Space Bar

GNOME Shell extension that replaces the top-panel workspace indicator with an i3-like workspaces bar.

On GNOME Extensions: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/5090/space-bar/

Originally a fork of the extension Workspaces Bar by fthx, this extension grew into a more comprehensive set of features to support a workspace-based workflow.

Features

• First class support for static and dynamic workspaces as well as multi-monitor setups
• Add, remove, and rename workspaces
• Rearrange workspaces via drag and drop
• Automatically assign workspace names based on started applications
• Keyboard shortcuts extend and refine system shortcuts
• Scroll through workspaces by mouse wheel over the panel
• Customize the appearance

Build

The source code of this extension is written in TypeScript. The following command will build the extension and package it to a zip file.

./scripts/build.sh

Install

The following command will build the extension and install it locally.

./scripts/build.sh -i

Generate types

For development with TypeScript, you can get type support in IDEs like VSCode by building and installing type information for used libraries. Generating types is optional and not required for building the extension. (For that, we use a different configuration that stubs type information with dummy types.)

To generate types, run

npm install
npm run build:types

Choose "All" and "Yes" for everything.

Debug

Run a GNOME shell instance in a window:

dbus-run-session -- gnome-shell --nested --wayland

View logs:

journalctl -f -o cat /usr/bin/gnome-shell

View logs of settings:

journalctl -f -o cat /usr/bin/gjs

Configuration:

GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR=::$HOME/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/space-bar@luchrioh/schemas dconf-editor /org/gnome/shell/extensions/space-bar/ &>/dev/null