i3-instant-layout

Automatic 'list based' layouts for the i3 window manager

Animated summary

Description

This python program drags i3 into the 'managed layouts tiling window manager world' kicking and screaming.

What it does is apply a window layout to your current workspace, like this one:

-------------
|     |  2  |
|     |-----|
|  1  |  3  |
|     |-----|
|     |  4  |
-------------

The big advantage here is that it needs no 'swallow' definitions whatsoever, it's 'instant' - just add milk, eh, press the button.

Get started

i3-instant-layout depends xdotool which can be installed by your package manager (e.g. sudo apt-get install xdotool on Debian or Ubuntu)

To get started, install with pip install i3-instant-layout, or if you prefer, pipx and add this to your i3 config: bindsym $mod+Escape exec "i3-instant-layout --list | rofi -dmenu -i | i3-instant-layout - (or use the interactive menu of your choice).

Further information

Call i3-instant-layout --help for full details, or i3-instant-layout --desc for the full list of supported layouts (or see below).

Helpful tips

How to sort windows

Your current active window is what the tiler will consider the 'main window'.

To get the other windows in the right order for your layout of choice, first enable the vStack or hStack layout, sort them, and the proceed to your layout of choice.

Border styles

i3-instant-layout must unmap/map the windows (ie. hide them temporarily) for i3 to place them at the right location. Unfortunatly that appears to consume the border style. Work around this with a line like this in your i3 config:

for_window [class="^.*"] border pixel 1

Available layouts

Layout: vStack

Aliases: ['1col', '1c']

One column / a vertical stack.

---------
|   1   |
---------
|   2   |
---------
|   3   |
---------

---

Layout: hStack

Aliases: ['1row', '1r']

One row / a horizontal stack

-------------
|   |   |   |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|   |   |   |
-------------

---

Layout: v2Stack

Aliases: ['2col', '2c', '2v']

Two columns of stacks

-------------
|  1  |  4  |
-------------
|  2  |  5  |
-------------
|  3  |  6  |
-------------

---

Layout: h2Stack

Aliases: ['2row', '2r', '2h']

Two rows of stacks

-------------------
|  1  |  2  |  3  |
-------------------
|  4  |  5  |  6  |
-------------------

---

Layout: v3Stack

Aliases: ['3col', '3c', '3v']

Three columns of stacks

-------------------
|  1  |  3  |  5  |
-------------------
|  2  |  4  |  6  |
-------------------

---

Layout: h3Stack

Aliases: ['3row', '3r', '3h']

Three rows of stacks

-------------------
|  1  |  2  |  3  |
-------------------
|  4  |  5  |  6  |
-------------------
|  7  |  8  |  9  |
-------------------

---

Layout: max

Aliases: ['maxTabbed']

One large container, in tabbed mode.

---------------
|             |
|   1,2,3,4,  |
|             |
---------------

---

Layout: mainLeft

Aliases: ['ml', 'mv', 'MonadTall']

One large window to the left at 50%, all others stacked to the right vertically.

-------------
|     |  2  |
|     |-----|
|  1  |  3  |
|     |-----|
|     |  4  |
-------------

---

Layout: mainRight

Aliases: ['mr', 'vm', 'MonadTallFlip']

One large window to the right at 50%, all others stacked to the right vertically.

-------------
|  2  |     |
|-----|     |
|  3  |  1  |
|-----|     |
|  4  |     |
-------------

---

Layout: MainMainVStack

Aliases: ['mmv']

Two large windows to the left at 30%, all others stacked to the right vertically.

-------------------
|     |     |  3  |
|     |     |-----|
|  1  |  2  |  4  |
|     |     |-----|
|     |     |  5  |
-------------------

---

Layout: MainVStackMain

Aliases: ['mvm']

Two large windows at 30% to the left and right, a vstack in the center

-------------------
|     |  3  |     |
|     |-----|     |
|  1  |  4  |  2  |
|     |-----|     |
|     |  5  |     |
-------------------

---

Layout: matrix

Aliases: []

Place windows in a n * n matrix.

The matrix will place swallow-markers if you have less than n*n windows.

N is math.ceil(math.sqrt(window_count))

---

Layout: VerticalTileTop

Aliases: ['vtt']

Large master area (66%) on top, horizontal stacking below

---

Layout: VerticalTileBottom

Aliases: ['vtb']

Large master area (66%) on bottom, horizontal stacking above

---

Layout: NestedRight

Aliases: ['nr']

Nested layout, starting with a full left half.

-------------------------
|           |           |
|           |     2     |
|           |           |
|     1     |-----------|
|           |     |  4  |
|           |  3  |-----|
|           |     |5 | 6|
-------------------------

---

Layout: SmartNestedRight

Aliases: ['snr']

Nested layout, starting with a full left half, but never going below 1/16th of the size.

2 windows
-------------------------
|           |           |
|           |           |
|           |           |
|     1     |     2     |
|           |           |
|           |           |
|           |           |
-------------------------

5 windows
-------------------------
|           |           |
|           |     2     |
|           |           |
|     1     |-----------|
|           |     |  4  |
|           |  3  |-----|
|           |     |  5  |
-------------------------

6 windows
-------------------------
|           |           |
|           |     2     |
|           |           |
|     1     |-----------|
|           |  3  |  4  |
|           |-----|-----|
|           |  5  |  6  |
-------------------------

7 windows
-------------------------
|           |     |     |
|           |  2  |  3  |
|           |     |     |
|     1     |-----------|
|           |  4  |  5  |
|           |-----|-----|
|           |  6  |  7  |
-------------------------


15 windows
-------------------------
|     |  2  |  4  |  6  |
|  1  |-----|-----|-----|
|     |  3  |  5  |  7  |
|-----------|-----------|
|  8  |  A  |  C  |  E  |
|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|  9  |  B  |  D  |  F  |
-------------------------

Falls back to matrix layout above 16 windows.

---

Layout: mainCenter

Aliases: ['mc', 'vmv'] One large window in the midle at 50%, all others stacked to the left/right vertically.

-------------------
|  2  |     |  5  |
|-----|     |-----|
|  3  |  1  |  6  |
|-----|     |-----|
|  4  |     |  7  |
-------------------

---