i3configger

Disclaimer: this is a tool aimed at users who already know how the configuration of i3 works (as described in the excellent docs). i3configger is an independent add-on, not directly affiliated with the project and in no way necessary to use i3 productively.

NOTE using i3configger will replace your existing config files (config and optional status bar configs), but it will move them to <original-name>.bak if no backup exists yet, so that you can easily revert the damage if you want to go back to your old files.

Why?

I wanted to be able to switch between different color themes and do things like hide the i3bar with a keyboard shortcut. i3configger makes this and other dynamic changes possible without changing i3wm itself.

Main characteristics

same config language as i3 with these enhancements:
- possibility to spread config over several files
- possibility to assign variables to variables
- variables in i3status configs are also resolved (set them anywhere in the sources)
additional configuration of i3configger itself and persistence of changes to the i3 configuration is achieved by sprinkling a bit of json on top of the config files.
command line driven - activities can be bound to keyboard shortcuts directly or as part of a binding mode

How?

In the end i3wm needs a config file it can cope with and it needs to reload or restart, when something changes.

This is realized by adding a build step that can be triggered by calling i3configger directly or by running it as a [daemonized] watcher process that automatically rebuilds and reloads when source files change or messages are sent.

What can I do with it?

Switch between arbitrary "schemes"

You can switch sub configurations (e.g. different color schemes) that conform with a simple naming convention (config.d/<key>.<value1>.conf, config.d/<key>.<value2>.conf, etc.) by invoking e.g. i3configger select-next <key> or i3configger select <key> <value2>.

To get an idea what can be done, have a look at the examples and read the docs.

Override any variable

You can change any variable you have defined in the configuration by invoking i3configger set <variable name> <new value>. These changes are persisted not in the config itself but in an additional file.

See i3configger docs for a detailed explanation of the concept and other possible commands.

Usage example

Here is a snippet from an i3 config that uses a mode to alter itself by sending messages to i3configger:

set $i3cBin ~/.virtualenvs/i3/bin/i3configger

bindsym $win+w mode "i3configger"
mode "i3configger" {
    bindsym Right exec "$i3cBin select-next colors --i3-refresh-msg restart"
    bindsym Left exec "$i3cBin select-previous colors --i3-refresh-msg restart"
    bindsym Up exec "$i3cBin shadow bars:targets:laptop:mode dock"
    bindsym Down exec "$i3cBin shadow bars:targets:laptop:mode hide"
    bindsym Return mode "default"
    bindsym Escape mode "default"
}

Explanation of the messages used:

select[...] integrates different config partials and can therefore make broad changes. In this case for example there are different colors.<value>.conf partials that activate different color schemes
shadow adds an overlay that in this case changes the mode of the laptop bar between hide and dock

Installation

$ pip install i3configger

See docs For more details and different ways of installation.