qtile-bonsai 0.3.0

A flexible custom layout for the qtile window manager that supports arbitrarily nestable tabs and splits.

Qtile Bonsai

Introduction

Qtile Bonsai provides a flexible layout for the qtile tiling window manager that allows you to arrange windows as tabs, splits and even subtabs inside splits.

It also provides an API with window-management operations that allow for quick access and rearrangements of tabs/windows.

For a quick feeler, look at the demo below, or the visual guide further below.

https://github.com/aravinda0/qtile-bonsai/assets/960763/b74e559a-30c0-4de7-86f4-ecea8e68125c

Getting Started

Installation

Assuming you already have qtile up and running, you have the following options for installation.

PyPI

pip install qtile-bonsai 

[!NOTE] If you have qtile installed globally (eg. via your distro's package manager), you likely have to do:

pip install qtile-bonsai --break-system-packages

Nowadays pip tries to play it safe and not potentially modify some dependency that your system's Python-software may depend on. For qtile-bonsai, using this flag should be safe.

An alternative approach would be to have installed qtile via pipx and then 'inject' qtile-bonsai into the same virtualenv where qtile resides:

pipx install qtile
pipx inject qtile qtile-bonsai

AUR

For arch-based distros, you can install it from the AUR either manually or with your favorite AUR-helper. For example:

yay -S qtile-bonsai

Configuration

1. Make Bonsai available as a layout in your qtile config

from qtile_bonsai import Bonsai


layouts = [
    Bonsai(**{
      # Specify your options here. These examples are defaults.
      "window.border_size": 1,
      "tab_bar.height": 20,
      
      # You can specify subtab level specific options if desired by prefixing
      # the option key with the appropriate level, eg. L1, L2, L3 etc.
      # For example, the following options affect only 2nd level subtabs and
      # their windows:
      # "L2.window.border_color": "#ff0000",
      # "L2.window.margin": 5,
    }),
]

2. Add your personal keybindings to your qtile config

from libqtile.config import EzKey, KeyChord
from libqtile.lazy import lazy
from libqtile.utils import guess_terminal


terminal = guess_terminal()
rofi_run_cmd = "rofi -show drun -m -1"

keys = [
    # Open your terminal emulator quickly. See further below for how to
    # directly open other apps as splits/tabs using something like rofi.
    EzKey("M-v", lazy.layout.spawn_split(terminal, "x")),
    EzKey("M-x", lazy.layout.spawn_split(terminal, "y")),
    EzKey("M-t", lazy.layout.spawn_tab(terminal)),
    EzKey("M-S-t", lazy.layout.spawn_tab(terminal, new_level=True)),
    
    # Sometimes it's handy to have a split open in the 'previous' position
    EzKey("M-S-v", lazy.layout.spawn_split(terminal, "x", position="previous")),
    EzKey("M-S-x", lazy.layout.spawn_split(terminal, "y", position="previous")),

    # Motions to move focus. The names are compatible with built-in layouts.
    EzKey("M-h", lazy.layout.left()),
    EzKey("M-l", lazy.layout.right()),
    EzKey("M-k", lazy.layout.up()),
    EzKey("M-j", lazy.layout.down()),
    EzKey("M-d", lazy.layout.prev_tab()),
    EzKey("M-f", lazy.layout.next_tab()),
    
    # Precise motions to move directly to specific tabs at the nearest tab level
    EzKey("M-1", lazy.layout.focus_nth_tab(1, level=-1)),
    EzKey("M-2", lazy.layout.focus_nth_tab(2, level=-1)),
    EzKey("M-3", lazy.layout.focus_nth_tab(3, level=-1)),
    EzKey("M-4", lazy.layout.focus_nth_tab(4, level=-1)),
    EzKey("M-5", lazy.layout.focus_nth_tab(5, level=-1)),
    
    # Precise motions to move to specific windows. The options provided here let
    # us pick the nth window counting only from under currently active [sub]tabs
    EzKey("C-1", lazy.layout.focus_nth_window(1, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,2])),
    EzKey("C-2", lazy.layout.focus_nth_window(2, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,2])),
    EzKey("C-3", lazy.layout.focus_nth_window(3, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,2])),
    EzKey("C-4", lazy.layout.focus_nth_window(4, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,2])),
    EzKey("C-5", lazy.layout.focus_nth_window(5, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,2])),

    # Resize operations
    EzKey("M-C-h", lazy.layout.resize("left", 100)),
    EzKey("M-C-l", lazy.layout.resize("right", 100)),
    EzKey("M-C-k", lazy.layout.resize("up", 100)),
    EzKey("M-C-j", lazy.layout.resize("down", 100)),

    # Swap windows/tabs with neighbors
    EzKey("M-S-h", lazy.layout.swap("left")),
    EzKey("M-S-l", lazy.layout.swap("right")),
    EzKey("M-S-k", lazy.layout.swap("up")),
    EzKey("M-S-j", lazy.layout.swap("down")),
    EzKey("A-S-d", lazy.layout.swap_tabs("previous")),
    EzKey("A-S-f", lazy.layout.swap_tabs("next")),
    
    # Manipulate selections after entering container-select mode
    EzKey("M-o", lazy.layout.select_container_outer()),
    EzKey("M-i", lazy.layout.select_container_inner()),

    # It's kinda nice to have more advanced window management commands under a
    # qtile key chord.
    KeyChord(
        ["mod4"],
        "w",
        [
            # Use something like rofi to pick GUI apps to open as splits/tabs.
            EzKey("v", lazy.layout.spawn_split(rofi_run_cmd, "x")),
            EzKey("x", lazy.layout.spawn_split(rofi_run_cmd, "y")),
            EzKey("t", lazy.layout.spawn_tab(rofi_run_cmd)),
            EzKey("S-t", lazy.layout.spawn_tab(rofi_run_cmd, new_level=True)),
            
            # Toggle container-selection mode to split/tab over containers of
            # multiple windows. Manipulate using select_container_outer()/select_container_inner()
            EzKey("C-v", lazy.layout.toggle_container_select_mode()),
            
            EzKey("o", lazy.layout.pull_out()),
            EzKey("u", lazy.layout.pull_out_to_tab()),
            
            EzKey("r", lazy.layout.rename_tab()),
            
            # Directional commands to merge windows with their neighbor into subtabs.
            KeyChord(
                [],
                "m",
                [
                    EzKey("h", lazy.layout.merge_to_subtab("left")),
                    EzKey("l", lazy.layout.merge_to_subtab("right")),
                    EzKey("j", lazy.layout.merge_to_subtab("down")),
                    EzKey("k", lazy.layout.merge_to_subtab("up")),

                    # Merge entire tabs with each other as splits
                    EzKey("S-h", lazy.layout.merge_tabs("previous")),
                    EzKey("S-l", lazy.layout.merge_tabs("next")),
                ],
            ),
            
            # Directional commands for push_in() to move window inside neighbor space.
            KeyChord(
                [],
                "i",
                [
                    EzKey("j", lazy.layout.push_in("down")),
                    EzKey("k", lazy.layout.push_in("up")),
                    EzKey("h", lazy.layout.push_in("left")),
                    EzKey("l", lazy.layout.push_in("right")),
                    
                    # It's nice to be able to push directly into the deepest
                    # neighbor node when desired. The default bindings above
                    # will have us push into the largest neighbor container.
                    EzKey(
                        "S-j",
                        lazy.layout.push_in("down", dest_selection="mru_deepest"),
                    ),
                    EzKey(
                        "S-k",
                        lazy.layout.push_in("up", dest_selection="mru_deepest"),
                    ),
                    EzKey(
                        "S-h",
                        lazy.layout.push_in("left", dest_selection="mru_deepest"),
                    ),
                    EzKey(
                        "S-l",
                        lazy.layout.push_in("right", dest_selection="mru_deepest"),
                    ),
                ],
            ),
        ]
    ),
    
    # Your other bindings
    # ...
]

3. [Optional] Add the BonsaiBar widget to your qtile bar

qtile-bonsai comes with an optional BonsaiBar widget that lets you view all your top-level tabs on the qtile-bar. This lets you hide away the top-level/outermost tab-bar that is part of the Bonsai layout itself and save some screen space (or simply for aesthetics).

from libqtile import bar
from libqtile.config import Screen

from qtile_bonsai import Bonsai, BonsaiBar


# Hide away only the top level of the default tab bar that is available on the
# layout itself. Subtab bars will remain visible.
layouts = [
    Bonsai(**{
      "L1.tab_bar.hide_when": "always",
    }),
]

screens = [
    Screen(top=bar.Bar([
        BonsaiBar(**{
            # "length": 500,
            # "tab.width": 50,
            # ...
        }),
        # ... your other widgets ...
    ])),
]

Visual Guide

Click on the image to open a web view with the full guide.

Reference

Layout Configuration

[!TIP] Most options have subtab-level support! ie. you can have one setting for top level windows and another setting for windows under 2nd level subtabs. eg:

Bonsai({
  "window.margin": 10,
  "L2.window.margin": 5,
})

The format is L<subtab-level>.<option-name> = <value>

Option Name	Default Value	Description
window.margin	0	Size of the margin space around windows. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
window.border_size	1	Width of the border around windows. Must be a single integer value since that's what qtile allows for window borders.
window.border_color	Gruvbox.dull_yellow	Color of the border around windows
window.active.border_color	Gruvbox.vivid_yellow	Color of the border around an active window
window.normalize_on_remove	True	Whether or not to normalize the remaining windows after a window is removed. If True, the remaining sibling windows will all become of equal size. If False, the next (right/down) window will take up the free space.
window.default_add_mode	tab	(Experimental) Determines how windows get added if they are not explicitly spawned as a split or a tab. Can be one of "tab" or "match_previous". If "match_previous", then then new window will get added in the same way the previous window was. eg. if the previous window was added as a y-split, so will the new window. NOTE: Setting this to "tab" may seem convenient, since externally spawned GUI apps get added as background tabs instead of messing up the current split layout. But due to how the window creation flow happens, when many splits are requested in quick succession, this may cause some windows requested as a split to open up as a tab instead.
tab_bar.height	20	Height of tab bars
tab_bar.hide_when	single_tab	When to hide the tab bar. Allowed values are 'never', 'always', 'single_tab'. When 'single_tab' is configured, the bar is not shown whenever there is a lone tab remaining, but shows up again when another tab is added. For nested tab levels, configuring 'always' or 'single_tab' actually means that when only a single tab remains, its contents get 'merged' upwards, eliminating the sub-tab level.
tab_bar.margin	0	Size of the margin space around tab bars. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
tab_bar.border_size	0	Size of the border around tab bars
tab_bar.border_color	Gruvbox.dark_yellow	Color of border around tab bars
tab_bar.bg_color	Gruvbox.bg0	Background color of tab bars, beind their tabs
tab_bar.tab.width	50	Width of a tab on a tab bar. Can be an int or auto. If auto, the tabs take up as much of the available screen space as possible. Note that this width follows the 'margin box'/'principal box' model, so it includes any configured margin amount.
tab_bar.tab.margin	0	Size of the space on either outer side of individual tabs. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
tab_bar.tab.padding	0	Size of the space on either inner side of individual tabs. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
tab_bar.tab.bg_color	Gruvbox.dull_yellow	Background color of individual tabs
tab_bar.tab.fg_color	Gruvbox.fg1	Foreground text color of individual tabs
tab_bar.tab.font_family	Mono	Font family to use for tab titles
tab_bar.tab.font_size	13	Font size to use for tab titles
tab_bar.tab.active.bg_color	Gruvbox.vivid_yellow	Background color of active tabs
tab_bar.tab.active.fg_color	Gruvbox.bg0_hard	Foreground text color of the active tab
tab_bar.tab.title_provider	None	A callback that generates the title for a tab. The callback accepts 3 parameters and returns the final title string. The params are: 1. index:     The index of the current tab in the     list of tabs. 2. active_pane:     The active Pane instance under     this tab. A Pane is just a     container for a window and can be     accessed via pane.window. 3. tab:     The current Tab instance. For example, here's a callback that returns the active window's title: def my_title_provider(index, active_pane, tab):     return active_pane.window.name
container_select_mode.border_size	3	Size of the border around the active selection when container_select_mode is active.
container_select_mode.border_color	Gruvbox.dark_purple	Color of the border around the active selection when container_select_mode is active.
auto_cwd_for_terminals	True	(Experimental) If True, when spawning new windows by specifying a program that happens to be a well-known terminal emulator, will try to open the new terminal window in same working directory as the last focused window.
restore.threshold_seconds	4	You likely don't need to tweak this. Controls the time within which a persisted state file is considered to be from a recent qtile config- reload/restart event. If the persisted file is this many seconds old, we restore our window tree from it.

Layout Commands

Command Name	Description
spawn_split	Launch the provided program into a new window that splits the currently focused window along the specified axis. Args:     program:         The program to launch.     axis:         The axis along which to split the currently focused window. Can         be 'x' or 'y'.         An x split will end up with two left/right windows.         A y split will end up with two top/bottom windows.     ratio:         The ratio of sizes by which to split the current window.         If a window has a width of 100, then splitting on the x-axis         with a ratio = 0.3 will result in a left window of width 30 and         a right window of width 70.         Defaults to 0.5.     normalize:         If True, overrides ratio and leads to the new window and         all sibling windows becoming of equal size along the         corresponding split axis.         Defaults to True.     position:         Whether the new split content appears after or before the         currently focused window.         Can be "next" or "previous". Defaults to "next". Examples:     - layout.spawn_split(my_terminal, "x")     - layout.spawn_split(my_terminal, "y", ratio=0.2,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;normalize=False)     - layout.spawn_split(my_terminal, "x", position="previous")
spawn_tab	Launch the provided program into a new window as a new tab. Args:     program:         The program to launch.     new_level:         If True, create a new sub-tab level with 2 tabs. The first         sub-tab being the currently focused window, the second sub-tab         being the newly launched program.     level:         If provided, launch the new window as a tab at the provided         level of tabs in the currently focused window's tab         hierarchy.         Level 1 is the topmost level. Examples:     - layout.spawn_tab(my_terminal)     - layout.spawn_tab(my_terminal, new_level=True)     - layout.spawn_tab("qutebrowser", level=1)
move_focus	Move focus to the window in the specified direction relative to the currently focused window. If there are multiple candidates, the most recently focused of them will be chosen. When container_select_mode is active, will similarly pick neighboring nodes, which may consist of multiple windows under it. Args:     direction:         The direction in which a neighbor is found to move focus to.         Can be "up"/"down"/"left"/"right".     wrap:         If True, will wrap around the edge and select items from the         other end of the screen. Defaults to True.
left	Same as move_focus("left"). For compatibility with API of other built-in layouts.
right	Same as move_focus("right"). For compatibility with API of other built-in layouts.
up	Same as move_focus("up"). For compatibility with API of other built- in layouts.
down	Same as move_focus("down"). For compatibility with API of other built-in layouts.
next_tab	Switch focus to the next tab. The window that was previously active there will be focused. Args:     wrap:         If True, will cycle back to the fist tab if invoked on the         last tab.         Defaults to True.
prev_tab	Same as next_tab() but switches focus to the previous tab.
focus_nth_tab	Switches focus to the nth tab at the specified tab level. Args:     n:         The 1-based index of the tab that should be focused.     level:         When there are subtab levels at play, specifies which         TabContainer's         tabs among the hierarchy of active TabContainers is being         acted upon.         Tab levels are 1-based.         level=1 indicates outermost/top-level tabs.         level=-1 (default) indicates the innermost/nearest tabs. Examples:     - layout.focus_nth_tab(2) # 2nd top-level tab     - layout.focus_nth_tab(3, level=-1) # 3rd from nearest tabs
focus_nth_window	Switches focus to the nth window. Counting is always done based on the geospatial position of windows - ie. starting from the leftmost+innermost window (ie. we traverse leaves of the tree, left to right). Args:     n:         The 1-based index of the window in the list of all candidate         windows.     ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels:         For the specified list of tab levels, only consider windows         under the active tab at that level, ignoring windows under         inactive/background tabs.         eg. [1] means we should start counting n from the first         window in the currently active level 1 (top-level) tab,         ignoring windows under inactive tabs. But if there are any         subtabs under this active tabs, we DO consider the inactive         windows under background/inactive subtabs.         eg. [1,2] means we start counting n from the first window         of the active top-level tab, and if there are any level 2         subtabs under the active tab, we pick windows only from the         active level 2 tab as well, ignoring inactive subtabs.         eg. [] or None (default) means consider every single window         - even if it's inactive under a background tab.         eg. [2] means we start counting from the very first window at         the top level, even if it is inactive under a background tab.         But whenever there are level 2 subtabs to consider, we only         count its windows that are under the active level 2 subtab.     Examples:         - layout.focus_nth_window(1)         - layout.focus_nth_window(3,         ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1])         - layout.focus_nth_window(2, ignore_inactive_tabs_at_levels=[1,         2])
resize	Resizes by moving an appropriate border leftwards. Usually this is the right/bottom border, but for the 'last' node under a SplitContainer, it will be the left/top border. Basically the way tmux does resizing. If there are multiple nested windows under the area being resized, those windows are resized proportionally. Args:     amount:         The amount by which to resize. Examples:     - layout.resize("left", 100)     - layout.resize("right", 100)
swap	Swaps the currently focused window with the nearest window in the specified direction. If there are multiple candidates to pick from, then the most recently focused one is chosen. Args:     wrap:         If True, will wrap around the edge and select windows from         the other end of the screen to swap.         Defaults to False.
swap_tabs	Swaps the currently active tab with the previous tab. Args:     wrap:         If True, will wrap around the edge of the tab bar and swap         with the last tab.         Defaults to True.
rename_tab	Rename the currently active tab. Args:     widget:         The qtile widget that should be used for obtaining user input         for the renaming. The 'prompt' widget is used by default.
merge_tabs	Merge the currently active tab with another tab, such that both tabs' contents now appear in 2 splits. Args:     direction:         Which neighbor tab to merge with. Can be either "next" or         "previous".     axis:         The axis along which the merged content should appear as         splits. Examples:     - layout.merge_tabs("previous")     - layout.merge_tabs("next", "y")
merge_to_subtab	Merge the currently focused window (or an ancestor node) with a neighboring node in the specified direction, so that they both come under a (possibly new) subtab. Args:     direction:         The direction in which to find a neighbor to merge with.     src_selection:         Determines how the source window/node should be resolved. ie.         do we pick just the current window, or all windows under an         appropriate ancestor container.         Valid values are defined in NodeHierarchySelectionMode. See         below.     dest_selection:         Determines how the neighboring node should be resolved, similar         to how src_selection is resolved.         Valid values are defined in NodeHierarchySelectionMode. See         below.     normalize:         If True, any removals during the merge process will ensure         all sibling nodes are resized to be of equal dimensions. Valid values for NodeHierarchySelectionMode are:     "mru_deepest":         Pick a single innermost window. If there are multiple such         neighboring windows, pick the most recently used (MRU) one.     "mru_subtab_else_deepest" (default):         If the target is under a subtab, pick the subtab. If there is         no subtab in play, behaves like mru_deepest.     "mru_largest"         Given a window, pick the largest ancestor node that the         window's border is a fragment of. This resolves to a         SplitContainer or a TabContainer.     "mru_subtab_else_largest"         If the target is under a subtab, pick the subtab. If there is         no subtab in play, behaves like mru_largest. Examples:     - layout.merge_to_subtab( "right",     dest_selection="mru_subtab_else_deepest", )     - layout.merge_to_subtab( "up", src_selection="mru_deepest",     dest_selection="mru_deepest", )
push_in	Move the currently focused window (or a related node in its hierarchy) into a neighboring window's container. Args:     direction:         The direction in which to find a neighbor whose container we         push into.     src_selection:         (See docs in merge_to_subtab())     dest_selection:         (See docs in merge_to_subtab())     normalize:         If True, any removals during the process will ensure all         sibling nodes are resized to be of equal dimensions.     wrap:         If True, will wrap around the edge of the screen and push         into the container on the other end. Examples:     - layout.push_in("right", dest_selection="mru_deepest")     - layout.push_in("down", dest_selection="mru_largest",<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;wrap=False)
pull_out	Move the currently focused window out from its SplitContainer into an ancestor SplitContainer at a higher level. It effectively moves a window 'outwards'. Args:     position:         Whether the pulled out node appears before or after its         original container node.         Can be "next" or "previous". Defaults to "previous".     src_selection:         Can either be "mru_deepest" (default) or         "mru_subtab_else_deepest".         (See docs in merge_to_subtab())     normalize:         If True, all sibling nodes involved in the rearrangement are         resized to be of equal dimensions. Examples:     - layout.pull_out()     - layout.pull_out(src_selection="mru_subtab_else_deepest")     - layout.pull_out(position="next")
pull_out_to_tab	Extract the currently focused window into a new tab at the nearest TabContainer. Args:     normalize:         If True, any removals during the process will ensure all         sibling nodes are resized to be of equal dimensions.
normalize	Starting from the focused window's container, make all windows in the container of equal size. Args:     recurse:         If True, then nested nodes are also normalized similarly.
normalize_tab	Starting from the focused window's tab, make all windows in the tab of equal size under their respective containers. Args:     recurse:         If True, then nested nodes are also normalized similarly.         Defaults to True.
normalize_all	Make all windows under all tabs be of equal size under their respective containers.
toggle_container_select_mode	Enable container-select mode where we can select not just a window, but even their container nodes. This will activate a special border around the active selection. You can move its focus around using the same bindings as for switching window focus. You can also select upper/parent or lower/child nodes with the select_container_outer() and select_container_inner() commands. Handy for cases where you want to split over a collection of windows or make a new subtab level over a collection of windows. Aside from focus-switching motions, the only operations supported are spawn_split() and spawn_tab(). Triggering other commands will simply exit container-select mode.
select_container_inner	When in container-select mode, it will narrow the active selection by selecting the first descendent node.
select_container_outer	When in container-select mode, it will expand the active selection by selecting the next ancestor node.
tree_repr	Returns a YAML-like text representation of the internal tree hierarchy.

BonsaiBar Widget

Option Name	Default Value	Description
length	500	The standard length property of qtile widgets. As usual, it can be a fixed integer, or one of the 'special' bar constants: bar.CALCULATED or bar.STRETCH.
bg_color	None	Background color of the bar. If None, the qtile-bar's' background color is used.
font_family	Mono	Font family to use for tab titles
font_size	15	Size of the font to use for tab titles
tab.width	50	Width of a tab on the bar. Can be an int or auto. If auto, the tabs take up as much of the available space on the bar as possible. Note that if the length option is set to bar.CALCULATED, then you cannot provide auto here, as we would need fixed tab width values to perform the bar.CALCULATED computation. Note that this width follows the 'margin box'/'principal box' model, so it includes any configured margin amount.
tab.margin	0	Size of the space on either outer side of individual tabs. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
tab.padding	0	Size of the space on either inner side of individual tabs. Can be an int or a list of ints in [top, right, bottom, left] ordering.
tab.bg_color	Gruvbox.dull_yellow	Background color of the inactive tabs
tab.fg_color	Gruvbox.fg1	Foreground color of the inactive tabs
tab.active.bg_color	Gruvbox.vivid_yellow	Background color of active tab
tab.active.fg_color	Gruvbox.bg0_hard	Foreground color of active tab
container_select_mode.indicator.bg_color	Gruvbox.bg0_hard	Background color of active tab when in container_select_mode.
container_select_mode.indicator.fg_color	Gruvbox.bg0_hard	Foreground color of active tab when in container_select_mode.

Support

For any bug reports, please file an issue. For questions/discussions, use the GitHub Discussions section, or you can ask on the qtile subreddit.