Lattika Download
Chapters
  1. Help index
  2. Getting started
  3. Snapping windows with the mouse
  4. Layouts
  5. The layout editor
  6. Keyboard shortcuts
  7. Window memory
  8. Rules for apps
  9. Workspaces
  10. The Shortcuts app and automation
  11. iCloud sync
  12. Trial, buying and licenses
  13. Troubleshooting
  14. Frequently asked questions

Chapter 7 of 13

Rules for apps

A rule says: when this app opens a window, put it in this zone. Rules are for windows that should always land in the same place, such as a chat app in the right column or a terminal at the bottom.

Rules live in Settings › Rules.

Creating a rule

Click Add Rule and pick one of the running apps, or Choose Application… to select any app. The rule appears in the list, set to zone 1, and its details show on the right.

  • Enabled. Turn a rule off without deleting it. A paused rule shows a pause symbol in the list.
  • Window title contains. Optional. A regular expression that the window title must contain. The match is not case-sensitive and can be anywhere in the title. Leave it empty to match every window of the app. An invalid expression is flagged in red and the rule never matches until you fix it. Examples: Inbox matches any title containing Inbox; ^Inbox only titles starting with it; \.pdf$ titles ending in .pdf.
  • Display. Display the window appears on places the window on whichever display it opened on. Or choose a specific display; the window is moved there.
  • Zones. Click a zone in the picture or one of the numbered buttons. Click several to make the window span them. The picture shows the layout of the chosen display, or, when the rule follows the window, the attached layout with the most zones. Zone numbers follow the layout the display is using when the rule runs.

To delete a rule, select it and click −.

Order

Rules are checked from top to bottom and the first enabled rule that matches wins. Drag rules in the list to reorder them. Put specific rules, with a title pattern, above general ones for the same app.

When rules run

A rule runs when its app opens a new window, about half a second after the window appears so the app has finished setting it up. Rules run before window memory (chapter 6), so a rule always wins over a remembered zone. The one exception is a window that a workspace has just launched the app for; the workspace places it (chapter 8).

A rule does not run when you drag or snap a window yourself, and it does not stop you from moving the window afterwards.

Applying rules now

Apply Rules Now in the toolbar runs the rules over every open window at once. The Shortcuts action Apply Placement Rules does the same (chapter 9). Windows that are already in the right place are left alone.

Rules sync through iCloud when sync is on (chapter 10).

If it does not work

  • The rule never fires. Check that it is enabled and that no rule above it matches first. Check the title pattern against the actual window title; a red warning means the expression is invalid. Titles are matched when the window appears, and some apps set the title a moment later. Try without a pattern.
  • The list says "missing display". The rule points at a display that is not attached. Windows of that app stay where they open until the display is back, or you change the rule to another display.
  • The window lands in the right zone and then moves. The app restores its own window position after Lattika placed it. Use Apply Rules Now after the app has settled, or see chapter 12.
  • The window is on the wrong display. With Display the window appears on, the display is the one showing the largest part of the window when it opened. Choose the display explicitly.
  • Rules do nothing since the trial ended. Rules need a license (chapter 11).