readme.md

Client Hints for AwesomeWM

Copy the file bellow hints.lua to your awesome config folder. Then your rc.lua file:

local show_hints = require('hints.lua')

-- Later where you register your keybinds
awful.key({ modkey, "Shift" }, "f", show_hints, { description = "show hints", group = "client" })

• Type the letters shown in at the top-left corner of your clients.
• If there only exists one client that starts with a letter you just need to type the first letter.
• Casing is ignored
• Press Escape to stop the keygrabber. You can stop it also with any key that doesn't match any hint, but Escape is set as the default stop_key.

hints.lua

local awful = require("awful")
local wibox = require("wibox")
local gears = require("gears")

local clients_hints = {}
local clients_widgets = {}
local clients_texts = {}
local hints = {}
local hints_tree = {}
local registered = false

local function randchar()
	return string.char(math.random(26) + 96)
end

local function produce_hint()
	local hint = ""

	while true do
		local new_hint = randchar() .. randchar()

		if hints[new_hint] == nil then
			hint = new_hint
			break
		end
	end

	return hint
end

local function register()
	if registered then
		return
	end

	client.connect_signal("manage", function(c)
		local hint = produce_hint()
		hints[hint] = true
		clients_hints[c] = hint

		local hint_1 = hint:sub(1, 1)
		local hint_2 = hint:sub(2, 2)

		if hints_tree[hint_1] == nil then
			hints_tree[hint_1] = {}
		end

		hints_tree[hint_1][hint_2] = c
	end)

	client.connect_signal("unmanage", function(c)
		local hint = clients_hints[c]

		hints[hint] = nil
		clients_hints[c] = nil
		clients_texts[c] = nil
		clients_widgets[c] = nil

		local hint_1 = hint:sub(1, 1)
		local hint_2 = hint:sub(2, 2)

		hints_tree[hint_1][hint_2] = nil

		if next(hints_tree[hint_1]) == nil then
			hints_tree[hint_1] = nil
		end
	end)

	registered = true
end

register()

local function visible_clients(c)
	if c.first_tag == nil then
		return false
	end

	return c.minimized == false and c.hidden == false and c.maximized == false and c.first_tag.selected == true
end

local function show_hints()
	for c in awful.client.iterate(visible_clients) do
		local hint = clients_hints[c]

		local widget = clients_widgets[c]
		local textbox = clients_texts[c]

		if widget == nil then
			textbox = wibox.widget({
				markup = "",
				widget = wibox.widget.textbox,
			})

			widget = awful.popup({
				ontop = true,
				visible = false,
				screen = c.screen,
				client = c,
				widget = {
					{
						textbox,
						left = 8,
						right = 8,
						top = 4,
						bottom = 4,
						widget = wibox.container.margin,
					},
					bg = "#ffff00",
					shape = function(cr, w, h)
						gears.shape.rounded_rect(cr, w, h, 4)
					end,
					widget = wibox.widget.background,
				},
			})
			clients_widgets[c] = widget
			clients_texts[c] = textbox
		end

		widget.x = c.x + 10
		widget.y = c.y + 10
		widget.visible = true
		textbox.markup = "<span foreground='black'>" .. hint:upper() .. "</span>"
	end

	local keygrabber
	local matched = ""

	keygrabber = awful.keygrabber({
		stop_key = "Escape",
		stop_callback = function()
			for _, widget in pairs(clients_widgets) do
				widget.visible = false
			end
		end,
		keypressed_callback = function(_, _, key)
			key = key:lower()

			if matched == "" then
				if hints_tree[key] ~= nil then
					local count = 0
					local key_2 = ""
					for _key_2, c in pairs(hints_tree[key]) do
						local textbox = clients_texts[c]
						count = count + 1
						key_2 = _key_2

						textbox.markup = "<span foreground='black'><span font_weight='heavy' background='blue' foreground='yellow'>"
							.. key:upper()
							.. "</span>"
							.. _key_2:upper()
							.. "</span>"
					end

					if count == 1 then
						client.focus = hints_tree[key][key_2]
						keygrabber:stop()
					end

					matched = key
				else
					keygrabber:stop()
				end
			else
				if hints_tree[matched][key] ~= nil then
					client.focus = hints_tree[matched][key]
					matched = ""
				end
				keygrabber:stop()
			end
		end,
	})

	keygrabber:start()
end

return show_hints

screenshot.png