Module awful.rules

Rules for clients.

This module applies rules to clients during startup (via client.manage, but its functions can be used for client matching in general.

All existing client properties can be used in rules. It is also possible to add random properties that will be later accessible as c.property_name (where c is a valid client object)

In addition to the existing properties, the following are supported:

  • placement
  • honor_padding
  • honor_workarea
  • tag
  • new_tag
  • switchtotag
  • focus
  • titlebars_enabled
  • callback

Info:

Functions

match (c, rule) Check if a client matches a rule.
match_any (c, rule) Check if a client matches any part of a rule.
matches (c, entry) Does a given rule entry match a client?
matching_rules (c, _rules) Get list of matching rules for a client.
matches_list (c, _rules) Check if a client matches a given set of rules.
add_rule_source (name, callback, depends_on, precede) Add a new rule source.
remove_rule_source (name) Remove a source.
apply (c) Apply awful.rules.rules to a client.
rules.high_priority_properties.new_tag (c, value, props) Create a new tag based on a rule.
execute (c, props[, callbacks]) Apply properties and callbacks to a client.

Rule sources

awful.rules The default awful.rules source.
awful.spawn The rule source for clients spawned by awful.spawn.

Tables

rules This is the global rules table.
extra_properties Extra rules properties.
high_priority_properties Extra high priority properties.
delayed_properties Delayed properties.


Functions

Methods
match (c, rule)
Check if a client matches a rule.

Returns:

    bool True if it matches, false otherwise.
match_any (c, rule)
Check if a client matches any part of a rule.

Returns:

    bool True if at least one rule is matched, false otherwise.
matches (c, entry)
Does a given rule entry match a client?
  • c client.object The client.
  • entry table Rule entry (with keys rule, rule_any, except and/or except_any).

Returns:

    bool
matching_rules (c, _rules)
Get list of matching rules for a client.
  • c client.object The client.
  • _rules table The rules to check. List with “rule”, “rule_any”, “except” and “except_any” keys.

Returns:

    table The list of matched rules.
matches_list (c, _rules)
Check if a client matches a given set of rules.
  • c client.object The client.
  • _rules table The rules to check. List of tables with rule, rule_any, except and except_any keys.

Returns:

    bool True if at least one rule is matched, false otherwise.
add_rule_source (name, callback, depends_on, precede)
Add a new rule source.

A rule source is a provider called when a client is managed (started). It allows to configure the client by providing properties that should be applied. By default, Awesome provides 2 sources:

It is possible to register new callbacks to modify the properties table before it is applied. Each provider is executed sequentially and modifies the same table. If the first provider set a property, then the second can override it, then the third, etc. Once the providers are exhausted, the properties are applied on the client.

It is important to note that properties themselves have their own dependencies. For example, a tag property implies a screen. Therefor, if a screen is already specified, then it will be ignored when the rule is executed. Properties also have their own priorities. For example, the titlebar and border_width need to be applied before the x and y positions are set. Otherwise, it will be off or the client will shift upward everytime Awesome is restarted. A rule source cannot change this. It is up to the callback to be aware of the dependencies and avoid to introduce issues. For example, if the source wants to set a screen, it has to check if the tag, tags or new_tag are on that screen or remove those properties. Otherwise, they will be ignored once the rule is applied.

  • name string The provider name. It must be unique.
  • callback The callback that is called to produce properties.
    • c client The client
    • properties table The current properties. The callback should add to and overwrite properties in this table
    • callbacks table A table of all callbacks scheduled to be executed after the main properties are applied.
  • depends_on table A list of names of sources this source depends on (sources that must be executed before name. (default {})
  • precede table A list of names of sources this source have a priority over. (default {})

Returns:

    boolean Returns false if a dependency conflict was found.
remove_rule_source (name)
Remove a source.
  • name string The source name.

Returns:

    boolean If the source was removed
apply (c)
Apply awful.rules.rules to a client.
rules.high_priority_properties.new_tag (c, value, props)
Create a new tag based on a rule.
  • c client The client
  • value boolean, function or string The value.
  • props table The properties.

Returns:

    tag The new tag
execute (c, props[, callbacks])
Apply properties and callbacks to a client.

Rule sources

awful.rules
The default awful.rules source.

Has priority over:

nothing

awful.spawn

The rule source for clients spawned by awful.spawn.

Has priority over:

Tables

rules

This is the global rules table.

You should fill this table with your rule and properties to apply. For example, if you want to set xterm maximized at startup, you can add:

{ rule = { class = "xterm" },
  properties = { maximized_vertical = true, maximized_horizontal = true } }

If you want to set mplayer floating at startup, you can add:

{ rule = { name = "MPlayer" },
  properties = { floating = true } }

If you want to put Firefox on a specific tag at startup, you can add:

{ rule = { instance = "firefox" },
  properties = { tag = mytagobject } }

Alternatively, you can specify the tag by name:

{ rule = { instance = "firefox" },
  properties = { tag = "3" } }

If you want to put Thunderbird on a specific screen at startup, use:

{ rule = { instance = "Thunderbird" },
  properties = { screen = 1 } }

Assuming that your X11 server supports the RandR extension, you can also specify the screen by name:

{ rule = { instance = "Thunderbird" },
  properties = { screen = "VGA1" } }

If you want to put Emacs on a specific tag at startup, and immediately switch to that tag you can add:

{ rule = { class = "Emacs" },
  properties = { tag = mytagobject, switchtotag = true } }

If you want to apply a custom callback to execute when a rule matched, for example to pause playing music from mpd when you start dosbox, you can add:

{ rule = { class = "dosbox" },
  callback = function(c)
     awful.spawn('mpc pause')
  end }

Note that all “rule” entries need to match. If any of the entry does not match, the rule won’t be applied.

If a client matches multiple rules, they are applied in the order they are put in this global rules table. If the value of a rule is a string, then the match function is used to determine if the client matches the rule.

If the value of a property is a function, that function gets called and function’s return value is used for the property.

To match multiple clients to a rule one need to use slightly different syntax:

{ rule_any = { class = { "MPlayer", "Nitrogen" }, instance = { "xterm" } },
  properties = { floating = true } }

To match multiple clients with an exception one can couple rules.except or rules.except_any with the rules:

{ rule = { class = "Firefox" },
  except = { instance = "Navigator" },
  properties = {floating = true},
},

{ rule_any = { class = { "Pidgin", "Xchat" } },
  except_any = { role = { "conversation" } },
  properties = { tag = "1" }
}

{ rule = {},
  except_any = { class = { "Firefox", "Vim" } },
  properties = { floating = true }
}
extra_properties

Extra rules properties.

These properties are used in the rules only and are not sent to the client afterward.

To add a new properties, just do:

function awful.rules.extra_properties.my_new_property(c, value, props)
    -- do something
end

By default, the table has the following functions:

  • geometry
  • placement
high_priority_properties

Extra high priority properties.

Some properties, such as anything related to tags, geometry or focus, will cause a race condition if set in the main property section. This is why they have a section for them.

To add a new properties, just do:

function awful.rules.high_priority_properties.my_new_property(c, value, props)
    -- do something
end

By default, the table has the following functions:

  • tag
  • new_tag
delayed_properties
Delayed properties. Properties applied after all other categories.
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