Editing Openbox

{{Short description|Stacking window manager for X11 displays}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Openbox Window Manager
| screenshot = 2010-04-24-133031 1280x800 scrot.png
| caption = Basic Openbox session
| developer = Dana Jansens,<ref name="Jansens">{{cite web|url = http://openbox.org/wiki/User:DanaJansens|title = User:DanaJansens|access-date = 19 January 2015|last = Jansens|first = Dana|date=November 2007}}</ref><ref name="Jansens2">{{cite web|url = http://cglab.ca/~dana/|title = Openbox Developer Dana Jansens|access-date = 19 January 2015|last = Jansens|first = Dana}}</ref> Mikael Magnusson<ref>{{cite web|url=http://git.openbox.org/?p=dana/openbox.git|title=git.openbox.org Git - dana/openbox.git/summary|work=openbox.org|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref>
| released = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2002|09|18}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q728978|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q728978|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q728978|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q728978|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system = [[Unix-like]]
| genre = [[Stacking window manager]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GPL 2.0 or later]]<ref name="lxf103">* {{cite journal|last=Saunders|first=Mike|date=March 2008|title=Lightweight window managers|journal=[[Linux Format]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|location=UK|issue=103|url=http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/archives?issue=103}}* {{cite journal|last=Сондерс|first=Майк|date=March 2008|script-title=ru:Легковесные ОМ|journal=[[Linux Format]]|publisher=Mezon.ru|location=Russia|issue=103|pages=21|language=ru|url=http://www.linuxformat.ru/download/103.pdf}}</ref>
}}

'''Openbox''' is a [[free software|free]], [[stacking window manager]] for the [[X Window System]], licensed under the [[GNU General Public License]].<ref name="lxf103" /> Originally derived from [[Blackbox]]<ref name="lxf103" /> 0.65.0 (a [[C++]] project), Openbox has been completely re-written in the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]] and since version 3.0 is no longer based upon any code from Blackbox.<ref name="Gentoo">{{cite web|url= http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Openbox |title= HOWTO Openbox |access-date= 2008-04-07 |last= GentooWiki |date=March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080403092925/http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Openbox <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-04-03}}</ref> Since at least 2010, it has been considered feature complete, bug free and a completed project. Occasional maintenance is done to keep it working, but only if needed.<ref name="Reddit">{{cite web |last= |date=June 2021 |title=is Openbox still being developed? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/openbox/comments/ngqz4s/is_openbox_still_being_developed/gyt19xd/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=Reddit}}</ref> 

Openbox is designed to be small, fast, and fully compliant with the [[Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual]] (ICCCM) and [[Extended Window Manager Hints]] (EWMH).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://git.icculus.org/?p=dana/openbox.git;a=blob;f=COMPLIANCE |title= EWMH Compliance Document |access-date= 2009-09-09 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191031052233/http://git.icculus.org/?p=dana%2Fopenbox.git%3Ba%3Dblob%3Bf%3DCOMPLIANCE |archive-date= 31 October 2019 |url-status= dead }}</ref> It supports many features such as menus by which the user can control applications or which display various dynamic information.<ref name="lxf103" />

Openbox is the standard window manager in [[LXDE]], and often set as the default for [[LXQt]].  It is used in [[Linux distribution]]s such as [[BunsenLabs]], [[ArchBang]], [[Lubuntu]], [[Trisquel]] and [[Manjaro]].<ref name="LXDE">{{cite web|url = http://wiki.lxde.org/|title = LXDE Wiki|access-date = 2008-09-28|last = LXDEWiki|date = September 2008|archive-date = 7 April 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150407033017/http://wiki.lxde.org/|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="BunsenLabs Linux">{{cite web|url = https://www.bunsenlabs.org/| title = BunsenLabs Linux|access-date = 2020-07-17|last = BunsenLabs Linux|date=December 2020}}</ref><ref name="rolling release">{{cite web|url= http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Rolling-release|title = Rolling-release (Linux Wiki)|access-date= 2014-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Apps">{{cite web|url = https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/Applications|title = Lubuntu Applications|access-date = 14 January 2011|last = Lavergne|first = Julian|date=October 2010}}</ref><ref name="DWTiny">{{cite web|url = http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=tinyme|title = Tiny Me|access-date = 14 January 2011|last = DistroWatch|author-link = DistroWatch|date=August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://trisquel.info/en/wiki/trisquel-mini |title=Trisquel Mini GNU/Linux |publisher=The Trisquel Project |access-date=7 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linux.com/news/openbox-window-manager-grows|title=Openbox window manager grows up|work=linux.com|date=11 July 2007|access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://manjaro.org/download/openbox/|title=Manjaro - Openbox - Stable|work=manjaro.org|access-date=18 December 2018|archive-date=14 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214233054/https://manjaro.org/download/openbox/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The creator and primary author of Openbox is Dana Jansens of [[Carleton University]] in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada.<ref name="Jansens"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@orodu|title=Dana Jansens|work=medium.com|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161030204902/https://medium.com/@orodu|archive-date =30 October 2016 }}</ref>

== Using Openbox ==
Openbox provides a right-click (or any other [[Keyboard shortcut|key-binding]]) "root menu" on the desktop,<ref name="lxf103" /> and allows users to configure the way windows are managed. When a window is minimized, it becomes invisible. To bring windows up again, most use {{key press|Alt|Tab}} or the ''Desktop menu'', accessible by right-clicking. Or, sometimes, by middle-button-clicking. Extending Openbox with other small programs that add icons, [[taskbar]]s,<ref name="lxf103" /> launchers, eyecandy and others is common.

== Configuration ==
[[File:Obconf-2.0.3-3.png|thumb|ObConf, a GUI configuration editor for Openbox]]
There are only two configuration files, both located in {{mono|~/.config/openbox}}. They are named {{mono|menu.xml}} and {{mono|rc.xml}}. These can either be edited manually or with the graphical configuration tools ObConf and obmenu.<ref name="lxf103" /><ref name="icculus1">{{cite web|url = http://openbox.org/wiki/ObConf:About|title = ObConf:About|access-date = 2008-04-07|last = Openbox project|date=June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url = http://obmenu.sourceforge.net/index.html| title = obmenu:Index|access-date = 2012-03-28}}</ref>

All mouse and key-bindings can be configured. For example, a user can set:
* a window to go to desktop 3 when the close button is clicked with the middle mouse button
* when scrolling on an icon to move to the next/previous desktop
* raise or not raise when clicking/moving a window

== Pipe menus ==
Openbox has a dynamic menu system that uses "[[pipe (computing)|pipe]] menus".<ref name="lxf103" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://openbox.org/wiki/Openbox:Pipemenus|title=Openbox Wiki:Pipe menus}}</ref> A menu item in a piped menu system can accept the [[standard output]] of a [[shell script]] (or other executable) in order to generate a sub-menu. Because the script runs every time the pointer activates it, and because the script can assess environmental conditions, piped menus enable [[conditional branching]] to be built into the menu system.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} A static menu system as used on most window managers gets its layout once, when the window manager is restarted, and will not have the ability to modify the menu layout depending on environmental factors.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Fluxbox]] – another fork of Blackbox
* [[Comparison of X window managers]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
*{{Official website}}

{{X desktop environments and window managers}}

[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free X window managers]]
[[Category:LXDE]]
[[Category:Window managers that use GTK]]