View source for 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|archive-date=26 January 2021|access-date=3 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126183231/http://www.linuxformat.ru/download/103.pdf|url-status=dead}}</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|'''GreenBANG''']], [[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 = https://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 as the script can assess environmental conditions, piped menus enable [[conditional branching]] to be built into the menu system.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} When the window manager is restarted, a static menu system as used on most window managers gets its layout once 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]]