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Mango provides a powerful scratchpad feature inspired by Sway, allowing you to hide windows and quickly summon them as floating overlays. This is perfect for terminals, calculators, music players, or any application you need quick access to.

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Overview

The scratchpad is a hidden workspace where windows can be stored and recalled on demand:
  • Hidden Storage: Windows in scratchpad are hidden from all tags
  • Floating Display: Scratchpad windows appear centered as floating windows
  • Quick Toggle: Single keybinding to show/hide scratchpad windows
  • Named Scratchpads: Support for multiple independent scratchpads
  • Configurable Size: Control scratchpad window dimensions

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Basic Usage

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Toggle Scratchpad

The primary scratchpad command shows/hides scratchpad windows: 
# Toggle scratchpad visibility
bind=ALT,z,toggle_scratchpad
Behavior:
  1. When focused on normal window: Move current window to scratchpad (hide it)
  2. When scratchpad is hidden: Show all scratchpad windows
  3. When scratchpad is visible: Hide all scratchpad windows
  4. When focused on scratchpad window: Hide that specific window

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Basic Workflow

1

Send Window to Scratchpad

Focus any window and press ALT+z to move it to scratchpad. The window disappears.
2

Recall from Scratchpad

Press ALT+z again to show the scratchpad window as a floating overlay.
3

Hide Scratchpad

While focused on scratchpad window, press ALT+z to hide it again.

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Scratchpad Configuration

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Size and Appearance

Configure scratchpad window dimensions and appearance in config.conf: 
# Scratchpad width as ratio of screen width (0.8 = 80%)
scratchpad_width_ratio=0.8

# Scratchpad height as ratio of screen height (0.9 = 90%)
scratchpad_height_ratio=0.9

# Border color for scratchpad windows
scratchpadcolor=0x516c93ff

# Border width (applies to all windows)
borderpx=4

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Scratchpad Border Color

Scratchpad windows have a distinct border color to differentiate them:
  • Normal windows: bordercolor=0x444444ff
  • Focused windows: focuscolor=0xc9b890ff
  • Scratchpad windows: scratchpadcolor=0x516c93ff
This visual distinction helps you quickly identify scratchpad windows.

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Named Scratchpads

Mango supports multiple independent scratchpads, allowing you to organize different quick-access windows.

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Creating Named Scratchpads

While named scratchpads are mentioned in the README as a feature, specific configuration syntax requires checking the wiki. The basic toggle_scratchpad command works for the default scratchpad.

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Use Cases for Named Scratchpads

Terminal Scratchpad

Quick access terminal for commands without cluttering workspace

Music Player

Control music playback without dedicated workspace

Calculator

Quick calculations while working on other tasks

Chat Application

Monitor messages without permanent screen space

System Monitor

Check system resources on demand

Notes

Quick access to scratchpad for temporary notes

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Scratchpad Window Behavior

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Floating Mode

Scratchpad windows always appear as floating windows:
  • Centered on screen
  • Size controlled by scratchpad_width_ratio and scratchpad_height_ratio
  • Appear above tiled windows
  • Can be moved and resized like normal floating windows

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Focus Behavior

When showing scratchpad:
  • Scratchpad windows receive focus
  • Previous window focus is preserved
  • Hiding scratchpad returns focus to previous window

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Multi-Monitor Support

Scratchpad windows appear on the currently focused monitor:
  • Switch monitors, then toggle scratchpad
  • Scratchpad follows your focus
  • Size ratios apply to current monitor dimensions

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Advanced Scratchpad Patterns

Create a dropdown terminal setup: 
# Quick dropdown terminal
bind=F12,toggle_scratchpad
Setup:
  1. Launch terminal (foot, alacritty, etc.)
  2. Press F12 to send to scratchpad
  3. Press F12 anytime for instant terminal access

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Task-Specific Windows

Organize scratchpad by workflow:
  • Development: Terminal with development server
  • Communication: Chat or email client
  • Monitoring: System monitor or log viewer
  • Reference: Documentation browser or PDF viewer

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Quick Access Tools

Ideal applications for scratchpad:
  • Password managers
  • Color pickers
  • Screenshot tools (configuration)
  • Clipboard managers
  • Weather widgets
  • Calendar applications

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Scratchpad vs Minimized Windows

Mango provides two ways to hide windows:
FeatureScratchpadMinimize
AccessToggle bindingRestore binding
DisplayFloating centeredReturns to original position
Use CaseQuick temporary accessLong-term hiding
Border ColorDistinct scratchpad colorNormal border color
FocusAlways brings to frontMay be behind other windows
# Minimize current window
bind=SUPER,i,minimized,

# Restore minimized windows
bind=SUPER+SHIFT,I,restore_minimized

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Scratchpad Animations

Scratchpad toggle supports smooth animations: 
# Enable animations
animations=1

# Window open animation (when showing scratchpad)
animation_duration_open=400
animation_curve_open=0.46,1.0,0.29,1

# Window close animation (when hiding scratchpad)
animation_duration_close=800
animation_curve_close=0.08,0.92,0,1

# Fade effects
animation_fade_in=1
animation_fade_out=1

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Scratchpad Window States

Scratchpad windows can have additional window states:

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Global Windows

Make scratchpad window visible on all tags: 
# Toggle global state (visible on all tags)
bind=SUPER,g,toggleglobal,
Combining scratchpad with global state:
  1. Window visible on all tags when scratchpad is shown
  2. Completely hidden when scratchpad is toggled off

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Overlay Windows

Make scratchpad always on top: 
# Toggle overlay (always on top)
bind=SUPER,o,toggleoverlay,
Useful for:
  • Reference material while coding
  • Chat windows during work
  • Monitoring dashboards

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Tips and Best Practices

Assign scratchpad toggle to an easy-to-reach key like F12 or ALT+Space for instant access without thinking.
Adjust scratchpad_width_ratio and scratchpad_height_ratio based on your applications. Terminal might need 0.8x0.6, calculator might need 0.4x0.5.
Launch scratchpad applications in autostart.sh and immediately send them to scratchpad for instant availability.
Choose a distinct scratchpadcolor that stands out from normal window borders for easy identification.

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Example Configuration

Complete scratchpad setup example: 
# Scratchpad appearance
scratchpad_width_ratio=0.8
scratchpad_height_ratio=0.85
scratchpadcolor=0x516c93ff
borderpx=4

# Scratchpad keybinding
bind=F12,toggle_scratchpad
bind=ALT,grave,toggle_scratchpad  # Alternative: ALT+` (backtick)

# Window state toggles (useful with scratchpad)
bind=SUPER,g,toggleglobal,
bind=SUPER,o,toggleoverlay,

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Troubleshooting

Reduce scratchpad_width_ratio and scratchpad_height_ratio values. Try 0.7 and 0.8 for a more modest size.
Press the toggle binding to show all hidden scratchpad windows. They should appear centered on your current monitor.
Focus the desired monitor first, then toggle scratchpad. Scratchpad windows appear on the currently focused monitor.
Reload configuration with SUPER+r after modifying scratchpadcolor in config.conf.

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