i3-4.25.1

#### Supplemental Linux® From Scratch - Version 13.0

### Chapter 16. i3

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# i3-4.25.1

## Introduction to i3

The i3 package contains an easy-to-use tiling Window Manager.

- Download: https://github.com/i3/i3/archive/4.25.1/i3-4.25.1.tar.gz

### i3 Dependencies

#### Required

libev-4.33, libxkbcommon, Pango, startup-notification, TTF and OTF Fonts (only TTF fonts are necessary), XCB Utilities, xcb-util-xrm-1.3, Xorg Libraries, and yajl-2.1.0

#### Recommended

asciidoc and xmlto (for generating documentation)

#### Optional

dmenu (for the default launcher), i3lock (for the default screen locker), i3status (for the default status bar generator), and xss-lock (for the default screen locker)

## Installation of i3

Install i3 by running the following commands:

    mkdir build &&
    cd    build &&

    meson setup ..          \
        --prefix=/usr       \
        --buildtype=release &&

    ninja

Now, as the `root` user:

    ninja install &&
    mv -v /usr/share/doc/i3{,-4.25.1}

## Command Explanations

`--buildtype=release`: Specify a buildtype suitable for stable releases of the package, as the default may produce unoptimized binaries.

mv -v /usr/share/doc/i3{,-4.25.1}: This command makes the doc directory versioned to be consistent with other packages.

## Configuring i3

### Config Files

`~/.config/i3/config`. The default version is in `/etc/i3` and will not be used. It can be copied to `~/.config/i3` manually, or automatically at startup.

### Configuration Information

If you did not already make the configuration file, it can be created when first launching i3 when you are asked if you want to generate a default configuration file. Now inspect the file and make any changes if you wish. You may need to if you have not installed any of the optional dependencies.

You can also create it using i3-config-wizard, or you can simply copy `/etc/i3/config` to `~/.config/i3/config` (or `~/.i3/config`) and edit as necessary.

If i3 is the only Window Manager you want to use, you can start it with an `.xinitrc` file in your home folder. Be sure to backup your current `.xinitrc` before proceeding.

    echo "exec i3" >> ~/.xinitrc

## Contents

Installed Programs: i3, i3bar, i3-config-wizard, i3-dmenu-desktop, i3-dump-log, i3-input, i3-migrate-config-to-v4, i3-msg, i3-nagbar, i3-save-tree, i3-sensible-editor, i3-sensible-pager, i3-sensible-terminal, and i3-with-shmlog (link to i3)
Installed Libraries: None
Installed Directories: /etc/i3, /usr/include/i3, /usr/share/doc/i3-4.25.1, and /usr/share/xsessions

### Short Descriptions

i3 | is the i3 Window Manager
i3bar | displays the bar
i3-config-wizard | creates and edits the config file
i3-dmenu-desktop | executes commands using dmenu if dmenu is installed
i3-dump-log | dumps the log
i3-input | is the input daemon used by i3
i3-migrate-config-to-v4 | converts earlier config versions to the newest version
i3-msg | sends messages to the screen
i3-nagbar | displays the navigation bar
i3-save-tree | saves the current layout tree
i3-sensible-editor | invokes the default editor, like vim
i3-sensible-pager | invokes the default pager, like less
i3-sensible-terminal | invokes the default terminal, like xterm
i3-with-shmlog | is a symlink pointing to i3, outputs a log via `/dev/shm`

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