My keybinds (see i3 config) are heavily inspired by suckless DWM. Before switching to i3, I used DWM Flexipatch by bakkeby — DWM was my first window manager.
Here are some of my custom keybinds from the i3 configuration:
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mod4+shift+q= Reload i3 config- Reloads the current i3 configuration to apply any changes.
- Additionally randomizes wallpaper in
~/Pictures/wallpapersdirectory. <- if you don't want this behavior modify the (i3 config).
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mod4+shift+r= Rotate i3 mod navigation- Switches between
mod1(alt)andmod4(win/super)navigation using a script: rotate_config_navigation.sh.
- Switches between
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mod1+ctrl+shift+p= i3 Power Menu- Activates Selectable Power Menu script: i3exit.sh.
- Escape(ESC) to cancel power menu.
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mod4+shift+t= i3 Theme Changer- Launches a theme selector using Rofi: View avaliable theme scripts.
- You can easily add your own theme scripts to
~/.config/i3/themes
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mod4+shift+g= Capture a GIF- Starts a GIF recording with the script: gif.sh.
- Repeat the keybind to finish recording!
gif_date_time.gifsaved in~/Videosdirectory.
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mod4+shift+s= Scrot screenshot- Takes a screenshot using Scrot.
date_time.jpgsaved in~/Picturesdirectory.
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mod4+ctrl+shift+s= Flameshot screenshot- Takes a screenshot using Flameshot with more customization options.
date_time.pngnormally saved in~/Picturesdirectory.
Here are more example keybinds from my i3 config:
Let me preface "mod" can equal "mod1" and/or "mod4" depending on script navigation rotation
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mod+shift+enter= Open Terminal- Launches the terminal (default: Alacritty).
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mod+p= Rofi Application Launcher- Opens the Rofi app launcher for quick access to applications.
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mod4+ctrl+shift+l= Lock Screen- Locks the screen using
i3lock.
- Locks the screen using
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mod+shift+c= Close Window- Closes the focused window.
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mod+f= Toggle Floating- Toggles between tiling and floating window layouts.
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mod+shift+f= Toggle Fullscreen- Toggles app focus ~ fullscreen.
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mod+arrow_keys= Change Focus- Switch between open windows.
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mod+shift+arrow_keys= Move Windows- Move window location within workspace.
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mod+mouse_1= Move Floating Window- Move Floating Window with your mouse.
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mod+mouse_2= Resize Floating Window- Resize Floating Window with your mouse.
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mod+1tomod+9= Workspace Switching- Switches to workspaces 1 through 9.
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mod+shift+1tomod+shift+9= Move Focused Window to Workspace- Moves the currently focused window to the specified workspace.
I prefer using TTY instead of display managers like gdm3, sddm, or lightdm. To remove your display manager:
sudo apt remove gdm3 sddm lightdmTo login, type your username and password in TTY, then start i3 manually:
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Edit xinitrc:
micro /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
Match my xinitrc.
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Start i3:
startx
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Troubleshooting: If you encounter any issues, switch between TTYs using
CTRL+ALT+F1toF6.
When you logout of i3, any errors in your config or applications will be shown directly in the TTY, making it easier to troubleshoot.
To install the applications I use with i3, you can run my install script. This script installs essential tools like i3-wm, Rofi, Dunst, and more.
For Flatpak applications, run the install_my_flatpaks.sh script to set up additional software.
This repository originally began as a Wayland-focused project (see the git history). However, X11 currently offers greater flexibility in customization. My goal is to learn as much as I can with X11, with the hope that this knowledge can eventually be applied to a separate repository using Sway-wm.
At present, i3-wm seems more flexible (especially for gaming), but with ongoing developments and updates in the unstable repositories, it's likely that the gap will eventually close, and we may all need to transition to a Wayland-based window manager.
All code and notes are not under any formal license. If you find any of the scripts helpful, feel free to use, modify, publish, and distribute them to your heart's content. See https://unlicense.org/repo