Hyprdeck

Hyprdeck is a custom master-based Hyprland layout for busy workspaces with many windows.

It keeps two windows large enough to use, while keeping the rest visible in a small deck.

+----------------------+-----------------------------+
|                      | Intern | Intern | Intern    |
|                      |-----------------------------|
|         CEO          |                             |
|                      |                             |
|                      |          Manager            |
|                      |                             |
+----------------------+-----------------------------+

The CEO is the main window. The manager is a secondary large window. The interns are the other windows, shown as small previews in one row.

Why

When a workspace only has one or two windows, the layout (tiling algorithm) usually doesn't matter a lot. The problem starts when many windows are open in one workspace.

There are two common layout ideas I love a lot:

• Master-stack keeps one window large and shows the rest in a stack. This gives a useful overview, but the stack becomes cramped when many windows are stacked, and every single window becomes useless. You have to constantly swap a slave window with the master window to reference its content.

+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      |        Stack         |
|                      |----------------------|
|                      |        Stack         |
|        Master        |----------------------|
|                      |        Stack         |
|                      |----------------------|
|                      |        Stack         |
+----------------------+----------------------+

---

• DWM Deck fixes the cramped stack by showing only one secondary window at a time, leaving others invisible. That window can be used for cross-referencing, but the users loses the overview to the opened windows.

+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      |                      |
|                      |                      |
|                      |                      |
|        Master        |       Monocle        |
|                      |                      |
|                      |                      |
|                      |                      |
+----------------------+----------------------+

---

Hyprdeck sits between these two ideas: the CEO and manager stay readable for cross-referencing, and the interns stay visible to provide a compact overview.

Usage

• Require hyprdeck.lua in your hyprland.lua and set the layout to lua:hyprdeck.
• Edit hyprdeck_config to tune the split:
  • ceo_ratio controls how much space the CEO gets.
  • ceo_direction and opposite_direction control which side the CEO and staff areas use.
  • deck_ratio controls how much of the staff area is reserved for interns.
  • deck_direction and manager_direction control where the intern deck and manager area sit inside the staff area.
• Send layout messages to rotate roles:
  • promote ceo makes the focused intern the CEO. When the CEO or manager is focused, it swaps the CEO and manager.
  • promote manager makes the focused intern the manager. When the CEO or manager is focused, it swaps the CEO and manager.
• New windows join the intern deck by default. They do not replace the CEO or the manager until promoted.