Module: client

A process window.

Clients are the name used by Awesome (and X11) to refer to a window.

A program can have multiple clients (e.g. for dialogs) or none at all (e.g. command line applications). Clients are usually grouped by classes. A class is the name used by X11 to help the window manager distinguish between windows and write rules for them. A client’s behavior is also defined by its type and size_hints properties. See the xprop command line application to query properties for a client.

Client geometry

The client’s :geometry() function returns a table with x, y, width and height. The area returned excludes the border width. All clients also have a shape_bounding and shape_clip used to “crop” the client’s content. Finally, each clients can have titlebars (see awful.titlebar).

Additionally to the classes described here, one can also use signals as described in signals and X properties as described in xproperties.

Some signal names are starting with a dot. These dots are artefacts from the documentation generation, you get the real signal name by removing the starting dot.

Accessing client objects can be done in multiple ways depending on the context. To get the currently focused client:

local c = client.focus
if c then
    -- do something
end

To get a list of all clients, use client:get:

for _, c in ipairs(client.get()) do
    -- do something
end

To execute a callback when a new client is added, use the manage signal:

client.connect_signal("request::manage", function(c)
    -- do something
end)

To be notified when a property of a client changed:

client.connect_signal("property::name", function(c)
    -- do something
end)

To be notified when a property of a specific client c changed:

c:connect_signal("property::name", function()
    -- do something
end)

To get all the clients for a screen use either screen.clients or screen.tiled_clients.

Usage example

Core components relationship

Acquire other objects from a client
Class Property
tag c.tags
screen c.screen
awful.key c:keys()
awful.button c:buttons()
Acquire a client from other objects
Class Property
tag t:clients()
screen s.clients
screen s.hidden_clients
screen s.tiled_clients
mouse mouse.current_client
Legend: c: a client object, t: a tag object, s: a screen object, k: an awful.key object, b: a awful.button object, n: a naughty.notification object

Info:

Static module functions

client.instances () -> integer Get the number of instances.
client.get ([screen[, stacked]]) -> table Get all clients into a table.
client.disconnect_signal (name, func) Disconnect from a signal.
client.emit_signal (name, ...) Emit a signal.
client.connect_signal (name, func) Connect to a signal.
awful.client.next (i[, sel[, stacked=false]]) -> client or nil Get a client by its relative index to another client.
awful.client.swap.bydirection (dir[, c=focused[, stacked=false]]) Swap a client with another client in the given direction.
awful.client.swap.global_bydirection (dir[, sel]) Swap a client with another client in the given direction.
awful.client.swap.byidx (i[, c]) Swap a client by its relative index.
awful.client.cycle (clockwise[, s[, stacked=false]]) Cycle through the clients to change the focus.
awful.client.restore (s) -> client Restore (=unminimize) a random client.
awful.client.property.persist (prop, kind) Set a client property to be persistent across restarts (via X properties).
awful.client.iterate (filter, start, s) Returns an iterator to cycle through clients.
awful.client.focus.history.disable_tracking () -> int Disable history tracking.
awful.client.focus.history.enable_tracking () -> boolean Enable history tracking.
awful.client.focus.history.is_enabled () -> (bool, int) Is history tracking enabled?

Object properties

window integer The X window id.
name string The client title.
skip_taskbar boolean True if the client does not want to be in taskbar.
type string The window type.
class string The client class.
instance string The client instance.
pid integer The client PID, if available.
role string The window role, if available.
machine string The machine the client is running on.
icon_name string The client name when iconified.
icon surface The client icon as a surface.
icon_sizes table The available sizes of client icons.
screen screen Client screen.
hidden boolean Define if the client must be hidden, i.e.
minimized boolean Define it the client must be iconify, i.e.
size_hints_honor boolean Honor size hints, e.g.
border_width integer The client border width.
border_color color The client border color.
urgent boolean The client urgent state.
content surface A cairo surface for the client window content.
opacity number The client opacity.
ontop boolean The client is on top of every other windows.
above boolean The client is above normal windows.
below boolean The client is below normal windows.
fullscreen boolean The client is fullscreen or not.
maximized boolean The client is maximized (horizontally and vertically) or not.
maximized_horizontal boolean The client is maximized horizontally or not.
maximized_vertical boolean The client is maximized vertically or not.
transient_for client The client the window is transient for.
group_window integer Window identification unique to a group of windows.
leader_window number Identification unique to windows spawned by the same command.
size_hints table or nil A table with size hints of the client.
motif_wm_hints table The motif WM hints of the client.
sticky boolean Set the client sticky, i.e.
modal boolean Indicate if the client is modal.
focusable boolean True if the client can receive the input focus.
shape_bounding surface The client’s bounding shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.
shape_clip surface The client’s clip shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.
shape_input surface The client’s input shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.
client_shape_bounding surface The client’s bounding shape as set by the program as a (native) cairo surface.
client_shape_clip surface The client’s clip shape as set by the program as a (native) cairo surface.
startup_id string The FreeDesktop StartId.
valid boolean If the client that this object refers to is still managed by awesome.
first_tag tag The first tag of the client.
buttons table Get or set mouse buttons bindings for a client.
keys table Get or set keys bindings for a client.
marked boolean If a client is marked or not.
is_fixed boolean Return if a client has a fixed size or not.
immobilized_horizontal boolean Is the client immobilized horizontally?
immobilized_vertical boolean Is the client immobilized vertically?
floating boolean The client floating state.
x integer The x coordinates.
y integer The y coordinates.
width integer The width of the client.
height integer The height of the client.
dockable boolean If the client is dockable.
requests_no_titlebar boolean If the client requests not to be decorated with a titlebar.
shape gears.shape Set the client shape.
active boolean Return true if the client is active (has focus).

Object methods

:struts (struts) -> table Return client struts (reserved space at the edge of the screen).
:isvisible () -> boolean Check if a client is visible on its screen.
:kill () Kill a client.
:swap (c) Swap a client with another one in global client list.
:tags (tags_table) -> table Access or set the client tags.
:raise () Raise a client on top of others which are on the same layer.
:lower () Lower a client on bottom of others which are on the same layer.
:unmanage () Stop managing a client.
:geometry (geo) -> table Return or set client geometry.
:apply_size_hints (width, height) -> (integer, integer) Apply size hints to a size.
:get_icon (index) -> surface Get the client’s n-th icon.
:jump_to (merge) Jump to the given client.
:append_keybinding (key) Append a keybinding.
:remove_keybinding (key) Remove a keybinding.
:append_mousebinding (button) Append a mousebinding.
:remove_mousebinding (button) Remove a mousebinding.
:relative_move ([x=c.x[, y=c.y[, w=c.width[, h=c.height]]]]) Move/resize a client relative to current coordinates.
:move_to_tag (target) Move a client to a tag.
:toggle_tag (target) Toggle a tag on a client.
:move_to_screen ([s=c.screen.index+1]) Move a client to a screen.
:to_selected_tags () Find suitable tags for newly created clients.
:get_transient_for_matching (matcher) -> client or nil Get a matching transient_for client (if any).
:is_transient_for (c2) -> client or nil Is a client transient for another one?
:activate {[args]} Activate (focus) a client.
:grant (permission, context) Grant a permission for a client.
:deny (permission, context) Deny a permission for a client.
:emit_signal (name, ...) Emit a signal. Inherited from gears.object
:connect_signal (name, func) Connect to a signal. Inherited from gears.object
:weak_connect_signal (name, func) Connect to a signal weakly. Inherited from gears.object

Signals

scanning Emitted when AwesomeWM is about to scan for existing clients.
scanned Emitted when AwesomeWM is done scanning for clients.
focus Emitted when a client gains focus.
list Emitted before request::manage, after request::unmanage, and when clients swap.
swapped Emitted when 2 clients are swapped
request::manage Emitted when a new client appears and gets managed by Awesome.
request::unmanage Emitted when a client is going away.
button::press Emitted when a mouse button is pressed in a client.
button::release Emitted when a mouse button is released in a client.
mouse::enter Emitted when the mouse enters a client.
mouse::leave Emitted when the mouse leaves a client.
mouse::move Emitted when the mouse moves within a client.
request::activate Emitted when a client should get activated (focused and/or raised).
request::autoactivate Emitted when an event could lead to the client being activated.
request::geometry Emitted when something request a client’s geometry to be modified.
request::tag Emitted when a client requests to be moved to a tag or needs a new tag.
request::urgent Emitted when any client’s urgent property changes.
request::default_mousebindings Emitted once to request default client mousebindings during the initial startup sequence.
request::default_keybindings Emitted once to request default client keybindings during the initial startup sequence.
tagged Emitted when a client gets tagged.
unfocus Emitted when a client gets unfocused.
untagged Emitted when a client gets untagged.
raised Emitted when the client is raised within its layer.
lowered Emitted when the client is lowered within its layer.
property::floating_geometry The last geometry when client was floating.
request::titlebars Emited when a client need to get a titlebar.
request::border Emited when the border client might need to be update.

Deprecated signals

manage [deprecated] Use request::manage.
unmanage [deprecated] Use request::unmanage.
marked [deprecated] The client marked signal.
unmarked [deprecated] The client unmarked signal.

Theme variables

beautiful.border_color_marked color The border color when the client is marked.
beautiful.border_color_floating color The fallback border color when the client is floating.
beautiful.border_color_maximized color The fallback border color when the client is maximized.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen color The fallback border color when the client is fullscreen.
beautiful.border_color_active color The border color when the client is active.
beautiful.border_color_normal color The border color when the client is not active.
beautiful.border_color_urgent color The border color when the client has the urgent property set.
beautiful.border_color_new color The border color when the client is not active and new.
beautiful.border_color_floating_active color The border color when the (floating) client is active.
beautiful.border_color_floating_normal color The border color when the (floating) client is not active.
beautiful.border_color_floating_urgent color The border color when the (floating) client has the urgent property set.
beautiful.border_color_floating_new color The border color when the (floating) client is not active and new.
beautiful.border_color_maximized_active color The border color when the (maximized) client is active.
beautiful.border_color_maximized_normal color The border color when the (maximized) client is not active.
beautiful.border_color_maximized_urgent color The border color when the (maximized) client has the urgent property set.
beautiful.border_color_maximized_new color The border color when the (maximized) client is not active and new.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_active color The border color when the (fullscreen) client is active.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_normal color The border color when the (fullscreen) client is not active.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_urgent color The border color when the (fullscreen) client has the urgent property set.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_new color The border color when the (fullscreen) client is not active and new.
beautiful.border_width integer The fallback border width when nothing else is set.
beautiful.border_width_floating integer The fallback border width when the client is floating.
beautiful.border_width_maximized integer The fallback border width when the client is maximized.
beautiful.border_width_normal integer The client border width for the normal clients.
beautiful.border_width_active integer The client border width for the active client.
beautiful.border_width_urgent integer The client border width for the urgent clients.
beautiful.border_width_new integer The client border width for the new clients.
beautiful.border_width_floating_normal integer The client border width for the normal floating clients.
beautiful.border_width_floating_active integer The client border width for the active floating client.
beautiful.border_width_floating_urgent integer The client border width for the urgent floating clients.
beautiful.border_width_floating_new integer The client border width for the new floating clients.
beautiful.border_width_maximized_normal integer The client border width for the normal maximized clients.
beautiful.border_width_maximized_active integer The client border width for the active maximized client.
beautiful.border_width_maximized_urgent integer The client border width for the urgent maximized clients.
beautiful.border_width_maximized_new integer The client border width for the new maximized clients.
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_normal integer The client border width for the normal fullscreen clients.
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_active integer The client border width for the active fullscreen client.
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_urgent integer The client border width for the urgent fullscreen clients.
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_new integer The client border width for the new fullscreen clients.
beautiful.opacity_normal number The client opacity for the normal clients.
beautiful.opacity_active number The client opacity for the active client.
beautiful.opacity_urgent number The client opacity for the urgent clients.
beautiful.opacity_new number The client opacity for the new clients.
beautiful.opacity_floating_normal number The client opacity for the normal floating clients.
beautiful.opacity_floating_active number The client opacity for the active floating client.
beautiful.opacity_floating_urgent number The client opacity for the urgent floating clients.
beautiful.opacity_floating_new number The client opacity for the new floating clients.
beautiful.opacity_maximized_normal number The client opacity for the normal maximized clients.
beautiful.opacity_maximized_active number The client opacity for the active maximized client.
beautiful.opacity_maximized_urgent number The client opacity for the urgent maximized clients.
beautiful.opacity_maximized_new number The client opacity for the new maximized clients.
beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_normal number The client opacity for the normal fullscreen clients.
beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_active number The client opacity for the active fullscreen client.
beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_urgent number The client opacity for the urgent fullscreen clients.
beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_new number The client opacity for the new fullscreen clients.

Deprecated functions

awful.client.jumpto [deprecated] Jump to the given client.
awful.client.visible [deprecated] Get visible clients from a screen.
awful.client.tiled [deprecated] Get visible and tiled clients
awful.client.moveresize [deprecated] Move/resize a client relative to current coordinates.
awful.client.movetotag [deprecated] Move a client to a tag.
awful.client.toggletag [deprecated] Toggle a tag on a client.
awful.client.movetoscreen [deprecated] Move a client to a screen.
awful.client.mark [deprecated] Mark a client, and then call ‘marked’ hook.
awful.client.unmark [deprecated] Unmark a client and then call ‘unmarked’ hook.
awful.client.ismarked [deprecated] Check if a client is marked.
awful.client.togglemarked [deprecated] Toggle a client as marked.
awful.client.getmarked [deprecated] Return the marked clients and empty the marked table.
awful.client.floating.set [deprecated] Set a client floating state, overriding auto-detection.
awful.client.isfixed [deprecated] Return if a client has a fixed size or not.
awful.client.floating.get [deprecated] Get a client floating state.
awful.client.floating.toggle [deprecated] Toggle the floating state of a client between ‘auto’ and ‘true’.
awful.client.dockable.get [deprecated] Get a client’s dockable state.
awful.client.dockable.set [deprecated] Set a client’s dockable state, overriding auto-detection.
awful.client.property.get [deprecated] Get a client property.
awful.client.property.set [deprecated] Set a client property.
awful.client.run_or_raise [deprecated] Switch to a client matching the given condition if running, else spawn it.
awful.client.get_transient_for_matching [deprecated] Get a matching transient_for client (if any).
awful.client.is_transient_for [deprecated] Is a client transient for another one?

Layout related functions

awful.client.getmaster Get the master window.
awful.client.setmaster Set the client as master: put it at the beginning of other windows.
awful.client.setslave Set the client as slave: put it at the end of other windows.
awful.client.idx Calculate a client’s column number, index in that column, and number of visible clients in this column.
awful.client.setwfact Set the window factor of a client
awful.client.incwfact Change window factor of a client.

Extra properties available in the rules

placement N/A The client default placement on the screen.
honor_padding boolean When applying the placement, honor the screen padding.
honor_workarea boolean When applying the placement, honor the screen work area.
tag tag The client default tag.
tags table The client default tags.
new_tag table or string or boolean Create a new tag for this client.
switch_to_tags boolean Unselect the current tags and select this client tags.
focus boolean Define if the client should grab focus by default.
titlebars_enabled boolean Should this client have a titlebar by default.
callback N/A A function to call when this client is ready.

Tables

awful.client.object Client class.

Fields

client.focus client The focused client or nil (in case there is none).

lib.awful.client.focus Functions

awful.client.focus.history.delete (c) Remove a client from the focus history
awful.client.focus.byidx (i[, c]) Focus a client by its relative index.
awful.client.focus.filter (c) Filter out window that we do not want handled by focus.
awful.client.focus.history.add (c) Update client focus history.
awful.client.focus.history.get (s, idx, filter) Get the latest focused client for a screen in history.
awful.client.focus.history.previous () Focus the previous client in history.
awful.client.focus.bydirection (dir[, c[, stacked=false]]) Focus a client by the given direction.
awful.client.focus.global_bydirection (dir[, c[, stacked=false]]) Focus a client by the given direction.

lib.awful.client.shape Functions

awful.client.shape.get_transformed (c, shape_name) Get one of a client’s shapes and transform it to include window decorations.
awful.client.shape.update.all (c) Update all of a client’s shapes from the shapes the client set itself.
awful.client.shape.update.bounding (c) Update a client’s bounding shape from the shape the client set itself.
awful.client.shape.update.clip (c) Update a client’s clip shape from the shape the client set itself.

lib.awful.client.urgent Functions

awful.urgent.get () Get the first client that got the urgent hint.
awful.urgent.jumpto (merge) Jump to the client that received the urgent hint first.
awful.urgent.add (c, prop) Adds client to urgent stack.
awful.urgent.delete (c) Remove client from urgent stack.


Static module functions

client.instances () -> integer
Get the number of instances.

Returns:

    integer The number of client objects alive.
client.get ([screen[, stacked]]) -> table
Get all clients into a table.

Parameters:

  • screen integer A screen number to filter clients on. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Return clients in stacking order? (ordered from top to bottom). (optional)

Returns:

    table A table with clients.

Usage:

    for _, c in client.get() do
    -- do something
end
client.disconnect_signal (name, func)
Disconnect from a signal.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • func function The callback that should be disconnected.
client.emit_signal (name, ...)
Emit a signal.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • ... Extra arguments for the callback functions. Each connected function receives the object as first argument and then any extra arguments that are given to emit_signal().
client.connect_signal (name, func)
Connect to a signal.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • func function The callback to call when the signal is emitted.
awful.client.next (i[, sel[, stacked=false]]) -> client or nil
Get a client by its relative index to another client. If no client is passed, the focused client will be used.

Parameters:

  • i int The index. Use 1 to get the next, -1 to get the previous.
  • sel client The client. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

Returns:

    client or nil A client, or nil if no client is available.

Usage:

    -- focus the next window in the index
awful.client.next(1)
-- focus the previous
awful.client.next(-1)
awful.client.swap.bydirection (dir[, c=focused[, stacked=false]])
Swap a client with another client in the given direction.

Parameters:

  • dir string The direction, can be either “up”, “down”, “left” or “right”.
  • c client The client. (default focused)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

See also:

awful.client.swap.global_bydirection (dir[, sel]) · 1 permission
Swap a client with another client in the given direction.

Swaps across screens.

Parameters:

  • dir string The direction, can be either “up”, “down”, “left” or “right”.
  • sel client The client. (optional)

See also:


Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.swap.global_bydirectiongrantedWhen a client could be activated because awful.client.swap.global_bydirection was called.
awful.client.swap.byidx (i[, c])
Swap a client by its relative index.

Parameters:

  • i integer The index.
  • c client The client, otherwise focused one is used. (optional)

See also:

awful.client.cycle (clockwise[, s[, stacked=false]])
Cycle through the clients to change the focus.

This will swap the client from one position to the next in the layout.

Parameters:

  • clockwise boolean True to cycle clients clockwise.
  • s screen The screen where to cycle clients. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

See also:

awful.client.restore (s) -> client
Restore (=unminimize) a random client.

Parameters:

Returns:

    client The restored client if some client was restored, otherwise nil.
awful.client.property.persist (prop, kind)
Set a client property to be persistent across restarts (via X properties).

Parameters:

  • prop string The property name.
  • kind string The type (used for register_xproperty). One of “string”, “number” or “boolean”.
awful.client.iterate (filter, start, s)
Returns an iterator to cycle through clients.

Starting from the client in focus or the given index, all clients that match a given criteria.

Parameters:

  • filter function a function that returns true to indicate a positive match.
  • start integer what index to start iterating from. Defaults to using the index of the currently focused client.
  • s screen which screen to use. nil means all screens.

Usage:

    -- un-minimize all urxvt instances
local urxvt = function (c)
  return ruled.client.match(c, {class = "URxvt"})
end

for c in awful.client.iterate(urxvt) do
  c.minimized = false
end
awful.client.focus.history.disable_tracking () -> int
Disable history tracking.

See awful.client.focus.history.enable_tracking to enable it again.

Returns:

    int The internal value of disabled_count (calls to this function without calling awful.client.focus.history.enable_tracking).
awful.client.focus.history.enable_tracking () -> boolean
Enable history tracking.

This is the default, but can be disabled through awful.client.focus.history.disable_tracking.

Returns:

    boolean True if history tracking has been enabled.
awful.client.focus.history.is_enabled () -> (bool, int)
Is history tracking enabled?

Returns:

  1. bool True if history tracking is enabled.
  2. int The number of times that tracking has been disabled.

Object properties

window integer · 1 signal
The X window id.

This is rarely useful, but some DBus protocols will have this ID in their API, so it can be useful when writing AwesomeWM bindings for them.

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Emit signals:

  • property::window When the window value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
name string · 1 signal
The client title.

This is the text which will be shown in awful.widget.tasklist and awful.titlebar.widget.titlewidget.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::name When the name value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
skip_taskbar boolean · 1 signal
True if the client does not want to be in taskbar.

Some clients, like docked bars or some sticky clients such as wallpaper sensors like Conky have no value in the awful.widget.tasklist and should not be shown there.

The default value of this property reflects the value of the _NET_WM_STATE_SKIP_TASKBAR X11 protocol xproperty. Clients can modify this state through this property.

See also:


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Emit signals:

  • property::skip_taskbar When the skip_taskbar value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
type string · 1 signal
The window type.

This is useful in, among other places, the ruled.client rules to apply different properties depending on the client types. It is also used throughout the API to alter the client (and wibox) behavior depending on the type. For example, clients with the dock type are placed on the side of the screen while other like combo are totally ignored and never considered clients in the first place.

Valid types are:

Name Description
desktopThe root client, it cannot be moved or resized.
dockA client attached to the side of the screen.
splashA client, usually without titlebar shown when an application starts.
dialogA dialog, see transient_for.
menuA context menu.
toolbarA floating toolbar.
utility
dropdown_menuA context menu attached to a parent position.
popup_menuA context menu.
notificationA notification popup.
comboA combobox list menu.
dndA drag and drop indicator.
normalA normal application main window.

More information can be found here

See also:


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Emit signals:

  • property::type When the type value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
class string · 1 signal
The client class.

A class usually maps to the application name. It is useful in, among other places, the rules to apply different properties to different clients. It is also useful, along with instance, to implement “windows counter” used in many popular docks and Alt-Tab like popups.

To get a client class from the command line, use the command:

xprop WM_CLASS

The class will be the second string.

This should never change after the client is created, but some buggy application like the Spotify desktop client are known to violate the specification and do it anyway. There is a signal for this property, but it should hopefully never be useful. If your applications change their classes, please report a bug to them and point to ICCCM §4.1.2.5. It tends to break ruled.client and other AwesomeWM APIs.

See also:


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Emit signals:

  • property::class When the class value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
instance string · 1 signal
The client instance.

The instance is a subtype of the class. Each class can have multiple instances. This is useful in the ruled.client rules to filter clients and apply different properties to them.

To get a client instance from the command line, use the command:

 xprop WM_CLASS

The instance will be the first string.

This should never change after the client is created. There is a signal for * this property, but it should hopefully never be useful. If your applications change their classes, please report a bug to them and point to ICCCM §4.1.2.5. It tends to break ruled.client and other AwesomeWM APIs.

See also:


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Emit signals:

  • property::instance When the instance value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
pid integer · 1 signal
The client PID, if available.

This will never change.

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::pid When the pid value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
role string · 1 signal
The window role, if available.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::role When the role value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
machine string · 1 signal
The machine the client is running on.

X11 windows can “live” in one computer but be shown in another one. This is called “network transparency” and is either used directly by allowing remote windows using the xhosts command or using proxies such as ssh -X or ssh -Y.

According to EWMH, this property contains the value returned by gethostname() on the computer that the client is running on.

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::machine When the machine value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
icon_name string · 1 signal
The client name when iconified.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::icon_name When the icon_name value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
icon surface · 1 signal

The client icon as a surface.

This property holds the client icon closest to the size configured via awesome.set_preferred_icon_size.

It is not a path or a “real” file. Rather, it is already a bitmap surface.

Typically you would want to use awful.widget.clienticon to get this as a widget.

Working with icons is tricky because their surfaces do not use reference counting correctly. If gears.surface(c.icon) is called multiple time on the same icon, it will cause a double-free error and Awesome will crash. To get a copy of the icon, you can use:

local s = gears.surface(c.icon)
local img = cairo.ImageSurface.create(cairo.Format.ARGB32, s:get_width(), s:get_height())
local cr  = cairo.Context(img)
cr:set_source_surface(s, 0, 0)
cr:paint()

See also:

Usage:

    local ib = wibox.widget.imagebox(c.icon)

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::icon When the icon value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
icon_sizes table · 1 signal

The available sizes of client icons. This is a table where each entry contains the width and height of an icon.

Example:

{
  { 24, 24 },
  { 32, 32 },
  { 64, 64 },
}

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::icon_sizes When the icon_sizes value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
screen screen · 1 signal

Client screen.

The screen corresponds to the top-left corner of the window.

Please note that clients can only be on one screen at once. X11 does not natively allow clients to be in multiple locations at once. Changing the screen directly will affect the tags and may cause several other changes to the state in order to ensure that a client’s position and its screen are consistent.

Usage example

  -- Move the mouse to screen 3
  mouse.coords {x = 1800, y = 100 }

  -- Spawn a client on screen #3
  awful.spawn('firefox')

  client.get()[1].screen = screen[2]

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::screen When the screen value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
hidden boolean · 1 signal
Define if the client must be hidden, i.e. never mapped, invisible in taskbar.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::hidden When the hidden value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
minimized boolean · 1 signal
Define it the client must be iconify, i.e. only visible in taskbar.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::minimized When the minimized value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
size_hints_honor boolean · 1 signal
Honor size hints, e.g. respect size ratio.

For example, a terminal such as xterm require the client size to be a multiple of the character size. Honoring size hints will cause the terminal window to have a small gap at the bottom.

This is enabled by default. To disable it by default, see ruled.client.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::size_hints_honor When the size_hints_honor value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
border_width integer · 1 signal · 21 theme variables
The client border width.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::border_width When the border_width value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Consumed theme variables:

Theme variable Usage
beautiful.border_width_active
beautiful.border_width_normal
beautiful.border_width_new
beautiful.border_width_urgent
beautiful.border_width_floating
beautiful.border_width_floating_active
beautiful.border_width_floating_normal
beautiful.border_width_floating_new
beautiful.border_width_floating_urgent
beautiful.border_width_maximized
beautiful.border_width_maximized_active
beautiful.border_width_maximized_normal
beautiful.border_width_maximized_new
beautiful.border_width_maximized_urgent
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_active
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_normal
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_new
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_urgent
beautiful.fullscreen_hide_borderHide the border on fullscreen clients.
beautiful.maximized_hide_borderHide the border on maximized clients.
border_color color · 1 signal · 20 theme variables
The client border color.

Usage example

local beautiful = require(‘beautiful’) c.border_color = ‘#ff00ff’

Note that setting this directly will override and disable all related theme variables.

Setting a transparent color (e.g. to implement dynamic borders without size changes) is supported, but requires the color to be set to #00000000 specifically. Other RGB colors with an alpha of 0 won’t work.

Type constraints:

  • border_color color Any string, gradient or pattern definition that can be converted to a cairo pattern.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::border_color When the border_color value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Consumed theme variables:

Theme variable Usage
beautiful.border_color_markedThe fallback color when the client is marked.
beautiful.border_color_activeThe fallback color when the client is active (focused).
beautiful.border_color_normalThe fallback color when the client isn’t active/floating/new/urgent/maximized/floating/fullscreen.
beautiful.border_color_newThe fallback color when the client is new.
beautiful.border_color_urgentThe fallback color when the client is urgent.
beautiful.border_color_floatingThe fallback color when the client is floating and the other colors are not set.
beautiful.border_color_floating_activeThe color when the client is floating and is active (focused).
beautiful.border_color_floating_normalThe color when the client is floating and not new/urgent/active.
beautiful.border_color_floating_new
beautiful.border_color_floating_urgentThe color when the client is floating and urgent.
beautiful.border_color_maximized
beautiful.border_color_maximized_active
beautiful.border_color_maximized_normal
beautiful.border_color_maximized_new
beautiful.border_color_maximized_urgentThe color when the client is urbent and maximized.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_active
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_normal
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_new
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_urgentThe color when the client is fullscreen and urgent.
urgent boolean · 1 signal · 8 theme variables
The client urgent state.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::urgent When the urgent value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Consumed theme variables:

Theme variable Usage
beautiful.border_color_urgentThe fallback color when the client is urgent.
beautiful.border_color_floating_urgentThe color when the client is floating and urgent.
beautiful.border_color_maximized_urgentThe color when the client is urbent and maximized.
beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_urgentThe color when the client is fullscreen and urgent.
beautiful.border_width_urgentThe fallback border width when the client is urgent.
beautiful.border_width_floating_urgentThe border width when the client is floating and urgent.
beautiful.border_width_maximized_urgentThe border width when the client is maximized and urgent.
beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_urgentThe border width when the client is fullscreen and urgent.
content surface
A cairo surface for the client window content.

To get the screenshot, use:

gears.surface(c.content)

To save it, use:

gears.surface(c.content):write_to_png(path)

Please note that this only creates a new cairo surface referring to the client’s content. This means that changes to the client’s content may or may not become visible in the returned surface. If you want to take a screenshot, a copy of the surface’s content needs to be taken. Note that the content of parts of a window that are currently not visible are undefined.

The only way to get an animated client screenshot widget is to poll this property multiple time per seconds. This is obviously a bad idea.

This property has no signals when the content changes.

See also:

opacity number · 1 signal
The client opacity.

Type constraints:

  • opacity number Between 0 (transparent) to 1 (opaque).

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::opacity When the opacity value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
ontop boolean · 1 signal
The client is on top of every other windows.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::ontop When the ontop value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
above boolean · 1 signal
The client is above normal windows.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::above When the above value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
below boolean · 1 signal
The client is below normal windows.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::below When the below value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
fullscreen boolean · 1 signal · 1 permission

The client is fullscreen or not.

Usage example

  screen[1].clients[1].maximized            = true
  screen[2].clients[1].maximized_vertical   = true
  screen[3].clients[1].maximized_horizontal = true
  screen[4].clients[1].fullscreen           = true

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::fullscreen When the fullscreen value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientgeometryfullscreengrantedWhen the client must be resized because it became (or stop being) fullscreen.
maximized boolean · 1 signal · 1 permission

The client is maximized (horizontally and vertically) or not.

Usage example

  screen[1].clients[1].maximized            = true
  screen[2].clients[1].maximized_vertical   = true
  screen[3].clients[1].maximized_horizontal = true
  screen[4].clients[1].fullscreen           = true

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::maximized When the maximized value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientgeometrymaximizedgrantedWhen the client must be resized because it became (or stop being) maximized.
maximized_horizontal boolean · 1 signal · 1 permission

The client is maximized horizontally or not.

Usage example

  screen[1].clients[1].maximized            = true
  screen[2].clients[1].maximized_vertical   = true
  screen[3].clients[1].maximized_horizontal = true
  screen[4].clients[1].fullscreen           = true

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::maximized_horizontal When the maximized_horizontal value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientgeometrymaximized_horizontalgrantedWhen the client must be resized because it became (or stop being) maximized horizontally.
maximized_vertical boolean · 1 signal · 1 permission

The client is maximized vertically or not.

Usage example

  screen[1].clients[1].maximized            = true
  screen[2].clients[1].maximized_vertical   = true
  screen[3].clients[1].maximized_horizontal = true
  screen[4].clients[1].fullscreen           = true

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::maximized_vertical When the maximized_vertical value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientgeometrymaximized_verticalgrantedWhen the client must be resized because it became (or stop being) maximized vertically.
transient_for client · 1 signal
The client the window is transient for.

A transient window is a client that “belongs” to another client. If the client is also modal, then the parent client cannot be focused while the child client exists. This is common for “Save as” dialogs or other dialogs where it is not possible to modify the content of the “parent” client while the dialog is open.

However, modal is not a requirement for using the transient_for concept. “Tools” such as popup palette in canvas-and-palettes applications can belong to each other without being modal.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::transient_for When the transient_for value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
group_window integer · 1 signal
Window identification unique to a group of windows.

This is the ID of the group window, not a client object. The group window is most likely not a visible client, but only an invisible and internal window.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::group_window When the group_window value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
leader_window number · 1 signal
Identification unique to windows spawned by the same command.

This is the ID of the group window, not a client object.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::leader_window When the leader_window value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
size_hints table or nil · 1 signal
A table with size hints of the client.

For details on the meaning of the fields, refer to ICCCM § 4.1.2.3 WM_NORMAL_HINTS.

Please note that most fields are optional and may or may not be set.

When the client is tiled, the size_hints usually get in the way and cause the layouts to behave incorrectly. To mitigate this, it is often advised to set size_hints_honor to false in the ruled.client rules.

Type constraints:

  • hints The hints.
    • user_position table or nil A table with x and y keys. It contains the preferred position of the client. This is set when the position has been modified by the user. See program_position. (optional)
    • program_position table or nil A table with x and y keys. It contains the preferred position of the client. This is set when the application itself requests a specific position. See user_position. (optional)
    • user_size table or nil A table with width and height. This contains the client preferred size when it has previously been set by the user. See program_size for the equivalent when the applications itself wants to specify its preferred size. (optional)
    • program_size table or nil A table with width and height. This contains the client preferred size as specified by the application. (optional)
    • max_width integer or nil The maximum width (in pixels). (optional)
    • max_height integer or nil The maximum height (in pixels). (optional)
    • min_width integer or nil The minimum width (in pixels). (optional)
    • min_height integer or nil The minimum height (in pixels). (optional)
    • width_inc integer or nil The number of pixels by which the client width may be increased or decreased. For example, for terminals, the size has to be proportional with the monospace font size. (optional)
    • height_inc integer or nil The number of pixels by which the client height may be increased or decreased. For example, for terminals, the size has to be proportional with the monospace font size. (optional)
    • win_gravity string or nil The client gravity defines the corder from which the size is computed. For most clients, it is north_west, which corresponds to the top-left of the window. This will affect how the client is resized and other size related operations. (optional)
    • min_aspect_num integer or nil (optional)
    • min_aspect_den integer or nil (optional)
    • max_aspect_num integer or nil (optional)
    • max_aspect_den integer or nil (optional)
    • base_width integer or nil (optional)
    • base_height integer or nil (optional)

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::size_hints When the size_hints value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
motif_wm_hints table · 1 signal
The motif WM hints of the client.

This is nil if the client has no motif hints. Otherwise, this is a table that contains the present properties. Note that awesome provides these properties as-is and does not interpret them for you. For example, if the function table only has “resize” set to true, this means that the window requests to be only resizable, but asks for the other functions not to be able. If however both “resize” and “all” are set, this means that all but the resize function should be enabled.

Type constraints:

  • hints The hints.
    • functions.all boolean (optional)
    • functions.resize boolean (optional)
    • functions.move boolean (optional)
    • functions.minimize boolean (optional)
    • functions.maximize boolean (optional)
    • functions.close boolean (optional)
    • decorations.all boolean (optional)
    • decorations.border boolean (optional)
    • decorations.resizeh boolean (optional)
    • decorations.title boolean (optional)
    • decorations.menu boolean (optional)
    • decorations.minimize boolean (optional)
    • decorations.maximize boolean (optional)
    • input_mode string This is either modeless, primary_application_modal, system_modal, full_application_modal or unknown. (optional)
    • status.tearoff_window boolean (optional)

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::motif_wm_hints When the motif_wm_hints value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
sticky boolean · 1 signal

Set the client sticky, i.e. available on all tags.

Please note that AwesomeWM implements sticky clients per screens rather than globally like some other implementations.

Usage example

  -- Add a client.
  awful.spawn('xterm')

  -- Set sticky = true
  screen[1].clients[1].sticky = true

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::sticky When the sticky value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
modal boolean · 1 signal
Indicate if the client is modal.

A transient window is a client that “belongs” to another client. If the client is also modal, then it always has to be on top of the other window and the parent client cannot be focused while the child client exists. This is common for “Save as” dialogs or other dialogs where is not possible to modify the content of the “parent” client while the dialog is open.

However, modal is not a requirement for using the transient_for concept. “Tools” such as popup palette in canvas-and-palettes applications can belong to each other without being modal.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::modal When the modal value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
focusable boolean · 1 signal
True if the client can receive the input focus.

The client will not get focused even when the user click on it.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::focusable When the focusable value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
shape_bounding surface · 1 signal
The client’s bounding shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.

The bounding shape is the outer shape of the client. It is outside of the border.

Do not use this directly unless you want total control over the shape (such as shape with holes). Even then, it is usually recommended to use transparency in the titlebars and a compositing manager. For the vast majority of use cases, use the shape property.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::shape_bounding When the shape_bounding value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
shape_clip surface · 1 signal
The client’s clip shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.

The shape_clip is the shape of the client content. It is inside the border.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::shape_clip When the shape_clip value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
shape_input surface · 1 signal
The client’s input shape as set by awesome as a (native) cairo surface.

The input shape is the shape where mouse input will be passed to the client rather than propagated below it.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::shape_input When the shape_input value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
client_shape_bounding surface · 1 signal
The client’s bounding shape as set by the program as a (native) cairo surface.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::client_shape_bounding When the client_shape_bounding value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
client_shape_clip surface · 1 signal
The client’s clip shape as set by the program as a (native) cairo surface.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::client_shape_clip When the client_shape_clip value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
startup_id string · 1 signal

The FreeDesktop StartId.

When a client is spawned (like using a terminal or awful.spawn, a startup notification identifier is created. When the client is created, this identifier remain the same. This allow to match a spawn event to an actual client.

This is used to display a different mouse cursor when the application is loading and also to attach some properties to the newly created client (like a tag or floating state).

Some applications, like xterm, don’t support startup notification. While not perfect, the addition the following code to rc.lua will mitigate the issue. Please note that this code is Linux specific.

local blacklisted_snid = setmetatable({}, {__mode = "v" })

--- Make startup notification work for some clients like XTerm. This is ugly
-- but works often enough to be useful.
local function fix_startup_id(c)
    -- Prevent "broken" sub processes created by <code>c</code> to inherit its SNID
    if c.startup_id then
        blacklisted_snid[c.startup_id] = blacklisted_snid[c.startup_id] or c
        return
    end

    if not c.pid then return end

    -- Read the process environment variables
    local f = io.open("/proc/"..c.pid.."/environ", "rb")

    -- It will only work on Linux, that's already 99% of the userbase.
    if not f then return end

    local value = _VERSION <= "Lua 5.1" and "([^\z]*)\0" or "([^\0]*)\0"
    local snid = f:read("*all"):match("STARTUP_ID=" .. value)
    f:close()

    -- If there is already a client using this SNID, it means it's either a
    -- subprocess or another window for the same process. While it makes sense
    -- in some case to apply the same rules, it is not always the case, so
    -- better doing nothing rather than something stupid.
    if blacklisted_snid[snid] then return end

    c.startup_id = snid

    blacklisted_snid[snid] = c
end

ruled.client.add_rule_source(
    "snid", fix_startup_id, {}, {"awful.spawn", "ruled.client"}
)

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::startup_id When the startup_id value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
valid boolean · 1 signal

If the client that this object refers to is still managed by awesome.

To avoid errors, use:

local is_valid = pcall(function() return c.valid end) and c.valid

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::valid When the valid value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
first_tag tag · 1 signal
The first tag of the client.

Optimized form of c:tags()[1]. Not every workflow uses the ability to set multiple tags to a client. It is often enough to only get the first tag and ignore everything else.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::first_tag When the first_tag value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
buttons table · 1 signal
Get or set mouse buttons bindings for a client.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::buttons When the buttons value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
keys table · 1 signal
Get or set keys bindings for a client.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::keys When the keys value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
marked boolean · 3 signals
If a client is marked or not.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • marked (for legacy reasons, use property::marked)
  • unmarker (for legacy reasons, use property::marked)
  • property::marked
is_fixed boolean · 1 signal
Return if a client has a fixed size or not.

This property is read only.

Type constraints:

  • is_fixed boolean The fixed size state (default false)

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::is_fixed When the is_fixed value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
immobilized_horizontal boolean
Is the client immobilized horizontally?

Does the client have a fixed horizontal position and width, i.e. is it fullscreen, maximized, or horizontally maximized?

This property is read only.

Type constraints:

  • immobilized_horizontal boolean The immobilized state (default false)

See also:

immobilized_vertical boolean
Is the client immobilized vertically?

Does the client have a fixed vertical position and width, i.e. is it fullscreen, maximized, or vertically maximized?

This property is read only.

Type constraints:

  • immobilized_vertical boolean The immobilized state (default false)

See also:

floating boolean · 1 signal · 3 permissions
The client floating state.

If the client is part of the tiled layout or free floating.

Note that some windows might be floating even if you did not set them manually. For example, windows with a type different than normal.

Type constraints:

  • floating boolean The floating state.

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::floating When the floating value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientborderfloatinggrantedWhen a border update is required because the client focus status changed.
clientborderactivegrantedWhen a client becomes active and is not floating.
clientborderinactivegrantedWhen a client stop being active and is not floating.
x integer · 3 signals
The x coordinates.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::geometry
  • property::x
  • property::position
y integer · 3 signals
The y coordinates.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::geometry
  • property::y
  • property::position
width integer · 3 signals
The width of the client.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::geometry
  • property::width
  • property::size
height integer · 3 signals
The height of the client.
Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::geometry
  • property::height
  • property::size
dockable boolean · 1 signal
If the client is dockable.

A dockable client is an application confined to the edge of the screen. The space it occupies is substracted from the screen.workarea.

Clients with a type of “utility”, “toolbar” or “dock” are dockable by default.

Type constraints:

  • dockable boolean The dockable state

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::dockable When the dockable value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
requests_no_titlebar boolean · 1 signal
If the client requests not to be decorated with a titlebar.

The motif wm hints allow a client to request not to be decorated by the WM in various ways. This property uses the motif MWM_DECOR_TITLE hint and interprets it as the client (not) wanting a titlebar.

Type constraints:

  • requests_no_titlebar boolean Whether the client requests not to get a titlebar.

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::requests_no_titlebar When the requests_no_titlebar value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
shape gears.shape · 1 signal
Set the client shape.

Type constraints:

  • A gears.shape gears.shape compatible function.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::shape When the shape value changes.
    • self client The object which changed (useful when connecting many object to the same callback).
    • new_value A The new value affected to the property.
active boolean · 2 permissions

Return true if the client is active (has focus).

This property is READ ONLY. Use c:activate { context = "myreason" } to change the focus.

The reason for this is that directly setting the focus (which can also be done using client.focus = c) will bypass the focus stealing filters. This is easy at first, but as this gets called from more and more places, it quickly become unmanageable. This coding style is recommended for maintainable code:

-- Check if a client has focus:
if c.active then
    -- do something
end

-- Check if there is a active (focused) client:
if client.focus ~= nil then
    -- do something
end

-- Get the active (focused) client:
local c = client.focus

-- Set the focus:
c:activate {
    context       = "myreason",
    switch_to_tag = true,
}

-- Get notified when a client gets or loses the focus:
c:connect_signal("property::active", function(c, is_active)
    -- do something
end)

-- Get notified when any client gets or loses the focus:
client.connect_signal("property::active", function(c, is_active)
    -- do something
end)

-- Get notified when any client gets the focus:
client.connect_signal("focus", function(c)
    -- do something
end)

-- Get notified when any client loses the focus:
client.connect_signal("unfocus", function(c)
    -- do something
end)

See also:


Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientborderactivegrantedWhen a client becomes active.
clientborderinactivegrantedWhen a client stop being active.

Object methods

:struts (struts) -> table

Return client struts (reserved space at the edge of the screen).

The struts area is a table with a left, right, top and bottom keys to define how much space of the screen workarea this client should reserve for itself.

This corresponds to EWMH’s _NET_WM_STRUT and _NET_WM_STRUT_PARTIAL.

In the example below, 2 object affect the workarea (using their struts):

  • The top wibar add a top=24
  • The bottom-left client add bottom=100, left=100

Usage example

} – Wibars and docked clients are the main users of the struts. local wibar = awful.wibar { position = ‘top’, height = 24, – this will set the wibar won :struts() to top=24 } – This is the client in the bottom left. c.name = ‘w. struts’ c.floating = true

  c:geometry {
      x      = 0,
      y      = 380,
      height = 100,
      width  = 100,
  }

  c:struts {
      left   = 100,
      bottom = 100
  }

Parameters:

  • struts table A table with new strut values, or none.

Returns:

    table A table with strut values.

See also:

:isvisible () -> boolean
Check if a client is visible on its screen.

Returns:

    boolean A boolean value, true if the client is visible, false otherwise.
:kill ()
Kill a client.

This method can be used to close (kill) a client using the X11 protocol. To use the POSIX way to kill a process, use awesome.kill.

See also:

:swap (c) · 2 signals
Swap a client with another one in global client list.

Parameters:

  • c client A client to swap with.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • swapped
    • The client other client.
    • <code>true</code> boolean when :swap() was called on self rather than the other client. false when :swap() was called on the other client.
  • list
:tags (tags_table) -> table · 1 signal
Access or set the client tags.

Use the first_tag field to access the first tag of a client directly.

Parameters:

  • tags_table table A table with tags to set, or nil to get the current tags.

Returns:

    table A table with all tags.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::tags
:raise () · 1 signal
Raise a client on top of others which are on the same layer.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:
:lower () · 1 signal
Lower a client on bottom of others which are on the same layer.

See also:


Click to display more

Emit signals:
:unmanage ()
Stop managing a client.
:geometry (geo) -> table
Return or set client geometry.

Parameters:

  • geo A table with new coordinates, or nil.
    • x integer The horizontal position.
    • y integer The vertical position.
    • width integer The width.
    • height integer The height.

Returns:

    table A table with client geometry and coordinates.

See also:

:apply_size_hints (width, height) -> (integer, integer)
Apply size hints to a size.

This method applies the client size hints. The client will be resized according to the size hints as long as size_hints_honor is true. Regardless of the status of size_hints_honor, this method will return the size with the size hints applied.

Parameters:

  • width integer Desired width of client
  • height integer Desired height of client

Returns:

  1. integer Actual width of client
  2. integer Actual height of client

See also:

:get_icon (index) -> surface
Get the client’s n-th icon.

Parameters:

  • index interger The index in the list of icons to get.

Returns:

    surface A lightuserdata for a cairo surface. This reference must be destroyed!
:jump_to (merge) · 1 permission
Jump to the given client. Takes care of focussing the screen, the right tag, etc.

Parameters:

  • merge bool or function If true then merge tags (select the client’s first tag additionally) when the client is not visible. If it is a function, it will be called with the client and its first tag as arguments.

See also:


Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.jumptograntedWhen a client is activated because c:jump_to() is called.
:append_keybinding (key)
Append a keybinding.

Parameters:

  • key awful.key The key.

See also:

:remove_keybinding (key)
Remove a keybinding.

Parameters:

  • key awful.key The key.
:append_mousebinding (button)
Append a mousebinding.

Parameters:

  • button awful.button The button.
:remove_mousebinding (button)
Remove a mousebinding.

Parameters:

  • button awful.button The button.
:relative_move ([x=c.x[, y=c.y[, w=c.width[, h=c.height]]]])
Move/resize a client relative to current coordinates.

Parameters:

  • x number The relative x coordinate. (default c.x)
  • y number The relative y coordinate. (default c.y)
  • w number The relative width. (default c.width)
  • h number The relative height. (default c.height)

See also:

:move_to_tag (target) · 1 permission
Move a client to a tag.

Parameters:

  • target tag The tag to move the client to.

See also:


Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.movetotaggrantedWhen a client could be activated because c:move_to_tag() was called.
:toggle_tag (target)
Toggle a tag on a client.

Parameters:

  • target tag The tag to move the client to.

See also:

:move_to_screen ([s=c.screen.index+1]) · 1 permission
Move a client to a screen. Default is next screen, cycling.

Parameters:

  • s screen The screen, default to current + 1. (default c.screen.index+1)

See also:


Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.movetoscreengrantedWhen a client could be activated because c:move_to_screen() was called.
:to_selected_tags ()
Find suitable tags for newly created clients.

In most cases, the functionality you’re actually looking for as a user will either be

c:tags(c.screen.selected_tags)

or

local s = awful.screen.focused()
c:move_to_screen(s)
c:tags(s.selected_tags)

Despite its naming, this is primarily used to tag newly created clients. As such, this method has no effect when applied to a client that already has tags assigned (except for emitting property::tag).

Additionally, while it is a rare case, if the client’s screen has no selected tags at the point of calling this method, it will fall back to the screen’s full set of tags.

See also:

:get_transient_for_matching (matcher) -> client or nil
Get a matching transient_for client (if any).

Parameters:

  • matcher function A function that should return true, if a matching parent client is found.

Returns:

    client or nil The matching parent client or nil.

See also:

:is_transient_for (c2) -> client or nil
Is a client transient for another one?

This will traverse the chain formed by the transient_for property of self until a client c with c.transient_for == c2 is found. The found client c is returned. If no client is found, nil is returned.

While transient_for chains are technically possible, they are unlikely, so the most likely return values are self and nil.

Parameters:

  • c2 client The parent client to check.

Returns:

    client or nil The parent client or nil.

See also:

:activate {[args]}

Activate (focus) a client.

This method is the correct way to focus a client. While client.focus = my_client works and is commonly used in older code, it has some drawbacks. The most obvious one is that it bypasses the activate filters. It also doesn’t handle minimized clients well and requires a lot of boilerplate code to make work properly.

The valid args.actions are:

  • mouse_move: Move the client when the mouse cursor moves until the mouse buttons are release.
  • mouse_resize: Resize the client when the mouse cursor moves until the mouse buttons are release.
  • mouse_center: Move the mouse cursor to the center of the client if it isn’t already within its geometry,
  • toggle_minimization: If the client is already active, minimize it.

Parameters:

  • args
    • context string Why was this activate called? (default other)
    • raise boolean Raise the client to the top of its layer. (default true)
    • force boolean Force the activation even for unfocusable clients. (default false)
    • switch_to_tags boolean (default false)
    • switch_to_tag boolean (default false)
    • action boolean Once activated, perform an action. (default false)
    • toggle_minimization boolean (default false)

See also:

:grant (permission, context)
Grant a permission for a client.

Parameters:

  • permission string The permission name (just the name, no request::).
  • context string The reason why this permission is requested.

See also:

:deny (permission, context)
Deny a permission for a client.

Parameters:

  • permission string The permission name (just the name, no request::).
  • context string The reason why this permission is requested.

See also:

:emit_signal (name, ...) · Inherited from gears.object
Emit a signal.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • ... Extra arguments for the callback functions. Each connected function receives the object as first argument and then any extra arguments that are given to emit_signal().
:connect_signal (name, func) · Inherited from gears.object
Connect to a signal.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • func function The callback to call when the signal is emitted.
:weak_connect_signal (name, func) · Inherited from gears.object
Connect to a signal weakly.

This allows the callback function to be garbage collected and automatically disconnects the signal when that happens.

Warning: Only use this function if you really, really, really know what you are doing.

Parameters:

  • name string The name of the signal.
  • func function The callback to call when the signal is emitted.

Signals

scanning · Class level only
Emitted when AwesomeWM is about to scan for existing clients.

Connect to this signal when code needs to be executed after screens are initialized, but before clients are added.

scanned · Class level only
Emitted when AwesomeWM is done scanning for clients.

This is emitted before the startup signal and after the scanning signal.

focus · Class level only
Emitted when a client gains focus.
list · Class level only
Emitted before request::manage, after request::unmanage, and when clients swap.
swapped
Emitted when 2 clients are swapped

Arguments:

  • client client The other client
  • is_source boolean If self is the source or the destination of the swap
request::manage · 1 permission · Class level only
Emitted when a new client appears and gets managed by Awesome.

This request should be implemented by code which track the client. It isn’t recommended to use this to initialize the client content. This use case is a better fit for ruled.client, which has built-in dependency management. Using this request to mutate the client state will likely conflict with ruled.client.

Arguments:

  • c client The client.
  • context string What created the client. It is currently either “new” or “startup”.
  • hints table More metadata (currently empty, it exists for compliance with the other request:: signals).

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientborderaddedgrantedWhen a new client needs a its initial border settings.
request::unmanage · Class level only

Emitted when a client is going away.

Each places which store client objects in non-weak table or whose state depend on the current client should answer this request.

The contexts are:

  • user: c:unmanage() was called.
  • reparented: The window was reparented to another window. It is no longer a stand alone client.
  • destroyed: The window was closed.

Arguments:

  • c client The client.
  • context string Why was the client unmanaged.
  • hints table More metadata (currently empty, it exists for compliance with the other request:: signals).
button::press
Emitted when a mouse button is pressed in a client.
button::release
Emitted when a mouse button is released in a client.
mouse::enter
Emitted when the mouse enters a client.
mouse::leave
Emitted when the mouse leaves a client.
mouse::move
Emitted when the mouse moves within a client.
request::activate · 1 permission · Class level only
Emitted when a client should get activated (focused and/or raised).

Contexts are:

  • ewmh: When a client asks for focus (from X11 events).
  • autofocus.check_focus: When autofocus is enabled (from awful.autofocus).
  • autofocus.check_focus_tag: When autofocus is enabled (from awful.autofocus).
  • client.jumpto: When a custom lua extension asks a client to be focused (from client.jump_to).
  • client.swap.global_bydirection: When client swapping requires a focus change (from awful.client.swap.bydirection).
  • client.movetotag: When a client is moved to a new tag (from client.move_to_tag).
  • client.movetoscreen: When the client is moved to a new screen (from client.move_to_screen).
  • client.focus.byidx: When selecting a client using its index (from awful.client.focus.byidx).
  • client.focus.history.previous: When cycling through history (from awful.client.focus.history.previous).
  • menu.clients: When using the builtin client menu (from awful.menu.clients).
  • rules: When a new client is focused from a rule (from ruled.client).
  • screen.focus: When a screen is focused (from awful.screen.focus).

Default implementation: awful.ewmh.activate.

To implement focus stealing filters see awful.ewmh.add_activate_filter.

Arguments:

  • context string The context where this signal was used.
  • hints A table with additional hints:
    • raise boolean should the client be raised? (default false)

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateewmhgrantedWhen the client asks to be activated.
request::autoactivate · Class level only
Emitted when an event could lead to the client being activated.

This is an layer “on top” of request::activate for event which are not actual request for activation/focus, but where “it would be nice” if the client got the focus. This includes the focus-follow-mouse model and focusing previous clients when the selected tag changes.

This idea is that request::autoactivate will emit request::activate. However it is much easier to replace the handler for request::autoactivate than it is to replace the handler for request::activate. Thus it provides a nice abstraction to simplify handling the focus when switching tags or moving the mouse.

Arguments:

  • context string The context where this signal was used.
  • hints A table with additional hints:
    • raise boolean should the client be raised? (default false)
request::geometry · 2 permissions · Class level only
Emitted when something request a client’s geometry to be modified.

Arguments:

  • c client The client
  • context string Why and what to resize. This is used for the handlers to know if they are capable of applying the new geometry.
  • Additional table arguments. Each context handler may interpret this differently. (default {})

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientgeometryclient_maximize_horizontalgrantedWhen a client (programmatically) asks for the maximization to be changed.
clientgeometryclient_maximize_verticalgrantedWhen a client (programmatically) asks for the maximization to be changed.
request::tag · Class level only
Emitted when a client requests to be moved to a tag or needs a new tag.

Arguments:

  • c client The client requesting a new tag.
request::urgent · Class level only

Emitted when any client’s urgent property changes.

Emitted both when urgent = true and urgent = false, so you will likely want to check c.urgent within the signal callback.

client.connect_signal("property::urgent", function(c)
    if c.urgent then
        naughty.notify {
            title = "Urgent client",
            message = c.name,
        }
    end
end)

Arguments:

  • c client The client whose property changed.
request::default_mousebindings · Class level only
Emitted once to request default client mousebindings during the initial startup sequence.

This signal gives all modules a chance to register their default client mousebindings. They will then be added to all new clients, unless rules overwrite them via the buttons property.

Arguments:

  • context string The reason why the signal was sent (currently always startup).
request::default_keybindings · 1 permission · Class level only
Emitted once to request default client keybindings during the initial startup sequence.

This signal gives all modules a chance to register their default client keybindings. They will then be added to all new clients, unless rules overwrite them via the keys property.

Arguments:

  • context string The reason why the signal was sent (currently always

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientdefault_keybindingsstartupgrantedSent when AwesomeWM starts.
tagged
Emitted when a client gets tagged.

Arguments:

  • t tag The tag object.
unfocus
Emitted when a client gets unfocused.
untagged
Emitted when a client gets untagged.

Arguments:

  • t tag The tag object.
raised
Emitted when the client is raised within its layer.

See also:

lowered
Emitted when the client is lowered within its layer.

See also:

property::floating_geometry
The last geometry when client was floating.
request::titlebars · Class level only
Emited when a client need to get a titlebar.

Arguments:

  • content string The context (like “rules”) (default nil)
  • hints table Some hints. (default nil)
request::border · Class level only

Emited when the border client might need to be update.

The context are:

  • added: When a new client is created.
  • active: When client gains the focus (or stop being urgent/floating but is active).
  • inactive: When client loses the focus (or stop being urgent/floating and is not active.
  • urgent: When a client becomes urgent.
  • floating: When the floating or maximization state changes.

Arguments:

See also:

Deprecated signals

manage [deprecated]
Use request::manage.
unmanage [deprecated]
Use request::unmanage.
marked [deprecated]
The client marked signal.
unmarked [deprecated]
The client unmarked signal.

Theme variables

beautiful.border_color_marked color
The border color when the client is marked. It has priority over the rest of beautiful border color properties. Note that only solid colors are supported.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_floating color
The fallback border color when the client is floating.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_maximized color
The fallback border color when the client is maximized.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_fullscreen color
The fallback border color when the client is fullscreen.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_active color
The border color when the client is active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_normal color
The border color when the client is not active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_urgent color
The border color when the client has the urgent property set.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_new color
The border color when the client is not active and new.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_floating_active color
The border color when the (floating) client is active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_floating_normal color
The border color when the (floating) client is not active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_floating_urgent color
The border color when the (floating) client has the urgent property set.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_floating_new color
The border color when the (floating) client is not active and new.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_maximized_active color
The border color when the (maximized) client is active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_maximized_normal color
The border color when the (maximized) client is not active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_maximized_urgent color
The border color when the (maximized) client has the urgent property set.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_maximized_new color
The border color when the (maximized) client is not active and new.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_active color
The border color when the (fullscreen) client is active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_normal color
The border color when the (fullscreen) client is not active.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_urgent color
The border color when the (fullscreen) client has the urgent property set.

See also:

beautiful.border_color_fullscreen_new color
The border color when the (fullscreen) client is not active and new.

See also:

beautiful.border_width integer
The fallback border width when nothing else is set.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_floating integer
The fallback border width when the client is floating.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_maximized integer
The fallback border width when the client is maximized.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_normal integer
The client border width for the normal clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_active integer
The client border width for the active client.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_urgent integer
The client border width for the urgent clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_new integer
The client border width for the new clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_floating_normal integer
The client border width for the normal floating clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_floating_active integer
The client border width for the active floating client.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_floating_urgent integer
The client border width for the urgent floating clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_floating_new integer
The client border width for the new floating clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_maximized_normal integer
The client border width for the normal maximized clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_maximized_active integer
The client border width for the active maximized client.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_maximized_urgent integer
The client border width for the urgent maximized clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_maximized_new integer
The client border width for the new maximized clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_normal integer
The client border width for the normal fullscreen clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_active integer
The client border width for the active fullscreen client.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_urgent integer
The client border width for the urgent fullscreen clients.

See also:

beautiful.border_width_fullscreen_new integer
The client border width for the new fullscreen clients.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_normal number
The client opacity for the normal clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_active number
The client opacity for the active client.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_urgent number
The client opacity for the urgent clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_new number
The client opacity for the new clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_floating_normal number
The client opacity for the normal floating clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_floating_active number
The client opacity for the active floating client.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_floating_urgent number
The client opacity for the urgent floating clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_floating_new number
The client opacity for the new floating clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_maximized_normal number
The client opacity for the normal maximized clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_maximized_active number
The client opacity for the active maximized client.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_maximized_urgent number
The client opacity for the urgent maximized clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_maximized_new number
The client opacity for the new maximized clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_normal number
The client opacity for the normal fullscreen clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_active number
The client opacity for the active fullscreen client.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_urgent number
The client opacity for the urgent fullscreen clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

beautiful.opacity_fullscreen_new number
The client opacity for the new fullscreen clients.

A number between 0 and 1.

See also:

Deprecated functions

awful.client.jumpto [deprecated]
Jump to the given client. Takes care of focussing the screen, the right tag, etc.

Parameters:

  • c client the client to jump to
  • merge bool or function If true then merge tags (select the client’s first tag additionally) when the client is not visible. If it is a function, it will be called with the client and its first tag as arguments.

See also:

awful.client.visible [deprecated]
Get visible clients from a screen.

Parameters:

  • s integer or screen The screen, or nil for all screens. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

Returns:

    table A table with all visible clients.

See also:

awful.client.tiled [deprecated]
Get visible and tiled clients

Parameters:

  • s integer or screen The screen, or nil for all screens.
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

Returns:

    table A table with all visible and tiled clients.

See also:

awful.client.moveresize [deprecated]
Move/resize a client relative to current coordinates.

Parameters:

  • x integer The relative x coordinate.
  • y integer The relative y coordinate.
  • w integer The relative width.
  • h integer The relative height.
  • c client The client, otherwise focused one is used. (optional)

See also:

awful.client.movetotag [deprecated]
Move a client to a tag.

Parameters:

  • target tag The tag to move the client to.
  • c client The client to move, otherwise the focused one is used. (optional)

See also:

awful.client.toggletag [deprecated]
Toggle a tag on a client.

Parameters:

  • target tag The tag to toggle.
  • c client The client to toggle, otherwise the focused one is used. (optional)

See also:

awful.client.movetoscreen [deprecated]
Move a client to a screen. Default is next screen, cycling.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to move.
  • s screen The screen, default to current + 1.

See also:

awful.client.mark [deprecated]
Mark a client, and then call ‘marked’ hook.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to mark, the focused one if not specified.
awful.client.unmark [deprecated]
Unmark a client and then call ‘unmarked’ hook.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to unmark, or the focused one if not specified.
awful.client.ismarked [deprecated]
Check if a client is marked.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to check, or the focused one otherwise.
awful.client.togglemarked [deprecated]
Toggle a client as marked.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to toggle mark.
awful.client.getmarked [deprecated]
Return the marked clients and empty the marked table.

Returns:

    table A table with all marked clients.
awful.client.floating.set [deprecated]
Set a client floating state, overriding auto-detection. Floating client are not handled by tiling layouts.

Parameters:

  • c client A client.
  • s boolean True or false.
awful.client.isfixed [deprecated]
Return if a client has a fixed size or not. This function is deprecated, use c.is_fixed

Parameters:

  • c client The client.

See also:

awful.client.floating.get [deprecated]
Get a client floating state.

Parameters:

  • c client A client.

Returns:

    boolean True or false. Note that some windows might be floating even if you did not set them manually. For example, windows with a type different than normal.

See also:

awful.client.floating.toggle [deprecated]
Toggle the floating state of a client between ‘auto’ and ‘true’. Use c.floating = not c.floating

Parameters:

  • c client A client.

See also:

awful.client.dockable.get [deprecated]
Get a client’s dockable state.

Parameters:

  • c client A client.

Returns:

    bool
awful.client.dockable.set [deprecated]
Set a client’s dockable state, overriding auto-detection.

With this enabled you can dock windows by moving them from the center to the edge of the workarea.

Parameters:

  • c client A client.
  • value boolean True or false.
awful.client.property.get [deprecated]
Get a client property.

This method is deprecated. It is now possible to use c.value directly.

Parameters:

  • c client The client.
  • prop string The property name.

Returns:

    The property value.
awful.client.property.set [deprecated]
Set a client property.

This method is deprecated. It is now possible to use c.value = value directly.

Parameters:

  • c client The client.
  • prop string The property name.
  • value The property value.
awful.client.run_or_raise [deprecated]
Switch to a client matching the given condition if running, else spawn it. If multiple clients match the given condition then the next one is focussed.

Parameters:

  • cmd string the command to execute
  • matcher function a function that returns true to indicate a matching client
  • merge bool or function If true then merge tags (select the client’s first tag additionally) when the client is not visible. If it is a function, it will be called with the client as argument.

See also:

Usage:

    -- run or raise urxvt (perhaps, with tabs) on modkey + semicolon
awful.key({ modkey, }, 'semicolon', function ()
    local matcher = function (c)
        return ruled.client.match(c, {class = 'URxvt'})
    end
    awful.client.run_or_raise('urxvt', matcher)
end);
awful.client.get_transient_for_matching [deprecated]
Get a matching transient_for client (if any).

Parameters:

  • c client The client.
  • matcher function A function that should return true, if a matching parent client is found.

Returns:

    client or nil The matching parent client or nil.

See also:

awful.client.is_transient_for [deprecated]
Is a client transient for another one?

Parameters:

  • c client The child client (having transient_for).
  • c2 client The parent client to check.

Returns:

    client or nil The parent client or nil.

See also:

Layout related functions

awful.client.getmaster
Get the master window.

Parameters:

  • s screen The screen. (default awful.screen.focused())
awful.client.setmaster
Set the client as master: put it at the beginning of other windows.

Parameters:

  • c client The window to set as master.
awful.client.setslave
Set the client as slave: put it at the end of other windows.

Parameters:

  • c client The window to set as slave.
awful.client.idx
Calculate a client’s column number, index in that column, and number of visible clients in this column.

Parameters:

  • c client the client
awful.client.setwfact · 1 signal
Set the window factor of a client

Parameters:

  • wfact number the window factor value
  • c client the client

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::windowfact
awful.client.incwfact · 1 signal
Change window factor of a client.

This will emit property::windowfact on the specific tag object c.screen.selected_tag.

Parameters:

  • add number Amount to increase/decrease the client’s window factor by. Should be between -current_window_factor and something close to infinite. Normalisation then ensures that the sum of all factors is 1.
  • c client the client.

Click to display more

Emit signals:

  • property::windowfact

Extra properties available in the rules

placement N/A

The client default placement on the screen.

The default config uses:

awful.placement.no_overlap+awful.placement.no_offscreen

Usage example

ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule = { class = 'mplayer' },
    properties = {
        floating  = true,
        placement = awful.placement.centered,
        width     = 640,
        height    = 480,
    },
}

-- Spawn mplayer
awful.spawn('mplayer')

See also:

honor_padding boolean
When applying the placement, honor the screen padding.

See also:

honor_workarea boolean
When applying the placement, honor the screen work area.

The workarea is the part of the screen that excludes the bars and docks.

See also:

tag tag

The client default tag.

Usage example

-- Select tag by object reference:
ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule_any    = {
        class = {'firefox'}
    },
    properties = {
        tag = screen[1].tags[3],
    },
}

-- Select tag by name:
ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule_any    = {
        class = {'thunderbird'}
    },
    properties = {
        tag = 'five',
    },
}

-- Spawn firefox and thunderbird
awful.spawn('firefox')
awful.spawn('thunderbird')

See also:

tags table
The client default tags.

Avoid using the tag and tags properties at the same time, it will cause issues.

See also:

new_tag table or string or boolean

Create a new tag for this client.

If the value is true, the new tag will be named after the client class. If it is a string, it will be the tag name.

If a table is used, all of its properties will be passed to the tag constructor:

Usage example

-- Create a new tags with some properties:
ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule = { class = 'firefox' },
    properties = {
        switch_to_tags = true,
        new_tag        = {
            name     = 'My_new_tag!', -- The tag name.
            layout   = awful.layout.suit.max, -- Set the tag layout.
            volatile = true, -- Remove the tag when the client is closed.
        }
    }
}

-- Create a new tag with just a name:
ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule = { class = 'thunderbird' },
    properties = {
        switch_to_tags = true,
        new_tag        = 'JUST_A_NAME!',
    }
}

-- Create a new tag using the client metadata:
ruled.client.append_rule {
    rule = { class = 'xterm' },
    properties = {
        switch_to_tags = true,
        new_tag        = true,
    }
}

-- Spawn firefox
awful.spawn('firefox')
awful.spawn('thunderbird')
awful.spawn('xterm')

See also:

switch_to_tags boolean

Unselect the current tags and select this client tags. Note that this property was called switchtotag in previous Awesome versions.

Usage example

 -- Select tag by object reference:
 ruled.client.append_rule {
     rule = { class = 'firefox' },
     properties = {
         tag            = screen[1].tags[4],
         switch_to_tags = true
     }
 }

 -- Spawn firefox
 awful.spawn('firefox')

See also:

focus boolean
Define if the client should grab focus by default.

The request::activate context for this call is rules.

titlebars_enabled boolean
Should this client have a titlebar by default.

See also:

callback N/A
A function to call when this client is ready.

It can be useful to set extra properties or perform actions.

See also:

Tables

awful.client.object
Client class.

This table allow to add more dynamic properties to the clients. For example, doing:

 function awful.client.object.set_my_cool_property(c, value)
     -- Some logic code
     c._my_secret_my_cool_property = value
     c:emit_signal("property::my_cool_property)
 end

 function awful.client.object.get_my_cool_property()
     return c._my_secret_my_cool_property
 end

Will add a new “my_cool_property” dyanmic property to all client. These methods will be called when an user does c.my_cool_property = "something" or set them in awdul.rules.

Note that doing this isn’t required to set random properties to the client, it is only useful when setting or getting these properties require code to executed.

Fields

client.focus client

The focused client or nil (in case there is none).

It is not recommended to set the focused client using this property. Please use client.activate instead of client.focus = c. Setting the focus directly bypasses all the filters and emits fewer signals, which tend to cause unwanted side effects and make it harder to alter the code behavior in the future. It usually takes more code to use this rather than client.activate because all the boilerplate code (such as c:raise()) needs to be added everywhere.

The main use case for this field is to check when there is an active client.

 if client.focus ~= nil then
     -- do something
 end

If you want to check if a client is active, use:

 if c.active then
     -- do something
 end

See also:

lib.awful.client.focus Functions

awful.client.focus.history.delete (c)
Remove a client from the focus history

Parameters:

  • c client The client that must be removed.
awful.client.focus.byidx (i[, c]) · 1 permission
Focus a client by its relative index.

Parameters:

  • i The index.
  • c client The client. (optional)

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.focus.byidxgrantedWhen awful.focus.byidx is called.
awful.client.focus.filter (c)
Filter out window that we do not want handled by focus. This usually means that desktop, dock and splash windows are not registered and cannot get focus.

Parameters:

  • c client A client.

Returns:

    The same client if it’s ok, nil otherwise.
awful.client.focus.history.add (c)
Update client focus history.

Parameters:

  • c client The client that has been focused.
awful.client.focus.history.get (s, idx, filter)
Get the latest focused client for a screen in history.

Parameters:

  • s int or screen The screen to look for.
  • idx int The index: 0 will return first candidate, 1 will return second, etc.
  • filter function An optional filter. If no client is found in the first iteration, awful.client.focus.filter is used by default to get any client.

Returns:

    client.object A client.
awful.client.focus.history.previous () · 1 permission
Focus the previous client in history.
Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.focus.history.previousgrantedWhen awful.focus.history.previous is called.
awful.client.focus.bydirection (dir[, c[, stacked=false]]) · 1 permission
Focus a client by the given direction.

Parameters:

  • dir string The direction, can be either "up", "down", "left" or "right".
  • c client The client. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.focus.bydirectiongrantedWhen awful.focus.bydirection is called.
awful.client.focus.global_bydirection (dir[, c[, stacked=false]]) · 1 permission
Focus a client by the given direction. Moves across screens.

Parameters:

  • dir The direction, can be either “up”, “down”, “left” or “right”.
  • c client The client. (optional)
  • stacked boolean Use stacking order? (top to bottom) (default false)

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientactivateclient.focus.global_bydirectiongrantedWhen awful.client.focus.global_bydirection is called.

lib.awful.client.shape Functions

awful.client.shape.get_transformed (c, shape_name)
Get one of a client’s shapes and transform it to include window decorations.

Parameters:

  • c client The client whose shape should be retrieved
  • shape_name string Either “bounding” or “clip”
awful.client.shape.update.all (c)
Update all of a client’s shapes from the shapes the client set itself.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to act on
awful.client.shape.update.bounding (c)
Update a client’s bounding shape from the shape the client set itself.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to act on
awful.client.shape.update.clip (c)
Update a client’s clip shape from the shape the client set itself.

Parameters:

  • c client The client to act on

lib.awful.client.urgent Functions

awful.urgent.get ()
Get the first client that got the urgent hint.

Returns:

    client.object The first urgent client.
awful.urgent.jumpto (merge)
Jump to the client that received the urgent hint first.

Parameters:

  • merge bool or function If true then merge tags (select the client’s first tag additionally) when the client is not visible. If it is a function, it will be called with the client as argument.
awful.urgent.add (c, prop) · 3 permissions
Adds client to urgent stack.

Parameters:

  • c client The client object.
  • prop The property which is updated.

Click to display more

Requested actions or permissions:

Class Permission Context Default Description
clientborderactivegrantedWhen a client becomes active and is no longer urgent.
clientborderinactivegrantedWhen a client stop being active and is no longer urgent.
clientborderurgentgrantedWhen a client stop becomes urgent.
awful.urgent.delete (c)
Remove client from urgent stack.

Parameters:

  • c client The client object.
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