From 3b4f2dd9894397c44ec0e10d4247e886c4f4c314 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nikita Langer Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2026 22:26:07 +0200 Subject: Initial Komm mit :) --- README.md | 216 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 216 insertions(+) create mode 100644 README.md (limited to 'README.md') diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3a3b9bd --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,216 @@ +# dwl - dwm for Wayland + +Join us on our [Discord server] +Or Matrix: [#dwl-official:matrix.org] +Or on our IRC channel: [#dwl on Libera Chat] + +dwl is a compact, hackable compositor for [Wayland] based on [wlroots]. It is +intended to fill the same space in the Wayland world that [dwm] does in X11, +primarily in terms of functionality, and secondarily in terms of +philosophy. Like [dwm], dwl is: + +- Easy to understand, hack on, and extend with patches +- One C source file (or a very small number) configurable via `config.h` +- Tied to as few external dependencies as possible + +## Getting Started: + +### Latest semi-stable [release] +This is probably where you want to start. This builds against the [wlroots] +versions currently shipping in major distributions. If your +distribution's `wlroots` version is older, use an earlier dwl [release]. +The `wlroots` version against which a given `dwl` release builds is specified +with each release on the [release] page + +### Development branch [main] +Active development progresses on the `main` branch. The `main` branch is built +against the latest release of [wlroots]. PRs should target this branch unless they +depend on functionality that is not in the current release of `wlroots`. + +### Preview branch [wlroots-next] +The `wlroots-next` branch is built against the git version of [wlroots], which +is unstable and changes frequently. PRs requiring functionality from the git +version of `wlroots` should target this branch. + +### Building dwl +dwl has the following dependencies: +- libinput +- wayland +- wlroots (compiled with the libinput backend) +- xkbcommon +- wayland-protocols (compile-time only) +- pkg-config (compile-time only) + +dwl has the following additional dependencies if XWayland support is enabled: +- libxcb +- libxcb-wm +- wlroots (compiled with X11 support) +- Xwayland (runtime only) + +Install these (and their `-devel` versions if your distro has separate +development packages) and run `make`. If you wish to build against a released +version of wlroots (*you probably do*), use a [release] or a [0.x branch]. If +you want to use the unstable development `main` branch, you need to use the git +version of [wlroots]. + +To enable XWayland, you should uncomment its flags in `config.mk`. + +## Configuration + +All configuration is done by editing `config.h` and recompiling, in the same +manner as [dwm]. There is no way to separately restart the window manager in +Wayland without restarting the entire display server, so any changes will take +effect the next time dwl is executed. + +As in the [dwm] community, we encourage users to share patches they have +created. Check out the [dwl-patches] repository! + +## Running dwl + +dwl can be run on any of the backends supported by wlroots. This means you can +run it as a separate window inside either an X11 or Wayland session, as well as +directly from a VT console. Depending on your distro's setup, you may need to +add your user to the `video` and `input` groups before you can run dwl on a +VT. If you are using `elogind` or `systemd-logind` you need to install polkit; +otherwise you need to add yourself in the `seat` group and enable/start the +seatd daemon. + +When dwl is run with no arguments, it will launch the server and begin handling +any shortcuts configured in `config.h`. There is no status bar or other +decoration initially; these are instead clients that can be run within the +Wayland session. Do note that the default background color is grey. This can be +modified in `config.h`. + +If you would like to run a script or command automatically at startup, you can +specify the command using the `-s` option. This command will be executed as a +shell command using `/bin/sh -c`. It serves a similar function to `.xinitrc`, +but differs in that the display server will not shut down when this process +terminates. Instead, dwl will send this process a SIGTERM at shutdown and wait +for it to terminate (if it hasn't already). This makes it ideal for execing into +a user service manager like [s6], [anopa], [runit], [dinit], or [`systemd +--user`]. + +Note: The `-s` command is run as a *child process* of dwl, which means that it +does not have the ability to affect the environment of dwl or of any processes +that it spawns. If you need to set environment variables that affect the entire +dwl session, these must be set prior to running dwl. For example, Wayland +requires a valid `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`, which is usually set up by a session manager +such as `elogind` or `systemd-logind`. If your system doesn't do this +automatically, you will need to configure it prior to launching `dwl`, e.g.: + + export XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/tmp/xdg-runtime-$(id -u) + mkdir -p $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR + dwl + +### Status information + +Information about selected layouts, current window title, app-id, and +selected/occupied/urgent tags is written to the stdin of the `-s` command (see +the `STATUS INFORMATION` section in `_dwl_(1)`). This information can be used to +populate an external status bar with a script that parses the +information. Failing to read this information will cause dwl to block, so if you +do want to run a startup command that does not consume the status information, +you can close standard input with the `<&-` shell redirection, for example: + + dwl -s 'foot --server <&-' + +If your startup command is a shell script, you can achieve the same inside the +script with the line + + exec <&- + +To get a list of status bars that work with dwl consult our [wiki]. + +### (Known) Java nonreparenting WM issue +Certain IDEs don't display correctly unless an environmental variable for Java AWT +indicates that the WM is nonreparenting. + +For some Java AWT-based IDEs, such as Xilinx Vivado and Microchip MPLAB X, the +following environment variable needs to be set before running the IDE or dwl: + + export _JAVA_AWT_WM_NONREPARENTING=1 + +## Replacements for X applications + +You can find a [list of useful resources on our wiki]. + +## Background + +dwl is not meant to provide every feature under the sun. Instead, like [dwm], it +sticks to features which are necessary, simple, and straightforward to implement +given the base on which it is built. Implemented default features are: + +- Any features provided by [dwm]/Xlib: simple window borders, tags, keybindings, + client rules, mouse move/resize. Providing a built-in status bar is an + exception to this goal, to avoid dependencies on font rendering and/or drawing + libraries when an external bar could work well. +- Configurable multi-monitor layout support, including position and rotation +- Configurable HiDPI/multi-DPI support +- Idle-inhibit protocol which lets applications such as mpv disable idle + monitoring +- Provide information to external status bars via stdout/stdin +- Urgency hints via xdg-activate protocol +- Support screen lockers via ext-session-lock-v1 protocol +- Various Wayland protocols +- XWayland support as provided by wlroots (can be enabled in `config.mk`) +- Zero flickering - Wayland users naturally expect that "every frame is perfect" +- Layer shell popups (used by Waybar) +- Damage tracking provided by scenegraph API + +Given the Wayland architecture, dwl has to implement features from [dwm] **and** +the xorg-server. Because of this, it is impossible to maintain the original +project goal of 2000 SLOC and have a reasonably complete compositor with +features comparable to [dwm]. However, this does not mean that the code will grow +indiscriminately. We will try to keep the code as small as possible. + +Features under consideration (possibly as patches) are: + +- Protocols made trivial by wlroots +- Implement the text-input and input-method protocols to support IME once ibus + implements input-method v2 (see https://github.com/ibus/ibus/pull/2256 and + https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/pulls/235) + +Feature *non-goals* for the main codebase include: + +- Client-side decoration (any more than is necessary to tell the clients not to) +- Client-initiated window management, such as move, resize, and close, which can + be done through the compositor +- Animations and visual effects + +## Acknowledgements + +dwl began by extending the TinyWL example provided (CC0) by the sway/wlroots +developers. This was made possible in many cases by looking at how sway +accomplished something, then trying to do the same in as suckless a way as +possible. + +Many thanks to suckless.org and the [dwm] developers and community for the +inspiration, and to the various contributors to the project, including: + +- **Devin J. Pohly for creating and nurturing the fledgling project** +- Alexander Courtis for the XWayland implementation +- Guido Cella for the layer-shell protocol implementation, patch maintenance, + and for helping to keep the project running +- Stivvo for output management and fullscreen support, and patch maintenance + + +[wlroots]: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/wlroots +[dwm]: https://dwm.suckless.org/ +[`systemd --user`]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd/User +[#dwl on Libera Chat]: https://web.libera.chat/?channels=#dwl +[0.7-rc1]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/releases/tag/v0.7-rc1 +[0.x branch]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/branches +[anopa]: https://jjacky.com/anopa/ +[dinit]: https://davmac.org/projects/dinit/ +[dwl-patches]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl-patches +[list of useful resources on our wiki]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/wiki/Home#migrating-from-x +[main]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/src/branch/main +[wlroots-next]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/src/branch/wlroots-next +[release]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/releases +[runit]: http://smarden.org/runit/faq.html#userservices +[s6]: https://skarnet.org/software/s6/ +[wlroots]: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/wlroots/wlroots/ +[wiki]: https://codeberg.org/dwl/dwl/wiki/Home#compatible-status-bars +[Discord server]: https://discord.gg/jJxZnrGPWN +[Wayland]: https://wayland.freedesktop.org/ +[#dwl-official:matrix.org]: https://matrix.to/#/#dwl-official:matrix.org -- cgit