Gnome Shell Extension to Support Quarter Tiling of Windows

A Gnome Shell Extension to move and resize the focused application to the four quarters or halves of the current monitor using hotkeys.

There are lots of other great extensions out there that do all of this and more, but this is a simple option, if that's all you're looking for.

Notes to Myself:

Some notes that were useful during development...

Useful commands:

glib-compile-schemas schemas/

cp -v .{js,json,css} ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github/ && cp -v ./schemas/ ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github/schemas/

glib-compile-schemas schemas/ && cp -v *.{js,json,css} ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github/ && cp -rv ./schemas ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github/ && cp -rv po ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github/

MUTTER_DEBUG_DUMMY_MODE_SPECS=1500x1000 dbus-run-session -- gnome-shell --nested --wayland 2>&1 | grep QuarTileKeys

gnome-extensions enable quarter-tiling-hotkeys@royrwood-on-github

ls -l ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/

journalctl /usr/bin/gnome-shell -f

Sample Extensions:

Awesome Tiles: https://github.com/velitasali/gnome-shell-extension-awesome-tiles/tree/main/src

WinTile: https://github.com/Captn138/wintile-reloaded

ShellTile: https://github.com/emasab/shelltile

Tiling Gnome: https://github.com/rliang/gnome-shell-extension-tilingnome

Tiling Assistant https://github.com/Leleat/Tiling-Assistant

Simple Tile: https://github.com/ledbettj/simple-tile

Useless Gaps: https://github.com/mipmip/gnome-shell-extensions-useless-gaps

More Keyboard Shortcuts: https://github.com/matthijskooijman/gnome-shell-more-keyboard-shortcuts

URLs:

These need to be better organized...

Gnome Discussion: https://wiki.gnome.org/GettingInTouch/Matrix

Gnome gjs docs: https://gjs-docs.gnome.org

Gnome Shell Extension How-To: https://gjs.guide/extensions/development/creating.html

Gjs Guide: https://gjs.guide/guides/

Gtk4 Widget Reference: https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/class.Box.html

Gjs/Gtk4 Example: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gjs/-/blob/master/examples/gtk4.js

Gnome gjs Core Overrides: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gjs/-/tree/master/modules/core/overrides

Gnome gi.Gobject Overrides/Bindings: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gjs/-/blob/master/gi/object.cpp#L2550-2556

Meta Docs: https://gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/mutter/meta/index.html

Gnome gjs "Meta" API: https://gjs-docs.gnome.org/meta12~12/meta.window#method-move_resize_frame https://gjs-docs.gnome.org/meta12~12/meta.display

Source for "ui" import: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/tree/main/js/ui

DConf, Gnome Settings, etc: https://www.makeuseof.com/access-hidden-gnome-desktop-settings-dconf-editor/

Gnome Shell Extension Reference: https://github.com/julio641742/gnome-shell-extension-reference

Sample Dialog in an extension: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/52551694/display-aboutdialog-from-gnome-shell-extension

Reddit User Looking for docs: https://www.reddit.com/r/gnome/comments/133jb7u/developer_resources_for_libadwaita_adw1_for/

Mutter: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/

How To: https://medium.com/@justperfection.channel/how-to-create-a-gnome-extension-eb31b12e78d5

Gnome Shell Window Manager: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/blob/main/js/ui/windowManager.js

setCustomKeybindingHandler(name, modes, handler) {
    if (Meta.keybindings_set_custom_handler(name, handler))
        this.allowKeybinding(name, modes);
}

addKeybinding(name, settings, flags, modes, handler) {
    let action = global.display.add_keybinding(name, settings, flags, handler);
    if (action != Meta.KeyBindingAction.NONE)
        this.allowKeybinding(name, modes);
    return action;
}

removeKeybinding(name) {
    if (global.display.remove_keybinding(name))
        this.allowKeybinding(name, Shell.ActionMode.NONE);
}

allowKeybinding(name, modes) {
    this._allowedKeybindings[name] = modes;
}

Mutter keybindings.c: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/blob/main/src/core/keybindings.c

Why you can't access Gnome Shell internals from a stand-alone app: https://mail.gnome.org/archives/javascript-list/2012-January/msg00001.html

Gnome Shell Extensions Source / Examples: https://github.com/GNOME/gnome-shell-extensions https://github.com/GNOME/gnome-shell-extensions/tree/main/extensions

Install extension via dbus: https://discourse.gnome.org/t/enable-gnome-extensions-without-session-restart/7936/4

Key binding: https://stackoverflow.com/a/66517334 https://superuser.com/questions/471606/gnome-shell-extension-key-binding/1182899#1182899

Gnome JS READMEs: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gjs/-/tree/master/doc

"Getting started with GNOME Shell extension development": https://twiddlingbits.net/gnome-shell-extension-development

PaperWM (scrollable tiling of windows and per monitor workspaces): https://github.com/paperwm/PaperWM

Code Snippets:

this._settings.connect('changed::tile-left-hotkey', () => { _log('"tile-left-hotkey" setting changed'); });

---

Main.notify("You pressed the key!")

---

Sample Gtk4 App:

#!/usr/bin/env gjs

imports.gi.versions.Gtk = "4.0"; const { GLib, Gtk, Gdk } = imports.gi;

function buildPrefsWidget () { let mainGtkBox = new Gtk.Box({ "height-request": 50, "width-request": 70, "orientation": Gtk.Orientation.VERTICAL });

let mainGtkFrame = new Gtk.Frame({ "halign": Gtk.Align.CENTER, "margin-start": 25, "margin-end": 25, "margin-top": 25, "margin-bottom": 25 });
mainGtkBox.append(mainGtkFrame);

let mainGtkListBox = new Gtk.ListBox({ "selection-mode": Gtk.SelectionMode.NONE });
mainGtkFrame.set_child(mainGtkListBox);

for (let i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
    let rowGtkListBoxRow = new Gtk.ListBoxRow();
    mainGtkListBox.append(rowGtkListBoxRow);

    let rowGtkBox = new Gtk.Box({ "orientation": Gtk.Orientation.HORIZONTAL, "margin-start": 15, "margin-end": 15, "margin-top": 15, "margin-bottom": 15, "spacing": 25 });
    rowGtkListBoxRow.set_child(rowGtkBox);

    let gtkLabel = new Gtk.Label({ "label": "This is some text" });
    rowGtkBox.append(gtkLabel);

    let gtkButton = new Gtk.Button({ "label": "A Button", "hexpand": true, "halign": Gtk.Align.END, "valign": Gtk.Align.CENTER });
    rowGtkBox.append(gtkButton);

    gtkButton.connect('clicked', () => {
        log('The button was clicked');

        log('Creating Gtk.Window');
        let dialogGtkWindow = new Gtk.Window({"modal": true, "resizable": false });

        let dialogBox = new Gtk.Box({ "orientation": Gtk.Orientation.VERTICAL, "margin-start": 15, "margin-end": 15, "margin-top": 15, "margin-bottom": 15, "spacing": 25 });
        dialogGtkWindow.set_child(dialogBox);

        let dialogLabel = new Gtk.Label({ "label": "Press a key", "vexpand": true });
        dialogBox.append(dialogLabel);

        let eventControllerKey = new Gtk.EventControllerKey();
        dialogGtkWindow.add_controller(eventControllerKey);

        eventControllerKey.connect('key-pressed', (_widget, keyval, keycode, state) => {
            log(`You pressed a key: keyval=${keyval}, keycode=${keycode}, state=${state}`);
            let mask = state & Gtk.accelerator_get_default_mod_mask();

            if (mask === 0 && keyval === Gdk.KEY_Escape) {
                let binding = Gtk.accelerator_name_with_keycode(null, keyval, keycode, mask);
                log(`Got binding=${binding}`);
                dialogGtkWindow.close();
                return Gdk.EVENT_STOP;
            }
        });

        dialogGtkWindow.present();
    });
}

return mainGtkBox;

}

Gtk.init();

prefsWidget = buildPrefsWidget()

let win = new Gtk.Window({ title: 'Hello World', default_width: 300, default_height: 250, }); win.connect('close-request', () => { log('close-request emitted'); loop.quit() }); win.set_child(prefsWidget); win.present();

let loop = GLib.MainLoop.new(null, false);

loop.run();

log('The main loop has completed.');