My dwm Setup

dwm is a X window manager. This page describes how I have set up dwm to suit my needs. Its indented audience is me a few months from now when I have forgotten all this stuff.

• 26 Aug 2013: Initial site.
• 27 Aug 2013: patch systray and (I think) opera uses 100% cpu when switching tags. Switched to using trayer instead.

dwm does what it needs to and not more. I need it to do slightly more than it needs, so I apply a ready-made patch.

• pertag : This patch remembers layouts for tags.

Here the patch download: dwm_config.h.diff. The changes are:

• Use Window-key instead of Alt (for my keyboard)
• Only show 6 tags
• Win-SPACE as dmenucmd (default Alt-p)
• Alt-Tab as switch between open applications (default Alt-j)
• Alt-F4 as kill current application (default Alt-Shift-c)

--- config.def.h        2011-12-19 16:02:46.000000000 +0100
+++ ../config.h 2013-08-26 19:17:47.942433764 +0200
@@ -17,1 +19,1 @@
-static const char *tags[] = { "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9" };
+static const char *tags[] = { "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6" };
@@ -38,1 +40,1 @@
-#define MODKEY Mod1Mask
+#define MODKEY Mod4Mask
@@ -69,2 +71,0 @@
-       { MODKEY,                       XK_space,  setlayout,      {0} },
-       { MODKEY|ShiftMask,             XK_space,  togglefloating, {0} },
@@ -86,1 +86,4 @@
        { MODKEY|ShiftMask,             XK_q,      quit,           {0} },
+       { Mod1Mask,                     XK_Tab,    focusstack,     {.i = -1 } },
+       { MODKEY,                       XK_space,  spawn,          {.v = dmenucmd } },
+       { Mod1Mask,                     XK_F4,     killclient,     {0} },

/usr/share/xsession/dwm.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=dwm
Exec=/home/bin/dwm-init

I need the system tray to access the gnome network manager for my usb mobile modem (use wicd if you don't have fancy network connectivity devices).

When I need the system tray I launch trayer, do stuff and close it again.

My initialization script does the following:

1. Increase key repeat speed
2. Disable screen power saving settings
3. Disable screen blanking
4. Set background to a dark grey color
5. Set up keyboard layout as US english (or danish when Alt Gr is pressed)
6. Disable trackpad tap counts as click
7. Enable the xfce volume controller (which somehow picks up my keyboard volume buttons)
8. Run Gnome's Network Manager
9. Start my status-bar updater
10. Start my mail checker

~/bin/dwm-init

,#!/bin/sh

xset r rate 250 30
xset -dpms
xset s off
xsetroot -solid darkgrey
setxkbmap -option grp:switch us,dk
synclient TapButton2=
xfce4-volumed
nm-applet &

dwmstatusda > ~/dwmstatusda.txt &

mailchecker &

dwm