Sway on Laptop

2024-02-19T23:55:26Z

Quq:

Install and configure Sway

== Install Graphics Drivers ==

Graphics drivers:

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

== Add a normal user ==

Use <code>setup-user</code> to add a non-system normal user for running Sway.

== Install seatd ==

Install seatd, a minimal seat management daemon. This grants the required permissions to the user running sway:

apk add seatd

# add seatd to boot run-level, because it must be running before greetd
rc-update add seatd boot

rc-service seatd start
adduser $USER seat

== Install elogind (optional) ==

elogind is used to enable suspend-to-RAM with swayidle:

apk add elogind
rc-update add elogind
rc-service elogind start

== Set up eudev ==

[[eudev]] is recommended and required for the greeter. Or else it will not be able to find any input device (libinput failure).

setup-devd udev

== Install greetd (optional) ==

greetd is used to set [[Wayland#XDG_RUNTIME_DIR|XDG_RUNTIME_DIR]] and properly configure seat:

apk add greetd greetd-gtkgreet cage greetd-openrc
rc-update add greetd
adduser greetd seat

In <code>/etc/greetd/config.toml</code>, set

<pre>
[default_session]

command = "cage -s -- gtkgreet"
</pre>

In <code>/etc/greetd/environments</code>, set
<pre>
# Launch Sway with a D-Bus server available, use:
dbus-run-session -- sway
</pre>

We need to run sway with <code>dbus-run-session</code>, this is needed for PipeWire and screensharing in Firefox and Chromium.

== Install doas ==
Doas is used to grant permissions for suspend-to-RAM and brightness control with brightnessctl:

apk add doas brightnessctl
# optionally, allow $USER root access with password
adduser $USER wheel

In <code>/etc/doas.conf</code>, set

permit :wheel
permit nopass $USER as root cmd /bin/loginctl
permit nopass $USER as root cmd /usr/bin/brightnessctl

After setting the above, suspend-to-RAM can be triggered by running

/bin/loginctl suspend

(use full path to executable) and brightness can be adjusted by running

/usr/bin/brightnessctl set 100

== Install fonts ==

Install DejaVu fonts, which has good Unicode coverage:

apk add font-dejavu

== Install PipeWire, WirePlumber and XDG portals ==

For a reasonable desktop experience with support for audio and screensharing, install pipewire, wireplumber and xdg portals:

apk add pipewire pipewire-pulse pipewire-tools
apk add wireplumber
apk add xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-wlr

Later, we need to launch PipeWire with Sway and configure several environment variables.

== Install Sway ==

apk add sway \
xwayland \ # if you need xserver
foot \ # default terminal emulator. Modify $term in config for a different one.
bemenu \ # wayland native menu for choosing program and screensharing monitor
swaylock swaylockd \ # lockscreen tool
grim \ # screenshot tool
wl-clipboard \ # clipboard management
i3status \ # simple status bar
swayidle # idle management (DPMS) daemon

For complimentary software alternatives, see for example [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/List_of_software_for_Wayland this list at Gentoo Wiki.]

== Configuration ==

Copy default sway configuration to <code>~/.config</code>:

# as normal user
mkdir -p ~/.config/sway
cp /etc/sway/config ~/.config/sway/

Read through it to learn the default keybindings.
Sway configuration is mostly backwards-compatible with that of [[I3wm|i3]] and if you are looking for a solution for a specific issue, you may also try checking if it hasn't been provided for i3WM.

For additional information, start at <code>man 5 sway</code> and read the [https://github.com/swaywm/sway/wiki upstream wiki].

== Launch PipeWire and enable screensharing ==
Launch PipeWire with Sway, add the following to sway config:

exec /usr/libexec/pipewire-launcher

You also need to set DBus variables for the portal and screensharing features to work:

exec dbus-update-activation-environment WAYLAND_DISPLAY XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=sway

Replace dmenu (depends on X server) with bemenu (Wayland native) for launching programs and selecting which screen to share in Firefox/Chromium:

set $menu dmenu_path | bemenu | xargs swaymsg exec --

== Mouse cursor theme ==

Set a mouse cursor, using GNOME Adwaita theme:

seat "*" xcursor_theme Adwaita 16

== Screen lock and suspend-to-RAM ==

Set screen lock and suspend-to-RAM:

exec swayidle -w \
timeout 300 'swaylock --daemonize' \
timeout 330 'doas /bin/loginctl suspend' \
before-sleep 'swaylock --daemonize'

Do not lock the screen if program is running in full screen:

for_window [app_id="^.*"] inhibit_idle fullscreen

== Output scaling for high resolution displays ==

Without further configuration, program interfaces might be too small to use on high resolution displays.

Sway supports the per-display configuration of

* fractional (e.g., 1.5x), and
* integer scaling (e.g., 2x)

However, fractional scaling is discouraged due to both the performance impact and the blurry output it produces. In this case, where 1x scaling is too small and 2x scaling is too large, program-specific GTK/QT based scaling is recommended. See below.

To enable Sway scaling, the user can first preview different scaling factors with <code>wdisplays</code> package. Note the output name (eDP-1, LVDS-1) and try apply scaling factors such as 1 and 2. To make changes permanent, add

<pre>
output <name> scale <factor>
</pre>

to ~/.config/sway/config.

To use toolkit scaling, use
{{Cmd|# for GTK-based programs such as firefox and emacs:
export GDK_DPI_SCALE{{=}}2

<nowiki>#</nowiki> for QT-based programs
export QT_WAYLAND_FORCE_DPI{{=}}"physical"
<nowiki>#</nowiki> or if still too small, use a custom DPI
export QT_WAYLAND_FORCE_DPI{{=}}192 # 2x scaling
export QT_QPA_PLATFORM{{=}}"wayland-egl"
}}

== Make clipboard content persistent ==
By default the clipboard content does not persist after terminating the program: you copy some text from Firefox and then exit Firefox, the copied text is also lost.

Install clipman from testing repo and add the following to sway config:

<pre>
exec wl-paste --type text/plain --watch clipman store --histpath="~/.local/state/clipman-primary.json"
bindsym $mod+h exec clipman pick --tool wofi --histpath="~/.local/state/clipman-primary.json"
</pre>

== Firefox picture-in-picture mode/floating windows ==
Add this to your sway config file (modify the numeric values to suit your needs and your display):
<pre>
for_window [app_id="firefox" title="^Picture-in-Picture$"] floating enable, move position 877 450, sticky enable, border none
</pre>

== Screenshots ==
A simple tool that works well under Wayland is Grimshot. Example keybindings:
<pre>
bindsym Print exec grimshot copy area
bindsym Shift+Print exec grimshot copy screen
bindsym Control+Print exec grimshot save area ~/Pictures/$(date +%d-%m-%Y-%H-%M-%S).png
bindsym Control+Shift+Print exec grimshot save screen ~/Pictures/$(date +%d-%m-%Y-%H-%M-%S).png
</pre>

See [https://github.com/swaywm/sway/wiki/Useful-add-ons-for-sway the sway wiki's article] for a list of screenshot tools.

== Start with NumLock enabled ==
Add this to your sway config file:
<code>input type:keyboard xkb_numlock enabled</code>

== Change cursor theme and size ==
Add to your sway config:
<pre>
seat seat0 xcursor_theme my_cursor_theme my_cursor_size
</pre>
You can inspect their values with <code>echo $XCURSOR_SIZE</code> and <code>echo $XCURSOR_THEME</code>. If reloading your config does not result in change, try logging out and in.
{{Note|Wayland uses client-side cursors. It is possible that applications do not evaluate the values of <code>$XCURSOR_SIZE</code> and <code>$XCURSOR_THEME</code>.}}

== Custom keyboard layout ==

Since wayland does not support setxkbmap, you will also need to add similar content to your ''/usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml'', after <code></modelList></code> and after <code><layoutList></code>:
<pre>
<layout>
<configItem>
<name>[the name of your layout, same as the name of the file in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols]</name>
<shortDescription>[usually just two letters]</shortDescription>
<description>[description of your layout]</description>
<countryList>
<iso3166Id>US</iso3166Id>
<iso3166Id>NO</iso3166Id>
</countryList>
<languageList>
<iso639Id>eng</iso639Id>
</languageList>
</configItem>
</layout>

</pre>
Then, to enable for all keyboards, navigate to the input section of ''~/.config/sway/config'' and modify it to
<pre>
input * {
xkb_layout "my_layout"
}
</pre>
If you have enabled <code>xkb_numlock</code>, include this setting inside those braces as well.

== Default font ==

This is not related to Sway, but still nice to have: change system wide default font selection. In <code>/etc/fonts/conf.d/52-my-default-fonts.conf</code>, set
<pre>
<?xml version='1.0'?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM 'urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd'>
<fontconfig>

<alias binding="same">
<family>sans-serif</family>
<prefer>
<family>DejaVu Sans</family>
</prefer>
</alias>
<alias binding="same">
<family>serif</family>
<prefer>
<family>DejaVu Serif</family>
</prefer>
</alias>
<alias binding="same">
<family>monospace</family>
<prefer>
<family>DejaVu Sans Mono</family>
</prefer>
</alias>
</fontconfig>
</pre>
You can obtain a list of installed fonts with <code>fc-list</code>.

== Troubleshooting ==

If you encounter any issues, try running <code>sway -Vc /etc/sway/config</code>. It will run sway with the default config file and set the output to be more verbose. It is generally a good idea to track your config files with git (when and if at all you use a remote repository for them, keep it private for security reasons).

== Flatpaks ==

Due to their sandboxing, flatpaks require the use of a portal frontend (xdg-desktop-portal) and backends (such as xdg-desktop-portal-wlr, xdg-desktop-portal-gtk, xdg-desktop-portal-gnome) that implement the methods. When in doubt, install multiple backends. For more information on backends, see [https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal/#using-portals flatpak's page on the subject]. In addition to the steps under the "Firefox Screensharing" section, it may also be necessary to launch additional backends in your Sway config file. Otherwise, you may run into GDBus errors as your flatpak fails to interface with the portal. This can cause issues such as with opening your file directories from a flatpak application.

After installing different backends, you might need to add the relevant backends to your sway config file similarly to in the "Firefox Screensharing" section above. For example, an autostart section of your sway config file may include:
<pre>
exec /usr/libexec/xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
exec /usr/libexec/xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
exec /usr/libexec/xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
</pre>

This is only needed if they are not started automatically via other means.

== Firefox (Flatpak) and/or GTK apps ==
=== Disappearing cursor ===
You may need to get an icon pack and possibly a theme from [https://www.pling.com/browse?cat=107&ord=latest Pling store] and set <code>GTK_THEME</code> environmental variable. Alternatively you can install a theme for all users (search [https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/ Alpine Linux Packages] for ''*-icon-theme'') using <code>apk add</code>.

=== Missing file picker/cannot download ===

Go to ''about:config'' and set <code>widget.use-xdg-desktop-portal.file-picker</code> to 0.

== Failing to start under certain graphics cards/multiple wlroots stacked windows spawning upon start ==
As of Dec 31 2022, [https://developer.nvidia.com/docs/drive/drive-os/latest/linux/sdk/common/topics/window_system_stub/Gnome-WaylandDesktopShellSupport136.html Nvidia still doesn't fully support Wayland]. Therefore, the possible solutions are as outlined in the link, or setting your WLR_BACKENDS environmental variables to <code>drm,libinput</code> or <code>x11</code> (add libinput here as well if you cannot use your mouse and keyboard after starting Sway). The latter also works for AMD/ATI cards ('''make sure to install libinput first''').

== Sway socket not detected ==

See [[Sway#Installation|Installation]] for instructions on how to set this environmental variable. This issue may occur with terminal multiplexers, such as [[tmux]]

[[Category:Desktop]]
[[Category:Window Managers]]
[[Category:Wayland]]

Sandbox:quq

2024-02-19T23:54:55Z

Quq: Quq moved page Sandbox:quq to Sway on Laptop

#REDIRECT [[Sway on Laptop]]

2024-02-19T23:14:38Z

Quq: add details about seatd, elogind and optional greeter

Sway on Laptop

2024-02-19T23:13:51Z

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Sway on Laptop

2024-02-19T23:11:45Z

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Sway on Laptop

2024-02-19T23:09:45Z

Sway on Laptop

2024-02-17T21:16:13Z

Quq: Save

Sway on Laptop

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Quq: wipe data

Sway on Laptop

2024-02-17T20:17:14Z

Quq:

Quq's guide for installing Alpine with Sway

Download Alpine Linux, verify checksum then

dd if=alpine-extended.iso of=/dev/sdb

Known issues: screen sharing appears to be broken.

More details forth-coming.

Sway on Laptop

2024-02-17T20:16:51Z

Quq: init

Quq's guide for installing Alpine with Sway

Download Alpine Linux, verify checksum then

dd if=alpine-extended.iso of=/dev/sdb

Known issues: screen sharing appears to be broken.