EWMHlib

What it is and what it does

EWMHlib wraps the Extended Window Manager Hints specification into Python classes that let you query and control X11 window managers without writing raw Xlib code. It provides two main entry points: EwmhRoot for desktop-level operations (active window, workspace management, WM protocols) and EwmhWindow for individual application windows (geometry, state, hints, events). The package also exposes lower-level functions and property constants for advanced use cases.

The library is built on python-xlib and works with EWMH-compliant window managers like GNOME (with X11), KDE, Cinnamon, and many tiling managers. It includes event-handling support for window changes and a Props class organizing all EWMH atoms and hints. However, it explicitly does not work with Wayland, the newer display server used by default in recent GNOME releases.

Use it for:

• Automate window positioning, resizing, or state changes (maximize, minimize, fullscreen) in X11 desktop environments
• Monitor active window changes and window events for automation or logging tools
• Query window properties (title, workspace, geometry, hints) for window management utilities
• Build desktop tools that need to interact with the window manager without low-level Xlib boilerplate
• Integrate window control into PyQt or Tkinter applications running on X11

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Query and control window managers that implement Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) standards, providing access to root and application window properties, hints, protocols, and events through python-xlib.

Yes, if you need to control or query EWMH-compliant window managers on X11. The low install friction, permissive license, and active maintenance make it a reasonable choice. However, do not install if you are targeting Wayland or non-X11 systems, or if you need a large community or extensive documentation—the package is small and Beta-stage.

Install

ewmhlib on PyPI

pip install ewmhlib

uv add ewmhlib

poetry add ewmhlib

Installing EWMHlib

Before you install

Low friction install with only two runtime dependencies (typing-extensions and python-xlib). Actively maintained with recent commits; however, the package is in Beta status and has a small user base (161704 monthly downloads, position 10625).

License in practice

BSD 3 license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart

pip install ewmhlib

import ewmhlib
from ewmhlib import EwmhRoot, EwmhWindow

root = EwmhRoot()
active_window = root.getActiveWindow()
if active_window:
    win = EwmhWindow(active_window)

Requires X11 display server; will not work on Wayland or non-X11 systems. python-xlib must be able to connect to an X display.

Verify before relying

• Exact Python version requirements (requires_python field is unspecified in metadata)
• Whether all EWMH-compliant window managers are equally well-supported or if some have known gaps
• Performance characteristics when handling many windows or frequent event polling

Package facts

Evidence: EWMHlib-0.2-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: ewmh, Extended-Window-manager-hints, window-manager, window, manager, hints

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