# Openbox > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Openbox > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Openbox.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openbox > Source revision: 1354384939 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{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,{{cite web|url = http://openbox.org/wiki/User:DanaJansens|title = User:DanaJansens|access-date = 19 January 2015|last = Jansens|first = Dana|date=November 2007}}{{cite web|url = http://cglab.ca/~dana/|title = Openbox Developer Dana Jansens|access-date = 19 January 2015|last = Jansens|first = Dana}} Mikael Magnusson{{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}} | 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 = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q728978|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}}} | latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q728978|P348|P548=Q51930650}} | latest preview date = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q728978|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}}} | programming language = [C](/source/C_(programming_language)) | operating system = [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) | genre = [Stacking window manager](/source/Stacking_window_manager) | license = [GPL 2.0 or later](/source/GNU_General_Public_License)* {{cite journal|last=Saunders|first=Mike|date=March 2008|title=Lightweight window managers|journal=[Linux Format](/source/Linux_Format)|publisher=[Future Publishing](/source/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](/source/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}} }} '''Openbox''' is a [free](/source/free_software), [stacking window manager](/source/stacking_window_manager) for the [X Window System](/source/X_Window_System), licensed under the [GNU General Public License](/source/GNU_General_Public_License). Originally derived from [Blackbox](/source/Blackbox) 0.65.0 (a [C++](/source/C%2B%2B) project), Openbox has been completely re-written in the [C programming language](/source/C_(programming_language)) and since version 3.0 is no longer based upon any code from Blackbox.{{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 |archive-date = 2008-04-03}} 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.{{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}} Openbox is designed to be small, fast, and fully compliant with the [Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual](/source/Inter-Client_Communication_Conventions_Manual) (ICCCM) and [Extended Window Manager Hints](/source/Extended_Window_Manager_Hints) (EWMH).{{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 }} It supports many features such as menus by which the user can control applications or which display various dynamic information. Openbox is the standard window manager in [LXDE](/source/LXDE), and often set as the default for [LXQt](/source/LXQt). It is used in [Linux distribution](/source/Linux_distribution)s such as [BunsenLabs](/source/BunsenLabs), [Lubuntu](/source/Lubuntu), [Trisquel](/source/Trisquel) and [Manjaro](/source/Manjaro).{{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}}{{cite web|url = https://www.bunsenlabs.org/| title = BunsenLabs Linux|access-date = 2020-07-17|last = BunsenLabs Linux|date=December 2020}}{{cite web|url= http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Rolling-release|title = Rolling-release (Linux Wiki)|access-date= 2014-05-29}}{{cite web|url = https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/Applications|title = Lubuntu Applications|access-date = 14 January 2011|last = Lavergne|first = Julian|date=October 2010}}{{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}}{{cite web |url=http://trisquel.info/en/wiki/trisquel-mini |title=Trisquel Mini GNU/Linux |publisher=The Trisquel Project |access-date=7 November 2012}}{{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}}{{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}} The creator and primary author of Openbox is Dana Jansens of [Carleton University](/source/Carleton_University) in [Ottawa](/source/Ottawa), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), Canada.{{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 }} == Using Openbox == Openbox provides a right-click (or any other [key-binding](/source/Keyboard_shortcut)) "root menu" on the desktop, 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](/source/taskbar)s, launchers, eyecandy and others is common. == Configuration == 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.{{cite web|url = http://openbox.org/wiki/ObConf:About|title = ObConf:About|access-date = 2008-04-07|last = Openbox project|date=June 2007}}{{Citation| url = https://obmenu.sourceforge.net/index.html| title = obmenu:Index|access-date = 2012-03-28}} 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](/source/pipe_(computing)) menus".{{cite web|url=http://openbox.org/wiki/Openbox:Pipemenus|title=Openbox Wiki:Pipe menus}} A menu item in a piped menu system can accept the [standard output](/source/standard_output) of a [shell script](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Fluxbox) – another fork of Blackbox * [Comparison of X window managers](/source/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 Category:Software using the GNU General Public License --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Openbox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openbox) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openbox?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.