Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is SomeWM?
SomeWM is a Wayland compositor built on AwesomeWM's Lua configuration model. SomeWM 2.x develops its APIs independently; 1.4 focuses on upstream AwesomeWM compatibility. See AwesomeWM Compatibility for the release-line policy.
Why "SomeWM"?
It's a play on "AwesomeWM" - if Awesome is great, Some is... adequate? The name reflects its AwesomeWM origins.
Can I use my existing AwesomeWM config?
You can adapt an existing AwesomeWM configuration. Check for removed APIs as well as X11-specific dependencies; the changes needed depend on your configuration. See Migrating from AwesomeWM for details.
Is SomeWM stable?
SomeWM is in active development. Most AwesomeWM functionality works, but some features are still being implemented. See Current Limitations.
Configuration
Where is my config file?
~/.config/somewm/rc.lua (with ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua as an AwesomeWM-compatibility fallback). The Troubleshooting guide has the full search order including the system paths.
How do I reload my config?
Press Mod4 + Ctrl + r to reload your Lua configuration without restarting.
Can I restart SomeWM like AwesomeWM?
Yes. awesome.restart() works: it hot-reloads the Lua state in process, and clients survive. What SomeWM can't do is the X11-style exec-self restart, which would disconnect every client. See Why SomeWM for the mechanism.
Compatibility
Will all AwesomeWM widgets work?
SomeWM provides the wibox widget system, but existing widget code may depend on APIs that changed or were removed. Check the wibox reference and the removed API replacements. The system tray uses SNI rather than XEmbed.
What about third-party libraries like bling?
Compatibility depends on the library version and the APIs it uses. Libraries may need adjustments for removed APIs, changed behaviour, or X11-specific dependencies. Test the library with your SomeWM version and configuration.
Why don't X11 tools work?
Tools like xdotool, xrandr, xprop are X11-specific. See Wayland vs X11 for alternatives.
Features
Does the systray work?
Yes, but differently. SomeWM uses the SNI D-Bus protocol instead of X11 embed. Most modern apps support this.
Can I take screenshots?
Yes! Use awful.screenshot or external tools like grim and slurp. See Screenshots.
Does multi-monitor work?
Yes. Screens are detected automatically and you can configure them per-screen in your rc.lua.
Troubleshooting
SomeWM won't start
See Troubleshooting for common issues.
My config isn't loading
Run somewm --check ~/.config/somewm/rc.lua to check for errors.
Widgets aren't rendering
Usually means LGI isn't found. See Installation - LGI Troubleshooting.
My widget ignores my theme
The widget module was required before beautiful.init(). See Troubleshooting.