Workspace Manager is a Widget in the center of the Front Panel. Visually, it replicates in almost a pixel similarity with the center of the CDE's Workspace Manager's buttons, but with a few exceptions beneath the surface and further configuration:
There is a limited number for possible of workspaces. There can be no odd number of workspaces, and combinations are: 2, 4, 6 and 8. Default is of course 4.
If InfoStore variable wsm.eco is defined as "InfoStoreAdd wsm.eco 1" in
user's profile $FVWM_USERDIR/NsCDE.conf
, WSM buttons will not be fixed
in width as in CDE. They are not extending a width of the Front Panel, rather they are more
wide in 2-buttons combination, and narrow in 6 and specially 8 button combination. By default,
buttons are all of the same width and they are extending or narrowing width of the Front Panel
if changed from default 4 workspaces to 2, 6 or 8.
As in CDE, workspace names can be renamed. There is a keyboard combination in
FvwmScript WSM which enters rename mode: Ctrl+Space on the current active
desk, while pointer is inside WSM. Ctrl+Enter saves new name. Names are
synchronized with FVWM desktop names and used in the rest of the
configuration. Names are saved in $FVWM_USERDIR/WSM.conf
, and EWMH
desktop names are applied immediately in a existing X11 NsCDE session.
If Sun type keyboard is in use, Help key above WSM will bring this help text in browser. On PC keyboard, F1 has the same function.
Addition: right mouse button on workspace button brings contextual menu. From this menu, the following items can be selected: default acion (activate workspace),
to rename the workspace, to call Workspace and Page Manager, (visual FvwmPager) (for a workspace, not necessarily the current one), then the option to bring up Window List, with windows on that workspace, and last, a small submenu for changing the active page on the that workspace, which will of course change active workspace to that where page was selected.
If $FVWM_USERDIR/WSM.conf
value WSPPG is 1,
then in 2 or 4 desks/buttons
mode a small current page indicator is show on the right side of the button.
In addition to Page Manager Icon southwest of the WSM. Disabled (0) by default.
WSM.conf
(system wide: $NSCDE_ROOT/config/WSM.conf
) is
a separate configuration
file read by WSM, WsPgMgr and such. Not a FVWM configuration file.
Number of Workspaces and Pages can be configured with Workspace and Page Manager tool which is called with right pointer click on Front Panel's left button and selected from the menu.
State of the buttons is synchronized by FVWM function called from FvwmEvent(1) module whenever desks and pages are changed by other means, such as keyboard shortcut, mouse move, or FvwmCommand(1).
In 4 color palette mode, all WSM buttons are of the same color, while in 8 colors
mode, there are four color variations from the given palette. In the 8 colors mode,
InfoStore option wsmcolored in the $FVWM_USERDIR/NsCDE.conf
can be
set to 1 to get background of the WSM colored as button 3, which was the case on some
versions of the CDE. By default, this value is 0.
Workspaces in NsCDE are named and numbered from 1, while in FVWM (where they are called desks), they start from 0. This fact required additional effort while coding FvwmScripts and making default and core configuration.