i3 FAQ - Individual question feed

Why is 'for_window' not accessible from i3-msg?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:53:44 +0000

I'd like to have a configuration line like i3-msg 'for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad; exec urxvtc -name scratch' in my *.i3/config*, but trying it interactively with i3-msg, it didn't like **for_window** at all ERROR: Your command: for_window [instance="scratch"] move scratchpad ERROR: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ERROR: Expected one of these tokens: , '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode' [{"success":false,"parse_error":true,"error":"Expected one of these tokens: , '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode'","input":"for_window [instance=\"scratch\"] move scratchpad","errorposition":"^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"}]

Answer by bruno.braga for

I'd like to have a configuration line like

i3-msg 'for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad; exec urxvtc -name scratch'

in my .i3/config, but trying it interactively with i3-msg, it didn't like for_window at all

ERROR: Your command: for_window [instance="scratch"] move scratchpad
ERROR:               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ERROR: Expected one of these tokens: <end>, '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode'
[{"success":false,"parse_error":true,"error":"Expected one of these tokens: <end>, '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode'","input":"for_window [instance=\"scratch\"] move scratchpad","errorposition":"^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"}]

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:36:03 +0000

I didn't understand why you need to use i3-msg within i3 config file. Why don't you just call it directly: for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad exec urxvtc -name scratch If you need to access i3 while it is running already (let's say, integrating with another application), then i3-msg will come handy.

Comment by Steffen Hoenig for

I didn't understand why you need to use i3-msg within i3 config file. Why don't you just call it directly:

for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad 
exec urxvtc -name scratch

If you need to access i3 while it is running already (let's say, integrating with another application), then i3-msg will come handy.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:41:07 +0000

because somehow it doesn't work like this in my config, only as two separate commands in the shell or concatenated with a sleep() command, may be there is a timing issue?

Comment by bruno.braga for

I didn't understand why you need to use i3-msg within i3 config file. Why don't you just call it directly:

for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad 
exec urxvtc -name scratch

If you need to access i3 while it is running already (let's say, integrating with another application), then i3-msg will come handy.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:19:48 +0000

could be... I have a problem like this with synergy, so I call a bash script from the config, and in the bash I run the sleep, then the command I wish to execute (sleep directly in the config does not work either).

Answer by V0id for

I'd like to have a configuration line like

i3-msg 'for_window [class="URxvt" instance="scratch"] move scratchpad; exec urxvtc -name scratch'

in my .i3/config, but trying it interactively with i3-msg, it didn't like for_window at all

ERROR: Your command: for_window [instance="scratch"] move scratchpad
ERROR:               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ERROR: Expected one of these tokens: <end>, '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode'
[{"success":false,"parse_error":true,"error":"Expected one of these tokens: <end>, '[', 'move', 'exec', 'exit', 'restart', 'reload', 'border', 'layout', 'append_layout', 'workspace', 'focus', 'kill', 'open', 'fullscreen', 'split', 'floating', 'mark', 'resize', 'rename', 'nop', 'scratchpad', 'mode'","input":"for_window [instance=\"scratch\"] move scratchpad","errorposition":"^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"}]

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:04:24 +0000

Remove the `for_window`. It is used to define behaviors for windows matching a given criteria. Here you only want to perform an action.

Comment by Steffen Hoenig for
Remove the `for_window`. It is used to define behaviors for windows matching a given criteria. Here you only want to perform an action.

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:35:41 +0000

Interestingly, it works without for_window, but only one command by one. Maybe there is a timing issue.

i3 FAQ - Individual question feed

Why is 'for_window' not accessible from i3-msg?

Comment by Steffen Hoenig for Remove the for_window. It is used to define behaviors for windows matching a given criteria. Here you only want to perform an action.

Comment by Steffen Hoenig for
Remove the `for_window`. It is used to define behaviors for windows matching a given criteria. Here you only want to perform an action.