oxwm

![oxwm](./images/oxwm1.png)

# OXWM: DWM but Better

A dynamic window manager written in Zig, inspired by dwm but designed to evolve beyond it. OXWM features a clean, functional Lua API for configuration with hot-reloading support, ditching the suckless philosophy of *"edit + recompile"*. Instead, we focus on lowering friction for users with sane defaults, LSP-powered autocomplete, and instant configuration changes without restarting your X session.

**Documentation:** [ox-docs.vercel.app](https://ox-docs.vercel.app/)

## Showcase

Setups from OXWM users across Arch, CachyOS, Debian and FreeBSD.

<table>
  <tr>
    <td><img src="./images/example1.png" alt="OXWM on Arch Linux with btop and fastfetch in a Rosepuccin theme"></td>
    <td><img src="./images/example2.png" alt="OXWM on CachyOS with a custom bar, notifications and a floating terminal"></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td><img src="./images/example3.png" alt="OXWM on FreeBSD running under XLibre with st"></td>
    <td><img src="./images/example4.png" alt="OXWM on Debian showing the keybinds overlay over fastfetch and a music player"></td>
  </tr>
</table>

## Installation

### NixOS (nixpkgs)

Add OXWM to your `configuration.nix` like so:

```nix
{ config, pkgs, ... }:

{
  services.xserver.windowManager.oxwm.enable = true;
}
```

#### Initialize your config

After rebuilding your system with `sudo nixos-rebuild switch`, log in via your display manager.

On first launch, your initial config file will be automatically created and placed in `~/.config/oxwm/config.lua`. Edit it and reload with `Mod+Shift+R`.

#### Development setup with Nix

For development, use the provided dev shell:

```sh
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tonybanters/oxwm
cd oxwm

# Enter the development environment
nix develop

# Build and test
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall
```

### Arch Linux

AUR: [oxwm-git](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/oxwm-git)

```sh
yay -S oxwm-git
```

This will automatically put a desktop session file into your xsessions directory.

Manually, install the dependencies and see Building from Source:

```sh
sudo pacman -S zig libx11 libxft freetype2 fontconfig libxinerama libinput systemd-libs
```

### Building from Source

Note, on many BSD systems, the zig compiler will aggressively attempt to remove debug symbols which is causing a known linker issue. Please use this method on BSD:

```sh
git clone https://github.com/tonybanters/oxwm
cd oxwm
zig build
```

On other legacy distros, just use:

```sh
git clone https://github.com/tonybanters/oxwm
cd oxwm
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall --prefix /usr
```

Touchpad swipe gestures for the scrolling layout use libinput and libudev, which only exist on Linux. They are compiled in by default (needs the libinput and libudev development packages) and skipped automatically on BSD targets. At runtime they stay off until you uncomment `oxwm.scroll.set_gesture_enabled(true)` in your config. Pass `-Dno_gestures` to leave them out anywhere,