diff --git a/x/window.go b/x/window.go
index 510dfc4..991ad68 100644
--- a/x/window.go
+++ b/x/window.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package x
 
 import "image"
+import "strings"
 
 import "git.tebibyte.media/tomo/tomo"
 import "git.tebibyte.media/tomo/tomo/data"
@@ -41,7 +42,10 @@ type window struct {
 		innerBounds image.Rectangle // bounds of the drawable area
 	}
 
-	onClose event.FuncBroadcaster
+	on struct {
+		close    event.FuncBroadcaster
+		tryClose event.Broadcaster[func () bool]
+	}
 }
 
 type windowLink struct {
@@ -64,27 +68,12 @@ func (this *windowLink) NotifyMinimumSizeChange () {
 	this.window.doMinimumSize()
 }
 
-func (this *Backend) NewWindow (
-	bounds image.Rectangle,
-) (
-	output tomo.Window,
-	err error,
-) {
-	this.assert()
-	return this.newWindow(bounds, false)
-}
-
-func (this *Backend) NewPlainWindow (
-	bounds image.Rectangle,
-) (
-	output tomo.Window,
-	err error,
-) {
+func (this *Backend) NewWindow (kind tomo.WindowKind, bounds image.Rectangle) (tomo.Window, error) {
 	this.assert()
 	window, err := this.newWindow(bounds, false)
-	window.setType("dock")
-	
-	return window, err
+	if err != nil { return nil, err }
+	window.setKind(kind)
+	return window, nil
 }
 
 func (this *Backend) newWindow (
@@ -131,7 +120,11 @@ func (this *Backend) newWindow (
 	if err != nil { return }
 
 	window.xWindow.WMGracefulClose (func (xWindow *xwindow.Window) {
-		window.Close()
+		holdOff := false
+		for _, callback := range window.on.tryClose.Listeners() {
+			if !callback() { holdOff = true }
+		}
+		if !holdOff { window.Close() }
 	})
 
 	xevent.ExposeFun(window.handleExpose).
@@ -247,56 +240,29 @@ func (this *window) SetBounds (bounds image.Rectangle) {
 		bounds.Min.Y + bounds.Dy())
 }
 
-func (this *window) NewChild (bounds image.Rectangle) (tomo.Window, error) {
+func (this *window) NewChild (kind tomo.WindowKind, bounds image.Rectangle) (tomo.Window, error) {
 	leader := this.leader
 	
 	child, err := this.backend.newWindow (
 		bounds.Add(this.metrics.innerBounds.Min), false)
-	child.leader = leader
 	if err != nil { return nil, err }
 	
-	child.setClientLeader(leader)
-	leader.setClientLeader(leader)
+	child.leader = leader
+	err = child.setKind(kind)
+	if err != nil { return nil, err }
+	if kind == tomo.WindowKindModal {
+		this.hasModal     = true
+		child.modalParent = this
+	}
 	
 	icccm.WmTransientForSet (
 		this.backend.x,
 		child.xWindow.Id,
 		leader.xWindow.Id)
-	child.setType("UTILITY")
 	// child.inheritProperties(leader.window)
 	return child, err
 }
 
-func (this *window) NewMenu (bounds image.Rectangle) (tomo.Window, error) {
-	menu, err := this.backend.newWindow (
-		bounds.Add(this.metrics.innerBounds.Min), true)
-	menu.shy = true
-	icccm.WmTransientForSet (
-		this.backend.x,
-		menu.xWindow.Id,
-		this.xWindow.Id)
-	menu.setType("POPUP_MENU")
-	// menu.inheritProperties(this)
-	return menu, err
-}
-
-func (this *window) NewModal (bounds image.Rectangle) (tomo.Window, error) {
-	modal, err := this.backend.newWindow (
-		bounds.Add(this.metrics.innerBounds.Min), false)
-	icccm.WmTransientForSet (
-		this.backend.x,
-		modal.xWindow.Id,
-		this.xWindow.Id)
-	ewmh.WmStateSet (
-		this.backend.x,
-		modal.xWindow.Id,
-		[]string { "_NET_WM_STATE_MODAL" })
-	modal.modalParent = this
-	this.hasModal     = true
-	// modal.inheritProperties(window)
-	return modal, err
-}
-
 func (this *window) Modifiers () input.Modifiers {
 	return this.hierarchy.Modifiers()
 }
@@ -330,12 +296,12 @@ func (this *window) Visible () bool {
 	return this.visible
 }
 
-func (this *window) Close () {
+func (this *window) Close () error {
 	xevent   .Detach(this.backend.x, this.xWindow.Id)
 	keybind  .Detach(this.backend.x, this.xWindow.Id)
 	mousebind.Detach(this.backend.x, this.xWindow.Id)
 
-	this.onClose.Broadcast()
+	this.on.close.Broadcast()
 	if this.modalParent != nil {
 		// we are a modal dialog, so unlock the parent
 		this.modalParent.hasModal = false
@@ -345,10 +311,15 @@ func (this *window) Close () {
 	delete(this.backend.windows, this.xWindow.Id)
 	this.xWindow.Destroy()
 	this.hierarchy.Close()
+	return nil // TODO maybe return an error? maybe join them?
 }
 
 func (this *window) OnClose (callback func ()) event.Cookie {
-	return this.onClose.Connect(callback)
+	return this.on.close.Connect(callback)
+}
+
+func (this *window) OnTryClose (callback func () bool) event.Cookie {
+	return this.on.tryClose.Connect(callback)
 }
 
 func (this *window) grabInput () {
@@ -364,6 +335,19 @@ func (this *window) ungrabInput () {
 	mousebind.UngrabPointer(this.backend.x)
 }
 
+func (this *window) setKind (kind tomo.WindowKind) error {
+	err := this.setType(windowKindToType(kind))
+	if err != nil { return err }
+	if kind == tomo.WindowKindModal {
+		err = this.setState("MODAL")
+		if err != nil { return err }
+	}
+	if kind == tomo.WindowKindMenu {
+		this.shy = true
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (this *window) setType (ty string) error {
 	return ewmh.WmWindowTypeSet (
 		this.backend.x,
@@ -371,6 +355,13 @@ func (this *window) setType (ty string) error {
 		[]string { "_NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_" + ty })
 }
 
+func (this *window) setState (state string) error {	
+	return ewmh.WmStateSet (
+		this.backend.x,
+		this.xWindow.Id,
+		[]string { "_NET_WM_STATE_" + state })
+}
+
 func (this *window) setClientLeader (leader *window) error {
 	hints, _ := icccm.WmHintsGet(this.backend.x, this.xWindow.Id)
 	if hints == nil {
@@ -476,3 +467,15 @@ func (this *window) doMinimumSize () {
 		this.xWindow.Resize(newWidth, newHeight)
 	}
 }
+
+func windowKindToType (kind tomo.WindowKind) string {
+	switch kind {
+	case tomo.WindowKindNormal:  return "NORMAL"
+	case tomo.WindowKindPlain:   return "DOCK"
+	case tomo.WindowKindUtility: return "UTILITY"
+	case tomo.WindowKindToolbar: return "TOOLBAR"
+	case tomo.WindowKindMenu:    return "POPUP_MENU"
+	case tomo.WindowKindModal:   return "NORMAL"
+	default:                     return strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ToUpper(string(kind)), " ", "_")
+	}
+}