binding definition. button is the mouse button number [0, 1, 2, or 3]. If button is zero, then any mouse button invoked issues the Command. context describes where the mouse click occurred and can be any combination of the following:
    • R = Root window (main background)
    • F = Window Frame (the BottomBar handle corners)
    • S = Window TitleBar or BottomBar
    • I = Iconified Button (minimized window icon)
    • T = Window TitleBar
    • W = Application Window
    • A = Any of the above except for TitleButtons
    • 1-10 = TitleButton number of the TitleBar, corresponds to the entry in the look.name file

The action to be taken by the defined TitleButton is defined in the feel.name file. Defining a TitleButton without having a corresponding entry in the feel.name file will cause the TitleButton icon to be displayed, but not react when pressed.

modifier is the key-stroke combination associated with the context entry, to issue the Command. Valid modifier 's are:

okay so the modifier-key legend goes like this, bestie:

N = No modifiers
C = Control
S = Shift
M = Meta
A = Any modifier

Command can be any afterstep Built-in command/function, Popup, or user defined Function.

See Also: AS Function for further details.

Now the rest of the config options, no skips, no cap 💅

  • NoPPosition — tells afterstep to ignore the PPosition field when placing new windows. In other words, windows can't choose where to place themselves. Heads up: adherence to the PPosition field is required for some applications, so this one can matter.
  • NoSnapKey key — AfterStep has that feature where windows "snap" to different desktop things, like edges of other windows and the edge of the screen. To disable it temporarily, hold Shift. Use this setting to request a different modifier key instead of Shift.
  • OpaqueMove % — max size window where opaque window movement should be used. % is percent of the total screen area. Set to 0 and all windows get moved using the traditional rubber-band outline. Set to 100 and all windows get moved as solid windows. The default is 5, which lets small windows move in an opaque manner but makes large windows rubber-band. Using this with large values can slow down video response on slower systems.
⚠️ Large OpaqueMove values can slow down video response on slower systems, bestie.
  • OpaqueResize % — max size window where opaque resizing should be used. % is percent of the total screen area. Set to 0 and all windows get resized using the traditional rubber-band outline. Set to 100 and all windows get resized as solid windows. The default is 5, which lets small windows resize in an opaque manner but makes large windows rubber-band. Using this with large values can slow down video response on slower systems.
⚠️ Same warning as OpaqueMove: big values + slow system = sad video response.
  • PagingDefault 0|1 — says whether Paging should be enabled (1) or disabled (0). Paging is set to enabled by default.
  • PersistentMenus — right now, if you try to open a menu when it's already opened, that causes the menu to close. Use this setting to disable that behavior and instead pop the menu up again.
  • Popup — specifies a menu popup definition and is covered in the built-in command/function.

See Also: AS Function for further details.

  • RandomPlacement — windows that would normally require user intervention for placement get automagically placed in ever-so-slightly random locations.
  • RecentSubmenuItems number_of_items — defines the maximum number of recently used submenu items listed under a menu item. Set to 0 to disable the feature. Default is 4.
  • SaveUnders — specifies that afterstep frames should request saveunders. This causes afterstep to save those portions of windows that are not visible to system memory. It can significantly improve performance during opaque moves, but it causes a significant increase in memory usage. It can also cause garbled display with some applications.
😭 SaveUnders is the memory-hungry icon: big perf boost during opaque moves, but way more memory and possible garbled display with some apps.
  • ScreenEdgeAttraction distance — defines the distance from which a window gets attracted to the screen edge while being interactively moved/resized.
  • ShadeAnimationSteps steps — defines how many steps to use to render animation when a window gets shaded/unshaded.
  • ShadeAnimationSteps steps — yes, it's listed again in the source, same exact thing: defines how many steps to use to render animation when a window gets shaded/unshaded. Not me duplicating, bestie, the manpage did it 💀
  • SloppyFocus — windows retain focus until the mouse moves to another window, or Warping causes another window to gain focus. SloppyFocus has no effect if ClickToFocus is also specified.
  • SmartPlacement — windows get placed in areas that no other windows occupy; otherwise user intervention becomes required for placement. Have fun, try specifying both. :-)
  • StickyIcons — icons should stick to the screen's glass and follow it from desk/view to desk/view.
  • StubbornIconPlacement — icons should avoid being hidden behind windows placed over the IconBox by moving themselves around (dancing icons).
  • StubbornIcons — icons should uniconify to their original desk. By default, icons uniconify to the current desk.
  • StubbornPlacement — new windows should avoid being placed over icons.
  • SuppressIcons — no icon should be shown for any window being iconified, similar to NoIcon.
  • WinListHideIcons — when set, Icons in the internal WindowList (the window that pops up if you right click on the root window) will not be shown.
  • WinListSortOrder 0/1/2/3 — arranges WinList entries based on the following qualifiers: 0 - circulations order (default), 1 - Alpha order, 2 - Stacking order (unimplemented), 3 - creation order (unimplemented).
  • WindowBox "windowbox_name" — WindowBox defines an area on the screen/virtual desktop into which a window will be placed on startup.

See Also: Feel WindowBox definition for further details.

  • WindowEdgeAttraction distance — defines the distance from which a window gets attracted to another window's edge while being interactively moved/resized.
  • XorValue value — specifies the value with which bits are XOR'ed when doing rubber-band window moving or resizing. Setting this value is a trial-and-error process.
  • Xzap number — specifies the horizontal offset of the cursor when warping. This offset is relative to the upper-left corner of the window being warped to.
  • Yzap number — specifies the vertical offset of the cursor when warping. This offset is relative to the upper-left corner of the window being warped to.

and that's the whole Feel(7x) vibe from the 3rd Berkeley Distribution, AfterStep v.2.2.12, page Feel(7x) itself — you're all caught up, bestie 💖✨

📦 where this page comes from