Awesome

polify - Update polybar hookmodules in a safe and smooth way

See the live action raw uncut demonstration video on youtube: https://youtu.be/XDUQd4VN4cQ

installation

If you use Arch Linux you can get polify from AUR.

polify have no dependencies and all you need is the polify script in your PATH. Use the Makefile to do a systemwide installation of both the script and the manpage.

(configure the installation destination in the Makefile, if needed)

$ git clone https://github.com/budlabs/polify.git
$ cd polify
# make install
$ polify -v
polify - version: 2019.08.05.1
updated: 2019-08-05 by budRich

USAGE

For polify to work, there needs to be at least one module of the type custom/ipc and the setting enable-ipc needs to be set to true in the polybar configuration file.

~/.config/polybar/config

[bar/example]
enable-ipc = true

...

[module/polifyModule1]
type = custom/ipc
hook-0 = polify --module polifyModule1

...

When polify is executed with only the --module MODULE_NAME option, all it will do is cat the content of the file: /tmp/polify/MODULE_NAME (or echo a blank line if the file doesn't exist). When this is done from a polybar module it will set the modules text to the last line of the file.

Any arguments to the polify command that doesn't belong to an option, will get redirected (and formatted if needed or requested) to /tmp/polify/MODULE_NAME. Then the command polybar-msg hook MODULE_NAME 1 will get executed by polify, causing the module to get updated.

EXAMPLE:

$ polify --module polifyModule1 testing one three four

this will first create (or overwrite) the file: /tmp/polify/polifyModule1 with the single line: testing one three four

then the command: polybar-msg hook polifyModule1 1 is automatically executed, triggering the first hook to execute: (polify --module polifyModule1), which in turn will update the module with the string: "testing one three four"

The --expire-time SECONDS option can be used to clear the module when SECONDS have passed. It is also possible to manually clear a module with the --clear option.

The text can be forced to have a specific background, foreground or mouse-button actions. It is also possible to prefix the string with another string, the prefix in turn can have different colors and actions:

EXAMPLE:

$ polify --module polifyModule1 \
    --foreground '#FF00FF' \
    --background '#000000' \
    --rightclick 'notify-send "polify rc"' \
    --prefix "test module: " \
    --foreground-prefix '#FFF000' \
    --background-prefix '#0000FF' \
    --leftclick-prefix 'notify-send "clicking prefix"' \
    this is the main string


$ cat /tmp/polify/polifyModule1
%{F#FFF000}%{B#0000FF}%{A1:notify-send "clicking prefix":}test module: %{A}%{F-}%{B-}%{F#FF00FF}%{B#000000}%{A3:notify-send "polify rc":}this is the main string%{F-}%{B-}%{A}

Since only the last line of the file is the one that will be visible in the bar, it is possible to write and read text to the file and use them to f.i. store the state of a module. This is conveniently done by using the --msg MESSAGE option.

polify is shipped with the script polifypop, which can be used to execute commands on the --msgline. It will only execute a command if it is prefixed with the word POLIPOP. And the first argument to polifypop needs to be the name of the module, it is cool to bind polifypop to a hotkey...

$ polify --module polifyModule1 --msg "mode1" --foreground '#FF0000' this is mode one
$ cat /tmp/polify/polifyModule1 | head -1
mode1

$ polify --module polifyModule1 --msg "POLIPOP notify-send 'hello pop'" hello bar
$ polifypop polifyModule1

polifymodetoggler.sh

#!/bin/bash

thisscript="$(readlink -f "$0")"

if [[ $(polify --module polifyModule1 | head -1) = mode1 ]]; then
    polify --module polifyModule1   \
           --leftclick "$thisscript"    \
           --foreground '#00FF00'       \
           --msg "mode2"                \
           this is mode two
else 
    polify --module polifyModule1   \
           --leftclick "$thisscript"    \
           --foreground '#FF0000'       \
           --msg "mode1"                \
           this is mode one
fi

If you are using multiple polybars you can use the --pid PID option to specify which polybar process to work with.

OPTIONS

polify --module|-o TARGET-MODULE [OPTIONS] [MESSAGE]
polify --module|-o TARGET-MODULE [--pid|-p PID] [--foreground|-f COLOR] [--background|-b COLOR] [--leftclick|-l COMMAND] [--rightclick|-r COMMAND] [--middleclick|-m COMMAND] [--scrollup|-u COMMAND] [--scrolldown|-d COMMAND] [--prefix|-e STRING [ [--foreground-prefix|-F COLOR]  [--background-prefix|-B COLOR] [--leftclick-prefix|-L COMMAND] [--rightclick-prefix|-R COMMAND] [--middleclick-prefix|-M COMMAND] [--scrollup-prefix|-U COMMAND] [--scrolldown-prefix|-D COMMAND] ] [--expire-time|-t SECONDS] [--msg|-s MESSAGE] [MESSAGE]
polify --module|-o TARGET-MODULE [--pid|-p PID] --clear|-x
polify --help|-h
polify --version|-v

--module|-o TARGET-MODULE
Name of target module

--pid|-p PID
If set the specified polybar PID process will be used.

--foreground|-f COLOR
Hexadecimal color value for MESSAGE foreground color.

--background|-b COLOR
Hexadecimal color value for MESSAGE background color.

--leftclick|-l COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when MESSAGE is left-clicked

--rightclick|-r COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when MESSAGE is right-clicked

--middleclick|-m COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when MESSAGE is middle-clicked

--scrollup|-u COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when MESSAGE is scrolled up.

--scrolldown|-d COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when MESSAGE is scrolled down.

--prefix|-e STRING
PREFIX text

--foreground-prefix|-F COLOR
Hexadecimal color value for PREFIX foreground color.

--background-prefix|-B COLOR
Hexadecimal color value for PREFIX background color.

--leftclick-prefix|-L COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when PREFIX is left-clicked

--rightclick-prefix|-R COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when PREFIX is right-clicked

--middleclick-prefix|-M COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when PREFIX is middle-clicked

--scrollup-prefix|-U COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when PREFIX is scrolled up.

--scrolldown-prefix|-D COMMAND
COMMAND will get executed when PREFIX is scrolled down.

--expire-time|-t SECONDS
If set module will get cleared after SECONDS

--msg|-s MESSAGE
Will get added to the module text file before the actual message/prefix. Can be used to store information such as the current state of the module

--clear|-x
Clears the module.

--help|-h
Show help and exit.

--version|-v
Show version and exit.

UPDATES

2019.08.05.0

Added polifypop.

2019.08.05.0

Initial release.

LICENSE

polify is licensed with the MIT license