Padding question

[yshym]

Can I enable following settings only if a desktop contains >=2 windows?

yabai -m config top_padding                  10
yabai -m config bottom_padding               10
yabai -m config left_padding                 10
yabai -m config right_padding                10

[rockyzhang24]

You can use yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length' to get the number of windows in the current space.
Then you can build a command to enable some setting if and only if the number of windows in the current space is larger than 1 (i.e., >=2):

[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -gt 1 ]] && yabai -m config top_padding 10

When the number of windows is less than 2, remove the padding:

[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -lt 2 ]] && yabai -m config top_padding 0

Next, you should use yabai signal to make it run automatically

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -gt 1 ]] && yabai -m config top_padding 10"
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -lt 2 ]] && yabai -m config top_padding 0"

Probably you need more signals to make it robust because window_created and window_destroyed may not cover all the situations (for example, window_moved for window moved into this space). I just give you some hints. Hope it is helpful.

[yshym]

Yes, it was very helpful. Thank you. I am trying to achieve something similar to smart_gaps in i3-gaps

[yshym]

Don't understand, why signals are not working

# tile apps
yabai -m rule --add app="^Emacs$" sticky=off manage=on

# float apps
yabai -m rule --add app="^System Preferences$" sticky=on layer=above manage=off

# layout
yabai -m config layout bsp
yabai -m config window_gap 7

if [[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq "length") == 1 ]]; then
   # padding for one window
   yabai -m config top_padding 0
   yabai -m config bottom_padding 0
   yabai -m config left_padding 0
   yabai -m config right_padding 0
else
   # padding for two or more windows
   yabai -m config top_padding 10
   yabai -m config bottom_padding 10
   yabai -m config left_padding 10
   yabai -m config right_padding 10
fi

# signals
yabai -m signal --add \
    event=window_created \
    action="[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -gt 1 ]] \
        && yabai -m config top_padding 10 \
        && yabai -m config bottom_padding 10 \
        && yabai -m config left_padding 10 \
        && yabai -m config right_padding 10"
yabai -m signal --add \
    event=window_destroyed \
    action="[[ $(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') == 1 ]] \
        && yabai -m config top_padding 0 \
        && yabai -m config bottom_padding 0 \
        && yabai -m config left_padding 0 \
        && yabai -m config right_padding 0"

yabai -m config window_placement second_child

yabai -m config split_ratio 0.50
yabai -m config auto_balance off

[yshym]

The problem is we should apply different padding settings on different desktops depending on number of windows

[rockyzhang24]

In the action of yabai signal, you should escape $, so change it to action="[[ \$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') -gt 1 ]] .....

The problem is we should apply different padding settings on different desktops depending on number of windows

You can iterate over all the spaces, and for each space, get the number of windows there and then set the padding.
For example:

yabai -m query --spaces | jq '.[].index' | xargs -I{} yabai -m query --windows --space {} | jq 'length'

will output the number of windows in each space. Next, you just need to set the paddings based on the number (for example, use bash while loop to read each number and do something).

If you are not familiar with jq, you can read its manual first (https://stedolan.github.io/jq/manual/). But it is better to read yabai asciidoc first to understand what yabai could do (https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/blob/master/doc/yabai.asciidoc#signal). Yabai combined with jq is really powerful. :)

[yshym]

For now have no idea, why the following code doesn't work. padding_refresh_command works if executed using /ust/bin/env sh -c but doesn't work if triggered by a signal

padding_refresh_command="p=\$((\$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') == 1 ? 0 : 10)) && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse top_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse bottom_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse left_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse right_padding \$p"

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_launched action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_terminated action="$padding_refresh_command"

[rockyzhang24]

Put all your code into my yabairc and it worked well on my end.

[yshym]

Does it work after you run this code in your terminal? Cause for me it doesn't

[rockyzhang24]

I pasted all your code above to the end of my yabairc. Then I restarted the yabai service by launchctl kickstart -k "gui/${UID}/homebrew.mxcl.yabai". It worked well.
Try to check your other yabai setting code in your yabairc. If the code in some line fails, all the lines after that won't be executed. So for example, if line 2 has an error, and you put your code above to line 10, your code won't be run.

[yshym]

Ok, here is my yabairc, but padding code should work separately, isn't it? These are just shell commands

# load scripting-additions
sudo yabai --load-sa
yabai -m signal --add event=dock_did_restart action="sudo yabai --load-sa"

# global settings
# yabai -m config mouse_follows_focus on
# yabai -m config focus_follows_mouse autoraise
yabai -m config window_placement second_child
yabai -m config window_shadow off
yabai -m config window_border on
yabai -m config window_border_width 5
yabai -m config active_window_border_color 0xffa35763
yabai -m config normal_window_border_color 0xff353c54
yabai -m config insert_feedback_color 0xaa7c5c9c
yabai -m config split_ratio 0.50
yabai -m config auto_balance on
yabai -m config window_gap 7

# mission-control desktop labels
yabai -m space 1 --label web
yabai -m space 2 --label code
yabai -m space 3 --label social
yabai -m space 4 --label mail
yabai -m space 5 --label media

# window rules
yabai -m rule --add app="^Firefox$" space=web
yabai -m rule --add app="^Emacs$" space=code manage=on
yabai -m rule --add app="^Telegram$" space=social
yabai -m rule --add app="^Slack$" space=social
yabai -m rule --add app="^Discord$" space=social
yabai -m rule --add app="^Spark$" space=mail manage=on
yabai -m rule --add app="^Transmission$" space=media
yabai -m rule --add app="^Spotify$" space=media manage=on
yabai -m rule --add app="^Finder$" title="(Co(py|nnect)|Move|Info|Pref)" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Spotlight$" layer=above manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Stickies$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^System Preferences$" layer=above manage=off

# general space layput
yabai -m config layout bsp

# padding
window_numbers=$(yabai -m query --spaces \
    | jq '.[].index'  \
    | xargs -I{} yabai -m query --windows --space {} \
    | jq "length")

di=1
for wn in $window_numbers; do
    p=$((wn == 1 ? 0 : 10))

    yabai -m config --space $di top_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di bottom_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di left_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di right_padding $p

    di=$((di+1))
done

# padding signals
padding_refresh_command="p=\$((\$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') == 1 ? 0 : 10)) && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse top_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse bottom_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse left_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse right_padding \$p"

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_launched action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_terminated action="$padding_refresh_command"

# signals
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="yabai -m query --windows --window &> /dev/null || yabai -m window --focus mouse"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_terminated action="yabai -m query --windows --window &> /dev/null || yabai -m window --focus mouse"

[rockyzhang24]

but padding code should work separately, isn't it? These are just shell commands

Yep. But in yabaric, the padding code is a setting, not an execution, i.e., it tells yabai to execute a piece of shell scripts when an event is triggered. If the code before it has an error, this setting won't be evaluated, i.e., the signal won't be created.

When debugging, try to simplify the code by just leaving the piece of code you want to debug on and delete (or comment out) other codes temporarily. You could remove all the rules and other personal settings, just keep the yabairc build-in settings and your padding setting you want to test. Then see whether it works on your end.

[yshym]

Doesn't work in either cases, whatever i comment

[yshym]

If i try to set some simple signals from the terminal manually after evaluating yabairc, they work, so i thought the issue was in padding signals code, but currently don't understand, how it can work for you

[yshym]

Both initial padding setup and signals should work after you run this code in your terminal. For me it doesn't

# initial setup
window_numbers=$(yabai -m query --spaces \
    | jq '.[].index'  \
    | xargs -I{} yabai -m query --windows --space {} \
    | jq "length")

di=1
for wn in $window_numbers; do
    p=$((wn == 1 ? 0 : 10))

    yabai -m config --space $di top_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di bottom_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di left_padding $p
    yabai -m config --space $di right_padding $p

    di=$((di+1))
done

# signals
padding_refresh_command="p=\$((\$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length') == 1 ? 0 : 10)) && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse top_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse bottom_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse left_padding \$p && \
    yabai -m config --space mouse right_padding \$p"

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_launched action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=application_terminated action="$padding_refresh_command"

[yshym]

@yanzhang0219 yabai -m query --windows --space | jq returns nothing if called in a signal action

[yshym]

(3) was the signals part. (1) and (2) only were the assignment xD

[rockyzhang24]

Okay. I see. But that's not important.
It works on my end...

[yshym]

Quite strange. I still have no values for space_info and number_of_windows variables

[rockyzhang24]

Just now, I put all your code directly into my yabairc

And it still works.

Screen.Recording.2021-01-09.at.1.04.51.PM.mov

[yshym]

It is strange, that if i just check space info,

padding_refresh_command="space_info=\$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq)
echo \"space_info: \$space_info\" >> \"\$HOME/yabailogs.txt\""

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="$padding_refresh_command"
yabai -m signal --add event=window_destroyed action="$padding_refresh_command"

signal action is executed, but i see nothing

space_info: 
space_info: 
space_info: 
space_info: 

[rockyzhang24]

Interesting!
Do you try to reboot your computer? Or uninstall yabai completely and re-install yabai of the dev version (https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/wiki/Installing-yabai-(from-HEAD)). Do you fully disable the SIP?

[yshym]

Yea, i rebooted my computer. SIP is disabled. yabai is from brew. I'll try to install the dev version

~
❯ csrutil status
System Integrity Protection status: disabled.

[rockyzhang24]

Sigh 😞
I have no idea.

[yshym]

It seems like i skipped /private/etc/sudoers.d/yabai part while installing for the first time. But i installed the dev version, added sudoers file (scripting addition is now loaded for sure) and rebooted. Still nothing

[yshym]

It might be an OS version issue. Installation requirement is 11.0.1. I use 11.2

[rockyzhang24]

Okay... 11.1 is supported as well, but not sure about 11.2. Normally for a new macOS version, yabai needs to update a byte patterns in the payload.c file. We have to wait for the adaption.

[kpritam]

I separated your refresh related code into a single script file. I tested it and verified that it worked well. Details are described below for your reference.

1. Create a separate script file, ~/refresh.sh with the code below:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

space_info=$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq)
number_of_windows=$(yabai -m query --windows --space | jq 'length')

padding=10

echo "space_info: $space_info, padding: $padding, number_of_windows: $number_of_windows" >> "/Users/yanzhang/yabailogs.txt"

[ $number_of_windows -eq 1 ] && padding=0

yabai -m config --space mouse top_padding $padding
yabai -m config --space mouse bottom_padding $padding
yabai -m config --space mouse left_padding $padding
yabai -m config --space mouse right_padding $padding

1. Change it execution mode. Run below code in the terminal directly

chmod +x ~/refresh.sh

1. In your yabai, add signals like below:

yabai -m signal --add event=window_created action="~/refresh.sh"
yabai -m signal --add event=indow_destroyed action="~/refresh.sh"

(I change the event from application_launched, application_terminated to window_created, window_destroyed because application related events are not that convenient for testing.)

Attached a short video below for demo.

Screen.Recording.2021-01-09.at.11.32.21.AM.mov

This worked for me as well. I am on BigSur.

[yshym]

This worked for me as well. I am on BigSur.

It may work on 11.1 and previous versions, but may not work on 11.2, I suppose

[koekeishiya]

The signal and query system are not affected by SIP and/or macOS version.

[jasonvarga]

I tried to set this up and ran into issues too. The script runs fine, but it looks like even if a window is hidden it still appears in the query. If you actually quit the applications so you only have one left, it works.

You could try filtering out non-visible windows, but then there's this: #616