Information in this page is outdated. Last update was made on 19 October 2016.

Slate

I have been a slate user for years, and I am still amazed by this tool. I’m trying to find something else, but I am always pulled back.

A colleague introduced me to slate. I used it for the sole purpose of switching windows in OSX having a bind key prefixed by ctrl + a.

I used it primarily and only for that purpose.

Then, I started searching for some tools for tiling or some tiling window manager, and I learned about Amethyst.

I set it up on my local, and used it for a couple of days.

I don’t like it that much, so I removed it and moved on for yet another search. The search wasn’t over.

Then came KWM tiling window manager. I set it up too, and used it for a couple of months. I personally liked it, until I had problems with the tiles being reset from time to time, especially when I play dota.

The tiles reset in size, and in order. Not only that, most customized keybindings disappear and are no longer working. I had to reload kwmrc configuration every time this shit happens, until I was full of it. I decided to let it go; I removed it.

At one point, at several weeks after I removed kwm and not using any tiling manager at all, I tried re-installing it again, but I was not able to fully set it up without errors.

I then again reviewed slate’s documentation, and got these line updates into my slate’s rc file.

Basically, it is this:

bind d:a,ctrl grid padding:5 0:6,3 1:8,2

I bind ctrl + a then d to get to the grid.
Then, I defined 2 monitors. 0 for the default monitor which is my macbook’s monitor, and then 1 for the external monitor.
Then, the 6:3 and 8:2 for the default and external monitors, respectively, are the grids. 6:3 means 6 grids horizontally by 3 grids vertically.
ATM, no definite idea yet as to the purpose of padding:5.

Slate is still amazing.