> "A new Blackbox for Windows generation..."

# Overview

bbLean is the lean version of Blackbox for Windows. It tries to keep balance between features and complexity, to give you some efficient means within a compact shell.

bbLean is based stylistically on the Blackbox window manager for the X Window System by Brad Hughes.

## Quick Start

First:

- Extract the zip-package to a folder on your computer, such as c:\bbLean.
- Click on blackbox.exe to start.
- Right-click on the desktop background to show the main menu.

Later:

- Checkout the universe of plugins available for Blackbox for Windows.
- You may want to set bbLean as default shell. See -> Install as Shell.

## User Interface

The Blackbox for Windows shell consists of the following elements:

- Desktop - the background of the screen
- Toolbar - the undispensible representative of all members of the blackbox family
- Menus - configurables, predefined ones and folder listings.
- Keyboard - Hotkeys for various action, implememted in the bbKeys plugin.
- Many others, available as plugins.

### Desktop

Mouse event | Effect
--- | ---
right-click | show main menu
mid-click / right-click with shift | show workspaces menu
left-click | hide menus / bring pinned menus on top

These and other desktop mouse-clicks are configurable in extensions.rc.

Drop Image | Display mode
--- | ---
no modifier | centered
with shift held down | stretched
with control held down | tiled

### Toolbar

Mouse event | Effect
--- | ---
right-click | show options menu
right-click on label | show workspaces menu
right-click on clock | show main menu
double-click on clock | date & time control
ctrl + left-drag | drag toolbar temporarily
ctrl + double-left-click | reset position

The toolbar may be turned on or off from Configuration->Misc. Please note that what you see in the default installation is not the toolbar but bbLeanBar. See readme.txt and bbLeanBar.rc in the plugins/bbLeanBar folder.

### bbLeanBar

on taskentry |
--- | ---
left-click | activate task
gesture to the left/right | move window to previous/next workspace
shift-left-click | zoom task into current workspace
right-click | minimize task / show window system menu (depending on the setting in Configuration->Tasks->System menu)
shift-right-click | close task
middle-click | move task to next workspace
shift-middle-click | move task to previous workspace
alt-left-click | change task display mode (text, icon, text+icon)
alt-right-click | toggle 'current only' mode

on workspace label |
--- | ---
left/right-click | switch to next/previous workspace
left-double-click | open clock properties
<other> | take over the configuration for desktop-clicks in extension.rc

on tray icon |
--- | ---
ctrl-right | show icons menu
alt-right | toggle all hidden icons
shift-right | toggle one icon
<other> | forwarded to the icons' application>

on current-only button |
--- | ---
left click | toggle display tasks for all/current workspace
right click | toggle display all trayicons

on the entire bar |
--- | ---
ctrl-right | bbleanbar options menu
ctrl-left-drag | move the bar
ctrl-left-double-click | reset the bar to its previous location

### Menus

Mouse event | Effect
--- | ---
right-click on desktop background | open main menu
left-click on desktop background | close menus / bring menus on top
right-click on titlebar | close this menu
left-click the titlebar and drag | move / pin menu
double-left-click the titlebar | toggle on top property
left-click on folder | bring back pinned submenu
double-left-click on folder | explore folder (*)
left-drag of file-item | drag item elsewhere
right-click on file-item | open context menu for file or folder
shift+right-click on folder titlebar | open folder's context menu
alt-double-left on file/folder | show properties
mouse wheel / drag scroll-button | scroll long menus

(*) This command is configurable in extensions.rc, for instance:

    blackbox.options.openFolderCommand: explorer.exe /e,"%1"

Keyboard navigation | Effect
--- | ---
up/down/left/right arrows | navigate
page-up/down home/end | navigate
crtl+up/down | scroll menu
alt+up/down/left/right arrows | move menu
letters A-Z,0-9,... | shortcut (underscored or first letter)
enter, spacebar | activate item
alt-enter | show properties (file/folder)
app-key | show context menu
tab | cycle through pinned menus
F5 | update folder
ctrl+n,e,t,s | sort folder by name, extension, time, size
insert | pin menu / toggle onTop mode
del, escape | close menu

Notes:

See the included bbkeys.rc for examples, how to invoke the menu from the keyboard. The LWIN and RWIN key shortcuts work only if bbLean is installed as default shell.

Hold down control for faster progress with the -number+ items.

### Keyboard

Shortcut hotkeys for various actions like changing workspaces or switching windows are done with the BBKeys plugin. Edit 'bbkeys.rc' to change or add key bindings.

Default bbkeys.rc bindings:

Menu |
--- | ---
LWin | ShowMenu -key root
RWin | ShowMenu -key
Win + Ctrl + M | ShowMenu
Win + Shift + M | ShowWorkspaceMenu

Workspaces |
--- | ---
Win + Num1..6 | Workspace1..6
Win + Left | PrevWorkspace
Win + Right | NextWorkspace
Win + Ctrl + Left | PrevWindow
Win + Ctrl + Right | NextWindow
Win + Ctrl + Up | PrevWindowAllWorkspaces
Win + Ctrl + Down | NextWindowAllWorkspaces
Win + Up | MoveWindowLeft
Win + Down | MoveWindowRight
Win + G | GatherWindows

Windows |
--- | ---
Win + X | MaximizeWindow
Win + V | MaximizeVertical
Win + H | MaximizeHorizontal
Win + N | MinimizeWindow
Win + Y | RestoreWindow
Win + D | MinimizeAll
Win + End | ShadeWindow
Win + PageUp | RaiseWindow
Win + PageDown | LowerWindow
Win + Insert | StickWindow
Win + Delete | CloseWindow

Blackbox |
--- | ---
Win + M | EditMenu
Win + P | EditPlugins
Win + S | EditStyle
Win + Ctrl + S | AboutStyle
Win + Ctrl + P | TogglePlugins
Win + T | ToggleTray
Win + Ctrl + R | Reconfigure
Win + Alt + R | Restart
Win + Q | Quit

System |
--- | ---
Win + F10 | Logoff
Win + F11 | Reboot
Win + F12 | Shutdown
Win + Ctrl + F12 | Hibernate
Win + Alt + F12 | Suspend
Win + Spacebar | LockWorkstation
Win + R | Run

Extern commands |
--- | ---
Win + E | Exec explorer.exe /e,c:\ (explorer window)
Win + Pause | Exec control.exe sysdm.cpl (system properties)
Win + Home | Exec docs\bblean.htm (bbLean documentation)

### Plugins

#### To load a plugin

Either use bbLean's configuration menu or add it manually to plugins.rc and restart bbLean.

Clicking the right mouse button on a plugin with the control key held down will usually show its configuration menu.

Dragging with the left mouse button with the control key held down will usually allow you to move the plugin over the screen.

To load a plugin into BBSlit, you need to:

- have BBSlit itself loaded (of course)
- load the plugin
- check the plugin in bbLean's "Configuration->Plugins->In Slit" menu.
- check "Use Slit" or "Docked to Slit" in the plugin's own configuration menu.

#### Some basic plugins

Plugin | Author | Note
--- | --- | ---
BBAnalogExMod | ysuke | Analogue clock, with alarm etc.
BBCalendar | Theo | Calendar that lets you set events on days.
BBEdgeFlip | BladeStaylor | Switches workspace when mouse touches screen edge
BBIcons | Tres`ni | Icons to start programs, sitting on desktop or in the slit. Get docs from the pack here, but use latest version from here.
bbIconBox | grischka | Icons in boxes.
BBInterface | psyci | Buttons, sliders, icons and more...
BBMail | qwilk | Checks your email accounts.
bbNote | grischka | Little stylized editor to edit your rc-files and other things.
BBPager | NC-17 | Virtual workspace display and control.
BBSoundFx | qwilk | Plays sound snippets on various events.
BBTaskSwitch | kana | BB-stylized Alt-Tab SwitchWindow.
BBXEyes | Procic Konstantin | Eyes following your cursor around the screen
SystembarEx | BladeStaylor | Very configurable advanced taskbar. Available here. Use the latest built (07-14) from here.
bbFoomp | freeborn | Front-end for foobar2k (must be loaded into slit).

There are many other plugins available. See -> Links.

Note: If you get an error loading a plugin it might require extra runtime libraries (msvcr71/msvcp71.dll, msvcr80/msvcp80.dll, gdiplus.dll, ...). Kana's plugins require bbcmd.dll from his website.

You can put these into the system32 directory or into the same directory as blackbox.exe.