nakedWiki | fluxbox

noDE -- fluxbox -- doc

noDE aka no Desktop Environment ...
some informations about fluxbox:
sources: doc 3hg team.

presentation
fluxbox on nakeDeb
graphical configuration
manual configuration
user configuration reset
links

presentation

Fluxbox is an extremely light and fast window manager. In the tradition of *boxes, it can by itself constitute a very complete office environment. In addition, it has some interesting advantages in front of the most famous openbox.

Some non-exhaustive advantages:

Simple and readable configuration syntax (not xml).
Possibility of configuration by simple menus
Everything is present by default: taskbar, systray, clock, menu
Easily configurable keyboard shortcuts
Fast
Possibility of grouping windows into tabs, making window management more convenient
Integrated command launcher (gmrun type): Alt+f2
Rule definitions for windows
Pseudo-transparency

Some disadvantages:

There is no possibility to define a margin where the windows will not be able to go
No pipemenus, but menus listing the directories with the possibility of launching a personalized command

fluxbox on nakeDeb

nakeDeb embeds a preconfigured fluxbox session that responds to the general documentation and adds some keyboard shortcuts. in its configuration files, fluxbox identifies the keys as follows: "Mod1" = Alt, "Mod4" = Super (windows logo).

menus:

Alt+d: launch rofi
Alt+p: launch popmenu (custom rofi menu)
Alt+F2: launch fbrun (an app launcher that stand in the center of your screen)
Alt+m, Super+m or right-click on the desktop: RootMenu (main fluxbox menu also available from the first arrow of the panel)

applications:

Super+Enter / Alt+Enter: launch a terminal
Super+r: launch lf (CLI)
Shift+Super+r: launch pcmanfm (GUI)
Super+w: launch nakedbrowser (w3m by default)
Super+e: launch geany
Super+v: launch alsamixer
Super+z: launch audio player mocp (CLI)
Super+x: launch IRC client
Super+f: search tool
Super+Backspace: dotcleaner trash/logs/history tool
Ctrl+Super+w: select a wallpaper

control:

Alt+Tab: switch focus between windows
Ctrl+Alt / Super+←/→: navigate between workspaces
Alt+Shiftq: close a window
Alt+f: toggle fullscreen mode
Alt+Space: open window menu
Super+Shift+←/→: send window to previous/next workspace
Super+l: lock screen
Super+Shift+e: launch nakedQuit
Ctrl+Alt+r: restart fluxbox
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace: quit fluxbox

a bit of tiling:

Ctrl+Super+h: tiles windows horizontaly
Ctrl+Super+v: tiles windows verticaly

the fluxbox session also integrates the conky information tool. to configure it, go to the fluxbox menu > configuration > conky > edit or directly from it address ~/.fluxbox/conkyrc.

more details about conky with the magic word man conky.

the fluxbox session also benefits from a small program coded by prx, the fluxbox-automenu, allowing you to list the installed applications (a kind of auto-generated menu like the one you find in other DEs) and to display them in the main fluxbox menu.

graphical configuration

Fluxbox allows fine configuration from its menu: right-click on the desktop > menu > configuration > fluxbox... entries are self-explanatory.

manual configuration

Fluxbox can be configured via the menu accessible by right-clicking on the desktop. The taskbar can be configured in the same way. However, we can configure fluxbox a bit more by editing its configuration files.

luckily for you, the english documentation for fluxbox is very comprehensive. thus, you will find a manual for each section of your window manager:

man fluxbox: main manpage
man fluxbox-keys: keybinds/mousebinds manpage
man fluxbox-apps: rules manpage
man startfluxbox: startup manpage
man fluxbox-menu: menu manpage
man fluxbox-style: style manpage

user configuration reset

if you have changed your configuration and want to revert to the default Debian or nakeDeb configuration, follow these steps.

revert to Debian configuration:

save your personal configuration: mv $HOME/.fluxbox $HOME/.fluxbox.back
restart fluxbox from its minimal menu: right-click on the desktop then 'Restart'

revert to nakeDeb configuration:

save your personal configuration: mv $HOME/.fluxbox $HOME/.fluxbox.back
copy the default nakeDeb configuration: cp -R /etc/skel/.fluxbox $HOME/.fluxbox
cleanup useless files: rm $HOME/.fluxbox/menu-fr $HOME/.fluxbox/menu
set english menu: mv $HOME/.fluxbox/menu-en $HOME/.fluxbox/menu
restart fluxbox from its menu: right-click on your desktop then 'Configuration > Fluxbox > Restart'