Grid-Tiling-Kwin
A KWin script that automatically tiles windows on KDE Plasma desktops with customizable grid layouts and shortcuts.
What is Grid-Tiling-Kwin?
Grid-Tiling-Kwin is a KWin script for KDE Plasma that automatically tiles application windows into customizable grid layouts across screens and virtual desktops. It solves the problem of manual window arrangement by intelligently placing windows to optimize screen space and workflow efficiency.
KDE Plasma users who want automated, keyboard-driven window management without switching to a full tiling window manager.
It offers deep integration with KWin, extensive customization via regex and per-screen settings, and a rich set of global shortcuts, making it a powerful yet flexible alternative to built-in KDE tiling or third-party tools.
Overview
A kwin script that automatically tiles windows
Use Cases
Best For
- Automating window layout on multi-monitor KDE setups
- Managing many application windows across virtual desktops
- Keyboard-centric workflows with extensive shortcut support
- Customizing tiling behavior per application using regex rules
- Enhancing productivity on KDE Plasma without leaving the desktop environment
- Users who prefer grid-based tiling over manual window arrangement
Not Ideal For
- Users who frequently add or remove virtual desktops, as the script assumes a static desktop count
- People wanting a drag-and-drop install without manual file linking and regex configuration
- Non-KDE Plasma environments, since it's tightly integrated with KWin and KDE-specific features
Pros & Cons
Pros
Leverages native KWin signals for handling window events like movement and resizing, ensuring seamless interaction with KDE Plasma's window management system.
Allows fine-grained control over tiling rules per application and desktop using regex patterns, as demonstrated in the configuration examples for min space and blacklisting.
Provides a comprehensive set of global keyboard shortcuts for window movement, resizing, and feature toggles, detailed in the recommended setup table for efficient workflow.
Configurable grid sizes per screen with fallback options enable efficient window layout across multiple monitors, automatically trying other screens when space is full.
Cons
Installation requires manual linking of files and script activation, and updates may necessitate shortcut cleanup, as KWin keeps old shortcuts registered, adding maintenance overhead.
Using regex for application matching and requiring script or KWin restarts for settings changes can be unintuitive and disruptive, as noted in the README for applying adjustments.
Exclusively designed for KWin on KDE Plasma, making it unsuitable for other desktop environments or window managers, limiting its applicability.
Frequently Asked Questions
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