Yabai window management script - move window right to next space

gist_readme.md

Move Window Right - Yabai Window Management Script

Overview

This Bash script is part of a macOS window management system using Yabai. It moves the currently focused window to the next space to the right, automatically creating a new space if the window is already at the rightmost space.

Purpose

• Primary function: Move the active window one space to the right
• Edge case handling: Creates a new space when at the rightmost position
• Focus management: Ensures the moved window remains focused after the operation

Key Features

1. Intelligent Space Navigation

• Queries the current space and finds the next available space to the right
• Uses jq to parse Yabai's JSON output for accurate space information
• Handles edge cases when there's no space to the right

2. Automatic Space Creation

• When at the rightmost space, automatically creates a new space
• Moves the window to the newly created space
• Maintains user focus on the moved window

3. Comprehensive Logging

• Logs all operations through a centralized log_helper.sh script
• Tracks before/after states for debugging
• Records window IDs, space indices, and display information

4. Error Handling

• Validates window ID retrieval before attempting operations
• Exits gracefully with error logging if no window is focused
• Uses proper null checks for JSON parsing

Technical Details

Dependencies

• /opt/homebrew/bin/yabai - Yabai window manager
• /opt/homebrew/bin/jq - JSON processor for parsing Yabai queries
• log_helper.sh - Centralized logging utility (same directory)

Operation Flow

1. Initial State Capture: Logs current window, space, and display
2. Window Identification: Gets the focused window's ID
3. Space Detection: Finds the next space to the right
4. Movement Logic:
   • If next space exists: Move window directly
   • If at rightmost space: Create new space, then move
5. Focus Restoration: Ensures the moved window stays focused
6. Final State Logging: Records the end state for verification

Key Functions

• log_state(): Captures and logs the current window management state
• focus_window(): Refocuses a specific window by ID with verification

Implementation Notes

• Uses 0.1-second delays after space changes to ensure Yabai completes operations
• String comparison for empty space detection uses literal '""' check
• Window focus is explicitly restored after movement to handle Yabai quirks

Usage

~/.config/scripts/move_window_right.sh

Typically bound to a keyboard shortcut via Karabiner-Elements or similar tools.

Integration

Part of a larger window management system with complementary scripts:

• move_window_left.sh - Move window to previous space
• space_right.sh - Focus next space without moving windows
• remove_empty_spaces.sh - Clean up unused spaces

Logging

Logs are written via log_helper.sh with structured format:

• START/END: Script lifecycle events
• INFO: Informational messages
• ACTION: Yabai commands being executed
• ERROR: Error conditions
• DEBUG: Detailed state information

move_window_right.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# ---------- move_window_right.sh ----------
# Moves the current window to the next space, creating one if necessary.

# --- Script Setup ---
SCRIPT_NAME="move_window_right"
SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH="$SCRIPT_DIR/log_helper.sh"

# Log the start of the script
"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "START" "Script execution started"

# --- Script Logic ---
y=/opt/homebrew/bin/yabai
jq=/opt/homebrew/bin/jq

# --- Helper Functions ---
log_state() {
  local state_type=$1
  local current_window=$($y -m query --windows --window 2>/dev/null | $jq -r '.id' 2>/dev/null || echo "null")
  local current_space=$($y -m query --spaces --space 2>/dev/null | $jq -r '.index' 2>/dev/null || echo "null")
  local current_display=$($y -m query --displays --display 2>/dev/null | $jq -r '.index' 2>/dev/null || echo "null")
  
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "${state_type}_STATE" \
    "window:$current_window space:$current_space display:$current_display"
}

focus_window() {
  local window_id="$1"
  if [[ -n "$window_id" ]]; then
    "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Refocusing window $window_id"
    $y -m window --focus "$window_id"
    
    # Check what window is actually focused after the command
    local actual_focused=$($y -m query --windows --window | $jq '.id')
    "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "DEBUG" "Actually focused window after refocus attempt: $actual_focused"
  fi
}

# Log before state
log_state "BEFORE"

"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Getting focused window ID"
window_id=$($y -m query --windows --window | $jq '.id')
if [[ -z "$window_id" || "$window_id" == "null" ]]; then
    "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ERROR" "Could not get focused window ID"
    "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "END" "Script execution finished with error"
    exit 1
fi
"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Focused window ID: $window_id"

"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Querying current space index"
cur=$($y -m query --spaces --space | $jq '.index')
"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Current space index: $cur"

"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Querying next space index"
next=$($y -m query --spaces --display | $jq --argjson cur "$cur" '
        map(select(.index > $cur))            # only spaces to the right
        | sort_by(.index) | .[0].index // ""  # pick the closest, or ""')
"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Next space index: '$next'"

# Use literal string comparison for the jq fallback ""
if [[ "$next" == '""' ]]; then # Check if next IS literally ""
  # Edge -> create space, then move window
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Edge detected (next is \"\"), creating new space"
  $y -m space --create
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Created new space"
  
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Querying last space index"
  last=$($y -m query --spaces --display | $jq '.[-1].index')
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Last space index: $last"
  
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Moving window $window_id to space $last"
  $y -m window "$window_id" --space "$last"
  
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Focusing space $last"
  $y -m space --focus "$last"
  
  # Small delay to ensure yabai has completed the space switch
  sleep 0.1
  
  focus_window "$window_id"
else # Next is NOT ""
  # Neighbour exists -> move window there
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "INFO" "Neighbour found ('$next'), moving window $window_id to space $next"
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Moving window $window_id to space $next"
  $y -m window "$window_id" --space "$next"
  
  "$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "ACTION" "Focusing space $next"
  $y -m space --focus "$next"
  
  # Small delay to ensure yabai has completed the space switch
  sleep 0.1
  
  focus_window "$window_id"
fi

# Log after state
log_state "AFTER"

"$LOGGER_SCRIPT_PATH" "$SCRIPT_NAME" "END" "Script execution finished"