#+title: Plugins and monitors * System monitor plugins This is the description of the system monitor plugins available in xmobar. Some of them are only installed when an optional build option is set: we mention that fact, when needed, in their description. Each monitor has an =alias= to be used in the output template. Monitors may have default aliases, see the documentation of the monitor in question. There are two types of arguments: ones that all monitors share (the so called /default monitor arguments/) and arguments that are specific to a certain monitor. All Monitors accept a common set of arguments, described below in [[#default-arguments][Default Monitor Arguments]]. Some monitors also accept additional options that are specific to them. When specifying the list of arguments in your configuration, the common options come first, followed by =--=, followed by any monitor-specific options. For example, the following [[#batteryp-dirs-args-refreshrate][Battery]] configuration first sets the global =template= and =Low= arguments and then specifies the battery-specific =off= option. #+begin_src haskell Run Battery [ "--template", "" , "--Low" , "15" -- battery specific options start here. , "--" , "--off" , " ()" ] 100 #+end_src See also [[#interfacing-with-window-managers][Interfacing with window managers]] below for a collection of plugins that let you interact and control xmobar from window managers. ** Icon Patterns Some monitors allow usage of strings that depend on some integer value from 0 to 8 by replacing all occurrences of =%%= with it (i.e. == will be interpreted as == when the value is =3=, also =%= is interpreted as =%=, =%%= as =3=, =%%%= as =3%=, =%%%%= as =33= and so on). Essentially it allows to replace vertical bars with custom icons. For example, #+begin_src haskell Run Brightness [ "-t", "" , "--" , "--brightness-icon-pattern", "" ] 30 #+end_src Will display =bright_0.xpm= to =bright_8.xpm= depending on current brightness value. ** Default monitor arguments :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: default-arguments :END: These are the options available for all monitors: - =-t= /string/ Output template - Template for the monitor output. Field names must be enclosed between pointy brackets (==) and will be substituted by the computed values. You can also specify the foreground (and optionally, background) color for a region by bracketing it between == (or ==) and ==. The rest of the template is output verbatim. - Long option: =--template= - Default value: per monitor (see above). - =-H= /number/ The high threshold. - Numerical values higher than /number/ will be displayed with the color specified by =-h= (see below). - Long option: =--High= - Default value: 66 - =-L= /number/ The low threshold. - Numerical values higher than /number/ and lower than the high threshold will be displayed with the color specified by =-n= (see below). Values lower than /number/ will use the =-l= color. - Long option: =--Low= - Default value: 33 - =-h= /color/ High threshold color. - Color for displaying values above the high threshold. /color/ can be either a name (e.g. "blue") or an hexadecimal RGB (e.g. "#FF0000"). - Long option: =--high= - Default: none (use the default foreground). - =-n= /color/ Color for 'normal' values - Color used for values greater than the low threshold but lower than the high one. - Long option: =--normal= - Default: none (use the default foreground). - =-l= /color/ The low threshold color - Color for displaying values below the low threshold. - Long option: =--low= - Default: none (use the default foreground). - =-S= /boolean/ Display optional suffixes - When set to a true designator ("True", "Yes" or "On"), optional value suffixes such as the '%' symbol or optional units will be displayed. - Long option: =--suffix= - Default: False. - =-p= /number/ Percentages padding - Width, in number of digits, for quantities representing percentages. For instance =-p 3= means that all percentages in the monitor will be represented using 3 digits. - Long option: =--ppad= - Default value: 0 (don't pad) - =-d= /number/ Decimal digits - Number of digits after the decimal period to use in float values. - Long option: =--ddigits= - Default value: 0 (display only integer part) - =-m= /number/ Minimum field width - Minimum width, in number of characters, of the fields in the monitor template. Values whose printed representation is shorter than this value will be padded using the padding characters given by the =-c= option with the alignment specified by =-a= (see below). - Long option: =--minwidth= - Default: 0 - =-M= /number/ Maximum field width - Maximum width, in number of characters, of the fields in the monitor template. Values whose printed representation is longer than this value will be truncated. - Long option: =--maxwidth= - Default: 0 (no maximum width) - =-e= /string/ Maximum width ellipsis - Ellipsis to be added to the field when it has reached its max width. - Long option: =--maxwidthellipsis= - Default: "" (no ellipsis) - =-w= /number/ Fixed field width - All fields will be set to this width, padding or truncating as needed. - Long option: =--width= - Default: 0 (variable width) - =-T= /number/ Maximum total width - Maximum total width of the text. - Long option: =--maxtwidth= - Default: 0 (no limit) - =-E= /string/ Maximum total width ellipsis - Ellipsis to be added to the total text when it has reached its max width. - Long option: =--maxtwidthellipsis= - Default: "" (no ellipsis) - =-c= /string/ - Characters used for padding. The characters of /string/ are used cyclically. E.g., with =-P +- -w 6=, a field with value "foo" will be represented as "+-+foo". - Long option: =--padchars= - Default value: " " - =-a= r|l Field alignment - Whether to use right (r) or left (l) alignment of field values when padding. - Long option: =--align= - Default value: r (padding to the left) - =-b= /string/ Bar background - Characters used, cyclically, to draw the background of bars. For instance, if you set this option to "·.", an empty bar will look like this: =·.·.·.·.·.= - Long option: =--bback= - Default value: ":" - =-f= /string/ Bar foreground - Characters used, cyclically, to draw the foreground of bars. - Long option: =--bfore= - Default value: "#" - =-W= /number/ Bar width - Total number of characters used to draw bars. - Long option: =--bwidth= - Default value: 10 - Special value: 0. When this parameter is 0, the percentage to display is interpreted as a position in the bar foreground string (given by =-f=), and the character at that position is displayed. - =-x= /string/ N/A string - String to be used when the monitor is not available - Long option: =--nastring= - Default value: "N/A" Commands' arguments must be set as a list. E.g.: #+begin_src haskell Run Weather "EGPF" ["-t", ": C"] 36000 #+end_src In this case xmobar will run the weather monitor, getting information for the weather station ID EGPF (Glasgow Airport, as a homage to GHC) every hour (36000 tenth of seconds), with a template that will output something like: #+begin_src shell Glasgow Airport: 16.0C #+end_src ** Battery monitors *** =Battery Args RefreshRate= Same as #+begin_src haskell BatteryP ["BAT", "BAT0", "BAT1", "BAT2"] Args RefreshRate #+end_src *** =BatteryP Dirs Args RefreshRate= :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: batteryp-dirs-args-refreshrate :END: - Aliases to =battery= - Dirs: list of directories in =/sys/class/power_supply/= where to look for the ACPI files of each battery. Example: =["BAT0","BAT1","BAT2"]=. Only up to 3 existing directories will be searched. - Args: default monitor arguments, plus the following specific ones (these options, being specific to the monitor, are to be specified after a =--= in the argument list): - =-O=: string for AC "on" status (default: "On") - =-i=: string for AC "idle" status (default: "On") - =-o=: string for AC "off" status (default: "Off") - =-L=: low power (=watts=) threshold (default: 10) - =-H=: high power threshold (default: 12) - =-l=: color to display power lower than the =-L= threshold - =-m=: color to display power lower than the =-H= threshold - =-h=: color to display power higher than the =-H= threshold - =-p=: color to display positive power (battery charging) - =-f=: file in =/sys/class/power_supply= with AC info (default: "AC/online") - =-A=: a number between 0 and 100, threshold below which the action given by =-a=, if any, is performed (default: 5) - =-a=: a string with a system command that is run when the percentage left in the battery is less or equal than the threshold given by the =-A= option. If not present, no action is undertaken. - =-P=: to include a percentage symbol in =left=. - =--on-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "on" in =leftipat=. - =--off-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "off" in =leftipat=. - =--idle-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "idle" in =leftipat=. - =--lows=: string for AC "off" status and power lower than the =-L= threshold (default: "") - =--mediums=: string for AC "off" status and power lower than the =-H= threshold (default: "") - =--highs=: string for AC "off" status and power higher than the =-H= threshold (default: "") - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =left=, =leftbar=, =leftvbar=, =leftipat=, =timeleft=, =watts=, =acstatus= - Default template: =Batt: , % / = - Example (note that you need "--" to separate regular monitor options from Battery's specific ones): #+begin_src haskell Run BatteryP ["BAT0"] ["-t", " (%)", "-L", "10", "-H", "80", "-p", "3", "--", "-O", "On - ", "-i", "", "-L", "-15", "-H", "-5", "-l", "red", "-m", "blue", "-h", "green", "-a", "notify-send -u critical 'Battery running out!!'", "-A", "3"] 600 #+end_src In the above example, the thresholds before the =--= separator affect only the == and == fields, while those after the separator affect how == is displayed. For this monitor, neither the generic nor the specific options have any effect on ==. We are also telling the monitor to execute the unix command =notify-send= when the percentage left in the battery reaches 6%. It is also possible to specify template variables in the =-O= and =-o= switches, as in the following example: #+begin_src haskell Run BatteryP ["BAT0"] ["-t", "" , "-L", "10", "-H", "80" , "-l", "red", "-h", "green" , "--", "-O", "Charging", "-o", "Battery: %" ] 10 #+end_src - The "idle" AC state is selected whenever the AC power entering the battery is zero. *** =BatteryN Dirs Args RefreshRate Alias= Works like =BatteryP=, but lets you specify an alias for the monitor other than "battery". Useful in case you one separate monitors for more than one battery. ** Cpu and Memory monitors *** =Cpu Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =cpu= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--load-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for cpu load in =ipat= - Thresholds refer to percentage of CPU load - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =total=, =bar=, =vbar=, =ipat=, =user=, =nice=, =system=, =idle=, =iowait= - Default template: =Cpu: %= *** =MultiCpu Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =multicpu= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--load-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for overall cpu load in =ipat=. - =--load-icon-patterns=: dynamic string for each cpu load in =autoipat=, =ipat{i}=. This option can be specified several times. nth option corresponds to nth cpu. - =--fallback-icon-pattern=: dynamic string used by =autoipat= and =ipat{i}= when no =--load-icon-patterns= has been provided for =cpu{i}= - =--contiguous-icons=: flag (no value needs to be provided) that causes the load icons to be drawn without padding. - Thresholds refer to percentage of CPU load - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =autototal=, =autobar=, =autovbar=, =autoipat=, =autouser=, =autonice=, =autosystem=, =autoidle=, =total=, =bar=, =vbar=, =ipat=, =user=, =nice=, =system=, =idle=, =total0=, =bar0=, =vbar0=, =ipat0=, =user0=, =nice0=, =system0=, =idle0=, ... The auto* variables automatically detect the number of CPUs on the system and display one entry for each. - Default template: =Cpu: %= *** =CpuFreq Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =cpufreq= - Args: default monitor arguments - Thresholds refer to frequency in GHz - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =cpu0=, =cpu1=, .., =cpuN=, give the current frequency of the respective CPU core, and =max=, =min= and =avg= the maximum, minimum and average frequency over all available cores. - Default template: =Freq: GHz= - This monitor requires the ~acpi_cpufreq~ module to be loaded in kernel - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run CpuFreq ["-t", "Freq:|GHz", "-L", "0", "-H", "2", "-l", "lightblue", "-n","white", "-h", "red"] 50 Run CpuFreq ["-t", "Freq: GHz", "-L", "0", "-H", "2", "-l", "lightblue", "-n","white", "-h", "red"] 50 #+end_src *** =CoreTemp Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =coretemp= - Args: default monitor arguments - Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =core0=, =core1=, .., =coreN= - Default template: =Temp: C= - This monitor requires coretemp module to be loaded in kernel - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run CoreTemp ["-t", "Temp:|C", "-L", "40", "-H", "60", "-l", "lightblue", "-n", "gray90", "-h", "red"] 50 #+end_src *** =MultiCoreTemp Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =multicoretemp= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--max-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for overall cpu load in =maxipat=. - =--avg-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for overall cpu load in =avgipat=. - =--mintemp=: temperature in degree Celsius, that sets the lower limit for percentage calculation. - =--maxtemp=: temperature in degree Celsius, that sets the upper limit for percentage calculation. - =--hwmon-path=: this monitor tries to find coretemp devices by looking for them in directories following the pattern =/sys/bus/platform/devices/coretemp.*/hwmon/hwmon*=, but some processors (notably Ryzen) might expose those files in a different tree (e.g., Ryzen) puts them somewhere in "/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*", and the lookup is most costly. With this option, it is possible to explicitly specify the full path to the directory where the =tempN_label= and =tempN_input= files are located. - Thresholds refer to temperature in degree Celsius - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =max=, =maxpc=, =maxbar=, =maxvbar=, =maxipat=, =avg=, =avgpc=, =avgbar=, =avgvbar=, =avgipat=, =core0=, =core1=, ..., =coreN= The /pc, /bar, /vbar and /ipat variables are showing percentages on the scale defined by =--mintemp= and =--maxtemp=. The max* and avg* variables to the highest and the average core temperature. - Default template: =Temp: °C - %= - This monitor requires coretemp module to be loaded in kernel - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run MultiCoreTemp ["-t", "Temp: °C | %", "-L", "60", "-H", "80", "-l", "green", "-n", "yellow", "-h", "red", "--", "--mintemp", "20", "--maxtemp", "100"] 50 #+end_src *** =K10Temp Slot Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =k10temp= - Slot: The PCI slot address of the k10temp device as a string. You can find it as a subdirectory in =/sys/bus/pci/drivers/k10temp/=. - Args: default monitor arguments - Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =Tctl=, =Tdie=, =Tccd1=, .., =Tccd8= - Default template: =Temp: C= - This monitor requires k10temp module to be loaded in kernel - It is important to note that not all measurements are available on on all models of processor. Of particular importance - Tdie (used in the default template) may not be present on processors prior to Zen (17h). Tctl, however, may be offset from the real temperature and so is not used by default. - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run K10Temp "0000:00:18.3" ["-t", "Temp: C|C", "-L", "40", "-H", "60", "-l", "lightblue", "-n", "gray90", "-h", "red"] 50 #+end_src *** =Memory Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =memory= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--used-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for used memory ratio in =usedipat=. - =--free-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for free memory ratio in =freeipat=. - =--available-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for available memory ratio in =availableipat=. - =--scale=: sizes (total, free, etc.) are reported in units of ~Mb/scale~, with scale defaulting to 1.0. So, for instance, to get sizes reported in Gb, set this parameter to 1024. - Thresholds refer to percentage of used memory - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =total=, =free=, =buffer=, =cache=, =available=, =used=, =usedratio=, =usedbar=, =usedvbar=, =usedipat=, =freeratio=, =freebar=, =freevbar=, =freeipat=, =availableratio=, =availablebar=, =availablevbar=, =availableipat= - Default template: =Mem: % (M)= - Examples: #+begin_src haskell -- A monitor reporting memory used in Gb Memory [ "-t", " Gb", "--", "--scale", "1024"] 20 -- As above, but using one decimal digit to print numbers Memory [ "-t", " Gb", "-d", "1", "--", "--scale", "1024"] 20 #+end_src *** =Swap Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =swap= - Args: default monitor arguments - Thresholds refer to percentage of used swap - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =total=, =used=, =free=, =usedratio= - Default template: =Swap: %= ** Date monitors *** =Date Format Alias RefreshRate= - Format is a time format string, as accepted by the standard ISO C =strftime= function (or Haskell's =formatCalendarTime=). Basically, if =date +"my-string"= works with your command then =Date= will handle it correctly. - Timezone changes are picked up automatically every minute. - Sample usage: #+begin_src haskell Run Date "%a %b %_d %Y %H:%M:%S" "date" 10 #+end_src *** =DateZone Format Locale Zone Alias RefreshRate= A variant of the =Date= monitor where one is able to explicitly set the time-zone, as well as the locale. - The format of =DateZone= is exactly the same as =Date=. - If =Locale= is =""= (the empty string) the default locale of the system is used, otherwise use the given locale. If there are more instances of =DateZone=, using the empty string as input for =Locale= is not recommended. - =Zone= is the name of the =TimeZone=. It is assumed that the time-zone database is stored in =/usr/share/zoneinfo/=. If the empty string is given as =Zone=, the default system time is used. - Sample usage: #+begin_src haskell Run DateZone "%a %H:%M:%S" "de_DE.UTF-8" "Europe/Vienna" "viennaTime" 10 #+end_src ** Disk monitors *** =DiskU Disks Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =disku= - Disks: list of pairs of the form (device or mount point, template), where the template can contain ==, ==, ==, == or ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, == or == for total, free, used, free percentage and used percentage of the given file system capacity. - Thresholds refer to usage percentage. - Args: default monitor arguments. =-t/--template= is ignored. Plus - =--free-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for free disk space in =freeipat=. - =--used-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for used disk space in =usedipat=. - Default template: none (you must specify a template for each file system). - Example: #+begin_src haskell DiskU [("/", "/"), ("sdb1", "")] ["-L", "20", "-H", "50", "-m", "1", "-p", "3"] 20 #+end_src *** =DiskIO Disks Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =diskio= - Disks: list of pairs of the form (device or mount point, template), where the template can contain ==, ==, == for total, read and write speed, respectively, as well as ==, ==, ==, which report number of bytes during the last refresh period rather than speed. There are also bar versions of each: ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, and ==; and their "bytes" counterparts: ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, ==, and ==. - Thresholds refer to speed in b/s - Args: default monitor arguments. =-t/--template= is ignored. Plus - =--total-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for total disk I/O in ==. - =--write-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for write disk I/O in ==. - =--read-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for read disk I/O in ==. - Default template: none (you must specify a template for each file system). - Example: #+begin_src haskell DiskIO [("/", " "), ("sdb1", "")] [] 10 #+end_src ** Keyboard and screen monitors *** =Kbd Opts= - Registers to XKB/X11-Events and output the currently active keyboard layout. Supports replacement of layout names. - Aliases to =kbd= - Opts is a list of tuples: - first element of the tuple is the search string - second element of the tuple is the corresponding replacement - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Kbd [("us(dvorak)", "DV"), ("us", "US")] #+end_src *** =Brightness Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =bright= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus the following specif ones: - =-D=: directory in =/sys/class/backlight/= with files in it (default: "acpi_video0") - =-C=: file with the current brightness (default: actual_brightness) - =-M=: file with the maximum brightness (default: max_brightness) - =--brightness-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for current brightness in =ipat=. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =vbar=, =percent=, =bar=, =ipat= - Default template: == - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Brightness ["-t", ""] 60 #+end_src *** =Locks= - Displays the status of Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock. - Aliases to =locks= - Contructors: - =Locks= is nullary and uses the strings =CAPS=, =NUM=, =SCROLL= to signal that a lock is enabled (and empty strings to signal it's disabled) - =Locks'= allow customizing the strings for the enabled/disabled states of the 3 locks by accepting an assoc list of type =[(String, (String, String))]=, which is expected to contain exactly 3 elements with keys ="CAPS"=, ="NUM"=, ="SCROLL"=. - Example: #+begin_src haskell -- using default labels Run Locks #+end_src #+begin_src haskell -- using custom labels Run $ Locks' [("CAPS" , ("\xf023", "\xf09c") ) ,("NUM" , ("\xf047", "\xf047" ) ) ,("SCROLL", ("SlOCK", "" ))] #+end_src ** Load and Process monitors *** =Load Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =load= - Args: default monitor arguments. The low and high thresholds (=-L= and =-H=) refer to load average values. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =load1=, =load5=, =load15=. - Default template: =Load: =. - Displays load averages for the last 1, 5 or 15 minutes as reported by, e.g., ~uptime(1)~. The displayed values are float, so that the ~"-d"~ option will control how many decimal digits are shown (zero by default). - Example: to have 2 decimal digits displayed, with a low threshold at 1.0 and a high one at 3, you'd write something like: #+begin_src haskell Run Load ["-t" , " " , "-L", "1", "-H", "3", "-d", "2"]) 300 #+end_src *** =TopProc Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =top= - Args: default monitor arguments. The low and high thresholds (=-L= and =-H=) denote, for memory entries, the percent of the process memory over the total amount of memory currently in use and, for cpu entries, the activity percentage (i.e., the value of =cpuN=, which takes values between 0 and 100). - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =no=, =name1=, =cpu1=, =both1=, =mname1=, =mem1=, =mboth1=, =name2=, =cpu2=, =both2=, =mname2=, =mem2=, =mboth2=, ... - Default template: == - Displays the name and cpu/mem usage of running processes (=bothn= and =mboth= display both, and is useful to specify an overall maximum and/or minimum width, using the =-m/-M= arguments. =no= gives the total number of processes. *** =TopMem Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =topmem= - Args: default monitor arguments. The low and high thresholds (=-L= and =-H=) denote the percent of the process memory over the total amount of memory currently in use. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =name1=, =mem1=, =both1=, =name2=, =mem2=, =both2=, ... - Default template: == - Displays the name and RSS (resident memory size) of running processes (=bothn= displays both, and is useful to specify an overall maximum and/or minimum width, using the =-m/-M= arguments. ** Thermal monitors *** =ThermalZone Number Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to "thermaln": so =ThermalZone 0 []= can be used in template as =%thermal0%= - Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees - Args: default monitor arguments - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =temp= - Default template: =C= - This plugin works only on systems with devices having thermal zone. Check directories in =/sys/class/thermal= for possible values of the zone number (e.g., 0 corresponds to =thermal_zone0= in that directory). - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run ThermalZone 0 ["-t",": C"] 30 #+end_src *** =Thermal Zone Args RefreshRate= - *This plugin is deprecated. Use =ThermalZone= instead.* - Aliases to the Zone: so =Thermal "THRM" []= can be used in template as =%THRM%= - Args: default monitor arguments - Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =temp= - Default template: =Thm: C= - This plugin works only on systems with devices having thermal zone. Check directories in /proc/acpi/thermal_zone for possible values. - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Thermal "THRM" ["-t","iwl4965-temp: C"] 50 #+end_src ** Volume monitors *** =Volume Mixer Element Args RefreshRate= :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: volume :END: - Aliases to the mixer name and element name separated by a colon. Thus, =Volume "default" "Master" [] 10= can be used as =%default:Master%=. - Args: default monitor arguments. Also accepts: - =-O= /string/ On string - The string used in place of == when the mixer element is on. Defaults to "[on]". - Long option: =--on= - =-o= /string/ Off string - The string used in place of == when the mixer element is off. Defaults to "[off]". - Long option: =--off= - =-C= /color/ On color - The color to be used for == when the mixer element is on. Defaults to "green". - Long option: =--onc= - =-c= /color/ Off color - The color to be used for == when the mixer element is off. Defaults to "red". - Long option: =--offc= - =--highd= /number/ High threshold for dB. Defaults to -5.0. - =--lowd= /number/ Low threshold for dB. Defaults to -30.0. - =--volume-icon-pattern= /string/ dynamic string for current volume in =volumeipat=. - =-H= /number/ High threshold for volume (in %). Defaults to 60.0. - Long option: =--highv= - =-L= /number/ Low threshold for volume (in %). Defaults to 20.0. - Long option: =--lowv= - =-h=: /string/ High string - The string added in front of == when the mixer element is on and the volume percentage is higher than the =-H= threshold. Defaults to "". - Long option: =--highs= - =-m=: /string/ Medium string - The string added in front of == when the mixer element is on and the volume percentage is lower than the =-H= threshold. Defaults to "". - Long option: =--mediums= - =-l=: /string/ Low string - The string added in front of == when the mixer element is on and the volume percentage is lower than the =-L= threshold. Defaults to "". - Long option: =--lows= - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =volume=, =volumebar=, =volumevbar=, =volumeipat=, =dB=, =status=, =volumestatus= - Note that =dB= might only return 0 on your system. This is known to happen on systems with a pulseaudio backend. - Default template: =Vol: % = - Requires the package [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/alsa-core][alsa-core]] and [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/alsa-mixer][alsa-mixer]] installed in your system. In addition, to activate this plugin you must pass the =with_alsa= flag during compilation. *** =Alsa Mixer Element Args= Like [[#volume][Volume]] but with the following differences: - Uses event-based refreshing via =alsactl monitor= instead of polling, so it will refresh instantly when there's a volume change, and won't use CPU until a change happens. - Aliases to =alsa:= followed by the mixer name and element name separated by a colon. Thus, =Alsa "default" "Master" []= can be used as =%alsa:default:Master%=. - Additional options (after the =--=): - =--alsactl=/path/to/alsactl=: If this option is not specified, =alsactl= will be sought in your =PATH= first, and failing that, at =/usr/sbin/alsactl= (this is its location on Debian systems. =alsactl monitor= works as a non-root user despite living in =/usr/sbin=.). - =stdbuf= (from coreutils) must be (and most probably already is) in your =PATH=. ** Mail monitors *** =Mail Args Alias= - Args: list of maildirs in form =[("name1","path1"),...]=. Paths may start with a '~' to expand to the user's home directory. - This plugin requires inotify support in your Linux kernel and the [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hinotify/][hinotify]] package. To activate, pass the =with_inotify= flag during compilation. - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Mail [("inbox", "~/var/mail/inbox"), ("lists", "~/var/mail/lists")] "mail" #+end_src *** =MailX Args Opts Alias= - Args: list of maildirs in form =[("name1","path1","color1"),...]=. Paths may start with a '~' to expand to the user's home directory. When mails are present, counts are displayed with the given name and color. - Opts is a possibly empty list of options, as flags. Possible values: -d dir --dir dir a string giving the base directory where maildir files with a relative path live. -p prefix --prefix prefix a string giving a prefix for the list of displayed mail counts -s suffix --suffix suffix a string giving a suffix for the list of displayed mail counts - This plugin requires inotify support in your Linux kernel and the [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hinotify/][hinotify]] package. To activate, pass the =with_inotify= flag during compilation. - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run MailX [("I", "inbox", "green"), ("L", "lists", "orange")] ["-d", "~/var/mail", "-p", " ", "-s", " "] "mail" #+end_src *** =MBox Mboxes Opts Alias= - Mboxes a list of mbox files of the form =[("name", "path", "color")]=, where name is the displayed name, path the absolute or relative (to BaseDir) path of the mbox file, and color the color to use to display the mail count (use an empty string for the default). - Opts is a possibly empty list of options, as flags. Possible values: -a --all (no arg) Show all mailboxes, even if empty. -u (no arg) Show only the mailboxes' names, sans counts. -d dir --dir dir a string giving the base directory where mbox files with a relative path live. -p prefix --prefix prefix a string giving a prefix for the list of displayed mail counts -s suffix --suffix suffix a string giving a suffix for the list of displayed mail counts - Paths may start with a '~' to expand to the user's home directory. - This plugin requires inotify support in your Linux kernel and the [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hinotify/][hinotify]] package. To activate, pass the =with_inotify= flag during compilation. - Example. The following command look for mails in =/var/mail/inbox= and =~/foo/mbox=, and will put a space in front of the printed string (when it's not empty); it can be used in the template with the alias =mbox=: #+begin_src haskell Run MBox [("I ", "inbox", "red"), ("O ", "~/foo/mbox", "")] ["-d", "/var/mail/", "-p", " "] "mbox" #+end_src *** =NotmuchMail Alias Args Rate= This plugin checks for new mail, provided that this mail is indexed by =notmuch=. In the =notmuch= spirit, this plugin checks for new *threads* and not new individual messages. - Alias: What name the plugin should have in your template string. - Args: A list of =MailItem= s of the form #+begin_src haskell [ MailItem "name" "address" "query" ... ] #+end_src where - =name= is what gets printed in the status bar before the number of new threads. - =address= is the e-mail address of the recipient, i.e. we only query mail that was send to this particular address (in more concrete terms, we pass the address to the =to:= constructor when performing the search). If =address= is empty, we search through all unread mail, regardless of whom it was sent to. - =query= is funneled to =notmuch search= verbatim. For the general query syntax, consult =notmuch search --help=, as well as =notmuch-search-terms(7)=. Note that the =unread= tag is *always* added in front of the query and composed with it via an *and*. - Rate: Rate with which to update the plugin (in deciseconds). - Example: - A single =MailItem= that displays all unread threads from the given address: #+begin_src haskell MailItem "mbs:" "soliditsallgood@mailbox.org" "" #+end_src - A single =MailItem= that displays all unread threads with "[My-Subject]" somewhere in the title: #+begin_src haskell MailItem "S:" "" "subject:[My-Subject]" #+end_src - A full example of a =NotmuchMail= configuration: #+begin_src haskell Run NotmuchMail "mail" -- name for the template string [ -- All unread mail to the below address, but nothing that's tagged -- with @lists@ or @haskell@. MailItem "mbs:" "soliditsallgood@mailbox.org" "not tag:lists and not tag:haskell" -- All unread mail that has @[Haskell-Cafe]@ in the subject line. , MailItem "C:" "" "subject:[Haskell-Cafe]" -- All unread mail that's tagged as @lists@, but not @haskell@. , MailItem "H:" "" "tag:lists and not tag:haskell" ] 600 -- update every 60 seconds #+end_src ** Music monitors *** =MPD Args RefreshRate= - This monitor will only be compiled if you ask for it using the =with_mpd= flag. It needs [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/libmpd/][libmpd]] 5.0 or later (available on Hackage). - Aliases to =mpd= - Args: default monitor arguments. In addition you can provide =-P=, =-S= and =-Z=, with an string argument, to represent the playing, stopped and paused states in the =statei= template field. The environment variables =MPD_HOST= and =MPD_PORT= are used to configure the mpd server to communicate with, unless given in the additional arguments =-p= (=--port=) and =-h= (=--host=). Also available: - =lapsed-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for current track position in =ipat=. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =bar=, =vbar=, =ipat=, =state=, =statei=, =volume=, =length=, =lapsed=, =remaining=, =plength= (playlist length), =ppos= (playlist position), =flags= (ncmpcpp-style playback mode), =name=, =artist=, =composer=, =performer=, =album=, =title=, =track=, =file=, =genre=, =date= - Default template: =MPD: = - Example (note that you need "--" to separate regular monitor options from MPD's specific ones): #+begin_src haskell Run MPD ["-t", " (<album>) <track>/<plength> <statei> [<flags>]", "--", "-P", ">>", "-Z", "|", "-S", "><"] 10 #+end_src *** =MPDX Args RefreshRate Alias= Like =MPD= but uses as alias its last argument instead of "mpd". *** =Mpris1 PlayerName Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =mpris1= - Requires [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/dbus][dbus]] and [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/text][text]] packages. To activate, pass the =with_mpris= flag during compilation. - PlayerName: player supporting MPRIS v1 protocol. Some players need this to be an all lowercase name (e.g. "spotify"), but some others don't. - Args: default monitor arguments. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =album=, =artist=, =arturl=, =length=, =title=, =tracknumber= - Default template: =<artist> - <title>= - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Mpris1 "clementine" ["-t", "<artist> - [<tracknumber>] <title>"] 10 #+end_src *** =Mpris2 PlayerName Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =mpris2= - Requires [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/dbus][dbus]] and [[http://hackage.haskell.org/package/text][text]] packages. To activate, pass the =with_mpris= flag during compilation. - PlayerName: player supporting MPRIS v2 protocol. Some players need this to be an all lowercase name (e.g. "spotify"), but some others don't. - Args: default monitor arguments. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =album=, =artist=, =arturl=, =length=, =title=, =tracknumber=, =composer=, =genre= - Default template: =<artist> - <title>= - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run Mpris2 "spotify" ["-t", "<artist> - [<composer>] <title>"] 10 #+end_src ** Network monitors *** =Network Interface Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to the interface name: so =Network "eth0" []= can be used as =%eth0%= - Thresholds refer to velocities expressed in B/s - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--rx-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for reception rate in =rxipat=. - =--tx-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for transmission rate in =txipat=. - =--up=: string used for the =up= variable value when the interface is up. - Variables that can be used with the =-t=/=--template= argument: =dev=, =rx=, =tx=, =rxbar=, =rxvbar=, =rxipat=, =txbar=, =txvbar=, =txipat=, =up=. Reception and transmission rates (=rx= and =tx=) are displayed by default as KB/s, without any suffixes, but you can set the =-S= to "True" to make them displayed with adaptive units (KB/s, MB/s, etc.). - Default template: =<dev>: <rx>KB|<tx>KB= *** =DynNetwork Args RefreshRate= - Active interface is detected automatically - Aliases to "dynnetwork" - Thresholds are expressed in B/s - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--rx-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for reception rate in =rxipat=. - =--tx-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for transmission rate in =txipat= - =--devices=: comma-separated list of devices to show. - Variables that can be used with the =-t=/=--template= argument: =dev=, =rx=, =tx=, =rxbar=, =rxvbar=, =rxipat=, =txbar=, =txvbar=, =txipat=. Reception and transmission rates (=rx= and =tx=) are displayed in Kbytes per second, and you can set the =-S= to "True" to make them displayed with units (the string "KB/s"). - Default template: =<dev>: <rx>KB|<tx>KB= - Example of usage of =--devices= option: =["--", "--devices", "wlp2s0,enp0s20f41"]= *** =Wireless Interface Args RefreshRate= - If set to "", first suitable wireless interface is used. - Aliases to the interface name with the suffix "wi": thus, =Wireless "wlan0" []= can be used as =%wlan0wi%=, and =Wireless "" []= as =%wi%=. - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--quality-icon-pattern=: dynamic string for connection quality in =qualityipat=. - Variables that can be used with the =-t=/=--template= argument: =ssid=, =signal=, =quality=, =qualitybar=, =qualityvbar=, =qualityipat= - Thresholds refer to link quality on a =[0, 100]= scale. Note that =quality= is calculated from =signal= (in dBm) by a possibly lossy conversion. It is also not taking into account many factors such as noise level, air busy time, transcievers' capabilities and the others which can have drastic impact on the link performance. - Default template: =<ssid> <quality>= - To activate this plugin you must pass the =with_nl80211= or the =with_iwlib= flag during compilation. ** Weather monitors :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: weather-monitors :END: *** =Weather StationID Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to the Station ID: so =Weather "LIPB" []= can be used in template as =%LIPB%= - Thresholds refer to temperature in the selected units - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--weathers= /string/ : display a default string when the =weather= variable is not reported. - short option: =-w= - Default: "" - =--useManager= /bool/ : Whether to use one single manager per monitor for managing network connections or create a new one every time a connection is made. - Short option: =-m= - Default: True - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =station=, =stationState=, =year=, =month=, =day=, =hour=, =windCardinal=, =windAzimuth=, =windMph=, =windKnots=, =windMs=, =windKmh= =visibility=, =skyCondition=, =weather=, =tempC=, =tempF=, =dewPointC=, =dewPointF=, =rh=, =pressure= - Default template: =<station>: <tempC>C, rh <rh>% (<hour>)= - Retrieves weather information from http://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov. Here is an [[https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/observations/metar/decoded/CYLD.TXT][example]], also showcasing the kind of information that may be extracted. Here is [[https://weather.rap.ucar.edu/surface/stations.txt][a sample list of station IDs]]. *** =WeatherX StationID SkyConditions Args RefreshRate= - Works in the same way as =Weather=, but takes an additional argument, a list of pairs from sky conditions to their replacement (typically a unicode string or an icon specification). - Use the variable =skyConditionS= or =weatherS= to display the replacement of the corresponding sky condition. =weatherS= uses the string returned by =weather= to look up a replacement, and, if that one is not found, it looks up the value of =skyConditionS=. All other =Weather= template variables are available as well. For example: #+begin_src haskell WeatherX "LEBL" [ ("clear", "🌣") , ("sunny", "🌣") , ("mostly clear", "🌤") , ("mostly sunny", "🌤") , ("partly sunny", "⛅") , ("fair", "🌑") , ("cloudy","☁") , ("overcast","☁") , ("partly cloudy", "⛅") , ("mostly cloudy", "🌧") , ("considerable cloudiness", "⛈")] ["-t", "<fn=2><skyConditionS></fn> <tempC>° <rh>% <windKmh> (<hour>)" , "-L","10", "-H", "25", "--normal", "black" , "--high", "lightgoldenrod4", "--low", "darkseagreen4"] 18000 #+end_src As mentioned, the replacement string can also be an icon specification, such as =("clear", "<icon=weather-clear.xbm/>")=. *** =UVMeter= - Aliases to "uv" + station id. For example: =%uv Brisbane%= or =%uv Alice Springs%= - Args: default monitor arguments, plus: - =--useManager= /bool/ : Whether to use one single manager per monitor for managing network connections or create a new one every time a connection is made. - Short option: =-m= - Default: True - /Reminder:/ Keep the refresh rate high, to avoid making unnecessary requests every time the plug-in is run. - Station IDs can be found here: http://www.arpansa.gov.au/uvindex/realtime/xml/uvvalues.xml - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run UVMeter "Brisbane" ["-H", "3", "-L", "3", "--low", "green", "--high", "red"] 900 #+end_src ** Other monitors and plugins *** =CatInt n filename= - Reads and displays an integer from the file whose path is =filename= (especially useful with files in =/sys=). - Aliases as =catn= (e.g. =Cat 0= as =cat0=, etc.) so you can have several. - Example: #+begin_src haskell Run CatInt 0 "/sys/devices/platform/thinkpad_hwmon/fan1_input" [] 50 #+end_src *** =CommandReader "/path/to/program" Alias= - Runs the given program, and displays its standard output. *** =Uptime Args RefreshRate= - Aliases to =uptime= - Args: default monitor arguments. The low and high thresholds refer to the number of days. - Variables that can be used with the =-t/--template= argument: =days=, =hours=, =minutes=, =seconds=. The total uptime is the sum of all those fields. You can set the =-S= argument to =True= to add units to the display of those numeric fields. - Default template: =Up: <days>d <hours>h <minutes>m= *** =ArchUpdates (Zero, One, Many) Rate= - Aliases to =arch= - =Zero=: a =String= to use when the system is up to date. - =One=: a =String= to use when only one update is available. - =Many=: a =String= to use when several updates are available; it must contain a =?= character as a placeholder for the number of updates. - Example: #+begin_src haskell ArchUpdates ("<fc=green>up to date</fc>", "<fc=yellow>1 update</fc>, "<fc=red>? updates</fc>") 600 #+end_src *** =makeAccordion Tuning [Runnable]= - Wraps other =Runnable= plugins and makes them all collapsible to a single string: [[file:accordion.gif]] - Aliases to =alias' tuning=, being =tuning= of type =Tuning=, so one can use multiple such "accordions" - **Disclaimer**: This only works for Haskell =xmobar.hs= - =Tuning=: the "settings", for which a default value is provided, #+begin_src haskell defaultTuning = Tuning { alias' = "accordion" , initial = True , expand = "<>" , shrink = "><" } #+end_src - =expand=: =String= shown when the accordion is contracted (defaults to ="<>"=). - =shrink=: =String= shown when the accordion is expanded (defaults to ="><"=). - =initial=: =Bool= to tell whether the accordion is initially expanded (defaults to =True=). - =[Runnable]=: a list of =Runnable= plugins * Interfacing with window managers :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: interfacing-with-window-managers :END: ** Property-based logging *** =XMonadLog= - Aliases to XMonadLog - Displays information from xmonad's =_XMONAD_LOG=. You can use this by using functions from the [[https://hackage.haskell.org/package/xmonad-contrib-0.16/docs/XMonad-Hooks-DynamicLog.html][XMonad.Hooks.DynamicLog]] module. By using the =xmonadPropLog= function in your logHook, you can write the the above property. The following shows a minimal xmonad configuration that spawns xmobar and then writes to the =_XMONAD_LOG= property. #+begin_src haskell main = do spawn "xmobar" xmonad $ def { logHook = dynamicLogString defaultPP >>= xmonadPropLog } #+end_src This plugin can be used as a sometimes more convenient alternative to =StdinReader=. For instance, it allows you to (re)start xmobar outside xmonad. *** =UnsafeXMonadLog= :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: UnsafeXMonadLog :END: - Aliases to UnsafeXMonadLog - Displays any text received by xmobar on the =_XMONAD_LOG= atom. - Will not do anything to the text received. This means you can pass xmobar dynamic actions. Be careful to escape (using =<raw=…>=) or remove tags from dynamic text that you pipe through to xmobar in this way. - Sample usage: Send the list of your workspaces, enclosed by actions tags, to xmobar. This enables you to switch to a workspace when you click on it in xmobar! #+begin_src shell <action=`xdotool key alt+1`>ws1</action> <action=`xdotool key alt+1`>ws2</action> #+end_src - If you use xmonad, It is advised that you still use =xmobarStrip= for the =ppTitle= in your logHook: #+begin_src haskell myPP = defaultPP { ppTitle = xmobarStrip } main = xmonad $ def { logHook = dynamicLogString myPP >>= xmonadPropLog } #+end_src *** =XPropertyLog PropName= - Aliases to =PropName= - Reads the X property named by =PropName= (a string) and displays its value. The [[https://codeberg.org/xmobar/xmobar/src/branch/master/etc/xmonadpropwrite.hs][etc/xmonadpropwrite.hs script]] in xmobar's distribution can be used to set the given property from the output of any other program or script. *** =UnsafeXPropertyLog PropName= - Aliases to =PropName= - Same as =XPropertyLog= but the input is not filtered to avoid injection of actions (cf. =UnsafeXMonadLog=). The program writing the value of the read property is responsible of performing any needed cleanups. *** =NamedXPropertyLog PropName Alias= - Aliases to =Alias= - Same as =XPropertyLog= but a custom alias can be specified. *** =UnsafeNamedXPropertyLog PropName Alias= - Aliases to =Alias= - Same as =UnsafeXPropertyLog=, but a custom alias can be specified. ** Logging via Stdin *** =StdinReader= - Aliases to StdinReader - Displays any text received by xmobar on its standard input. - Strips actions from the text received. This means you can't pass dynamic actions via stdin. This is safer than =UnsafeStdinReader= because there is no need to escape the content before passing it to xmobar's standard input. *** =UnsafeStdinReader= - Aliases to UnsafeStdinReader - Displays any text received by xmobar on its standard input. - Similar to [[#UnsafeXMonadLog][UnsafeXMonadLog]], in the sense that it does not strip any actions from the received text, only using =stdin= and not a property atom of the root window. Please be equally carefully when using this as when using =UnsafeXMonadLog=! ** Pipe-based logging *** =PipeReader "default text:/path/to/pipe" Alias= - Reads its displayed output from the given pipe. - Prefix an optional default text separated by a colon - Expands environment variables in the first argument of syntax =${VAR}= or =$VAR= *** =MarqueePipeReader "default text:/path/to/pipe" (length, rate, sep) Alias= - Generally equivalent to PipeReader - Text is displayed as marquee with the specified length, rate in 10th seconds and separator when it wraps around #+begin_src haskell Run MarqueePipeReader "/tmp/testpipe" (10, 7, "+") "mpipe" #+end_src - Expands environment variables in the first argument *** =BufferedPipeReader Alias [(Timeout, Bool, "/path/to/pipe1"), ..]= - Display data from multiple pipes. - Timeout (in tenth of seconds) is the value after which the previous content is restored i.e. if there was already something from a previous pipe it will be put on display again, overwriting the current status. - A pipe with Timeout of 0 will be displayed permanently, just like =PipeReader= - The boolean option indicates whether new data for this pipe should make xmobar appear (unhide, reveal). In this case, the Timeout additionally specifies when the window should be hidden again. The output is restored in any case. - Use it for OSD-like status bars e.g. for setting the volume or brightness: #+begin_src haskell Run BufferedPipeReader "bpr" [ ( 0, False, "/tmp/xmobar_window" ) , ( 15, True, "/tmp/xmobar_status" ) ] #+end_src Have your window manager send window titles to =/tmp/xmobar_window=. They will always be shown and not reveal your xmobar. Sending some status information to =/tmp/xmobar_status= will reveal xmonad for 1.5 seconds and temporarily overwrite the window titles. - Take a look at [[https://codeberg.org/xmobar/xmobar/src/branch/master/etc/status.sh][etc/status.sh]] - Expands environment variables for the pipe path ** Handle-based logging *** =HandleReader Handle Alias= - Display data from a Haskell =Handle= - This plugin is only useful if you are running xmobar from another Haskell program like XMonad. - You can use =System.Process.createPipe= to create a pair of =read= & =write= Handles. Pass the =read= Handle to HandleReader and write your output to the =write= Handle: #+begin_src haskell (readHandle, writeHandle) <- createPipe xmobarProcess <- forkProcess $ xmobar myConfig { commands = Run (HandleReader readHandle "handle") : commands myConfig } hPutStr writeHandle "Hello World" #+end_src ** Software Transactional Memory When invoking xmobar from other Haskell code it can be easier and more performant to use shared memory. The following plugins leverage =Control.Concurrent.STM= to realize these gains for xmobar. *** =QueueReader (TQueue a) (a -> String) String= - Display data from a Haskell =TQueue a=. - This plugin is only useful if you are running xmobar from another haskell program like xmonad. - You should make an =IO= safe =TQueue a= with =Control.Concurrent.STM.newTQueueIO=. Write to it from the user code with =writeTQueue=, and read with =readTQueue=. A common use is to overwite =ppOutput= from =XMonad.Hooks.DynamicLog= as shown below. #+begin_src haskell main :: IO () main = do initThreads q <- STM.newTQueueIO @String bar <- forkOS $ xmobar myConf { commands = Run (QueueReader q id "XMonadLog") : commands myConf } xmonad $ def { logHook = logWorkspacesToQueue q } logWorkspacesToQueue :: STM.TQueue String -> X () logWorkspacesToQueue q = dynamicLogWithPP def { ppOutput = STM.atomically . STM.writeTQueue q } #+end_src Note that xmonad uses blocking Xlib calls in its event loop and isn't normally compiled with [[https://downloads.haskell.org/~ghc/latest/docs/html/users_guide/using-concurrent.html][the threaded RTS]] so an xmobar thread running inside xmonad will suffer from delayed updates. It is thus necessary to enable =-threaded= when compiling xmonad configuration (=xmonad.hs=), e.g. by using a custom =~/.xmonad/build= script. * Executing external commands In order to execute an external command you can either write the command name in the template, in this case it will be executed without arguments, or you can configure it in the "commands" configuration option list with the Com template command: =Com ProgramName Args Alias RefreshRate= - ProgramName: the name of the program - Args: the arguments to be passed to the program at execution time - RefreshRate: number of tenths of second between re-runs of the command. A zero or negative rate means that the command will be executed only once. - Alias: a name to be used in the template. If the alias is en empty string the program name can be used in the template. E.g.: #+begin_src haskell Run Com "uname" ["-s","-r"] "" 0 #+end_src can be used in the output template as =%uname%= (and xmobar will call /uname/ only once), while #+begin_src haskell Run Com "date" ["+\"%a %b %_d %H:%M\""] "mydate" 600 #+end_src can be used in the output template as =%mydate%=. Sometimes, you don't mind if the command executed exits with an error, or you might want to display a custom message in that case. To that end, you can use the =ComX= variant: =ComX ProgramName Args ExitMessage Alias RefreshRate= Works like =Com=, but displaying =ExitMessage= (a string) if the execution fails. For instance: #+begin_src haskell Run ComX "date" ["+\"%a %b %_d %H:%M\""] "N/A" "mydate" 600 #+end_src will display "N/A" if for some reason the =date= invocation fails.