{{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 = {{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 | operating system = Unix-like | genre = Stacking window manager | 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, 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 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 distributions such as BunsenLabs, 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 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, taskbars,<ref name="lxf103" /> 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.<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 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 Category:Software using the GNU General Public License