mirror of https://github.com/polybar/polybar.git
108 lines
3.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
108 lines
3.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
Inter-process-messaging
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=======================
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Polybar supports controlling parts of the bar and its modules from the outside
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through inter-process-messaging (IPC).
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IPC is disabled by default and can be enabled by setting ``enable-ipc = true``
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in the bar section.
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By default polybar ships with the ``polybar-msg`` tool that is needed to send
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messages to polybar.
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.. note:: Starting with version 3.6.0, the underlying IPC mechanism has been
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completely changed.
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Writing directly to the named pipe to send IPC messages has been
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deprecated, ``polybar-msg`` should be used exclusively
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Everything you could do by directly writing to the named pipe, you
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can also do using ``polybar-msg``.
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In addition, hook messages are also deprecated; they are replaced by
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actions on the :ref:`ipc module <actions-ipc>`.
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Unless noted otherwise, everything in this guide is still valid for
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older versions.
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Sending Messages
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----------------
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``polybar-msg`` can be called on the commandline like this:
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.. code-block:: shell
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polybar-msg [-p <pid>] <type> <payload>
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If the ``-p`` argument is specified, the message is only sent to the running
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polybar instance with the given process ID.
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Otherwise, the message is sent to all running polybar processes that have IPC
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enabled.
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.. note:: IPC messages are only sent to polybar instances running under the
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same user as ``polybar-msg`` is running as.
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The ``<type>`` argument is either :ref:`action <ipc-actions>` or
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:ref:`cmd <ipc-commands>`.
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The allowed values for ``<payload>`` depend on the type.
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Message Types
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-------------
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.. _ipc-commands:
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Commands
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^^^^^^^^
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Using ``cmd`` for ``<type>``, you can control certain aspects of the bar.
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Available values for ``<payload>`` are:
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* ``quit``: Terminates the bar
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* ``restart``: Restarts the bar in-place
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* ``hide``: Hides the bar
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* ``show``: Makes the bar visible again, if it was hidden
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* ``toggle``: Toggles between the hidden and visible state.
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.. _ipc-actions:
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Module Actions
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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For the ``<type>`` ``action``, ``polybar-msg`` can execute
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:doc:`module actions <actions>` in the bar.
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An action consists of the name of the target module, the name of the action and an optional data string:
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::
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#<modulename>.<actionname>[.<data>]
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More information about action strings and available actions can be found in
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:doc:`actions`
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For example, if you have a date module named ``date``, you can toggle between
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the regular and alternative label with:
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.. code-block:: shell
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polybar-msg action "#date.toggle"
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As an example for an action with data, say you have a menu module named
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``powermenu``, you can open the menu level 0 using:
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.. code-block:: shell
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polybar-msg action "#powermenu.open.0"
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.. note::
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For convenience, ``polybar-msg`` also allows you to pass the module name,
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action name, and data as separate arguments:
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.. code-block:: shell
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polybar-msg action date toggle
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polybar-msg action powermenu open 0
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.. versionadded:: 3.6.0
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