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virtualeyes

Member

Registered: 2013-02-24

Posts: 17

Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

Just got started with Awesome, impressive WM, lightweight and powerful.

Got basic mod + key combos down and am starting to make changes to LUA config, all good.

In terms of workflow, unlike the poster of this thread:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/post.php?tid=152442

I am having difficulty adjusting to the workspace per monitor paradigm.

For example, I might have the primary monitor with Eclipse running full screen, and in the laptop/secondary monitor, a couple of terminals along with a web browser for local testing. Other workspaces (tags) would have their own custom application (client) layouts.

With Compiz, regardless of the screen that has mouse focus, when hot key switching to another workspace, both screens would change with clients related to the target workspace -- this makes it dead simple to navigate both screens simultaneously.

In Awesome I know I can ctrl + mod + j to the next screen and then mod + left/right arrow to the workspaces on that monitor, but that feels like an extra, and somewhat pointless, step.

So, is there a way to pin workspaces so that mod + left/right arrow on one screen simultaneously triggers a switch to the previous/next tag on other screen(s)?

Last edited by virtualeyes (2013-02-25 01:36:49)

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,358

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

Your explanation needs work, I don't really get what you're asking for. It's possible, for example, for your chat client to be made persistent across all workspaces. Cycling through all clients, even those not on your current workspace, I think I've seen hacks for that (but, of course, on the previous version of awesome).

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virtualeyes

Member

Registered: 2013-02-24

Posts: 17

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

Updated original question.

In a nutshell I'd like to switch tags as ONE screen and not have screens operate independently of each other.

If I need particular client(s) to persist across tags I can pin them as with any WM.

I only have 2 screens, 15" laptop and 23" monitor -- limited screen real estate to work with. If I had a single large monitor this would be a non-issue as I could tile each tag with relevant clients.

cris9288

Member

Registered: 2013-01-07

Posts: 348

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

so you want modkey + "Left"/"Right" to work across all screens at the same time? If so then should work.

awful.key({ modkey, "Control"   }, "Left", 
	function()
		for i = 1, screen.count() do
			awful.tag.viewprev(i)
		end
	end ),

awful.key({ modkey, "Control"   }, "Right", 
	function()
		for i = 1, screen.count() do
			awful.tag.viewnext(i)
		end
	end ),

instead of a loop you could explicity switch each screen with awful.tag.viewnext(1/2). You also might want to add an if test to see if tag[whatever screen] is valid though you obviously wouldn't use this if you only had one screen connected.

Last edited by cris9288 (2013-02-25 03:08:54)

virtualeyes

Member

Registered: 2013-02-24

Posts: 17

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

@cris9288 thanks for the snippet, did manage to get this working.

No errors when restarting Awesome but did get an error when testing out the key combos:
tag.lua line 347:

attempt to index local 'screen' (a number value)

Looks like viewprev and viewnext take a screen param, not a numeric.

screen can accessed by index so this works:

awful.tag.viewprev(screen[i])

Thanks! ;-)

p.s. I may ditch this as I get more experience with Awesome/LUA, but for now I can layout each screen as I like and then browse workspace screens simultaneously.

Last edited by virtualeyes (2013-02-25 04:13:42)

cris9288

Member

Registered: 2013-01-07

Posts: 348

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

glad you worked it out. That's interesting that it complained about passing a number. I had no problems on my end. Are you on 3.4?

virtualeyes

Member

Registered: 2013-02-24

Posts: 17

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

$ awesome --version
awesome v3.4.14 (White Christmas)

Sorted it out by looking at line 347 of tag.lua -- in my version prev/next take screen.

Of course, I'm a total beginner in LUA, looks like javascript, hopefully not as liberal with the types though ;-)

cris9288

Member

Registered: 2013-01-07

Posts: 348

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

I see maybe that's a 3.5 change then. I don't have much experience with javascript, but I lua is extremely liberal with the types IMO. Coming from java it was i big adjustment for me, but I'm getting used to it. It's actually pretty nice to not have to worry about types so much. I would keep a bookmark of the documentation @ http://awesome.naquadah.org/doc/api/ if  you haven't already. It's really helped me figure things out.

virtualeyes

Member

Registered: 2013-02-24

Posts: 17

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

Thanks for the API link, have been relying on the man page and google here in the first couple of days on Awesome.

Last edited by virtualeyes (2013-02-26 05:06:16)

xgdgsc

Member

Registered: 2012-02-03

Posts: 125

Re: Awesome Convert: Adjusting to Dual Monitor Work Flow without Compiz

I was wrong , never mind.

Last edited by xgdgsc (2013-06-11 03:55:02)