My IceWM Configuration (verbose) UPDATE

[macondo]

Obviously, this is a subjective matter.

IceWM comes by default with alt-tab to switch windows, alt-F10 to maximize,
alt-F9 to minimize the screen, the Windows key will give you the main menu.
In the main menu click on Settings > Focus and choose your favorite, (i like "Sloppy").
Do it again, and click on Themes and choose.

NOTE: winkey (Windows key) + space bar will give a 'run box' at the taskbar by default.
from where you can launch apps á la fbrun.

If you go to the icewm site icewm.org -> IceWM Manual you get all
the keybinds and mouse commands.
It's a very worthwile read, it will teach you how to lock your screen
(xtrlock), move a window to another workspace, screensavers, and so forth, how to start
an app in a different workspace when you enter the X system, etc.

Congratulations! you're ready for prime time. Just point and click.

But if you want to increase your speed, if you're a geek wannabe, if the Windows-eske way
of working bring tears to your eyes then KEYBINDINGS are for you.

My configuration  uses 4 files: preferences, keys, winoptions, and prefoverride.

Preferences deals with the wm behavior.
Keys with keybinds.
Winoptions with options that alter the windows.
Prefoverride changes the default keybinds for the ones you like.

PREFERENCES
The devs at VL have been nice and brought the whole list of preferences and created the file
.icewm/preferences. All you have to do is edit as USER.

Code: [Select]

$ nano .icewm/preferences

Every preference consists of 2 lines, both of which are comented (#),
uncomment (erase the hash mark) on the second line of the preference,
and add 1 or 0 (zero) at the end.

1 = enables the preference
0 = disables it.

save/exit and RESTART icewm - Menu >Logout >Restart icewm for it to take effect.

Clear as mud?

Example:

Code: [Select]

# Hide title bar when maximized
# HideTitleBarWhenMaximized=0 # 0/1

After editing it, it should look like this if you wanted enabled:

Code: [Select]

# Hide title bar when maximized
HideTitleBarWhenMaximized=1
The global file for icewm preferences is at /usr/share/icewm/preferences
in case you wanna check for new options.

Restart icewm, restart icewm, restart icewm

Me? i erased the whole preferences file, left it blank, and copied/pasted my personal preferences
i stored in my icewm config folder in my web mail. It takes me 5 minutes to config icewm.

Here's my .icewm/preferences:

Code: [Select]

    OpaqueMove=0
    OpaqueResize=0
    SmartPlacement=1
    MenuMouseTracking=1
    ModSuperIsCtrlAlt=1
    UseMouseWheel=1
    QuickSwitch=1
    AutoReloadMenus=1
    ShowProgramsMenu=1
    ShowThemesMenu=1
    ShowHelp=1
    TerminalCommand="qterminal"
    ShutdownCommand="sudo halt -p"
    RebootCommand="sudo reboot"
    WorkspaceNames=" 1 ", " 2 "

    TaskBarAutoHide=0
    TaskBarShowClock=1
    TaskBarShowAPMStatus=0
    TaskBarAtTop=1
    TaskBarShowAPMStatus=0
    TaskBarShowAPMTime=0
    TaskBarShowMailboxStatus=0
    TaskBarShowWindows=1
    TaskBarShowShowDesktopButton=0
    TaskBarShowTray=1
    TaskBarShowWindowIcons=0
    TaskBarShowCPUStatus=1
    TaskBarShowNetStatus=0
    TaskBarShowCollapseButton=1
    TaskBarWorkspacesLeft=1
    TimeFormat="%R"
    TaskBarShowShowDesktopButton=0
    TaskBarShowWindowListMenu=1
    TaskBarShowMailboxStatus=0
    TaskBarMailboxStatusBeepOnNewMail=0
    NormalTaskBarFontName="-*-sans-medium-r-*-*-*-100-*-*-*-*-*- *"
    NormalTaskBarFontNameXft="sans-serif:size=10"
    ActiveTaskBarFontName="-*-sans-r-*-*-*-100-*-*-*-*-*-*"
    ActiveTaskBarFontNameXft="sans-serif:size=10"
    HideTitleBarWhenMaximized=1


This will make my taskbar at the top (like Gnome) no title bar when maximized, use winkey instead ctlr+alt, cursor tracking menus, etc.

KEYS
Same. Choose what you need. I erased everything and pasted my keybinds. This is my .icewm/keys:

Code: [Select]

    key "F1" qterminal
    key "F2" xfe
    key "F3" firefox
    key "F8" xchat
    key "F9" libreoffice5.0
    key "Print" qterminal -e scrot -cd 10

    #Sound volume
    key "Super+Down" amixer -q set PCM 6- unmute # lower volume
    key "Super+Up" amixer -q set PCM 6+ unmute #increase volume
    key "Super+0"  amixer sset Master,0 toggle


I have no use for the Fn keys, but if you do, just add Alt or Ctrl or Super (winkey)
example:

Code: [Select]

key "Alt+ l" leafpad

The sound is simple is all config by the devs,

winkey + Up arrow increases volume
winkey + Down arrow,decreases volume
winkey + 0 (zero) mutes the sound, hit the combo again and the sound returns.

If you get no sound go to alsamixer as USER and unmute with M key.

Code: [Select]

$ alsamixer

NOTE: If nothing works, do as ROOT:

Code: [Select]

# alsactl init

Do the alsamixer config and then:

Code: [Select]

#alsactl store
# reboot


WINOPTIONS
Go to .icewm/winoptions and choose what you want, I'm only interested in maximizing my windows:

Code: [Select]

qterminal.startMaximized: 1
xchat.startMaximized: 1
firefox.startMaximized: 1
xfe.startMaximized: 1
geany.startMaximized: 1
leafpad.startMaximized: 1

PREFOVERRIDE
I created the file,

Code: [Select]

$ touch .icewm/prefoverride

and put this:

Code: [Select]

KeyWinClose="F4"
KeyWinMaximize="F12"
KeySysTileHorizontal="Super+F2"
KeySysTileVertical="Super+F3"

So now i close apps with F4 (boom! gone)
and maximize the window with one key (F12), instead of the default Alt+F10.
Super (winkey)+F2 splits the screen horizontally (good for translating)
Super+F3 vertically.

THEMES
I'm not much for themes and eye-candy, my thing is simplicity and speed.

I use the default theme in VL (iceClearlooks) and Narciso.

Go to www.box-look.org, click on "icewm themes" in the left column,
if you know the name, click on "alphabetical", i find Narciso on page 14,
click on Download.

Launch xfe (my file manager)as ROOT, i find the theme in Downloads, click on
it and choose "Extract to" in the next screen at the bottom i type the location
where to be extracted, (/usr/share/icewm/themes) Enter, restart icewm, and that's it,
the new theme appears in Settings> Themes from the main menu.

NOTE: Restart icewm every time you do changes on the wm.

Have fun,
macondo aka bobo, Lou, cerealkiller

Different looks:


From left to right:
taskbar on top/no titlebar
regular look
no titlebar/taskbar in autohide

[nightflier]

Very cool, lots of good info!

[roarde]

Manual:
ln -s /usr/doc/icewm-1.3.8/html/icewm.html ~/Desktop/IceWM\ Manual

Oops. You won't be able to navigate that way.

Code: [Select]

cp /usr/doc/icewm-1.3.8/html/icewm.html ~/Desktop/IceWM\ Manual
sed -i '/<HEAD>.*$/a\
  <BASE href=file:///usr/doc/icewm-1.3.8/html/>' ~/Desktop/IceWM\ ManualThere.

[sledgehammer]

Macondo,

Why do you use iceWM?  What are its advantages, other than size, over, say, Plasma on KDE? 

I don't like the mouse, so I generally use the Thinkpad laptop as it has a little red button in the middle of the keyboard which allows mouse-movement without taking the hands off the keyboard.

John

[macondo]

Macondo,

Why do you use iceWM?  What are its advantages, other than size, over, say, Plasma on KDE?

Speed, imho, the more nuts and bolts, the more the probability something might go wrong.
Simplicity, keybindings make the mouse almost obsolete, and still you can use it. I added Vimperator to Firefox and never looked back. I'm always in a hurry i ain't got time to look for icons to click on or learn new tricks with every new version, looks mean didly to me.

My wife uses KDE and she's happy with it, she uses a new machine; i usually get the old hand-me-downs she throws away. She believes i'm a retrograde, cantankerous old fuddy-duddy.

I don't like the mouse, so I generally use the Thinkpad laptop as it has a little red button in the middle of the keyboard which allows mouse-movement without taking the hands off the keyboard.

You still have to point and tap the pad, right? Give keybindings a try for a day, install the addon Vimperator.

On a regular day, after i startx (you need DMs like another hole in the head) , Firefox is launched right away (it's in my .xinitrc) i hit Escape, then type "go+v" (without the quotation marks); v is what i assigned for the VL forum, it comes up (no address writing) then i go down the page with the key j, and up with the key k, first line: gg, last line: G, press D to close a Tab, just like in Vim, press f and all the links are highlighted with numbers, type the number and voilá! (i use nano as my default editor, go figure) but can't live without Vimperator My point is: NO MOUSE.
Life is too short...speed is where is at, no thinking just do it automatically, maybe i'm nuts.

[Lyn]

I have to say I love IceWM too, does what I like and is nice and lightweight - perfect for the machines that I used to use.  Lots to learn - which I am happy doing - but for the most part it stays out of the way.  The refinements added by Vector make it quite easy to use.

[macondo]

My new .icewm/keys

Code: [Select]

    key "F1" qterminal
    key "F2" xfe
    key "F3" firefox
    key "F8" xchat
    key "F9" libreoffice4.4
    key "Print" qterminal -e scrot -cd 10
    key "F10" sh -c 'kill -s HUP $(pgrep -u `whoami` '\''icewm$'\'')' # restarts icewm

    #Sound volume
    key "Super+Down" amixer -q set PCM 6- unmute # lower volume
    key "Super+Up" amixer -q set PCM 6+ unmute #increase volume
    key "Super+0"  amixer sset Master,0 toggle


Notice F10 will restart IceWM, thanks to roarde.

[sledgehammer]

Thanks Macondo,

I have a fairly new Lenovo ideapad which I stupidly bought, only to find that, unlike the thinkpad, it doesn't have the little button in the middle of the keyboard.  I haven't used it more than 10 minutes since I bought it.  I'l put iceWM on it one of these days and see if it makes the machine useful.  I don't like the little mouse-pad as I am always hitting it accidentally with my thumb, but perhaps I can learn to be more careful.  I will need some kind of a mouse I suppose as I spend most of my time on my thinkpad T410, in lyx, and I use the keyboard button a lot.    Perhaps if I learn more about keypad shortcuts in lyx, I can go without a mouse altogether.  That would sure speed things up.

[nightflier]

sledgehammer, there should be several ways of handling the touchpad.
One, you can set it to "disable while typing".
Two, assign keyboard combinations to disable/enable the thing.
Three, turn it off altogether.

[retired1af]

As my notebook is a "desktop replacement", the touchpad is permanently turned off from the BIOS. If, for some reason, I need it (like a quick email check while traveling) I can always turn it on before booting. Otherwise, I hate touchpads with a passion.

Edit - I seem to recall me posting something about disabling and enabling via script some time ago. Lemme see if I can dig it up. Might be something that can be used on that Lenovo.

[retired1af]

Hmm. I did. But that was back in the days when we were still using HAL.

http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=12141.msg76436#msg76436

Still, there should be an easy way to disable and enable from the desktop.

[roarde]

It would probably be a good idea to find where to put this command when starting STD since you're used to it, but if you do try Light and IceWM, you can simply uncomment a line that's already in your ~/.icewm/startup:

Code: [Select]

# disable touchpad while typing, half second delay
#syndaemon -i .5 -d &
Uncomment the "syndaemon" line, or copy it to the relevant file (?) in your STD install. Play with different values  for ".5".

~/.icewm/keys has a commented-out line (portable, if you have vtptoggle) to assign a hotkey for touchpad enable/disable

Code: [Select]

#key "Super+p"          vtptoggle
I'm a fan of the trackpoint too, just don't own a machine that has one. Do they still sell replacement "tips" for those?

[macondo]

Changed my sound volume keybindings to:

Code: [Select]

#Sound volume
    key "Ctrl+Down" amixer -q set PCM 6- unmute # lower volume
    key "Ctrl+Up" amixer -q set PCM 6+ unmute #increase volume
    key "Ctrl+0"  amixer sset Master,0 toggle # mute/unmute

The Ctrl key seems more responsive than the winkey. Works faster.

[macondo]

At last! I found a set of sound volume keybinds that work perfectly

Code: [Select]

#Sound volume
    key "Ctrl+KP_Divide"   amixer set Front 5%-  # lower sound
    key "Ctrl+KP_Multiply" amixer set Front 5%+  # raise volume
    key "Ctrl+0"  amixer sset Master,0 toggle #mutes sound

IOW, to increase volume press the Control key and the asterisk on the numerical pad to the right of the kbd.
to decrease sound press the Ctrl key and the forward slash in the pad.
and to mute, Ctrl + 0 as before.

I configured the sound to my liking with alsamixer:
$ alsamixer

then:
# alsactl store
# reboot

Happy trails...

PS: the original volume keybinds (ctrl + up/down arrows work fine in JWM)