Awesome wm, keep focus exception for an application

Question

In awesome wm I use gmrun, a small application launcher.

{ rule = { class = "Gmrun" },
  properties = { floating = true, ontop = true, focus = true }, callback = function(c) c:geometry({x=30, y=45}) end},

and this is my rules for all clients section

awful.rules.rules = {
-- All clients will match this rule.
{ rule = { },
  properties = { border_width = beautiful.border_width,
                 border_color = beautiful.border_normal,
                 focus = awful.client.focus.filter,
                 raise = true,
                 keys = clientkeys,
                 size_hints_honor = false,
                 buttons = clientbuttons }, callback = awful.client.setslave },

I would like gmrun to always keep focus (an exception on the rule, normally the new opened client gets the focus) I 've read this page, but didn't find the solution, Always-on-top window and keeping focus, on AwesomeWM Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Create custom focus filter function

local free_focus = true
local function custom_focus_filter(c) return free_focus and awful.client.focus.filter(c) end

Edit your main rule

awful.rules.rules = {
    -- All clients will match this rule.
    { rule = { },
      properties = { ....
                     focus = custom_focus_filter,
                     .... } },

and gmrun rule

{ rule = { class = "Gmrun" },
  properties = { floating = true, ontop = true, focus = true },
  callback = function(c)
      c:geometry({x=30, y=45})
      free_focus = false
      c:connect_signal("unmanage", function() free_focus = true end)
  end },

Additioally, you may need to edit every place in your config where client.focus = used (eg sloppy focus, client buttons). For example

clientbuttons = awful.util.table.join(
    awful.button({ }, 1, function (c) if custom_focus_filter(c) then client.focus = c; c:raise() end end),
    ....