CrunchBang - Code, Design & GNU/Linux

Openbox Window Manager

Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support. It is also the default window manager chosen for CrunchBang Linux. Openbox was chosen primarily for its speed, ease of use, and hackable configuration files. Its features are well-documented at the official website. The rest of this page pertains to hacking Openbox on CrunchBang Linux.

Configuring Openbox

Openbox can be configured using the Obconf tool or by manually editing rc.xml. rc.xml contains settings for virtual desktops, theme preferences and keybindings etc.

Obconf

Obconf is a GUI configuration editor for Openbox. It can be accessed from the main menu:
Preferences -> Openbox Config -> GUI Config Tool

rc.xml

Sometimes it is faster and more convenient to edit Openbox's main config file by hand. There is a shortcut in the main menu:
Preferences -> Openbox Config -> Edit rc.xml

The rc.xml file is located at ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml

Startup Programs

Startup programs are managed in ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh. Full instructions and best practices for how to do this are available at the Openbox website.

Openbox Menu

The Openbox menu is managed in ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml. There are tools available that will auto generate menus, however it is recommended that the menu be edited by hand. Editing the menu by hand is quite simple, see below for examples:

Menu Items

Each menu item consists of a label and action. The format is as follows:

<item label="Epiphany Browser">
    <action name="Execute"><execute>epiphany-browser</execute></action>
</item>

Menu Groups

Menu items can be grouped by wrapping the items in a menu. Each menu should have an id and label. It is recommended to that id's be unique. See the format below:

<menu id="webBrowsers" label="Web Browsers">
    <item label="Epiphany Browser">
        <action name="Execute"><execute>epiphany-browser</execute></action>
    </item>
    <item label="Firefox">
        <action name="Execute"><execute>firefox</execute></action>
    </item>
</menu>

External Links

• Openbox Official site: http://icculus.org/openbox/
• Openbox Arch Linux Wiki: http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Openbox
• Openbox Debian Wiki: http://wiki.debian.org/Openbox
• Openbox Ubuntu Wiki: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Openbox
• Openbox Gentoo Wiki: http://gentoo-wiki.com/Openbox