Introduction

This document is the manual for the IceWM X11 window manager. The IceWM manpages provide additional documentation.

The goal of IceWM is to provide a small, fast and familiar window manager for the X11 window system, which is compatible with the EWMH and ICCCM window manager protocols. Generally, it tries to make all functions available both by keyboard and by mouse (this is not currently possible when using mouse focus).

IceWM originally was designed to emulate the look of Motif, OS/2 Warp 4, OS/2 Warp 3 and Windows 95. Since it has a theming engine others styles are possible. A large number of original themes have been created and published by users.

Further information can be found at the IceWM website, at the current site of development, which includes the support requests.

Copying

IceWM and its documentation are covered by a GNU LGPL license, which is included in the distribution.

First steps

IceWM components

The IceWM suite consists of the following core applications provided by the main package:

  • icewm - The actual window manager binary. It handles window placement and draws the window decorations.

  • icewmbg - The background setting application. It can assign plain background color or images in different formats to the X background. Either shared or separate for different workspaces. This program should be started before icewm.

  • icewm-session - The IceWM session manager runs all of the above. This is the preferred program to start IceWM.

  • icewm-menu-fdo - This generates IceWM program menus from FreeDesktop .desktop files.

  • icewmhint - Is a simple utility for passing IceWM hints to IceWM by window class and instance. Icewmhint uses a special property, '"_ICEWM_WINOPHINT"', on the root window to pass special hints to IceWM.

  • icehelp - Is used by icewm to display the 'IceWM manual' and the manpages. See the output of icehelp --help for details.

  • icesh - Could be used to manage IceWM internals from the command line.

Starting icewm

The icewm program alone is suitable for use with desktop environments like GNOME. If you wish to run the whole IceWM suite (WM, background changer, Docklet support, and startup/shutdown script handling), use the icewm-session binary instead of pure icewm. Note that this is not a complete Session Manager but it helps to automate the startup.

First make sure that you choose the correct X startup script in your home directory. For most distributions either the file $HOME/.xsession or $HOME/.xinitrc is honored by startx and X display managers like KDM. On RedHat, the $HOME/.Xclients may be used instead. In all cases, choose the one recommended by your distribution and make sure that there is no concurrency between the X startup scripts. Ensure that the script is executable. Mine looks something like this:

#!/bin/bash
# run profile to set $PATH and other env vars correctly
. $HOME/.bash_profile
# setup touchpad and the external mouse
xset m 7 2
xinput set-ptr-feedback 0 7 1.9 1

# start icewm-session
exec icewm-session
xterm

The xterm on the last line is there simply to make sure that your X session doesn’t crash if IceWM does (should never happen). You can restart IceWM from there or start some other window manager. The session will close if you close the xterm.

Startup and shutdown scripts

After initialization icewm-session will search the resource path for a startup script. If this file is found and if it is executable icewm-session will run this script. During termination of icewm-session the shutdown script is executed.

Example ~/.icewm/startup script:

#!/bin/bash

[ -x ~/.icewm/restart ] && source ~/.icewm/restart

gnome-terminal --geometry 80x25+217+235 &
xscreensaver &

On termination the shutdown script will be run first, then icewm-session will terminate icewm and icewmbg.

Tip
 icewm-session is meant for easy desktop initialization and it is part of IceWM due to popular demand. For more sophisticated session management one could use a real session manager. IceWM supports the XSESSION protocol.

Extra session environment

Please note that if icewm-session is used as the only startup mechanism (without having .xsession involved), one can write additional environment settings into the file $HOME/.icewm/env. Expansion of simple shell style variables should be supported on most platforms. Shell command expansion is supported if wordexp was configured. This extra environment is only effective in applications started by icewm-session and their subprocesses.

Example env:

PATH=~/bin:$PATH
LANG=de_DE.UTF-8

Focus models

IceWM implements four general focus models:

  • clickToRaise

    Exactly like Win95, OS/2 Warp. When window is clicked with a mouse, it is raised and activated.

  • clickToFocus

    Window is raised and focused when titlebar or frame border is clicked. Window is focused but not raised when window interior is clicked.

  • pointerFocus

    When the mouse is moved, focus is set to window under a mouse. It should be possible to change focus with the keyboard when mouse is not moved.

  • explicitFocus

    When a window is clicked, it is activated, but not raised. New windows do not automatically get the focus unless they are transient windows for the active window.

Detailed configuration is possible using the configuration file options.

Mouse Commands

Frame Commands

  • Left Button

    Select and raise the window. On the window frame, resize the window.

  • Right Button

    When dragged, moves the window. When clicked, displays the context menu.

Title Bar Commands

  • Any Button Drag

    Move the window.

  • Alt + Left Button

    Lower the window.

  • Left Button Double Click

    Maximize/Restore the window.

  • Middle Button Double Click

    Rollup/Unroll the window.

The Ctrl key can be used together with a mouse button to prevent a window from being raised to the top of the stack.

Taskbar commands

  • Left Button Click

    Activate the workspace with the window and raise the window. Toggles the minimized/active state of the window.

  • Shift + Left Button Click

    Move window to current workspace. This only works when windows from all workspaces are shown on the taskbar all the time.

  • Control + Left Button Click

    Minimize/restore the window.

  • Middle Button Click

    Toggle raised/lowered state of the window.

  • Shift + Middle Button Click

    Add the window to the current workspace.

  • Control + Middle Button Click

    Lower the window.

  • Right Button Click

    Display a context menu.

Keyboard Commands

The Alt key is assumed to be the key defined as the Mod1 modifier.

  • Alt+F1

    Raise the window.

  • Alt+F2

    Make a window occupy all desktops.

  • Alt+F3

    Lower the window to the bottom of the stack.

  • Alt+F4

    Close the window.

  • Alt+F5

    Restore the window state if maximized or minimized/hidden.

  • Alt+F6

    Focus to next window.

  • Alt+Shift+F6

    Focus to previous window.

  • Alt+F7

    Starts movement of the active window. Move the window either by the mouse or by the arrow keys. The arrow keys can be accelerated four times by the Shift key or sixteen times by the Control key. Press the left button or the Enter key when done. To cancel press Escape.

  • Alt+F8

    Starts resizing of the active window. Resize the window either by the mouse or by the arrow keys. The arrow keys can be accelerated four times by the Shift key or sixteen times by the Control key. Press the left button or the Enter key when done. To cancel press Escape.

  • Alt+F9

    Minimize the window to taskbar.

  • Alt+F10

    Maximize the window.

  • Alt+Shift+F10

    Maximize the window vertically (toggle).

  • Alt+F11

    Hide the window (appears in window list, but not on taskbar).

  • Alt+F12

    Rollup the window.

  • Ctrl+Escape

    Show the start menu.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Escape

    Show the window list.

  • Shift+Escape

    Show the system-menu of the window.

  • Alt+Escape

    Focus to next window (down in zorder)

  • Alt+Shift+Escape

    Focus to previous window (up in zorder)

  • Alt+Tab

    Switch between windows (top -> bottom).

  • Alt+Shift+Tab

    Switch between windows (bottom <- top).

  • Ctrl+Alt+LeftArrow

    Switch to the previous workspace (cycle).

  • Ctrl+Alt+RightArrow

    Switch to the next workspace (cycle).

  • Ctrl+Alt+DownArrow

    Switch to the previously active workspace.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+LeftArrow

    Move the focused window to the previous workspace and activate it.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+RightArrow

    Move the focused window to the next workspace and activate it.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+DownArrow

    Move the focused window to the previously active workspace and activate it.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Delete

    displays the session dialog.

  • Ctrl+Alt+Space

    Activate the AddressBar. This is a command line in the taskbar where a shell command can be typed. Pressing the Enter key will execute the command. If AddressBarCommand was configured it will be used to execute the command otherwise /bin/sh is used. If the Control key was also pressed then the command is executed in a terminal as given by TerminalCommand. The address bar maintains a history which is navigable by the Up and Down keys. A rich set of editing operations is supported, including cut-/copy-/paste-operations and file completion using Tab or Ctrl-I.

  • Ctrl+Alt+d

    Show the desktop.

  • Ctrl+Alt+h

    Toggle taskbar visibility.

The Resource Path

IceWM looks in several locations for configuration information, themes and customization; together these locations are called the resource path. The resource path contains the following directories:

$ICEWM_PRIVCFG; $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm; $HOME/.icewm The first of these which is defined and existent is used to search for the user’s personal customization.

/etc/icewm the system-wide defaults directory

/usr/share/icewm OR /usr/local/share/icewm the compiled-in default directory with default files

The directories are searched in the above order, so any file located in the system/install directory can be overridden by the user by creating the same directory hierarchy under $HOME/.icewm.

To customize icewm yourself, you could create the $HOME/.icewm directory and copy the files that you wish to modify, like preferences, keys or winoptions, from /etc/icewm, /usr/share/icewm or /usr/local/share/icewm and then modify as you like.

To customize the default themes, create the $HOME/.icewm/themes directory and copy all the theme files there and then modify as necessary. Each theme has its own subdirectory. Themes can be downloaded from https://themes.ice-wm.org.

Configuration Files

IceWM uses the following configuration files:

  • theme

    Currently selected theme

  • preferences

    General settings - paths, colors, fonts…​

  • prefoverride

    Settings that should override the themes.

  • menu

    Menu of startable applications. Usually customized by the user.

  • programs

    Automatically generated menu of startable applications (this should be used for wmconfig, menu or similar packages, perhaps as a part of the login or X startup sequence).

  • winoptions

    Application window options

  • keys

    Global keybindings to launch applications (not window manager related)

  • toolbar

    Quick launch application icons on the taskbar.

Theme

The theme file contains the currently selected theme. It will be overwritten automatically when a theme is selected from the Themes menu.

Preferences

This section shows preferences that can be set in preferences. Themes will not be able to override these settings. Default values are shown following the equal sign.

Focus and Behavior

The following settings can be set to value 1 (enabled) or value 0 (disabled).

  • ClickToFocus = 1

    Enables click to focus mode.

  • RaiseOnFocus = 1

    Window is raised when focused.

  • FocusOnClickClient = 1

    Window is focused when client area is clicked.

  • RaiseOnClickClient = 1

    Window is raised when client area is clicked.

  • RaiseOnClickTitleBar = 1

    Window is raised when titlebar is clicked.

  • RaiseOnClickButton = 1

    Window is raised when title bar button is clicked.

  • RaiseOnClickFrame = 1

    Window is raised when frame is clicked.

  • LowerOnClickWhenRaised = 0

    Lower the active window when clicked again.

  • PassFirstClickToClient = 1

    The click which raises the window is also passed to the client.

  • FocusChangesWorkspace = 0

    Change to the workspace of newly focused windows.

  • AutoRaise = 0

    Windows will raise automatically after AutoRaiseDelay when focused.

  • StrongPointerFocus = 0

    When focus follows mouse always give the focus to the window under mouse pointer - Even when no mouse motion has occurred. Using this is not recommended. Please prefer to use just ClickToFocus=0.

  • FocusOnMap = 1

    Window is focused after being mapped.

  • FocusOnMapTransient = 1

    Transient window is focused after being mapped.

  • FocusOnMapTransientActive = 1

    Focus dialog window when initially mapped only if parent frame focused.

  • FocusOnAppRaise = 1

    The window is focused when application raises it.

  • RequestFocusOnAppRaise = 1

    Request focus (flashing in taskbar) when application requests raise.

  • MapInactiveOnTop = 1

    Put new windows on top even if not focusing them.

  • PointerColormap = 0

    Colormap focus follows pointer.

  • DontRotateMenuPointer = 1

    Don’t rotate the cursor for popup menus.

  • LimitSize = 1

    Limit size of windows to screen.

  • LimitPosition = 1

    Limit position of windows to screen.

  • LimitByDockLayer = 0

    Let the Dock layer limit the workspace (incompatible with GNOME Panel).

  • ConsiderHBorder = 0

    Consider border frames when maximizing horizontally.

  • ConsiderVBorder = 0

    Consider border frames when maximizing vertically.

  • ConsiderSizeHintsMaximized = 1

    Consider XSizeHints if frame is maximized.

  • CenterMaximizedWindows = 0

    Center maximized windows which can’t fit the screen (like terminals).

  • HideBordersMaximized = 0

    Hide window borders if window is maximized.

  • HideTitleBarWhenMaximized = 0

    Hide title bar when maximized.

  • CenterLarge = 0

    Center large windows.

  • CenterTransientsOnOwner = 1

    Center dialogs on owner window.

  • SizeMaximized = 0

    Window can be resized when maximized.

  • MinimizeToDesktop = 0

    Window is minimized to desktop area (in addition to the taskbar).

  • MiniIconsPlaceHorizontal = 0

    Place the mini-icons horizontal instead of vertical.

  • MiniIconsRightToLeft = 0

    Place new mini-icons from right to left.

  • MiniIconsBottomToTop = 0

    Place new mini-icons from bottom to top.

  • GrabRootWindow = 1

    Manage root window (EXPERIMENTAL - normally enabled!).

  • ShowMoveSizeStatus = 1

    Move/resize status window is visible when moving/resizing the window.

  • ShowWorkspaceStatus = 1

    Show name of current workspace while switching.

  • ShowWorkspaceStatusAfterSwitch = 1

    Show name of current workspace while switching workspaces.

  • ShowWorkspaceStatusAfterActivation = 1

    Show name of current workspace after explicit activation.

  • WarpPointer = 0

    Pointer is moved in pointer focus move when focus is moved using the keyboard.

  • OpaqueMove = 1

    Window is immediately moved when dragged, no outline is shown.

  • OpaqueResize = 0

    Window is immediately resized when dragged, no outline is shown.

  • DelayPointerFocus = 1

    Similar to delayed auto raise.

  • Win95Keys = 0

    Makes 3 additional keys perform sensible functions. The keys must be mapped to MetaL, MetaR and Menu. The left one will activate the start menu and the right one will display the window list.

  • ModSuperIsCtrlAlt = 1

    Treat Super/Win modifier as Ctrl+Alt.

  • UseMouseWheel = 0

    Mouse wheel support.

  • TaskBarTaskGrouping = 0

    Group applications with the same class name under a single task button.

  • ShowPopupsAbovePointer = 0

    Show popup menus above mouse pointer.

  • ReplayMenuCancelClick = 0

    Send the clicks outside menus to target window.

  • ManualPlacement = 0

    Windows must be placed manually by the user.

  • SmartPlacement = 1

    Smart window placement (minimal overlap).

  • IgnoreNoFocusHint = 0

    Ignore no-accept-focus hint set by some windows.

  • MenuMouseTracking = 0

    If enabled, menus will track the mouse even when no mouse button is pressed.

  • ClientWindowMouseActions = 1

    Allow mouse actions on client windows.

  • SnapMove = 1

    Snap to nearest screen edge/window when moving windows.

  • SnapDistance = 8

    Distance in pixels before windows snap together

  • ArrangeWindowsOnScreenSizeChange = 1

    Automatically arrange windows when screen size changes.

  • MsgBoxDefaultAction = 0

    Preselect to Cancel (0) or the OK (1) button in message boxes

  • EdgeResistance = 32

    Resistance to move window with mouse outside screen limits. Setting it to 10000 makes the resistance infinite.

  • AllowFullscreen = 1

    Allow to switch a window to fullscreen.

  • FullscreenUseAllMonitors = 0

    Span over all available screens if window goes into fullscreen.

  • NetWorkAreaBehaviour = 0

    NET_WORKAREA behaviour: 0 (single/multimonitor with STRUT information, like metacity), 1 (always full desktop), 2 (singlemonitor with STRUT, multimonitor without STRUT).

  • ConfirmLogout = 1

    Confirm Logout.

  • MultiByte = 1

    Overrides automatic multiple byte detection.

  • ShapesProtectClientWindow = 1

    Don’t cut client windows by shapes set trough frame corner pixmap.

  • DoubleBuffer = 1

    Use double buffering when redrawing the display.

  • XRRDisable = 0

    Disable use of new XRANDR API for dual head (nvidia workaround)

  • PreferFreetypeFonts = 1

    Favor *Xft fonts over core X11 fonts where possible.

  • IconPath = /usr/share/icons/hicolor:/usr/share/icons:/usr/share/pixmaps

    Icon search path (colon separated)

  • MailCommand = xterm -name mutt -e mutt

    Command to run on mailbox.

  • MailClassHint = mutt.XTerm

    WM_CLASS to allow runonce for MailCommand.

  • LockCommand = Command to lock display/screensaver.

  • ClockCommand = xclock -name icewm -title Clock

    Command to run on clock.

  • ClockClassHint = icewm.XClock

    WM_CLASS to allow runonce for ClockCommand.

  • RunCommand = Command to select and run a program.

  • OpenCommand = Command to run to open a file.

  • TerminalCommand = xterm

Terminal emulator must accept -e option.

  • LogoutCommand = Command to start logout.

  • LogoutCancelCommand = Command to cancel logout.

  • ShutdownCommand = Command to shutdown the system.

  • RebootCommand = Command to reboot the system.

  • SuspendCommand = Command to send the system to standby mode.

  • CPUStatusCommand = Command to run on CPU status.

  • CPUStatusClassHint = top.XTerm

    WM_CLASS to allow runonce for CPUStatusCommand.

  • CPUStatusCombine = 1

    Combine all CPUs to one.

  • NetStatusCommand = Command to run on Net status.

  • NetStatusClassHint = netstat.XTerm

    WM_CLASS to allow runonce for NetStatusCommand.

  • AddressBarCommand = Command to run for address bar entries.

  • XRRPrimaryScreenName = screen/output name of the primary screen.

Quick Switch List

  • QuickSwitch = 1

    enable Alt+Tab window switcher.

  • QuickSwitchToMinimized = 1

    Alt+Tab switches to minimized windows too.

  • QuickSwitchToHidden = 1

    Alt+Tab to hidden windows.

  • QuickSwitchToUrgent = 1

    Prioritize Alt+Tab to urgent windows.

  • QuickSwitchToAllWorkspaces = 1

    Alt+Tab switches to windows on any workspace.

  • QuickSwitchGroupWorkspaces = 1

    Alt+Tab: group windows on current workspace.

  • QuickSwitchAllIcons = 1

    Show all reachable icons when quick switching.

  • QuickSwitchTextFirst = 0

    Show the window title above (all reachable) icons.

  • QuickSwitchSmallWindow = 0

    Attempt to create a small QuickSwitch window (1/3 instead of 3/5 of

  • QuickSwitchMaxWidth = 0

    Go through all window titles and choose width of the longest one.

  • QuickSwitchVertical = 1

    Place the icons and titles vertical instead of horizontal.

  • QuickSwitchHugeIcon = 0

    Show the huge (48x48) of the window icon for the active window.

  • QuickSwitchFillSelection = 0

    Fill the rectangle highlighting the current icon.

Edge Workspace Switching

  • EdgeSwitch = 0

    Workspace switches by moving mouse to left/right screen edge.

  • HorizontalEdgeSwitch = 0

    Workspace switches by moving mouse to left/right screen edge.

  • VerticalEdgeSwitch = 0

    Workspace switches by moving mouse to top/bottom screen edge.

  • ContinuousEdgeSwitch = 1

    Workspace switches continuously when moving mouse to screen edge.

Task Bar

The following settings can be set to value 1 (enabled) or value 0 (disabled).

  • ShowTaskBar = 1

    Task bar is visible.

  • TaskBarAtTop = 0

    Task bar is located at top of screen.

  • TaskBarKeepBelow = 1

    Keep the task bar below regular windows

  • TaskBarAutoHide = 0

    Task bar will auto hide when mouse leaves it.

  • TaskBarFullscreenAutoShow = 1

    Auto show task bar when fullscreen window active.

  • TaskBarShowClock = 1

    Task bar clock is visible.

  • TaskBarShowAPMStatus = 0

    Show battery status monitor on task bar.

  • TaskBarShowAPMAuto = 1

    Enable TaskBarShowAPMStatus if a battery is present.

  • TaskBarShowAPMTime = 1

    Show battery status on task bar in time-format.

  • TaskBarShowAPMGraph = 1

    Show battery status in graph mode.

  • TaskBarShowMailboxStatus = 1

    Display status of mailbox (see 'Mailbox' below).

  • TaskBarMailboxStatusBeepOnNewMail = 0

    Beep when new mail arrives.

  • TaskBarMailboxStatusCountMessages = 0

    Display mail message count as tooltip.

  • TaskBarShowWorkspaces = 1

    Show workspace switching buttons on task bar.

  • TaskBarShowWindows = 1

    Show windows on the taskbar.

  • TaskBarShowShowDesktopButton = 1

    Show 'show desktop' button on taskbar. If set to 2, it will move the icon to the right side, after the clock.

  • ShowEllipsis = 0

    Show Ellipsis in taskbar items and some other locations. This is a visual indicator like "…​" to show that a string didn’t fit into the visible area.

  • TaskBarShowTray = 1

    Show windows in the tray.

  • TrayShowAllWindows = 1

    Show windows from all workspaces on tray.

  • TaskBarEnableSystemTray = 1

    Enable the system tray in the taskbar.

  • TaskBarShowTransientWindows = 1

    Show transient (dialogs, …​) windows on task bar.

  • TaskBarShowAllWindows = 0

    Show windows from all workspaces on task bar.

  • TaskBarShowWindowIcons = 1

    Show icons of windows on the task bar.

  • TaskBarShowStartMenu = 1

    Show button for the start menu on the task bar.

  • TaskBarShowWindowListMenu = 1

    Show button for window list menu on taskbar.

  • TaskBarShowCPUStatus = 1

    Show CPU status on task bar (Linux & Solaris).

  • CPUStatusShowRamUsage = 1

    Show RAM usage in CPU status tool tip.

  • CPUStatusShowSwapUsage = 1

    Show swap usage in CPU status tool tip.

  • CPUStatusShowAcpiTemp = 1

    Show ACPI temperature in CPU status tool tip.

  • CPUStatusShowAcpiTempInGraph = 0

    Show ACPI temperature in CPU graph.

  • AcpiIgnoreBatteries = List of battery names ignore.

  • CPUStatusShowCpuFreq = 1

    Show CPU frequency in CPU status tool tip.

  • NetStatusShowOnlyRunning = 0

    Show network status only for connected devices, such as an active ethernet link or associated wireless interface. If false, any network interface that has been brought up will be displayed.

  • TaskBarShowMEMStatus = 1

    Show memory usage status on task bar (Linux only).

  • TaskBarShowNetStatus = 1

    Show network status on task bar (Linux only).

  • NetworkStatusDevice = "[ew]*" List of network devices to be displayed in tray, space separated. Shell wildcard patterns can also be used.

  • TaskBarShowCollapseButton = 0

    Show a button to collapse the taskbar.

  • TaskBarDoubleHeight = 0

    Double height task bar

  • TaskBarWorkspacesLeft = 1

    Place workspace pager on left, not right.

  • TaskBarWorkspacesTop = 0

    Place workspace pager on top row when using dual-height taskbar.

  • PagerShowPreview = 1

    Show a mini desktop preview on each workspace button. By pressing the middle mouse button the 'window list' is shown. The right button activates the 'window list menu'. By using the scroll wheel over the 'workspace list' one can quickly cycle over all workspaces.

  • PagerShowWindowIcons = 1

    Draw window icons inside large enough preview windows on pager (if PagerShowPreview=1).

  • PagerShowMinimized = 1

    Draw even minimized windows as unfilled rectangles (if PagerShowPreview=1).

  • PagerShowBorders = 1

    Draw border around workspace buttons (if PagerShowPreview=1).

  • PagerShowNumbers = 1

    Show number of workspace on workspace button (if PagerShowPreview=1).

  • TaskBarLaunchOnSingleClick = 1

    Execute taskbar applet commands (like MailCommand, ClockCommand, …​) on single click.

  • EnableAddressBar = 1

    Enable address bar functionality in taskbar.

  • ShowAddressBar = 1

    Show address bar in task bar.

  • TimeFormat = "%X"

    format for the taskbar clock (time) (see strftime(3) manpage).

  • TimeFormatAlt = ""

    Alternate Clock Time format (e.g. for blinking effects).

  • DateFormat = "%c"

    format for the taskbar clock tooltip (date+time) (see strftime(3) manpage).

  • TaskBarCPUSamples = 20

    Width of CPU Monitor.

  • TaskBarMEMSamples = 20

    Width of Memory Monitor.

  • TaskBarNetSamples = 20

    Width of Net Monitor.

  • TaskbarButtonWidthDivisor = 3

    Default number of tasks in taskbar.

  • TaskBarWidthPercentage = 100

    Task bar width as percentage of the screen width.

  • TaskBarJustify = "left"

    Taskbar justify left, right or center.

  • TaskBarApmGraphWidth = 10

    Width of battery Monitor.

  • TaskBarGraphHeight = 20

    Height of taskbar monitoring applets.

  • XineramaPrimaryScreen = 0

    Primary screen for xinerama (taskbar, …​).

Mailbox Monitoring (updated 2018-03-04)

  • MailCheckDelay = 30

    Delay between new-mail checks. (seconds).

  • MailBoxPath = ""

This may contain a list of mailbox specifications. Mailboxes are separated by a space. If TaskBarShowMailboxStatus is enabled then IceWM will monitor each mailbox for status changes each MailCheckDelay seconds. For each mailbox IceWM will show an icon on the taskbar. The icon shows if there is mail, if there is unread mail, or if there is new mail. Hovering the mouse pointer over an icon shows the number of messages in this mailbox and also the number of unread mails. A mailbox can be the path to a file in conventional mbox format. If the path points to a directory then Maildir format is assumed. Remote mail boxes are specified by an URL using the Common Internet Scheme Syntax (RFC 1738):

scheme://user:password@server[:port][/path]

Supported schemes are pop3, pop3s, imap, imaps and file. The pop3s and imaps schemes depend on the presence of the openssl command for TLS/SSL encryption. This is also the case if port is either 993 for imap or 995 for pop3. When the scheme is omitted then file is assumed. IMAP subfolders can be given by the path component. Reserved characters like slash, at and colon can be specified using escape sequences with a hexadecimal encoding like %2f for the slash or %40 for the at sign. For example:

file:///var/spool/mail/captnmark
file:///home/captnmark/Maildir/
pop3://markus:%2f%40%3a@maol.ch/
pop3s://markus:password@pop.gmail.com/
imap://mathias@localhost/INBOX.Maillisten.icewm-user
imaps://mathias:password@imap.gmail.com/INBOX

To help solve network protocol errors for pop3 and imap set the environment variable ICEWM_MAILCHECK_TRACE. IceWM will then log communication details for POP3 and IMAP mailboxes. Just set export ICEWM_MAILCHECK_TRACE=1 before executing icewm, or set this in the env configuration file.

Note that for IceWM to access Gmail you must first configure your Gmail account to enable POP3 or IMAP access. To allow non-Gmail applications like IceWM to use it see the Gmail help site for "Let less secure apps use your account". Also set secure file permissions on your IceWM preferences file and the directory which contains it. It is unwise to store a password on file ever. Consider a wallet extension for IceWM. The following Perl snippet demonstrates how to hex encode a password like !p@a%s&s~:

perl -e 'foreach(split("", $ARGV[0])) { printf "%%%02x", ord($_);  }; print "\n";' '!p@a%s&s~'
%21%40%23%24%25%5e%26%2a%7e

  • NewMailCommand =

    The command to be run when new mail arrives. It is executed by /bin/sh -c. The following environment variables will be set:

    • ICEWM_MAILBOX mailbox index number of MailBoxPath starting from 1.

    • ICEWM_COUNT gives the total number of messages in this mailbox.

    • ICEWM_UNREAD gives the number of unread messages in this mailbox.

  • AutoReloadMenus = 1

    Reload menu files automatically if set to 1.

  • ShowProgramsMenu = 0

    Show programs submenu.

  • ShowSettingsMenu = 1

    Show settings submenu.

  • ShowFocusModeMenu = 1

    Show focus mode submenu.

  • ShowThemesMenu = 1

    Show themes submenu.

  • ShowLogoutMenu = 1

    Show logout menu.

  • ShowHelp = 1

    Show the help menu item.

  • ShowLogoutSubMenu = 1

    Show logout submenu.

  • ShowAbout = 1

    Show the about menu item.

  • ShowRun = 1

    Show the run menu item.

  • ShowWindowList = 1

    Show the window menu item.

  • MenuMaximalWidth = 0

    Maximal width of popup menus, 2/3 of the screen’s width if set to zero.

  • NestedThemeMenuMinNumber = 25

    Minimal number of themes after which the Themes menu becomes nested (0=disabled).

Timings

  • DelayFuzziness = 10

    Percentage of delay/timeout fuzziness to allow for merging of timer timeouts.

  • ClickMotionDistance = 5

    Movement before click is interpreted as drag.

  • ClickMotionDelay = 200

    Delay before click gets interpreted as drag.

  • MultiClickTime = 400

    Time (ms) to recognize for double click.

  • MenuActivateDelay = 40

    Delay before activating menu items.

  • SubmenuMenuActivateDelay = 300

    Delay before activating menu submenus.

  • ToolTipDelay