LabWC

2022-12-29T20:07:47Z

Billy: fixed the command line to make it work the old one was not working

[https://labwc.github.io LabWC] is a stacking [[Wayland]] compositor. Although [https://github.com/labwc/labwc#1-what-is-this it wasn't intended like that], it can serve as a drop-in replacement for the [[Openbox]] window manager (the same way [[Sway]] is for [[I3wm]]).

This wiki was written starting from a fresh install using the Alpine 3.16 x86 extended .iso. The steps begin from the first reboot after running setup-alpine and performing a sys install to disk.

Many steps below were taken from the [https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Sway wiki entry for installing Sway], as both are wlroots-based Wayland compositors. Another interesting page, because of the same reasons, is the [[River]] compositor's.

== Prerequisites ==
{{Note|These steps posted as both Sway and LabWC prerequisites could be applied to almost all wlroots-based Wayland compositors.}}

First, install & configure eudev:

<pre>
# apk add eudev
# setup-devd udev
</pre>

Then install the mesa gallium drivers:

<pre>
# apk add mesa-dri-gallium
</pre>

The following links contain guides for setting up the video stack.

* [[Intel Video]]
* [[Radeon Video]]

Add yourself to the input and video groups:

<pre>
# adduser $USER input
# adduser $USER video
</pre>

You have to log out and back in for this to take effect.

Install some TTF fonts:

<pre>
# apk add ttf-dejavu
</pre>

Since wlroots 0.14, you need to set up libseat backend if you wish to run labwc directly (without nesting it in another wayland compositor). To do that, [[Repositories#Enabling_the_community_repository|enable the community repository]] and choose one of the following methods:

<dl>

<dt>Option 1: seatd daemon (recommended)</dt>
<dd>
<pre>
# apk add seatd
# rc-update add seatd
# rc-service seatd start
# adduser $USER seat
</pre>

If you are already logged in as a $USER, you will need to relogin.
</dd>

<dt>Option 2: seatd-launch</dt>
<dd>
<pre>
# apk add seatd-launch
</pre>

When starting labwc, you will need to prefix invocation with <code>seatd-launch</code>.
Note: <code>seatd-launch</code> is a suid binary, so it might be wise to use one of the other methods from a security perspective.
</dd>

<dt>Option 3: elogind daemon</dt>
<dd>

<pre>
# apk add elogind polkit-elogind
# rc-update add elogind
# rc-service elogind start
</pre>

Using <code>elogind</code> will automatically set the necessary permissions, so you can skip adding groups like <code>seat</code> and <code>video</code>

</dd>

</dl>

== Installation ==

We can now install labwc:

<pre>
# apk add labwc labwc-doc
# apk add \ # Install optional dependencies:
xwayland \ # recommended for compatibility reasons
foot \ # default terminal emulator
rofi \ # default application launcher (dmenu could be used instead)
swaylock \ # lockscreen tool
swaybg \ # wallpaper daemon
swayidle # idle management (DPMS) daemon
</pre>

Note that almost all optional dependencies are the same than Sway's. Another interesting packages are specified into the [https://github.com/labwc/labwc#6-integrate project's README], as it can be [https://labwc.github.io/integration.html#waybar waybar] (included into the Alpine's repository) as navigation bar.

== Running LabWC ==

To run labwc, first set XDG_RUNTIME_DIR to a suitable location (e.g. create a .run folder in your home directory and set it to ~/.run). Then run labwc from the Linux console (dbus-launch is used because pipewire needs it, it is included in dbus-x11 and you may omit it):

<pre>
$ XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=~/.run dbus-launch labwc
</pre>

(if you run labwc with seatd-launch, you will need to use <code>$ XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=~/.run dbus-launch seatd-launch labwc</code>)

You can also create a simple alias in your shell rc file (e.g. .zshrc), like:
<pre>
alias labwcinit="XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=~/.run dbus-launch seatd-launch labwc"
</pre>

See the [https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Wayland Wayland] page for a permanent configuration (recommended).

{{Note|
swaylock needs to be able to read your <code>/etc/shadow</code> file to be able to validate your password
}}

== Configuration and Usage ==

LabWC aims to implement the [http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Contents openbox 3.4] specification, so many things working in OpenBox should be compatible.

Moreover, the project provides [https://github.com/labwc/labwc#4-configure examples for all the configuration files] and some themes, explaining where it must be located each one of them.

For additional information, labwc [https://labwc.github.io/manual.html manpages] and [https://github.com/labwc/labwc/wiki wiki] can be consulted.

[[Category:Desktop]]

Alpine Linux - User contributions [en]

LabWC