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I3: Difference between revisions

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Show i3blocks [BLOCKS] properly.
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cleaned up and separated the example code for installing with home-manager into 2 properly-marked file boxes
 
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{{Expansion|there are a lot more [https://nixos.org/nixos/options.html#i3 options]}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:i3}}
[https://i3wm.org/ i3] is a tiling window manager for X.
{{Expansion|there are a lot more [https://search.nixos.org/options/?query=i3 options]}}
[https://i3wm.org/ i3] is a tiling window manager for [[Xorg|X Window System]].


== Enabling ==
== Enabling ==
To use i3 set <code>services.xserver.windowManager.i3.enable</code> to <code>true</code>. For example:
 
To use i3 set {{nixos:option|services.xserver.windowManager.i3.enable}} to <code>true</code>. For example:
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
<nowiki>
{ config, pkgs, callPackage, ... }:  
{ config, pkgs, callPackage, ... }:  


  environment.pathsToLink = [ "/libexec" ]; # links /libexec from derivations to /run/current-system/sw
{
   ...
   ...
   services.xserver = {
   services.xserver = {
     enable = true;
     enable = true;
    desktopManager = {
      default = "none";
      xterm.enable = false;
    };


     windowManager.i3 = {
     windowManager.i3 = {
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         i3status # gives you the default i3 status bar
         i3status # gives you the default i3 status bar
         i3lock #default i3 screen locker
         i3lock #default i3 screen locker
        i3blocks #if you are planning on using i3blocks over i3status
     ];
     ];
     };
     };
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</nowiki>
</nowiki>
}}
}}
By default, the path to the i3 configuration file is <code>$HOME/.i3/config</code>. For a full list of i3 options, refer to the {{nixos:option|services.xserver.windowManager.i3}} module options.
{{Evaluate}}
{{Evaluate}}
=== Using home-manager ===
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
services.xserver = {
  enable = true;
  windowManager.i3.enable = true;
};
services.displayManager.defaultSession = "none+i3";
</nowiki>
}}
{{file|home.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
xsession.windowManager.i3 = {
  enable = true;
  config = {
    modifier = "Mod4";
    # See home-manager documentation for everything you can add here.
  };
};
</nowiki>
}}
See also: [https://github.com/srid/nix-config/blob/705a70c094da53aa50cf560179b973529617eb31/nix/home/i3.nix srid/nix-config/nix/home/i3.nix]
=== With a desktop manager ===
=== With a desktop manager ===
i3 is a window manager and does not provide "cosmetic" services like managing multiple monitor configuration or media
i3 is a window manager and does not provide "cosmetic" services like managing multiple monitor configuration or media
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[[Xfce#Using_as_a_desktop_manager_and_not_a_window_manager]].
[[Xfce#Using_as_a_desktop_manager_and_not_a_window_manager]].


===I3-gaps fork===
== Common issues ==
 
=== i3lock doesn't recognize my password ===
As of nixos 25.05, i3lock is no longer automatically configured to be able to use PAM to check passwords. If you installed i3 through nixos options, this is handled for you, but if you installed it elsewhere, such as through home-manager, then at minimum, you need to set:
 
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
security.pam.services.i3lock.enable = true;
</nowiki>
}}


To use i3-gaps fork, the following line should be added to the configuration.nix: 
== Tips & tricks ==


<syntaxhighlight lang="nix" inline>services.xserver.windowManager.i3.package = pkgs.i3-gaps;</syntaxhighlight>
=== i3blocks ===


===i3blocks===
After installing and enabling i3blocks, you may find that i3block does not work. This issue occurs because i3blocks reads its contents from a hardcoded path in <code>/etc</code> by default.
After installing and enabling i3blocks, you may notice that i3block won't work. why?


It seems that i3blocks read it's contents from a hardcoded path in /etc by default.
Since in nixos however, these contents are located within the Nix store at a path similar to:
Since in nixos, this path look something like:


{{file|Path of i3blocks in nixos|nix|
{{file|Path of i3blocks in nixos|nix|
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}}
}}


And it can't find this path, so we have to create a link to this path by adding this line to configuration.nix file:
Since i3blocks cannot locate this path, you have to create a link to this path by adding this line to configuration.nix file:
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
<nowiki>
Line 63: Line 95:
}}
}}


===DConf===
After rebuilding the system, you may configure your block like the following:
{{file|~/.config/i3/i3blocks.conf|nix|
<nowiki>
[battery]                                                                                                       
label=⚡                                                                                                       
command=/run/current-system/sw/libexec/i3blocks/battery                                                         
interval=10                                                                                                     
instance=1
</nowiki>
}}
 
=== DConf ===
 
If your settings aren't being saved for some applications (gtk3 applications, firefox), like the size of file selection windows, or the size of the save dialog, you will need to enable dconf:
If your settings aren't being saved for some applications (gtk3 applications, firefox), like the size of file selection windows, or the size of the save dialog, you will need to enable dconf:


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<nowiki>
<nowiki>
   programs.dconf.enable = true;
   programs.dconf.enable = true;
  services.dbus.packages = [ pkgs.gnome3.dconf ];
</nowiki>
</nowiki>
}}
}}


===Lxappearance===
=== Lxappearance ===
 
To change the icon and themes you can install lxappearance:
To change the icon and themes you can install lxappearance:


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=== Solve inconsistency between gtk2 and gtk3 themes ===
=== Solve inconsistency between gtk2 and gtk3 themes ===
If enabling '''dconf''' or installing '''Lxappearance''' but still see inconsistency between themes, you have to manually edit their configurations. In fact, It is possible to install some gtk3 themes but when you start another gtk2 application, your theme not effected properly. It's because there is no .gtkrc-2.0 in your home directory. First create it and paste these lines to it:
If enabling '''dconf''' or installing '''Lxappearance''' but still see inconsistency between themes, you have to manually edit their configurations. In fact, It is possible to install some gtk3 themes but when you start another gtk2 application, your theme not effected properly. It's because there is no .gtkrc-2.0 in your home directory. First create it and paste these lines to it:


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=== Wallpaper ===
=== Wallpaper ===
If <code>~/.background-image</code> exists then it will be displayed as a wallpaper. Options <code>services.xserver.desktopManager.wallpaper.combineScreens</code> and <code>.mode</code> control exactly how it is displayed.
If <code>~/.background-image</code> exists then it will be displayed as a wallpaper. Options <code>services.xserver.desktopManager.wallpaper.combineScreens</code> and <code>.mode</code> control exactly how it is displayed.
=== i3status with home-manager ===
Same as in i3status-rust. Notice: home-manager will not override your existing config, i.e. if the file/folder  <code>~/.config/i3status/config</code>  is present on your system, there won't be any changes after rebuilding.
External resources that can help you with your setup: [https://home-manager-options.extranix.com/?query=xsession.windowManager.i3.config https://home-manager-options.extranix.com/?query=xsession.windowManager.i3.config]
==== To enable i3status in home-manager and change some basic options: ====
{{file|home.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
programs.i3status = {
  enable = true;
  general = {
    colors = true;
    color_good = "#98971a";
    color_bad  = "#9d0006";
    interval = 1;
  };
};
</nowiki>
}}
==== Adding various modules: ====
{{file|home.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
programs.i3status = {
  ...
  modules = {
    "disk /" = {
      enable = true;
      position = 1;
      settings = {
        format = "FREE: %free";
      };
    }; 
    # Current wireless connection (ethernet is pretty much the same)
    "wireless <replace-with-interface-name>" = {
      enable = true;
      position = 2;
      settings = {
        format_up = "W: (%quality at %essid) %ip";
        format_down = "W: down";
      };
    };
    # Battery status
    "battery 0" = {
      enable = true;
      position = 4;
      settings = {
        format = "BAT: %status %percentage %remaining %emptytime";
        format_down = "No battery";
        status_chr = "CHR";
        status_bat = "";
        status_unk = "?";
        status_full = "FULL";
        path = "/sys/class/power_supply/BAT1/uevent";
        low_threshold = 10;
      };
    };
  };
};
</nowiki>
}}
===== Disabling default i3status modules =====
After setting up i3status, you may notice it shows two eth- and wifi's. To disable <code>ethernet _first_</code> and <code>wireless _first_</code>, add the following:
{{file|home.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
programs.i3status.modules = {
  "wireless _first_" = {
    enable = false;
  };
  "ethernet _first_" = {
    enable = false;
  };
};
</nowiki>
}}
=== i3status-rust with home-manager ===
i3status-rust can be configured through home-manager, but that configuration does not autoamatically update i3 to invoke i3status-rust. Instead <code>xsession.windowManager.i3.config.bars</code> needs to be updated to reference i3status-rust and the config files that the home-manager config produces. Consider the following setup:
{{file|home.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
  xsession.windowManager.i3 = {
    enable = true;
    config = {
      bars = [
        {
          position = "top";
          statusCommand = "${pkgs.i3status-rust}/bin/i3status-rs ~/.config/i3status-rust/config-top.toml";
        }
      ];
    };
  };
  programs.i3status-rust = {
    enable = true;
    bars = {
      top = {
        blocks = [
        {
          block = "time";
          interval = 60;
          format = "%a %d/%m %k:%M %p";
        }
      ];
      };
    };
  };
}
</nowiki>
}}
[[Category:Window managers]]
[[Category:Applications]]
[[Category:Desktop]]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/I3"