Configuration

Customize zathura

The customization of zathura is be managed via a configuration file called zathurarc. By default zathura will evaluate the following files:

  • /etc/zathurarc
  • $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zathura/zathurarc

The zathurarc file is a simple plain text file that can be populated with various commands to change the behaviour and the look of zathura which we are going to describe in the following subsections. Each line (besides empty lines and comments (which start with a prepended #) is evaluated on its own, so it is not possible to write multiple commands in one single line.

set - Changing options

In addition to the build-in :set command zathura offers more options to be changed and makes those changes permanent. To overwrite an option you just have to add a line structured like the following

set <option> <new value>

The option field has to be replaced with the name of the option that should be changed and the new value field has to be replaced with the new value the option should get. The type of the value can be one of the following:

  • INT - An integer number
  • FLOAT - A floating point number
  • STRING - A character string
  • BOOL - A boolean value (“true” for true, “false” for false)

In addition we advice you to check the options to get a more detailed view of the options that can be changed and which values they should be set to.

The following example should give some deeper insight of how the set command can be used

set option1 5
set option2 2.0
set option3 hello
set option4 hello\ world
set option5 "hello world"
set option6 "#00BB00"

map - Mapping a shortcut

It is possible to map or remap new key bindings to shortcut functions which allows a high level of customization. The :map command can also be used in the zathurarc file to make those changes permanent:

map [mode] <binding> <shortcut function> <argument>

Mode

The map command expects several arguments where only the binding as well as the shortcut-function argument is required. Since zathura uses several modes it is possible to map bindings only for a specific mode by passing the mode argument which can take one of the following values:

  • normal (default)
  • visual
  • insert
  • index

The brackets around the value are mandatory.

Single key binding

The (possible) second argument defines the used key binding that should be mapped to the shortcut function and is structured like the following. On the one hand it is possible to just assign single letters, numbers or signs to it:

map a shortcut_function
map b shortcut_function
map c shortcut_function
map 1 shortcut_function
map 2 shortcut_function
map 3 shortcut_function
map ! shortcut_function
map ? shortcut_function

Using modifiers

It is also possible to use modifiers like the Control or Alt button on the keyboard. It is possible to use the following modifiers:

  • A - Alt
  • C - Control
  • S - Shift

Now it is required to define the binding with the following structure:

map <A-a> shortcut_function
map <C-a> shortcut_function

Special keys

zathura allows it also to assign keys like the space bar or the tab button which also have to be written in between angle brackets. The following special keys are currently available:

Identifier Description
BackSpace Back space
CapsLock Caps lock
Esc Escape
Down Arrow down
Up Arrow up
Left Arrow left
Right Arrow right
F1 F1
F2 F2
F3 F3
F4 F4
F5 F5
F6 F6
F7 F7
F8 F8
F9 F9
F10 F10
F11 F11
F12 F12
PageDown Page Down
PageUp Page Up
Return Return
Space Space
Super Windows button
Tab Tab

Of course it is possible to combine those special keys with a modifier. The usage of those keys should be explained by the following examples:

map <Space> shortcut_function
map <C-Space> shortcut_function

Mouse buttons

It is also possible to map mouse buttons to shortcuts by using the following special keys:

Identifier Description
Button1 Mouse button 1
Button2 Mouse button 2
Button3 Mouse button 3
Button4 Mouse button 4
Button5 Mouse button 5

They can also be combined with modifiers:

map <Button1> shortcut_function
map <C-Button1> shortcut_function

Buffer commands

If a mapping does not match one of the previous definition but is still a valid mapping it will be mapped as a buffer command:

map abc quit
map test quit

Shortcut functions

The following shortcut functions can be mapped:

Function Description
abort Switch back to normal mode
adjust_window Adjust page width
change_mode Change current mode
follow Follow a link
focus_inputbar Focus inputbar
goto Go to a certain page
index_navigate Navigate through the index
navigate Navigate to the next/previous page
quit Quit zathura
recolor Recolor the pages
reload Reload the document
rotate Rotate the page
scroll Scroll
search Search next/previous item
set Set an option
toggle_fullscreen Toggle fullscreen
toggle_index Show or hide index
toggle_inputbar Show or hide inputbar
toggle_statusbar Show or hide statusbar
zoom Zoom in or out

Pass arguments

Some shortcut function require or have optional arguments which influence the behaviour of them. Those can be passed as the last argument:

map <C-i> zoom in
map <C-o> zoom out

Possible arguments are:

  • bottom
  • default
  • down
  • full-down
  • full-up
  • half-down
  • half-up
  • in
  • left
  • next
  • out
  • previous
  • right
  • specific
  • top
  • up
  • best-fit
  • width
  • rotate-cw
  • rotate-ccw

unmap - Removing a shortcut

In addition to mapping or remaping custom key bindings it is possible to remove existing ones by using the :unmap command. The command is used in the following way (the explanation of the parameters is described in the map section of this document

unmap [mode] <binding>