Fluxbox

Fluxbox is a window manager for X11. It is based on the fluxbox 0.61.1 code, but with significant enhancements. Fluxbox provides a number of window management features such as tabbing and grouping. All Fluxbox configuration is stored in plaintext files; however, some settings are exposed graphically in the configuration menu.

Installation

Once you finish installing Archcraft, Fluxbox can be installed on the top of it. It's pre-configured and ready to go. Open a terminal and run the following command to install Fluxbox :

$ sudo pacman -Sy archcraft-fluxbox

Configuration

Fluxbox is pre-configured in Archcraft. In this section, We'll see how the Fluxbox window manager is configured, what tools and utilities are used to make it look and work like a complete desktop environment.

Config Structure

The configuration structure of Fluxbox in Archcraft looks something like this:

~/.fluxbox         : fluxbox config directory
├── alacritty      : terminal config
├── backgrounds    : wallpapers
├── scripts        : scripts used for fluxbox
├── styles         : fluxbox styles/themes
├── theme          : desktop theme (polybar, rofi configs) 
├── apps           : window configuration of specific apps
├── dunstrc        : dunst config for notifications
├── init           : main fluxbox configuration file
├── keys           : fluxbox keyboard shortcuts file
├── menu           : fluxbox menu config file
├── picom.conf     : compositor config
├── startup        : launch startup apps
├── windowmenu     : config file for altering the window menu
└── xsettingsd     : gtk themes, icons and fonts config file

Terminal

Alacritty is the default terminal. In the Fluxbox window manager, alacritty is launched with an alternative config file. If you need to change anything, make sure you modify the config files in ~/.fluxbox/alacritty directory. These are the following config files you can modify to change the behaviour of your terminal:

~/.fluxbox/alacritty/alacritty.toml : Main configuration file
~/.fluxbox/alacritty/colors.toml : Colors configurations
~/.fluxbox/alacritty/fonts.toml : Fonts configurations

If you need any help with alacritty config, run : man 5 alacritty in terminal.

Notification

Dunst is used as a notification daemon for notifications in Fluxbox. In the Fluxbox window manager, dunst is launched with an alternative config file, which is ~/.fluxbox/dunstrc. So, If you need to modify anything, make sure you edit this file.

If you need any help with dunst config, run : man 5 dunst in terminal.

Wallpaper

hsetroot sets the wallpaper in the Fluxbox. If you want to change the wallpaper, Edit ~/.fluxbox/startup script and add the path to your wallpaper :

# Restore wallpaper
hsetroot -cover '/path/to/your/wallpaper'

To change the wallpaper quickly, Right click on desktop and go to Fluxbox > Backgrounds

Statusbar

Polybar is used as the statusbar in Archcraft's Fluxbox window manager.

The configurations for polybar can be found inside the theme directory directory of Fluxbox ~/.fluxbox/theme

If you want to modify the polybar settings, or perhaps want to add/remove modules, then you need to edit the following files :

~/.fluxbox/theme/polybar/config.ini : Main config file
~/.fluxbox/theme/polybar/colors.ini : Colors config file
~/.fluxbox/theme/polybar/modules.ini : Modules config file

If you need any help with polybar config, visit : polybar wiki

tip

If you want to use the default Fluxbox toolbar instead of polybar, Edit ~/.fluxbox/init file and enable it.

...
session.screen0.toolbar.visible: true
...

Also, edit ~/.fluxbox/startup script and disable polybar on startup.

Launchers and Applets

Rofi is used for application launchers, command runner and various applets. To modify the rofi config, edit ~/.config/rofi/config.rasi file.

If you need any help with rofi config, run : man rofi in terminal.

The scripts for rofi that are used in Fluxbox can be found it ~/.fluxbox/scripts directory. These are the following scripts that uses rofi to provide the launchers and applets in Fluxbox :

rofi_askpass : rofi based sudo frontend to get root password
rofi_asroot : applet to open apps as root
rofi_bluetooth : bluetooth applet to quickly connect to BT devices
rofi_launcher : an application launcher, cmd runner, file manager and task manager
rofi_music : music applet, that controls MPD with mpc
rofi_powermenu : power menu, with confirmation dialog
rofi_runner : quickly lets you run a command
rofi_screenshot : screenshot applet that works with maim
rofi_status : applet to show various system informations
rofi_windows : applet to manage opened windows

If you want to modify any applet or perhaps want to extend the functionality of the applet, just edit these scripts above.

The configuration of each script can be found inside the theme directory of Fluxbox ~/.fluxbox/theme

Let's say you want to modify the looks of launcher, then you need to edit the ~/.fluxbox/theme/rofi/launcher.rasi file. Same goes for every other applet, Edit the respective file in the same directory.

If you need any help with rofi theming, run : man rofi-theme in terminal.

To change the colors and fonts of the launchers and applets, Edit the ~/.fluxbox/theme/rofi/shared/colors.rasi and ~/.fluxbox/theme/rofi/shared/fonts.rasi files.

Compositor

Picom is used for compositing. It's a lightweight compositor with shadowing, advanced blurring and fading. In Fluxbox, picom is launched with an alternative config file, which is ~/.fluxbox/picom.conf.

If you need to change anything related to picom, Edit this picom config file.

If you need any help with picom config, check the picom's default config file in /etc/xdg/picom.conf

info

If you're having screen-tearing issues, using glx backend can solve this issue.
If you're facing lagging, hangs and freezes, try switching between xrender and glx backend.

Window Manager

The configuration of Fluxbox is available in your home directory. To configure Fluxbox window manager, these are the files that are used :

apps : a configuration file for remembering the window configuration of specific apps
init : the main fluxbox resource configuration file
keys : the fluxbox keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) file
menu : the fluxbox menu config
startup : where to launch startup apps
windowmenu : a configuration file for altering the Window Menu itself

If you need any help with fluxbox configuration, See the manpages. Also visit Fluxbox Wiki

Keybindings

Here's a list of some important keybinds you need to know for operating Fluxbox easily. If you want to view, modify or add new keybinds, Edit ~/.fluxbox/keys file.

Applications

Keys	Action
super + Return	Open terminal (alacritty)
super + T	Open fullscreen terminal
super + F	Open file manager (thunar)
super + E	Open text editor (geany)
super + W	Open web browser (firefox)

Menu and Applets

Keys	Action
super	Open application launcher
alt + F1	Open application launcher
alt + F2	Open command runner
super + R	Open command runner
super + N	Open network manager applet
super + B	Open bluetooth applet
super + M	Open music applet
super + X	Open powermenu applet
super + S	Open status applet
super + Space	Open fluxbox root menu
alt + Space	Open fluxbox window menu

Hardware Keys

Keys	Action
Print	Take screenshot
alt + Print	Take screenshot in 5 seconds delay
shift + Print	Take screenshot in 10 seconds delay
ctrl + Print	Take screenshot of currently focused window
super + Print	Take screenshot of selected area
XF86AudioRaiseVolume	Increase volume
XF86AudioLowerVolume	Decrease volume
XF86AudioMute	Toggle mute speakers
XF86AudioMicMute	Toggle mute microphone
XF86Audio + Next/Prev/Play/Stop	Media controls (MPD)
XF86MonBrightnessUp	Increase display brightness
XF86MonBrightnessDown	Decrease display brightness

Workspaces

Keys	Action
super + 1..5	Switch to respective workspace
super + shift + 1..5	Send the current window to respective workspace
super + ctrl + 1..5	Send the current window and change to respective workspace
super + shift + Left/Right	Send the current window and follow it to previous/next workspace

Window Management

Keys	Action
super + C/Q	Close focused window
super + D	Toggle show desktop
alt + F4	Close window
alt + F5	Minimize window
alt + F6	Maximize window
alt + F7	Toggle decorations
alt + F11	Toggle fullscreen
alt + Tab	Cycle opened windows
super + Tab	Cycle through tabs in the current window
ctrl + 1..9	Go to a specific tab in the current window
super + shift + D	Remove the current tab from the tab group, placing it in its own window
ctrl + alt + Left/Right/Up/Down	Move focused window
ctrl + super + Left/Right/Up/Down	Resize focused window
super + Left/Right/Up/Down	Window snapping
super + H	Arrange windows horizontally
super + V	Arrange windows vertically
super + shift + H	Arrange windows stack right
super + shift + L	Arrange windows stack left
super + shift + J	Arrange windows stack bottom
super + shift + K	Arrange windows stack top

Window Manager

Keys	Action
ctrl + alt + Delete	Quit fluxbox
ctrl + alt + BackSpace	Restart fluxbox
ctrl + alt + R	Reconfigure fluxbox

Misc Keys

Keys	Action
ctrl + alt + M	Run ncmpcpp with album art
ctrl + alt + L	Trigger lockscreen
super + P	Run colorpicker
super + Escape	Run xkill

Screenshots

Here's few screenshots of Fluxbox desktop. These'll give you an idea of the experience of Fluxbox in Archcraft.

Desktop 1	Desktop 2	Desktop 3	Desktop 4

Desktop 5	Desktop 6	Desktop 7	Desktop 8

Desktop 9	Desktop 10	Desktop 11	Desktop 12

FAQs

How to update my config to new configs?

When a new version of Archcraft Fluxbox get released, And you update the system by sudo pacman -Syu or you update the Fluxbox package by sudo pacman -S archcraft-fluxbox, New config files get installed as ~/.fluxbox_pacnew_YYYY-MM-DD in your home directory.

To use new configs :

• backup your old ~/.fluxbox directory
• move ~/.fluxbox_pacnew_YYYY-MM-DD to ~/.fluxbox
• logout and login again.

How to change GTK theme, icons and cursor?

To change GTK theme, icons and cursor in Fluxbox session, Edit ~/.fluxbox/xsettingsd file and restart Fluxbox to apply the changes.

Net/ThemeName "Arc-Dark"
Net/IconThemeName "Arc-Circle"
Gtk/CursorThemeName "Qogirr"

How to manage multiple monitors and resolution in Fluxbox?

If you use multiple monitors with Fluxbox window manager, you can manage them by running Manager Monitors or archcraft-randr app.

Why Alacritty is not working on my computer?

Since Alacritty is a OpenGL based terminal emulator, It may not work on some computer hardwares. You can make it work on such computers by following these methods :

1. Open alacritty with LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 variable. Edit the keybindings/script launching alacritty and replace alacritty with LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 alacritty
2. Edit /usr/share/applications/Alacritty.desktop desktop file and replace Exec=alacritty with Exec=env LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 alacritty