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2. Using kwm

2.1 Command line options

kwm provides the following command line options:

-version

Shows the version number including the patchlevel; does not start kwm

-nosession

Starts kwm without restoring the previous session

2.2 Shortcuts

Alt-Esc or Control-Esc

"Current Session"-manager with logout-button

Alt-Tab and Alt-Shift-Tab

Traverse the windows of the current desktop

Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab

Traverse the virtual desktops (can be switched off in kwmrc)

Alt-F2

Open mini command-line window

Alt-F3

Window operation menu

Alt-F4

Close window

Ctrl-F[1..8]

Switch to virtual desktop

Ctrl-Alt-Esc

Destroy window mode (cursor becomes a pirate)

2.3 Mouse Control

Click onto the border or the titlebar

• left mouse button activate and raise the window
  
• middle mouse button activate and lower the window
  
• right mouse button show windows operation menu if the window is active, otherwise activate it without raising

Drag of the titlebar

• left mouse button moves the window and raises it
• middle mouse button moves the window without raising it

Drag of corners or edges

• left mouse button resizes the window and raises it
• middle mouse button resizes the window without raising it

The entire window

• Alt-left mouse button moves the window
• Alt-middle mouse button raises the window
• Alt-right mouse button resizes the window

Title bar buttons (configurable)

• Menu displays a list of window operations
• Sticky toggles sticky mode on/off (window stays on screen as you move from desktop to desktop)
• Iconify iconifies the window
• Maximize
  • left mouse button maximize
  • middle mouse button maximize vertically
  • right mouse button maximize horizontally
• Close closes the window (applications may ask if they have something to save)

2.4 Mini Command-line Window

Press Alt-F2 to display a small command-line window. Enter a Unix shell command (the SHELL environment variable is used to determine which shell executes the command), or one of the following:

• Enter a URL to open a kfm window with the specified URL. You can omit the http:// or ftp:// if the server's name starts with www. or ftp., respectively.

• Enter man:command to open a kfm window displaying the Unix man page for command.

You can use the up-arrow key to recall previously entered commands. Also, you can use the tab key to complete partially entered filenames, as in many shells.

2.5 Commands

You can send commands to kwm with either:

KWM::sendKWMCommand(QString) (in KDE applications)
or
kwmcom command (from the command line)

This is especially of interest for kglobalshortcut developers.

At present kwm understands the following commands:

• refreshScreen refreshes the screen
• darkenScreen turns the screen dark. Careful: this one makes the desktop unresponsive to keyboard/mouse input.
• logout displays the logout dialog.
• commandLine opens the mini command-line window
• taskManager displays the "Current Session" manager.
• configure reloads configuration from kwmrc.
• winMove
  winResize
  winRestore
  winIconify
  winClose
  winShade
  winSticky
  winOperations
  These commands affect the currently active window and do pretty much what you would expect. (winOperations displays the window operations menu.)
• deskUnclutter
  deskCascade
  These commands reorganize windows on the desktop
• desktop[1-8] switches to the specified desktop
• desktop+1
  desktop+2
  desktop-1
  desktop-2
  desktop%2
  These commands switch between desktops. desktop%2 toggles between an odd desktop and the next higher even number. That means between 1 and 2 or between 3 and 4. This is useful to emulate "Up" and "Down" in a virtual n*2 matrix, which is used by the KDE pager. Similarly, desktop+2 means "Right"; desktop-1 means "Left".

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