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zephwm — Next Session Prompt

What is zephwm?

i3-compatible tiling WM written in Zig. ~7,500 LOC (src + bar), 3 binaries (zephwm, zephwm-msg, zephwm-bar). Target: HackberryPi Zero (RPi Zero 2W, 512MB RAM). All tests pass (~700+ tests across 7 suites), zero memory leaks.

What's done (v0.4.0)

  • Frame windows: full X11 reparenting with save-set for crash recovery, ICCCM-compliant unreparent on shutdown/restart
  • Font detection: 4-font fallback (fixed → misc-fixed-semicondensed → misc-fixed-normal → cursor) with xcb_query_font metrics
  • Per-output bar: one bar window per monitor, output-scoped _NET_WM_STRUT_PARTIAL, per-bar workspace filtering
  • i3bar click protocol: bidirectional stdin/stdout, per-block tracking (StatusBlock), protocol header detection (click_events:true)
  • Synthetic ConfigureNotify: sent to all clients after relayout (ICCCM requirement for reparenting WMs)
  • Border layout fix: frame content shrunk by 2*border so borders fit within layout rect (visible on all 4 sides)
  • border normal: i3-compatible title bar on individual windows — per-window title bar with ellipsis text truncation, deferred flush-then-draw, layout space reservation, Expose/PropertyNotify redraw
  • border normal <width>: width argument parsing for both border normal N and border pixel N
  • Ellipsis: long window titles truncated with "..." in tabbed, stacked, and border normal title bars
  • Frame background fix: XCB_CW_BACK_PIXMAP=None prevents X server white repaint on resize
  • i3 default colors: unfocused title bar bg #222222 + text #888888 (was #333333/#ffffff)
  • Default border normal: new windows default to border normal 2 (matching i3)
  • Config: default_border normal/pixel/none [N] fully supported
  • Docker i3 comparison: compare_i3.sh for pixel-level visual comparison against real i3
  • Config-driven colors: client.focused/client.unfocused bg/text reflected in title bars, reload-aware
  • client.focused_inactive: parsed with border/bg/text colors
  • hide_edge_borders: none/vertical/horizontal/both/smart, hides border on sole tiling window
  • Scratchpad fix: move scratchpad now correctly unmaps the window
  • Perf: eliminated redundant xcb_flush in render, O(n²)→O(n) tabbed visibility, merged iterations
  • Extended tests: xterm/urxvt/xclock/xeyes, 20-window stress, memory check (4MB RSS)
  • Core tiling: hsplit/vsplit/tabbed/stacked, focus/move/resize, marks, scratchpad
  • Multi-monitor: XRandR 1.5, focus_output, hot-plug, workspace-output config, move workspace to output
  • IPC: all 11 message types, event subscription (workspace/window/mode/binding/output)
  • Commands: border none/pixel/normal/toggle, sticky enable/disable/toggle, splith/splitv
  • Urgent workspace: WM_HINTS urgency propagation, clear on focus
  • Performance: O(1) window HashMap, batched xcb flush, single-pass render with deferred floating/fullscreen
  • Config: keybinds, variables, modes, colors, gaps, for_window, assign, exec/exec_always

Rendering pipeline notes

  • drawTitleBars runs AFTER frame configure (with flush), not before — prevents X11 clear-on-resize
  • Client window uses separate mask (no CONFIG_WINDOW_BORDER_WIDTH) — was causing random client borders
  • Stacked GC_BACKGROUND set for correct text background on unfocused headers
  • Last tab extends to frame edge (integer division remainder fix)
  • Zero-size windows clamped to 1px minimum
  • config_border_px passed through applyTree for correct per-window default

Test suites

zig build test                    # ~110 unit tests
bash test_xephyr.sh               # 73 basic integration
bash test_xephyr_newfeatures.sh   # 43 new feature tests
bash test_xephyr_extended.sh      # 59 advanced tests
bash test_xephyr_multimon.sh      # 35 multi-monitor tests
bash test_xephyr_resolutions.sh   # 180 multi-resolution (10 resolutions)
bash test_xephyr_visual.sh        # 170 pixel verification (10 resolutions)
bash test_docker_realapps.sh      # 65 Docker tests (xterm + alacritty + kitty, screenshot pixel checks)
bash test_realapps_extended.sh   # 27 extended tests (urxvt, xclock, xeyes, stress, scratchpad) via Dockerfile.realapps

Docker tests use Xvfb inside container (2GB mem limit), no host impact.

What needs work

High priority

  1. HackberryPi real hardware test — build and run on actual RPi Zero 2W (720x720 HyperPixel4)
    • Cross-compile: zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSmall on device or with aarch64 sysroot
    • Test with actual i3 config, i3blocks, rofi

Known limitations

  • kitty/alacritty pixel content checks skipped in Docker (GPU rendering doesn't work with Xvfb)
  • border toggle does not reset border_width_override when cycling styles
  • bindcode not implemented (keysym works for all keys)
  • focused_inactive color not yet used in rendering (parsed but not applied)
  • Pango/FreeType fonts not supported (X11 core fonts only, no CJK/emoji)

Key architecture

  • Single-threaded epoll loop (main.zig)
  • Container tree: root → output → workspace → split_con → window
  • Frame windows: every managed window reparented into WM-owned frame
  • Window lookup: HashMap(u32, *Container) for O(1), both client_id and frame_id
  • UnmapNotify: pending_unmap counter + mapped state + ev.event==ev.window guard + frame_id guard
  • Render: single-pass, title bars after frame configure + flush, deferred floating/fullscreen
  • Save-set: clients added to X server save-set before reparent (crash recovery)
  • Synthetic ConfigureNotify: sent to all managed windows after relayoutAndRender

Git

  • Repo: git@github.com:midasdf/zephwm.git
  • Branch: master
  • Latest: d46cab5