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Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher

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Re: Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher

#12

Post by skupig »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #4
shric wrote: post #2

One big reason I use i3 is because I find the Windows and macOS style alt/cmd tab incredibly unintuitive. It is not easy to consistently predict how many times to press it to get the desired result. With i3 I bind keys to specific things (including workspaces) so I can switch instantly.

I've built something similar for my own needs. What I found lacking in the default i3 possibilities, was going to the previously used window on the same workspace . My daily driver is a 32" 4k monitor, so many times I end up with one IDE or terminal on the left, and some documentation on the right, both halves visible at the same time. However, I hate using tabs in the browser, so thanks to a hacky extension, firefox…

You can use the "focus parent" bind then move off of it with your regular left/right binds.

Re: Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher

#15

Post by MSFT_Edging »

I've mostly moved away from i3, for XMonad where I have my workspace keys mapped to alt+qwer...zxcv in a waterfall pattern. That way workspace switching is always on one hand and I don't need to reach for the 10th workspace.

On i3 though, I find myself scrolling through workspaces a lot, especially when I have a trackpoint available. It requires almost no precision to just throw the mouse to the bottom of the display and scroll until you see the thing you want, then continue on your way.

Never once thought about wanting alt+tab, my hatred for inconsistent alt+tab is why I went to tiling wms in the first place.

Re: Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher

#17

Post by cturner »

shric wrote: post #2

One big reason I use i3 is because I find the Windows and macOS style alt/cmd tab incredibly unintuitive. It is not easy to consistently predict how many times to press it to get the desired result. With i3 I bind keys to specific things (including workspaces) so I can switch instantly.

The Windows alt+tab behaviour up to Windows 7 was reliable/predictable with two caveats, 1. Things that minimised to the notification area would not go to the back of the stack when you minimised them. 2. Microsoft Excel misbehaved - something to do with each workbook having its own window entry in the group, but also the application having this entry.

At some point since Windows 7 I played with it and found it to be no longer consistent. I could somewhat correct for this by using alt+esc to move a window to the back of the stack and then reverse to it with ctrl+shift+tab.

Re: Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher

#19

Post by endre »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #4
shric wrote: post #2

One big reason I use i3 is because I find the Windows and macOS style alt/cmd tab incredibly unintuitive. It is not easy to consistently predict how many times to press it to get the desired result. With i3 I bind keys to specific things (including workspaces) so I can switch instantly.

I've built something similar for my own needs. What I found lacking in the default i3 possibilities, was going to the previously used window on the same workspace . My daily driver is a 32" 4k monitor, so many times I end up with one IDE or terminal on the left, and some documentation on the right, both halves visible at the same time. However, I hate using tabs in the browser, so thanks to a hacky extension, firefox…

i've got you covered. I made a script to achieve exactly this.
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