Sway is a

tiling window manager In computing, a tiling window manager is a window manager with an organization of the screen into mutually non-overlapping frames, as opposed to the more common approach (used by stacking window managers) of coordinate-based stacking of overlap ...

and Wayland compositor, inspired by i3, and written in C. Sway is designed as a drop-in replacement for i3 using the more modern

Wayland display server protocol Wayland may refer to: Computers * Wayland (display server protocol), a graphical display system for Unix-like computers Fiction * Jace Wayland, a character in the ''Mortal Instruments'' book series * Wayland (''Star Wars''), a planet in the '' ...

and wlroots compositor library. Sway works with existing i3

configuration files In computing, configuration files (commonly known simply as config files) are files used to configure the parameters and initial settings for some computer programs. They are used for user applications, server processes and operating system set ...

and supports most of i3's features while providing several new features of its own. Sway's default controls for manipulating windows are similar to vi. Window focus is controlled by a combination of the Super key and one of the keys h, j, k, or l. Window movement is performed by the same combination of keys with the addition of the

shift key The Shift key is a modifier key on a keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate "upper" characters. There are typically two shift keys, on the left and right sides of the row below the home row. The Shift key's name originated f ...

. Like i3, Sway can be extended and manipulated using its

Unix domain socket A Unix domain socket aka UDS or IPC socket ( inter-process communication socket) is a data communications endpoint for exchanging data between processes executing on the same host operating system. It is also referred to by its address family AF_U ...

and

JSON JSON (JavaScript Object Notation, pronounced ; also ) is an open standard file format and data interchange format that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and arrays (or other ser ...

-based IPC interface from many programming languages. Sway's first stable release was on March 11, 2019, after 3.6 years of development.

Features

Sway replicates several of i3's features: * Configuration is performed via a

plain text In computing, plain text is a loose term for data (e.g. file contents) that represent only characters of readable material but not its graphical representation nor other objects (floating-point numbers, images, etc.). It may also include a limit ...

file. * Window tiling is handled manually, rather than dynamically. * Windows can be split horizontally or vertically. * Windows can be arranged in a tabbed (horizontal listing like that found in web browsers) or stacked (vertical listing) layout. * Windows can be floated similar to a floating window manager. * Tiled and floated windows can be resized or moved using both the mouse and keyboard. * Sway can be completely driven from the keyboard. Sway also provides several unique features: * Supports multiple non-modifier keys when assigning key bindings. * Windows on the same workspace can be split into multiple containers, such that one set of windows might be arranged in a tabbed layout while the other windows on the workspace might be tiled normally, floating, or arranged in a stacked layout. * Handles input, output, and wallpaper configurations instead of relying on separate programs. *

Gestures A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ot ...

References

External links

* {{Desktop environments and window managers for X11 and Wayland Free software programmed in C Software using the MIT license Wayland compositors Tiling window managers Unix windowing system-related software