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windowmaker-wl/ROADMAP.md

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WindowMaker Wayland Port — Roadmap

Current State (2026-05-26)

The backend abstraction is complete. The src/ policy layer has zero direct Xlib calls and zero _x11_raw references. The Wayland backend (wlroots-based, 10K lines) implements all core window management: stacking, maximize, shade, workspaces, alt-tab, dock/clip, menus, move/resize, focus, and frame rendering.

WPrefs.app launches on Wayland. WINGs shared widget code has zero X11 executing on the Wayland path. The smoke test suite passes.

What remains is feature completion and production hardening.

Priority 1: Daily-Driver Gaps

These block using the Wayland backend as a primary desktop.

1.1 Session Persistence

src/session.c (614 lines) — verify save/restore works on Wayland. Window positions are tracked in WWindow (backend-neutral). The only concern is matching restored sessions to native XDG clients via app_id instead of WM_CLASS.

  • Test: save session, restart compositor, verify window positions restored
  • Add app_id to session file alongside WM_CLASS for native XDG clients
  • Verify dock state persistence (icon layout in ~/GNUstep/Defaults/)

1.2 Multi-Monitor

Currently single-output only. wlroots provides wlr_output_layout and new_output signal.

  • Populate WScreen.heads[] from wlr_output_layout_get_box in screen_open
  • Handle output hotplug (migrate windows on disconnect)
  • Per-head usable area calculation (dock margins)
  • Test with nested multi-output (WMAKER_WAYLAND_NESTED=1 + wlr-randr)

1.3 Clipboard

wlroots advertises wl_data_device_manager and zwp_primary_selection_v1. XWayland bridge auto-syncs. Needs verification.

  • Test copy/paste between native Wayland clients
  • Test copy/paste between XWayland and native clients
  • Test primary selection (middle-click paste)

1.4 Remaining Vtable Stubs

These vtable slots are stubs or partial implementations:

Slot Purpose Needed For
overlay_draw_* Pixman animation buffer Iconify zoom animation
client_snapshot Window thumbnail capture Switch panel thumbnails, icon preview
window_set_border Scene rect border nodes Window borders
client_synth_configure XDG configure scheduling Resize negotiation
pointer_change_grab Grab parameter update Menu tracking

Priority 2: WPrefs.app Full Port

WPrefs launches but still has 11 direct Xlib calls in 4 files. These are small and mechanical:

File Calls What
TexturePanel.c 7 Preview window (XCreateSimpleWindow, XCopyArea, XFillRectangle, XOpenDisplay)
Expert.c 1 XGetDefault for X11 resource query
MouseSettings.c 1 XChangePointerControl
xmodifier.c 1 XGetModifierMapping

The TexturePanel.c preview window is the only substantial item — it creates a raw X11 window to preview textures. Replace with a WINGs pixmap widget.

  • TexturePanel.c: replace X11 preview window with WINGs WMLabel + pixmap
  • Expert.c: guard XGetDefault with if (dpy)
  • MouseSettings.c: route through backend or use libinput
  • xmodifier.c: already has XKB fallback path, verify it works

Priority 3: Visual Completeness

3.1 Iconify/Deiconify Zoom Animation

The X11 path uses XOR GC rubber-band rectangles (XGrabServer + XDrawRectangle). On Wayland, implement as per-frame pixman overlay buffer.

  • Implement overlay_draw_rect in wl_backend.c using a transient wlr_scene_buffer
  • Wire animateResize() in actions.c to use the vtable

3.2 Client Snapshot (Window Thumbnails)

Used by switch panel and icon preview. X11 uses XGetImage. Wayland options:

  • Render last committed wlr_texture into an RImage via pixman blit

  • Use wlr_screencopy_manager_v1

  • Implement client_snapshot vtable slot using last-committed texture

3.3 Window Inspector

src/winspector.c — WINGs-based dialog. Should work on Wayland since WINGs widgets are ported. Needs testing.

  • Test window inspector opens and displays attributes
  • Test attribute changes apply correctly

Priority 4: HiDPI & Scaling

  • Set wlr_output_set_scale per output
  • Multiply pixman buffer allocations by scale factor
  • Set PangoFT2 DPI from output.scale * 96.0
  • Ensure WScreen.width/height remain logical coordinates
  • Test at 2x scale

Priority 5: Protocol Wiring

wlroots already advertises these protocols. Wire them to policy:

Protocol Purpose Effort
ext-session-lock-v1 Screen lock Medium
xdg_activation_v1 Focus stealing prevention Low
zwp_idle_inhibit_manager_v1 Prevent blank during video Low
ext-foreign-toplevel-list-v1 Taskbar integration Low
zwp_input_method_v2 IME support Medium
wlr_gamma_control_v1 Night light Low

Priority 6: DRM/KMS Native Backend

For running without a host compositor:

  • Use wlr_backend_autocreate (replaces headless/nested)
  • libinput for real hardware input (wlroots handles this)
  • VT switching via wlr_session
  • Test on real hardware

Architecture Notes

  • Rendering pattern: pixman_image_t → wlr_scene_buffer → scene graph position
  • Event flow: wlroots signals → wl_backend.c handlers → WMEvent → DispatchEvent
  • WINGs on Wayland: compositor-internal views (not wl_surfaces), pixman-rendered, events via ring buffer from compositor hit-testing
  • wl_backend.c (420K) should be split into wl_frame.c, wl_menu.c, wl_input.c, wl_toplevel.c, wl_output.c as complexity grows

Reference Documents

Document Purpose
ARCHITECTURE.md Codebase structure, data flow, key types
BACKEND_ABSTRACTION.md Historical analysis of X11 leaks (all resolved)
X11_IMPLEMENTATION.md How X11 path works (correctness reference)
ACTION_PLAN_PROMPTS.md Task templates for mechanical porting work
tools/wm-port/ Agent-assisted task dispatch tooling