Window Management - lars-hagen/dotfiles GitHub Wiki

Window Management

Official AeroSpace Documentation

This document describes the window management setup using AeroSpace, a tiling window manager for macOS.

Overview

AeroSpace is configured to provide a powerful, keyboard-driven window management system with:

  • Multiple workspaces
  • Tiling and floating layouts
  • Multi-monitor support
  • Modal key bindings
  • Automatic window arrangement

Key Bindings

Window Focus and Movement

  • Focus Windows (Ctrl-Alt + Arrows)

    • Ctrl-Alt-Left/Right/Up/Down - Focus window in direction
    • Ctrl-Alt-Tab - Focus next monitor and move all windows from current workspace
    • Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Tab - Focus previous monitor and move all windows from current workspace

  • Move Windows (Ctrl-Alt-Shift + Arrows)

    • Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Left/Right/Up/Down - Move window in direction
    • Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Cmd-Left/Right/Up/Down - Move window to adjacent monitor

Window Resizing

  • Cmd-Alt-H - Shrink width (-50)
  • Cmd-Alt-L - Grow width (+50)
  • Cmd-Alt-K - Shrink height (-50)
  • Cmd-Alt-J - Grow height (+50)

Layout Controls

  • Ctrl-Alt-/ - Toggle between horizontal/vertical tile layout
  • Ctrl-Alt-, - Toggle accordion layout
  • Ctrl-Cmd-F - Toggle fullscreen

Workspace Management

  • Quick Switch

    • Alt-1 through Alt-6 - Switch to workspace 1-6
    • Alt-S - Switch to secondary workspace (S1)
    • Alt-L - Switch to laptop workspace (L1)
    • Alt-Tab - Toggle between last two workspaces (back and forth)

  • Move Windows to Workspace

    • Alt-Shift-1 through Alt-Shift-6 - Move window to workspace 1-6
    • Alt-Shift-S - Move window to secondary workspace
    • Alt-Shift-L - Move window to laptop workspace

Modal Operations

AeroSpace uses modes to provide additional functionality without requiring more complex key combinations. Think of modes as temporary states where keys have different meanings.

How Modes Work

  1. Enter a mode using its trigger key combination
  2. The keys now have mode-specific functions
  3. After executing a command, you're usually returned to main mode
  4. You can always press ESC to return to main mode

Available Modes

Service Mode

Enter with: Ctrl-Alt-Space Available commands:

  • ESC - Reload config and return to main mode
  • R - Reset layout (flatten workspace tree)
  • F - Toggle floating/tiling layout
  • Backspace - Close all windows except current
  • Arrow keys - Join with window in that direction

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Space to enter service mode
  2. Press R to reset layout
  3. Automatically returns to main mode

Secondary Workspace Mode

Enter with: Ctrl-Alt-S Available commands:

  • 1-4 - Switch to secondary workspace S1-S4
  • Shift-1-4 - Move focused window to secondary workspace S1-S4
  • ESC - Return to main mode

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-S to enter secondary mode
  2. Press 1 to switch to workspace S1
  3. Automatically returns to main mode

Laptop Mode

Enter with: Ctrl-Alt-L Available commands:

  • 1-4 - Switch to laptop workspace L1-L4
  • Shift-1-4 - Move focused window to laptop workspace L1-L4
  • ESC - Return to main mode

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-L to enter laptop mode
  2. Press 1 to switch to workspace L1
  3. Automatically returns to main mode

Move All Windows Mode

Enter with: Ctrl-Alt-A Available commands:

  • 1-6 - Move all windows to workspace 1-6 and switch to it
  • S - Move all windows to workspace S1 and switch to it
  • L - Move all windows to workspace L1 and switch to it
  • ESC - Return to main mode without moving windows

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-A to enter move-all mode
  2. Press 2 to move all windows to workspace 2
  3. Automatically returns to main mode

Temporary Workspace Mode

Enter with: Ctrl-Alt-T Available commands:

  • 1-4 - Switch to temporary workspace TEMP1-4
  • Shift-1-4 - Move focused window to temporary workspace TEMP1-4
  • ESC - Return to main mode

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-T to enter temporary mode
  2. Press 1 to switch to TEMP1
  3. Automatically returns to main mode

Workspace Organization

Monitor Assignment

  • Workspaces 1-6: Assigned to main monitor
  • Secondary workspaces (S1-S4): Assigned to Dell monitor (primary) and built-in display (secondary)
  • Laptop workspaces (L1-L4): Assigned to built-in display (primary) and Dell monitor (secondary)
  • Temporary workspaces: Available for temporary arrangements

Window Gaps

[gaps]
inner.horizontal = 10
inner.vertical = 10
outer.left = 10
outer.bottom = 10
outer.top = 10
outer.right = 10

Special Features

Move All Windows

The "move-all" mode (Ctrl-Alt-A) allows moving all windows from the current workspace to another workspace at once.

Floating Windows

  • Tabby terminal automatically starts in floating mode
  • Toggle floating layout with Service mode (Ctrl-Alt-Space, then F)

Integration

  • Automatically starts at login
  • Integrates with borders for window highlights
  • Mouse-aware focus changes

Tips

  1. Quick Layout Reset

    • Enter service mode (Ctrl-Alt-Space)
    • Press 'R' to flatten workspace tree

  2. Efficient Multi-monitor Usage

    • Use workspace S1 for secondary monitor content
    • Quick switch between monitors with Ctrl-Alt-Tab

  3. Window Organization

    • Use workspaces 1-6 for main tasks
    • S1-S4 for secondary monitor tasks
    • L1-L4 for laptop tasks
    • TEMP1-4 for temporary arrangements

  4. Modal Tips

    • Most mode actions automatically return you to main mode
    • If you get stuck, ESC always returns to main mode
    • Watch for the mode indicator in your status bar