whaw 0.1.2 review

whaw is a program for X11 that can use advanced tiling algorithms and an intuitive user interface to quickly lay out windows without

License: GPL (GNU General Public License) File size: 90K Developer: John Meacham

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whaw is a program for X11 that can use advanced tiling algorithms and an intuitive user interface to quickly lay out windows without having to replace or modify the set up of your window manager of choice.

whaw is meant to augment the capabilities of your current window manager, not supplant them.

whaw responds to the mouse moving into one of its control corners in order to not waste screen space yet always be accessible. A window placement operation consists of three steps.

choosing a layout algorithm
choosing the windows to move/resize
choosing where to place the windows

We shall describe these steps in more detail now.

choosing a layout algorithm

Choosing the layout algorithm is combined with activating whaw. In order to activate whaw, move the cursor into one of its activation corners, the upper-left corner of the screen by default. You will see the cursor change to a cross to let you know whaw has been activated. The two layout algorithms are horizontal and vertical. to choose horizontal layout, move the mouse cursor away from the corner horizontally, to choose vertical layout, move the cursor away vertically. the cursor will change into a horizontal or vertical arrow to indicate your choice. you can always change the layout algorithm by going back into the corner. any whaw operation can be canceled at any point by pressing the middle mouse button.

choosing the windows to move/resize

Use the mouse to left click on each window you want to add to your layout group. as you click on each window, it should be moved off screen to let you select windows underneath it.

choosing where to place the windows

The windows may be placed via a number of operations, to have the windows tiled across the current screen, press the right mouse button. to have them placed in a specific area with a specific size, use the left mouse button to drag out a box. the windows will be placed inside this box.