...is a full-screen, expose-style, task-switcher for X11. You know that thing Mac OS X, Gnome 3, Compiz and KWin do where you press a hotkey and suddenly you see miniature versions of all your windows at once? Skippy-XD does just that.

Originally mirrored from the Google Code project this GitHub repo hosts the code of a fork from the original 0.5.0 release (2004), initially maintained by Nick Watts (2011) and Richard Grenville (2013).

Skippy-XD is a standalone application for providing a window picker with live previews (including live video) on Linux desktops that run an X server with compositing support. That means it's not baked into the window manager, and compositing is used only when the window picker is active.

The performance of your window manager isn't degraded, and you get a window picker that's every bit as elegant as OSX's Exposé or KWin's "Present Windows", with all the desktop-navigational efficiency.

You can see a demo on YouTube.

If you're using Ubuntu, you may simply install via the Skippy-XD PPA. (or the daily PPA).

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:landronimirc/skippy-xd
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install skippy-xd

To compile Skippy-XD from source you need to install the following development packages:

apt-get install libimlib2-dev libfontconfig1-dev libfreetype6-dev libx11-dev libxext-dev libxft-dev 
libxrender-dev zlib1g-dev libxinerama-dev libxcomposite-dev libxdamage-dev libxfixes-dev libxmu-dev

Now get the source, build and install:

git clone https://github.com/dreamcat4/skippy-xd.git
cd skippy-xd
make
make install

Download the original skippy-xd.rc-default config file and copy it to ~/.config/skippy-xd/skippy-xd.rc and edit it to your liking.

Once Skippy-XD is installed, you can run it by entering skippy-xd at the command line. This will start the program, activate the window picker once, then exit. However it is far better to keep the application running in the background as a daemon and just activate it when you want to use the window picker.

skippy-xd --help
skippy-xd v0.5.2~pre (2018.09.09) - "Puzzlebox" Edition
Usage: skippy-xd [command]

The available commands are:
  --config                    - Read the specified configuration file.
  --start-daemon              - starts the daemon running.
  --stop-daemon               - stops the daemon running.
  --activate-window-picker    - tells the daemon to show the window picker.
  --deactivate-window-picker  - tells the daemon to hide the window picker.
  --toggle-window-picker      - tells the daemon to toggle the window picker.
  --prev                      - launch initially focussed to previous selection.
  --next                      - launch initially focussed to next selection.

  --help                      - show this message.
  -S                          - Synchronize X operation (debugging).
PNG support: Yes
  Compiled with libpng 1.6.34, using 1.6.34.
  Compiled with zlib 1.2.11, using 1.2.11.

However, sometimes skippy won't activate properly. This can either be because it launches too quickly, and receives the last Return key press event, that was used to launch it by. Or because when bound to a global key binding, and when the key is being held down. Then the key repeats and skippy will be activated far too much, causing the daemon to lock up. Because it is getting many more requests than it can actually handle. Over it's simple FIFO buffer loop.

To try to address those kinds of problems, we now include the wrapper script skippy-xd-runner. However it is not an ideal solution and introduces new problems of it's own. Ideally we should prefer to upgrade or replace the FIFO queue (file socket) / polling of read(). With someting a bit less dumb.

Anyhow, for the time being skippy-xd-runner is a useful safeguard. To prevent lockups of your window manager (or whatever your parent process) that is activating skippy. Those types of background usage / invokation of skippy are discussed in more detail in the next sections.

There are 2 types of keyboard shortcuts. Global keyboard shortcuts, and skippy's own keyboard shortcuts, for when the skippy window picker becomes activated.

Firstly, there are global keyboard shortcuts, to be configured for invoking / launching Skippy. How to setup a global keyboard shortcut depends entirely on your chosen window manager. So we cannot provide you with specific instructions in that regard. But here are some links for a few of them:

• Budgie: https://gist.github.com/dreamcat4/bc4d6e6b6959901bf641f03b3c18462e
• Xfce: http://wiki.xfce.org/faq#keyboard
• Openbox: https://urukrama.wordpress.com/openbox-guide/#Key_mouse
• Fluxbox: http://fluxbox-wiki.org/index.php/Keyboard_shortcuts#How_to_use_the_keys_file

It is recommended (best way) to set skippy-xd --start-daemon to be run after login. By adding it to the Startup Applications of your window manager. Then you should bind skippy-xd-runner --toggle, or skippy-xd-runner --activate to your preferred global keyboard shortcut. For most people, that will be Alt+Tab or Super+Tab.

Quite a few window managers already assign Alt+Tab (or Super+Tab) to something else. Like their own built-in Alt-Tab feature. So you might also need to figure out how to un-bind those pre-existing shortcuts, before you can re-assign them to Skippy-XD instead.

Once skippy is launched, it then has it's own set of keyboard shortcuts. These are fully configurable. You can specify your own values in your skippy-xd.rc configuration file. Should you need to override any of the defaults. To find the right key symbol names (keysyms) for regular keypress and/or key release events. For all the keybindings settings. Please use the program xev to probe for them. By typing / pressing the keys on your keyboard. Which is explained in the next section.

The sample config file skippy-xd.sample.rc shows all the default keyboard shortcuts. They in the [bindings] section, at the bottom of the file.

Normally, you will want them to be consistent with your chosen Global Keyboard Shortcut(s). As was described earlier (for invoking skippy). The default values have already been chosen to match program invocation via Alt+Tab and/or Super+Tab. This includes releasing the Alt key, or the Super key. Which will to select the currently highlighed item. As is consistent with Alt-Tab behaviour on other platforms.

Along with the above Key Bindings, there finally also a setting for specifying certain modifier keys. Which will reverse the direction od Alt-Tabbing. These can only be one of the special modifiers listed below. Rather than just any arbitrary key. Normally this function is mapped to either Shift and/or the Control modifier key. So those are the default. For example Shift+Alt+Tab will make skippy cycle backwards through the open windows. Again, the default value is chosen to be consistent with the expected Alt-Tabbing behaviour, as it is on other platforms.

However if you need to change it, then the masks which Skippy knows about / recognizes are listed near the bottom of src/skippy.h in a pair of lookup tables named ev_modifier_mask and ev_modifier_mask_str. Which were taken out from the original X windows header file /usr/include/X11/X.h. The current version of skippy knows about these X modifiers:

static const int ev_modifier_mask[] = // { ... holds the lookup values }

static const char *ev_modifier_mask_str[] = \
{
	"ShiftMask",
	"LockMask",
	"ControlMask",
	"Mod1Mask",
	"Mod2Mask",
	"Mod3Mask",
	"Mod4Mask",
	"Mod5Mask",
	"Button1Mask",
	"Button2Mask",
	"Button3Mask",
	"Button4Mask",
	"Button5Mask",
	"AnyModifier",
	0x00
};

As it turns out, it's possible hold down a mouse button istead. As another type of modifier key. This is just to reverse the tabbing direction in skippy. If you wish to configure custom direction modifier(s), then you can just append them to the relevant setting modifierKeyMasksReverseDirection. Which is in the [bindings] section of your Skippy RC file.

Run the program xev in a terminal window. Then press the keys you are interested in. Observe the output.

Example:

Here is the name of the keysym on my keyboard for the Right Alt key. It is ISO_Level3_Shift. But it may be different for your keyboard.

KeyPress event, serial 38, synthetic NO, window 0x6000001,
    root 0x1e7, subw 0x0, time 29447789, (159,-18), root:(311,152),
    state 0x0, keycode 108 (keysym 0xfe03, ISO_Level3_Shift), same_screen YES,
    XKeysymToKeycode returns keycode: 92
    XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
    XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
    XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 38, synthetic NO, window 0x6000001,
    root 0x1e7, subw 0x0, time 29447853, (159,-18), root:(311,152),
    state 0x80, keycode 108 (keysym 0xfe03, ISO_Level3_Shift), same_screen YES,
    XKeysymToKeycode returns keycode: 92
    XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
    XFilterEvent returns: False

Note 1:

Key strings are case sensitive. So alt_l will not work - it will no match anything at all. You need to use the exact capitalization as it appears in the output from the xev program. For example Alt_L is a valid key name.

Note 2:

Be sure to separate with spaces each keybinding in a given setting. Like keysLeft = Left b a h B A H for example. You cannot use commas , ; : or other special characters in the keybindings settings in the [bindings] section of the skippy rc file. Otherwise it won't work.

• Skippy-XD on Ubuntu Wiki
• Skippy-XD on Google Code
• Original home of Skippy-XD
• Skippy-XD on freecode

• Creator: Hyriand (2004) - This makes skippy-xd 19 years old now...
• Current lead developer: felixfung. Who has made some fantastic improvements to skippy-xd during the year 2023+
• Contributions from: richardgv, dreamcat4, felixfung, cezaris13, and many others (please edit this line to add any here missing contributor credits)
• Maintenance / Secondary supportive role: dreamcat4
• Previous stable maintiner: richardgv.

Richard's upstreamm repo was previously where the majority of Skippy issues were raised. A bug tracker is still over on his fork. With all older legacy issues. However at this time, it looks like, (as Richard had previously indicated) that he really does not have time anymore to continue to maintain this software (since 2015). But he is welcome to come back and see what developements have been going on in his absense!

In the meanntime we maintain new bugs tracker, here on this fork. And welcome any contributions / PRs.

This project is in need of more contributors, and perhaps a new maintainer. Best thing we can do is just continue along over here. Adding whatever feature(s) & bugfixes ontop of the latest version.

A top priority (very important) is not to be super-picky about this but: make safe changes to the code. Do not do anything that is too risky or over-extend yourself. Definately play on the safe side.

Here are 3 basic safeguard mechanisms you can use in this project:

1. Uncomment the --test developer test mode. And use it as a temporary sandbox to test any new library functions that you need to add. Throw bad input at all your new funtions. Specifically try to catch errors regarding the memory management. Bad pointers, not checking for null, etc. And when such a bug is found, try to use that as a reason for justifying a further scrutinyg / enhancement of your error handling, in your new code. Spend the vast majority of your developer time just writing the parts of the code that does the error handling. I estimate that I spend something like around 75% of my time doing that, and catching errors. With the remaining 25% of my time (or even less than that) on the actual 'doing stuff' new code that not library functinos. I.e. working in the existing skippy code paths / where I was actually trying to implement the new feature. That 'felt right' (for me) in C. Particularly because C has is no garbage collection / pointer safety, etc. And a large percentage of my bugs (perhaps about half of them!) were almost completely hidden to me, unless the code was actually exercised with bad input. In order to exercise those non-critical code paths.

2. Run the program valgrind on the executable. To check for memory leaks. Try to exercise all of the code pathways that your change touches. To make sure nothing is missed. The results of valgrind should also help you to guage whether your error checking and code quality practices in step 1) were thorough enough (or not, in which case, go back to step 1). For those people who don't like valgrind, for the leak testing, then (on clang compiler) you can add some flags like -fsanitize=address to enable the clang address sanitizer. This will create a debug version of the binary. Note that: I have not tried that myself. It requires some further changes to skippy's Makefile... More information about how to setup the clang address sanitizer (aka asan), can be found on this wiki page here.

3. Compile in developer mode. Which switches on all of the compiler warnings. There is a lot of noise / output. But you can save the output before and after. Then use the diff program to filter out and see which new warnings were due to your new code changes. Compile in dev mode like this: make clean && CFG_DEV=true make. Dev mode is also the way to produce a debug binary, with gdb symbols, etc.