Tiling
Jay uses an i3-like tiling layout. Windows are arranged automatically in containers that can be split horizontally or vertically. Containers can be nested to create complex layouts.
Splitting Containers
When you split a window, Jay wraps it in a new container with the specified direction. Subsequent windows opened in that container are placed side by side (horizontal split) or stacked top to bottom (vertical split).
alt-d–split-horizontal- Split the focused window horizontally
alt-v–split-vertical- Split the focused window vertically
alt-t–toggle-split- Toggle the container’s split direction
You can also set the direction explicitly without toggling:
[shortcuts]
alt-shift-d = "tile-horizontal"
alt-shift-v = "tile-vertical"
The tile-horizontal action sets the container to horizontal, and
tile-vertical sets it to vertical – unlike split-horizontal/split-vertical
which wrap the window in a new container first.
Moving Focus
Move keyboard focus between windows with the directional focus actions:
alt-h–focus-left- Move focus left
alt-j–focus-down- Move focus down
alt-k–focus-up- Move focus up
alt-l–focus-right- Move focus right
Focus crosses container boundaries, so you can navigate across your entire layout with these four keys.
Moving Windows
Move the focused window within or between containers:
alt-shift-h–move-left- Move window left
alt-shift-j–move-down- Move window down
alt-shift-k–move-up- Move window up
alt-shift-l–move-right- Move window right
When a window reaches the edge of its container, the move action pushes it into the adjacent container.
Focus Parent
Press alt-f (focus-parent) to move focus from a window to its parent
container. This is useful when you want to operate on an entire group of
windows at once. For example, focusing a parent container and then using
move-left moves the whole group rather than a single window.
Mono Mode
By default, a container shows all its children side by side. Mono mode changes this so only one child is visible at a time, similar to a tabbed view.
alt-m–toggle-mono- Toggle between mono and side-by-side
You can also right-click any title in a container to toggle mono mode.
In mono mode, scroll over the title bar to cycle between windows in the container.
For explicit control without toggling:
[shortcuts]
alt-s = "show-single" # Enter mono mode
alt-a = "show-all" # Exit mono mode
Fullscreen
Press alt-u (toggle-fullscreen) to make the focused window fill the entire
output, hiding the bar and other windows. Press it again to return to the tiled
layout.
For explicit control:
[shortcuts]
alt-shift-u = "enter-fullscreen"
alt-ctrl-u = "exit-fullscreen"
Resizing Tiles
Drag the separators between tiles with the mouse to resize them. The separator changes the cursor to a resize indicator when hovered.
In window management mode, you can also right-drag anywhere on a tile to resize it without needing to target the separator.
Closing Windows
Press alt-shift-c (close) to request the focused window to close. This
sends a polite close request to the application – it is not a forceful kill.
[shortcuts]
alt-shift-c = "close"
Toggling Floating
Double-click a tile’s title bar to toggle it between tiled and floating. See Floating Windows for more details.
Summary of Tiling Actions
split-horizontal- Wrap focused window in a horizontal container
split-vertical- Wrap focused window in a vertical container
toggle-split- Toggle container split direction
tile-horizontal- Set container direction to horizontal
tile-vertical- Set container direction to vertical
focus-left/right/up/down- Move keyboard focus
move-left/right/up/down- Move focused window
focus-parent- Focus the parent container
toggle-mono- Toggle mono mode
show-single- Enter mono mode
show-all- Exit mono mode
toggle-fullscreen- Toggle fullscreen
enter-fullscreen- Enter fullscreen
exit-fullscreen- Exit fullscreen
close- Request focused window to close
toggle-floating- Toggle between tiled and floating