feat(columns): open a workspace's first window in the middle column

least_col() now breaks count ties by nearness to the middle column, so the
first window of a workspace (every column still empty) lands centred instead
of pinned to the left edge, and a restored batch fans out from the middle.
reflow() keeps a lone window in the middle too, so the menu's column stepper
doesn't shove it back to the left.

Applied identically to hyprlua and hyprdrive.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

desktopenvs/hyprdrive/hypr/layouts/columns.lua

@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@
 --     SCROLLS. Resizing up/down retunes the focused window's height weight.
 -- Weights and per-column pan persist across relayouts.
 --
+-- A workspace's FIRST window opens in the middle column (an even column count has no
+-- true middle — it takes the left of the two), so a lone window is centred rather than
+-- stuck against the left edge; further windows stack into the column you're working in
+-- and otherwise fill outward from the middle.
+--
 -- This is a real custom layout (hl.layout.register), not the built-in scrolling engine —
 -- that one has a single shared tape; this pans each column apart.
 --
@@ -123,6 +128,11 @@ local function ws_state(wsid, area)
     return s
 end
 
+-- The MIDDLE column — where a workspace's first window lands, and the tie-break for
+-- every "emptiest column" pick, so a lone window sits centred on screen instead of pinned
+-- to the left edge. An even column count has no true middle; take the left of the two.
+local function mid_col(s) return math.floor((s.ncols + 1) / 2) end
+
 -- Reflow every window evenly across the current column count, by insertion order.
 local function reflow(s, targets)
     local addrs = {}
@@ -131,7 +141,13 @@ local function reflow(s, targets)
         if ok and addr then addrs[#addrs + 1] = addr end
     end
     table.sort(addrs, function(a, b) return (s.seq[a] or 0) < (s.seq[b] or 0) end)
-    for i, addr in ipairs(addrs) do s.assign[addr] = ((i - 1) % s.ncols) + 1 end
+    if #addrs == 1 then
+        -- a lone window keeps the middle (changing the column count from the menu
+        -- shouldn't shove it to the left edge).
+        s.assign[addrs[1]] = mid_col(s)
+    else
+        for i, addr in ipairs(addrs) do s.assign[addr] = ((i - 1) % s.ncols) + 1 end
+    end
     for k in pairs(s.pair) do s.pair[k] = nil end   -- a redistribute breaks parked pairs
 end
 
@@ -177,9 +193,18 @@ local function columnize(s, targets)
     end
     local fresh = {}
     for addr in pairs(present) do if not s.assign[addr] then fresh[#fresh + 1] = addr end end
+    -- emptiest column, ties broken by nearness to the middle — so the first window of a
+    -- workspace (every column still empty) opens in the middle column, and a fresh batch
+    -- fills outward from there rather than left-to-right.
     local function least_col()
-        local best, bestn = 1, math.huge
+        local mid = mid_col(s)
-        for c = 1, s.ncols do if counts[c] < bestn then best, bestn = c, counts[c] end end
+        local best, bestn, bestd = mid, math.huge, math.huge
+        for c = 1, s.ncols do
+            local d = math.abs(c - mid)
+            if counts[c] < bestn or (counts[c] == bestn and d < bestd) then
+                best, bestn, bestd = c, counts[c], d
+            end
+        end
         return best
     end
     if #fresh == 1 and next(s.assign) ~= nil then

desktopenvs/hyprlua/hypr/layouts/columns.lua

@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@
 --     SCROLLS. Resizing up/down retunes the focused window's height weight.
 -- Weights and per-column pan persist across relayouts.
 --
+-- A workspace's FIRST window opens in the middle column (an even column count has no
+-- true middle — it takes the left of the two), so a lone window is centred rather than
+-- stuck against the left edge; further windows stack into the column you're working in
+-- and otherwise fill outward from the middle.
+--
 -- This is a real custom layout (hl.layout.register), not the built-in scrolling engine —
 -- that one has a single shared tape; this pans each column apart.
 --
@@ -123,6 +128,11 @@ local function ws_state(wsid, area)
     return s
 end
 
+-- The MIDDLE column — where a workspace's first window lands, and the tie-break for
+-- every "emptiest column" pick, so a lone window sits centred on screen instead of pinned
+-- to the left edge. An even column count has no true middle; take the left of the two.
+local function mid_col(s) return math.floor((s.ncols + 1) / 2) end
+
 -- Reflow every window evenly across the current column count, by insertion order.
 local function reflow(s, targets)
     local addrs = {}
@@ -131,7 +141,13 @@ local function reflow(s, targets)
         if ok and addr then addrs[#addrs + 1] = addr end
     end
     table.sort(addrs, function(a, b) return (s.seq[a] or 0) < (s.seq[b] or 0) end)
-    for i, addr in ipairs(addrs) do s.assign[addr] = ((i - 1) % s.ncols) + 1 end
+    if #addrs == 1 then
+        -- a lone window keeps the middle (changing the column count from the menu
+        -- shouldn't shove it to the left edge).
+        s.assign[addrs[1]] = mid_col(s)
+    else
+        for i, addr in ipairs(addrs) do s.assign[addr] = ((i - 1) % s.ncols) + 1 end
+    end
     for k in pairs(s.pair) do s.pair[k] = nil end   -- a redistribute breaks parked pairs
 end
 
@@ -177,9 +193,18 @@ local function columnize(s, targets)
     end
     local fresh = {}
     for addr in pairs(present) do if not s.assign[addr] then fresh[#fresh + 1] = addr end end
+    -- emptiest column, ties broken by nearness to the middle — so the first window of a
+    -- workspace (every column still empty) opens in the middle column, and a fresh batch
+    -- fills outward from there rather than left-to-right.
     local function least_col()
-        local best, bestn = 1, math.huge
+        local mid = mid_col(s)
-        for c = 1, s.ncols do if counts[c] < bestn then best, bestn = c, counts[c] end end
+        local best, bestn, bestd = mid, math.huge, math.huge
+        for c = 1, s.ncols do
+            local d = math.abs(c - mid)
+            if counts[c] < bestn or (counts[c] == bestn and d < bestd) then
+                best, bestn, bestd = c, counts[c], d
+            end
+        end
         return best
     end
     if #fresh == 1 and next(s.assign) ~= nil then