i3 Window Manager Space Mode

When I tried Spacemacs, the one thing I really liked was the “leader” key setup they had around the spacebar.

i3 window manager supports arbitrary modes, which can have their own keybinds. This is how I currently have a small “space-mode” setup in my i3 configThe $reset is vital here, otherwise you’ll be stuck in “space-mode” forever.

set $reset mode "default"

bindsym $mod+space mode "space-mode"

mode "space-mode" {
    bindsym space exec --no-startup-id dmenu_run; $reset
    bindsym $mod+space exec --no-startup-id dmenu_run; $reset
    bindsym Escape $reset
    bindym Return exec alacritty; $reset
}