xmobar - a minimalistic status bar

1 About

xmobar is a minimalistic, mostly text based, status bar. It was originally designed and implemented by Andrea Rossato to work with xmonad, but it's actually usable with any window-manager.

xmobar was inspired by the Ion3 status bar, and supports similar features, like dynamic color management, icons, output templates, and extensibility through plugins.

This page documents xmobar 0.24.5 (see release notes).

This screenshot shows xmobar running under sawfish, with antialiased fonts. And this one is my desktop with xmonad and two instances of xmobar.

2 Bug Reports

To submit bug reports you can use the bug tracker over at Github or send mail to our Mailing list.

Note: the old bug tracker at Google code is deprecated. Please use Github's for new bugs.

3 Installation

3.1 Using cabal-install

Xmobar is available from Hackage, and you can install it using cabal-install :

cabal install xmobar

See below for a list of optional compilation flags that will enable some optional plugins. For instance, to install xmobar with all the bells and whistles, use:

cabal install xmobar --flags="all_extensions"

3.2 From source

If you don't have cabal-install installed, you can get xmobar's source code in a variety of ways:

From Hackage. Just download the latest release from xmobar's hackage page.

From Github. You can also obtain a tarball in Github's downloads page. You'll find there links to each tagged release.

From the bleeding edge repo. If you prefer to live dangerously, just get the latest and greatest (and buggiest, I guess) using git: git clone git://github.com/jaor/xmobar

If you have cabal installed, you can now use it from within xmobar's source tree:

cabal install -fall_extensions

Otherwise, run the configure script:

runhaskell Setup.lhs configure # To enable UTF-8 support run: runhaskell Setup.lhs configure --flags="with_utf8" # To enable both XFT and UTF-8 support run: runhaskell Setup.lhs configure --flags="with_xft" # To enable all extensions runhaskell Setup.lhs configure --flags="all_extensions"

Now you can build the source:

runhaskell Setup.lhs build runhaskell Setup.lhs install # possibly to be run as root

3.3 Optional features

You can configure xmobar to include some optional plugins and features, which are not compiled by default. To that end, you need to add one or more flags to either the cabal install command or the configure setup step, as shown in the examples above.

Extensions need additional libraries (listed below) that will be automatically downloaded and installed if you're using cabal install. Otherwise, you'll need to install them yourself.

with_dbus Enables support for DBUS by making xmobar to publish a service on the session bus. Requires the dbus package. with_threaded Uses GHC's threaded runtime. Use this option if xmobar enters a high-CPU regime right after starting. with_utf8 UTF-8 support. Requires the utf8-string package. with_xft Antialiased fonts. Requires the X11-xft package. This option automatically enables UTF-8. To use XFT fonts you need to use the xft: prefix in the font configuration option. For instance: font = "xft:Times New Roman-10:italic" Or to have fallback fonts, just separate them by commas: font = "xft:Open Sans:size=9,WenQuanYi Zen Hei:size=9" with_mpd Enables support for the MPD daemon. Requires the libmpd package. with_mpris Enables support for MPRIS v1/v2 protocol. Requires the dbus and text packages. with_inotify Support for inotify in modern Linux kernels. This option is needed for the MBox and Mail plugins to work. Requires the hinotify package. with_iwlib Support for wireless cards. Enables the Wireless plugin. No Haskell library is required, but you will need the iwlib C library and headers in your system (e.g., install libiw-dev in Debian-based systems or wireless_tools on Arch Linux). with_alsa Support for ALSA sound cards. Enables the Volume plugin. Requires the alsa-mixer package. To install the latter, you'll need the libasound C library and headers in your system (e.g., install libasound2-dev in Debian-based systems). with_datezone Support for other timezones. Enables the DateZone plugin. Requires timezone-olson and timezone-series package. with_xpm Support for xpm image file format. This will allow loading .xpm files in <icon> . Requires the libXpm C library. with_uvmeter Enables UVMeter plugin. The plugin shows UV data for Australia. with_conduit Use http-conduit for getting weather data enabling support for http proxies. Requires http-conduit and http-types. all_extensions Enables all the extensions above.

4 Running xmobar

You can now run xmobar with:

xmobar /path/to/config &

or

xmobar &

if you have the default configuration file saved as $XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME/xmobar/xmobarrc (defaulting to ~/.config/xmobar/xmobarrc ), or ~/.xmobarrc .

4.1 Signal Handling

Since 0.14 xmobar reacts to SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2:

After receiving SIGUSR1 xmobar moves its position to the next screen.

After receiving SIGUSR2 xmobar repositions itself on the current screen.

5 Configuration

5.1 Quick Start

See samples/xmobar.config for an example.

For the output template:

%command% will execute command and print the output. The output may contain markups to change the characters' color.

<fc=#FF0000>string</fc> will print string with #FF0000 color (red).

<fn=1>string</fn> will print string with the first font from additionalFonts . The index 0 corresponds to the standard font.

<icon=/path/to/icon.xbm/> will insert the given bitmap. XPM image format is also supported when compiled with --flags="with_xpm" .

<action=`command` button=12345> will execute given command when clicked with specified buttons. If not specified, button is equal to 1 (left mouse button). Using old syntax (without backticks surrounding command ) will result in button attribute being ignored.

<raw=len:str/> allows the encapsulation of arbitrary text str (which must be len Char s long, where len is encoded as a decimal sequence). Careful use of this and UnsafeStdinReader , for example, permits window managers to feed xmobar strings with <action> tags mixed with un-trusted content (e.g. window titles). For example, if xmobar is invoked as xmobar -c "[Run UnsafeStdinReader]" -t "%UnsafeStdinReader%"

and receives on standard input the line

```<action=`echo test` button=1><raw=41:<action=`echo mooo` button=1>foo</action>/></action>```

then it will display the text <action=`echo mooo` button=1>foo</action> , which, when clicked, will cause test to be echoed.

Other configuration options:

font Name of the font to be used. Use the xft: prefix for XFT fonts. additionalFonts Haskell-style list of fonts to be used with the fn -template. Use the xft: prefix for XFT fonts. bgColor Background color. fgColor Default font color. alpha The transparency. 0 is transparent, 255 is opaque. position Top, TopP, TopW, TopSize, Bottom, BottomP, BottomW, BottomSize or Static (with x, y, width and height). TopP and BottomP take 2 arguments: left padding and right padding. TopW and BottomW take 2 arguments: an alignment parameter (L for left, C for centered, R for Right) and an integer for the percentage width xmobar window will have in respect to the screen width. TopSize and BottomSize take 3 arguments: an alignment parameter, an integer for the percentage width, and an integer for the minimum pixel height that the xmobar window will have. For example: position = BottomW C 75 to place xmobar at the bottom, centered with the 75% of the screen width. Or: position = BottomP 120 0 to place xmobar at the bottom, with 120 pixel indent of the left. : Or position = Static { xpos = 0 , ypos = 0, width = 1024, height = 15 } or position = Top textOffset The vertical offset, in pixels, for the text baseline. If negative or not given, xmobar will try to center text vertically. iconOffset The vertical offset, in pixels, for icons bottom line. If negative or not given, xmobar will try to center icons vertically. lowerOnStart When True the window is sent the bottom of the window stack initially. hideOnStart When set to True the window is initially not mapped, i.e. hidden. It then can be toggled manually (for example using the dbus interface) or automatically (by a plugin) to make it reappear. allDesktops When set to True (the default), xmobar will tell the window manager explicitly to be shown in all desktops, by setting _NET_WM_DESKTOP to 0xffffffff. overrideRedirect If you're running xmobar in a tiling window manager, you might need to set this option to False so that it behaves as a docked application. Defaults to True . pickBroadest When multiple displays are available, xmobar will choose by default the first one to place itself. With this flag set to True (the default is False ) it will choose the broadest one instead. persistent When True the window status is fixed i.e. hiding or revealing is not possible. This option can be toggled at runtime. Defaults to False. border TopB, TopBM, BottomB, BottomBM, FullB, FullBM or NoBorder (default). TopB, BottomB, FullB take no arguments, and request drawing a border at the top, bottom or around xmobar's window, respectively. TopBM, BottomBM, FullBM take an integer argument, which is the margin, in pixels, between the border of the window and the drawn border. borderColor Border color. borderWidth Border width in pixels. iconRoot Root folder where icons are stored. For if path start with "/" , "./" or "../" it is interpreted as it is. Otherwise it will have iconRoot ++ "/" prepended to it. Default is "." . commands For setting the options of the programs to run (optional). sepChar The character to be used for indicating commands in the output template (default '%'). alignSep a 2 character string for aligning text in the output template. The text before the first character will be align to left, the text in between the 2 characters will be centered, and the text after the second character will be align to the right. template The output template.

5.1.1 Running xmobar with i3status

xmobar can be used to display information generated by i3status, a small program that gathers system information and outputs it in formats suitable for being displayed by the dzen2 status bar, wmii's status bar or xmobar's StdinReader . See i3status manual for further details.

5.2 Command Line Options

xmobar can be either configured with a configuration file or with command line options. In the second case, the command line options will overwrite the corresponding options set in the configuration file.

Example:

xmobar -B white -a right -F blue -t '%LIPB%' -c '[Run Weather "LIPB" [] 36000]'

This is the list of command line options (the output of xmobar --help):

Usage: xmobar [OPTION...] [FILE] Options: -h, -? --help This help -V --version Show version information -f font name --font=font name The font name -B bg color --bgcolor=bg color The background color. Default black -F fg color --fgcolor=fg color The foreground color. Default grey -A alpha --alpha=alpha The transparency: 0 is transparent, 255 (the default) is opaque -o --top Place xmobar at the top of the screen -b --bottom Place xmobar at the bottom of the screen -p --position=position Specify position, same as in config file -d --dock Try to start xmobar as a dock -a alignsep --alignsep=alignsep Separators for left, center and right text alignment. Default: '}{' -s char --sepchar=char The character used to separate commands in the output template. Default '%' -t template --template=template The output template -i path --iconroot=path Default directory for icon pattern files -c commands --commands=commands The list of commands to be executed -C command --add-command=command Add to the list of commands to be executed -x screen --screen=screen On which X screen number to start Mail bug reports and suggestions to <xmobar@projects.haskell.org>

5.3 The DBus Interface

When compiled with the optional with_dbus flag, xmobar can be controlled over dbus. All signals defined in src/Signal.hs as data SignalType can now be sent over dbus to xmobar. Due to current limitations of the implementation only one process of xmobar can acquire the dbus. This is handled on a first-come-first-served basis, meaning that the first process will get the dbus interface. Other processes will run without further problems, yet have no dbus interface.

Bus Name: org.Xmobar.Control

Object Path: /org/Xmobar/Control

Member Name: Any of SignalType, e.g. string:Reveal

Interface Name: org.Xmobar.Control

An example using the dbus-send command line utility:

dbus-send \ --session \ --dest=org.Xmobar.Control \ --type=method_call \ --print-reply \ '/org/Xmobar/Control' \ org.Xmobar.Control.SendSignal \ "string:Toggle 0"

It is also possible to send multiple signals at once:

# send to another screen, reveal and toggle the persistent flag dbus-send [..] \ "string:ChangeScreen 0" "string:Reveal 0" "string:TogglePersistent"

The Toggle , Reveal , and Hide signals take an additional integer argument that denotes an initial delay, in tenths of a second, before the command takes effect.

5.3.1 Example for using the DBus IPC interface with XMonad

Bind the key which should {,un}map xmobar to a dummy value. This is necessary for {,un}grabKey in xmonad.

((0, xK_Alt_L ), return ())

Also, install avoidStruts layout modifier from XMonad.Hooks.ManageDocks

Finally, install these two event hooks ( handleEventHook in XConfig ) myDocksEventHook is a replacement for docksEventHook which reacts on unmap events as well (which docksEventHook doesn't).

import qualified XMonad.Util.ExtensibleState as XS data DockToggleTime = DTT { lastTime :: Time } deriving (Eq, Show, Typeable) instance ExtensionClass DockToggleTime where initialValue = DTT 0 toggleDocksHook :: Int -> KeySym -> Event -> X All toggleDocksHook to ks ( KeyEvent { ev_event_display = d , ev_event_type = et , ev_keycode = ekc , ev_time = etime } ) = io (keysymToKeycode d ks) >>= toggleDocks >> return (All True) where toggleDocks kc | ekc == kc && et == keyPress = do safeSendSignal ["Reveal 0", "TogglePersistent"] XS.put ( DTT etime ) | ekc == kc && et == keyRelease = do gap <- XS.gets ( (-) etime . lastTime ) safeSendSignal [ "TogglePersistent" , "Hide " ++ show (if gap < 400 then to else 0) ] | otherwise = return () safeSendSignal s = catchX (io $ sendSignal s) (return ()) sendSignal = withSession . callSignal withSession mc = connectSession >>= \c -> callNoReply c mc >> disconnect c callSignal :: [String] -> MethodCall callSignal s = ( methodCall ( objectPath_ "/org/Xmobar/Control" ) ( interfaceName_ "org.Xmobar.Control" ) ( memberName_ "SendSignal" ) ) { methodCallDestination = Just $ busName_ "org.Xmobar.Control" , methodCallBody = map toVariant s } toggleDocksHook _ _ _ = return (All True) myDocksEventHook :: Event -> X All myDocksEventHook e = do when (et == mapNotify || et == unmapNotify) $ whenX ((not `fmap` (isClient w)) <&&> runQuery checkDock w) refresh return (All True) where w = ev_window e et = ev_event_type e

5.4 The Output Template

The output template must contain at least one command. xmobar will parse the template and will search for the command to be executed in the commands configuration option. First an alias will be searched (plugins such as Weather or Network have default aliases, see below). After that, the command name will be tried. If a command is found, the arguments specified in the commands list will be used.

If no command is found in the commands list, xmobar will ask the operating system to execute a program with the name found in the template. If the execution is not successful an error will be reported.

It's possible to insert in the global templates icon directives of the form:

<icon=/path/to/bitmap.xbm/>

which will produce the expected result. Accepted image formats are XBM and XPM (when with_xpm flag is enabled). If path does not start with "/" , "./" , "../" it will have iconRoot ++ "/" prepended to it.

It's also possible to use action directives of the form:

<action=`command` button=12345>

which will be executed when clicked on with specified mouse buttons. This tag can be nested, allowing different commands to be run depending on button clicked.

5.5 The commands Configuration Option

The commands configuration option is a list of commands information and arguments to be used by xmobar when parsing the output template. Each member of the list consists in a command prefixed by the Run keyword. Each command has arguments to control the way xmobar is going to execute it.

The option consists in a list of commands separated by a comma and enclosed by square parenthesis.

Example:

[Run Memory ["-t","Mem: <usedratio>%"] 10, Run Swap [] 10]

to run the Memory monitor plugin with the specified template, and the swap monitor plugin, with default options, every second. And here's an example of a template for the commands above using an icon:

template="<icon=/home/jao/.xmobar/mem.xbm/><memory> <swap>"

This example will run "xclock" command when date is clicked:

template="<action=`xclock`>%date%</action>

The only internal available command is Com (see below Executing External Commands). All other commands are provided by plugins. xmobar comes with some plugins, providing a set of system monitors, a standard input reader, an Unix named pipe reader, a configurable date plugin, and much more: we list all available plugins below.

Other commands can be created as plugins with the Plugin infrastructure. See below.

5.6 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 have default aliases. The sections below describe every monitor in turn, but before we provide a list of the configuration options (or monitor arguments) they all share.

5.6.1 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. "<icon=/path/to/icon_%%.xpm/>" will be interpreted as "<icon=/path/to/icon_3.xpm/>" 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,

Run Brightness [ "-t", "<ipat>" , "--" , "--brightness-icon-pattern", "<icon=bright_%%.xpm/>" ] 30

Will display bright_0.xpm to bright_8.xpm depending on current brightness value.

5.6.2 Default Monitor Arguments

Monitors accept a common set of arguments, described in the first subsection below. In addition, some monitors 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.

These are the options available for all monitors below:

-t string Output template Template for the monitor output. Field names must be enclosed between pointy brackets ( <foo> ) 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 <fc=fgcolor> (or <fc=fgcolor,bgcolor> ) and </fc> . The rest of the template is output verbatim. Long option: --template Default value: per monitor (see above).

string Output template -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

number The high threshold. -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

number The low threshold. -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).

color High threshold color. -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).

color Color for 'normal' values -l color The low threshold color Color for displaying values below the low threshold. Long option: --low Default: none (use the default foreground).

color The low threshold color -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.

boolean Display optional suffixes -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)

number Percentages padding -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)

number Decimal digits -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

number Minimum field width -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)

number Maximum field width -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)

number Fixed field width -T number Maximum total width Maximum total width of the text. Long option: --maxtwidth Default: 0 (no limit)

number Maximum total width -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: " "

string -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)

r|l Field alignment -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: ":"

string Bar background -f string Bar foreground Characters used, cyclically, to draw the foreground of bars. Long option: --bfore Default value: "#"

string Bar foreground -W number Bar width Total number of characters used to draw bars. Long option: --bwidth Default value: 10

number Bar width -x string N/A string String to be used when the monitor is not available Long option: --nastring Default value: "N/A"

string N/A string

Commands' arguments must be set as a list. E.g.:

Run Weather "EGPF" ["-t", "<station>: <tempC>C"] 36000

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:

Glasgow Airport: 16.0C

5.6.3 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.

/ argument: , , , . The total uptime is the sum of all those fields. You can set the argument to "True" to add units to the display of those numeric fields. Default template: Up: <days>d <hours>h <minutes>m

5.6.4 Weather StationID Args RefreshRate

Aliases to the Station ID: so Weather "LIPB" [] can be used in template as %LIPB%

can be used in template as Thresholds refer to temperature in the selected units

Args: default monitor arguments

Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: station , stationState , year , month , day , hour , windCardinal , windAzimuth , windMph , windKnots , windMs , windKmh visibility , skyCondition , tempC , tempF , dewPointC , dewPointF , rh , pressure

/ argument: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Default template: <station>: <tempC>C, rh <rh>% (<hour>)

Retrieves weather information from http://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov.

5.6.5 Network Interface Args RefreshRate

Aliases to the interface name: so Network "eth0" [] can be used as %eth0%

can be used as Thresholds refer to velocities expressed in Kb/s

Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--rx-icon-pattern : dynamic string for reception rate in rxipat .

: dynamic string for reception rate in . --tx-icon-pattern : dynamic string for transmission rate in txipat .

: dynamic string for transmission rate in . 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 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.).

/ argument: , , , , , , , , . Reception and transmission rates ( and ) are displayed by default as Kb/s, without any suffixes, but you can set the to "True" to make them displayed with adaptive units (Kb/s, Mb/s, etc.). Default template: <dev>: <rx>KB|<tx>KB

5.6.6 DynNetwork Args RefreshRate

Active interface is detected automatically

Aliases to "dynnetwork"

Thresholds are expressed in Kb/s

Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--rx-icon-pattern : dynamic string for reception rate in rxipat .

: dynamic string for reception rate in . --tx-icon-pattern : dynamic string for transmission rate in txipat .

: dynamic string for transmission rate in . 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").

/ argument: , , , , , , , , . Reception and transmission rates ( and ) are displayed in Kbytes per second, and you can set the to "True" to make them displayed with units (the string "Kb/s"). Default template: <dev>: <rx>KB|<tx>KB

5.6.7 Wireless Interface Args RefreshRate

Aliases to the interface name with the suffix "wi": thus, Wireless "wlan0" [] can be used as %wlan0wi%

can be used as Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--quality-icon-pattern : dynamic string for connection quality in qualityipat .

: dynamic string for connection quality in . Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: essid , quality , qualitybar , qualityvbar , qualityipat

/ argument: , , , , Thresholds refer to link quality in a [0, 100] scale

scale Default template: <essid> <quality>

Requires the C library iwlib (part of the wireless tools suite) installed in your system. In addition, to activate this plugin you must pass --flags="with_iwlib" during compilation

5.6.8 Memory Args RefreshRate

Aliases to memory

Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--used-icon-pattern : dynamic string for used memory ratio in usedipat .

: dynamic string for used memory ratio in . --free-icon-pattern : dynamic string for free memory ratio in freeipat .

: dynamic string for free memory ratio in . --available-icon-pattern : dynamic string for available memory ratio in availableipat .

: dynamic string for available memory ratio in . 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

/ argument: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Default template: Mem: <usedratio>% (<cache>M)

5.6.9 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

/ argument: , , , Default template: Swap: <usedratio>%

5.6.10 Cpu Args RefreshRate

Aliases to cpu

Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--load-icon-pattern : dynamic string for cpu load in ipat

: dynamic string for cpu load in 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

/ argument: , , , , , , , , Default template: Cpu: <total>%

5.6.11 MultiCpu Args RefreshRate

Aliases to multicpu

Args: default monitor arguments, plus:

--load-icon-pattern : dynamic string for overall cpu load in ipat .

: dynamic string for overall cpu load in . --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.

: dynamic string for each cpu load in , . This option can be specified several times. nth option corresponds to nth cpu. 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.

/ argument: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ... The auto* variables automatically detect the number of CPUs on the system and display one entry for each. Default template: Cpu: <total>%

5.6.12 Battery Args RefreshRate

Same as BatteryP ["BAT0", "BAT1", "BAT2"] Args RefreshRate .

5.6.13 BatteryP Dirs Args RefreshRate

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 the first 3 directories will be searched.

where to look for the ACPI files of each battery. Example: . Only the first 3 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):

in the argument list): -O : string for AC "on" status (default: "On")

: string for AC "on" status (default: "On") -i : string for AC "idle" status (default: "On")

: string for AC "idle" status (default: "On") -o : string for AC "off" status (default: "Off")

: string for AC "off" status (default: "Off") -L : low power ( watts ) threshold (default: 10)

: low power ( ) threshold (default: 10) -H : high power threshold (default: 12)

: high power threshold (default: 12) -l : color to display power lower than the -L threshold

: color to display power lower than the threshold -m : color to display power lower than the -H threshold

: color to display power lower than the threshold -h : color to display power higher than the -H threshold

: color to display power higher than the threshold -p : color to display positive power (battery charging)

: color to display positive power (battery charging) -f : file in /sys/class/power_supply with AC info (default: "AC/online")

: file in with AC info (default: "AC/online") --on-icon-pattern : dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "on" in leftipat .

: dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "on" in . --off-icon-pattern : dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "off" in leftipat .

: dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "off" in . --idle-icon-pattern : dynamic string for current battery charge when AC is "idle" in leftipat .

Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: left , leftbar , leftvbar , leftipat , timeleft , watts , acstatus

/ argument: , , , , , , Default template: Batt: <watts>, <left>% / <timeleft>

Example (note that you need "--" to separate regular monitor options from Battery's specific ones): Run BatteryP ["BAT0"] ["-t", "<acstatus><watts> (<left>%)", "-L", "10", "-H", "80", "-p", "3", "--", "-O", "<fc=green>On</fc> - ", "-i", "", "-L", "-15", "-H", "-5", "-l", "red", "-m", "blue", "-h", "green"] 600

In the above example, the thresholds before the "--" separator affect only the <left> and <leftbar> fields, while those after the separator affect how <watts> is displayed. For this monitor, neither the generic nor the specific options have any effect on <timeleft> .

It is also possible to specify template variables in the -O and -o switches, as in the following example:

Run BatteryP ["BAT0"] ["-t", "<acstatus>" , "-L", "10", "-H", "80" , "-l", "red", "-h", "green" , "--", "-O", "Charging", "-o", "Battery: <left>%" ] 10

The "idle" AC state is selected whenever the AC power entering the battery is zero.

5.6.14 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.

5.6.15 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).

and ) 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 , 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 , ...

/ argument: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ... Default template: <both1>

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.

5.6.16 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.

and ) 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 , ...

/ argument: , , , , , , ... Default template: <both1>

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.

5.6.17 DiskU Disks Args RefreshRate

Aliases to disku

Disks: list of pairs of the form (device or mount point, template), where the template can contain <size> , <free> , <used> , <freep> or <usedp> , <freebar> , <freevbar> , <freeipat> , <usedbar> , <usedvbar> or <usedipat> for total, free, used, free percentage and used percentage of the given file system capacity.

, , , 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

/ is ignored. Plus --free-icon-pattern : dynamic string for free disk space in freeipat .

: dynamic string for free disk space in . --used-icon-pattern : dynamic string for used disk space in usedipat .

: dynamic string for used disk space in . Default template: none (you must specify a template for each file system).

Example: DiskU [("/", "<used>/<size>"), ("sdb1", "<usedbar>")] ["-L", "20", "-H", "50", "-m", "1", "-p", "3"] 20

5.6.18 DiskIO Disks Args RefreshRate

Aliases to diskio

Disks: list of pairs of the form (device or mount point, template), where the template can contain <total> , <read> , <write> for total, read and write speed, respectively. There are also bar versions of each: <totalbar> , <totalvbar> , <totalipat> , <readbar> , <readvbar> , <readipat> , <writebar> , <writevbar> , and <writeipat> .

, , for total, read and write speed, respectively. There are also bar versions of each: , , , , , , , , and . Thresholds refer to speed in b/s

Args: default monitor arguments. -t / --template is ignored. Plus

/ is ignored. Plus --total-icon-pattern : dynamic string for total disk I/O in <totalipat> .

: dynamic string for total disk I/O in . --write-icon-pattern : dynamic string for write disk I/O in <writeipat> .

: dynamic string for write disk I/O in . --read-icon-pattern : dynamic string for read disk I/O in <readipat> .

: dynamic string for read disk I/O in . Default template: none (you must specify a template for each file system).

Example: DiskIO [("/", "<read> <write>"), ("sdb1", "<total>")] [] 10

5.6.19 ThermalZone Number Args RefreshRate

Aliases to "thermaln": so ThermalZone 0 [] can be used in template as %thermal0%

can be used in template as Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees

Args: default monitor arguments

Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: temp

/ argument: Default template: <temp>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).

for possible values of the zone number (e.g., 0 corresponds to in that directory). Example: Run ThermalZone 0 ["-t","<id>: <temp>C"] 30

5.6.19.1 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%

can be used in template as Args: default monitor arguments

Thresholds refer to temperature in degrees

Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: temp

/ argument: Default template: Thm: <temp>C

This plugin works only on systems with devices having thermal zone. Check directories in /proc/acpi/thermal_zone for possible values.

Example: Run Thermal "THRM" ["-t","iwl4965-temp: <temp>C"] 50

5.6.20 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

/ argument: , , .., Default template: Freq: <cpu0>GHz

This monitor requires acpi_cpufreq module to be loaded in kernel

Example: Run CpuFreq ["-t", "Freq:<cpu0>|<cpu1>GHz", "-L", "0", "-H", "2", "-l", "lightblue", "-n","white", "-h", "red"] 50

5.6.21 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

/ argument: , , .., Default template: Temp: <core0>C

This monitor requires coretemp module to be loaded in kernel

Example: Run CoreTemp ["-t", "Temp:<core0>|<core1>C", "-L", "40", "-H", "60", "-l", "lightblue", "-n", "gray90", "-h", "red"] 50

5.6.22 Volume Mixer Element Args RefreshRate

Aliases to the mixer name and element name separated by a colon. Thus, Volume "default" "Master" [] 10 can be used as %default:Master% .

can be used as . Args: default monitor arguments. Also accepts: -O string On string The string used in place of <status> when the mixer element is on. Defaults to "[on]". Long option: --on -o string Off string The string used in place of <status> when the mixer element is off. Defaults to "[off]". Long option: --off -C color On color The color to be used for <status> when the mixer element is on. Defaults to "green". Long option: --onc -c color Off color The color to be used for <status> 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 .

Variables that can be used with the -t / --template argument: volume , volumebar , volumevbar , volumeipat , dB , status

/ argument: , , , , , Note that dB might only return 0 on your system. This is known to happen on systems with a pulseaudio backend.

might only return 0 on your system. This is known to happen on systems with a pulseaudio backend. Default template: Vol: <volume>% <status>

Requires the package alsa-core and alsa-mixer installed in your system. In addition, to activate this plugin you must pass --flags="with_alsa" during compilation.

5.6.23 MPD Args RefreshRate

This monitor will only be compiled if you ask for it using the with_mpd flag. It needs libmpd 5.0 or later (available on Hackage).

flag. It needs 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. Also available:

, and , with an string argument, to represent the playing, stopped and paused states in the template field. The environment variables and are used to configure the mpd server to communicate with. Also available: lapsed-icon-pattern : dynamic string for current track position in ipat .

: dynamic string for current track position in . 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

/ argument: , , , , , , , , , (playlist length), (playlist position), (ncmpcpp-style playback mode), , , , , , , , , , Default template: MPD: <state>

Example (note that you need "--" to separate regular monitor options from MPD's specific ones): Run MPD ["-t", "<composer> <title> (<album>) <track>/<plength> <statei> [<flags>]", "--", "-P", ">>", "-Z", "|", "-S", "><"] 10

5.6.24 Mpris1 PlayerName Args RefreshRate

Aliases to mpris1

Requires dbus and text packages. To activate, pass --flags="with_mpris" during compilation.

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

/ argument: , , , , , Default template: <artist> - <title>

Example: Run Mpris1 "clementine" ["-t", "<artist> - [<tracknumber>] <title>"] 10

5.6.25 Mpris2 PlayerName Args RefreshRate

Aliases to mpris2

Requires dbus and text packages. To activate, pass --flags="with_mpris" during compilation.

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

/ argument: , , , , , , , Default template: <artist> - <title>

Example: Run Mpris2 "spotify" ["-t", "<artist> - [<composer>] <title>"] 10

5.6.26 Mail Args Alias

Args: list of maildirs in form [("name1","path1"),...] . Paths may start with a '~' to expand to the user's home directory.

. Paths may start with a '~' to expand to the user's home directory. This plugin requires inotify support in your Linux kernel and the hinotify package. To activate, pass --flags="with_inotify" during compilation.

during compilation. Example: Run Mail [("inbox", "~/var/mail/inbox"), ("lists", "~/var/mail/lists")] "mail"

5.6.27 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).

, 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. -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 hinotify package. To activate, pass --flags="with_inotify" during compilation.

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 : Run MBox [("I ", "inbox", "red"), ("O ", "~/foo/mbox", "")] ["-d", "/var/mail/", "-p", " "] "mbox"

5.6.28 XPropertyLog PropName

Aliases to PropName

Reads the X property named by PropName (a string) and displays its value. The samples/xmonadpropwrite.hs script in xmobar's distribution can be used to set the given property from the output of any other program or script.

5.6.29 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.

5.6.30 NamedXPropertyLog PropName Alias

Aliases to Alias

Same as XPropertyLog , but a custom alias can be specified.

5.6.31 NamedXPropertyLog PropName Alias

Aliases to Alias

Same as UnsafeXPropertyLog , but a custom alias can be specified.

5.6.32 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

/ argument: , , , Default template: <percent>

Example: Run Brightness ["-t", " "] 60

5.6.33 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: Run Kbd [("us(dvorak)", "DV"), ("us", "US")]

5.6.34 Locks

Displays the status of Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock.

Aliases to locks

Example: Run Locks

5.6.35 CatInt n filename

Reads and displays an integer from the file whose path is filename (especially useful with files in /sys ).

(especially useful with files in ). Aliases as catn (e.g. Cat 0 as cat0 , etc.) so you can have several.

(e.g. as , etc.) so you can have several. Example: Run CatInt 0 "/sys/devices/platform/thinkpad_hwmon/fan1_input" [] 50

5.6.36 UVMeter

Aliases to "uv " + station id. For example: %uv brisbane% or %uv alice springs%

or Args: default monitor arguments.

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: Run UVMeter "brisbane" ["-H", "3", "-L", "3", "--low", "green", "--high", "red"] 900

5.7 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.:

Run Com "uname" ["-s","-r"] "" 0

can be used in the output template as %uname% (and xmobar will call uname only once), while

Run Com "date" ["+\"%a %b %_d %H:%M\""] "mydate" 600

can be used in the output template as %mydate%

5.8 Other Plugins

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.

Will not do anything to the text received. This means you can pass dynamic actions via stdin. Be careful to remove tags from dynamic text that you pipe-thru to xmobar's standard input, e.g. window's title. There is no way to escape the tags, i.e. you can't print a literal <action> tag as a text on xmobar.

tag as a text on xmobar. Sample usage: send to xmobar's stdin the list of your workspaces enclosed by actions tags that switches the workspaces to be able to switch workspaces by clicking on xmobar: <action=`xdotool key alt+1`>ws1</action> <action=`xdotool key alt+1`>ws2</action>

Date Format Alias RefreshRate

Format is a time format string, as accepted by the standard ISO C strftime function (or Haskell's formatCalendarTime ).

function (or Haskell's ). Sample usage: Run Date "%a %b %_d %Y <fc=#ee9a00>%H:%M:%S</fc>" "date" 10

DateZone Format Locale Zone Alias RefreshRate

Format is a time format string, as accepted by the standard ISO C strftime function (or Haskell's formatCalendarTime ).

function (or Haskell's ). If Locale is "" the default locale of the system is used, otherwise the given locale. If there are more instances of DateZone, using "" as input for Locale is not recommended.

Zone is the name of the TimeZone. It is assumed that the tz database is stored in /usr/share/zoneinfo/. If "" is given as Zone, the default system time is used.

Sample usage: Run DateZone "%a %H:%M:%S" "de_DE.UTF-8" "Europe/Vienna" "viennaTime" 10

CommandReader "/path/to/program" Alias

Runs the given program, and displays its standard output.

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 Run MarqueePipeReader "/tmp/testpipe" (10, 7, "+") "mpipe"

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: Run BufferedPipeReader "bpr" [ ( 0, False, "/tmp/xmobar_window" ) , ( 15, True, "/tmp/xmobar_status" ) ]

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 samples/status.sh - Expands environment variables for the pipe path

XMonadLog

Aliases to XMonadLog

Displays information from xmonad's _XMONAD_LOG . You can set this property by using xmonadPropLog as your log hook in xmonad's configuration, as in the following example (more info here): main = do spawn "xmobar" xmonad $ defaultConfig { logHook = dynamicLogString defaultPP >>= xmonadPropLog } 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

Aliases to UnsafeXMonadLog

Similar to StdinReader versus UnsafeStdinReader, this does not strip <action ...> tags from XMonad's _XMONAD_LOG .

tags from XMonad's . It is advised that you still use xmobarStrip for the ppTitle in your logHook: myPP = defaultPP { ppTitle = xmobarStrip } main = xmonad $ defaultConfig { logHook = dynamicLogString myPP >>= xmonadPropLog }

6 Plugins

6.1 Writing a Plugin

Writing a plugin for xmobar should be very simple. You need to create a data type with at least one constructor.

Next you must declare this data type an instance of the Exec class, by defining the 1 needed method (alternatively start or run ) and 2 optional ones (alias and rate):

start :: e -> (String -> IO ()) -> IO () run :: e -> IO String rate :: e -> Int alias :: e -> String

start must receive a callback to be used to display the String produced by the plugin. This method can be used for plugins that need to perform asynchronous actions. See Plugins/PipeReader.hs for an example.

run can be used for simpler plugins. If you define only run the plugin will be run every second. To overwrite this default you just need to implement rate , which must return the number of tenth of seconds between every successive runs. See Plugins/HelloWorld.hs for an example of a plugin that runs just once, and Plugins/Date.hs for one that implements rate .

Notice that Date could be implemented as:

instance Exec Date where alias (Date _ a _) = a start (Date f _ r) = date f r date :: String -> Int -> (String -> IO ()) -> IO () date format r callback = do go where go = do t <- toCalendarTime =<< getClockTime callback $ formatCalendarTime defaultTimeLocale format t tenthSeconds r >> go

This implementation is equivalent to the one you can read in Plugins/Date.hs .

alias is the name to be used in the output template. Default alias will be the data type constructor.

Implementing a plugin requires importing the plugin API (the Exec class definition), that is exported by Plugins.hs . So you just need to import it in your module with:

import Plugins

After that your type constructor can be used as an argument for the Runnable type constructor Run in the commands list of the configuration options.

This requires importing your plugin into Config.hs and adding your type to the type list in the type signature of Config.runnableTypes .

For a very basic example see samples/Plugins/HelloWorld.hs or the other plugins that are distributed with xmobar.

6.2 Installing/Removing a Plugin

Installing a plugin should require 3 steps. Here we are going to install the HelloWorld plugin that comes with xmobar, assuming that you copied it to src/Plugins :

import the plugin module in Config.hs , by adding: import Plugins.HelloWorld add the plugin data type to the list of data types in the type signature of runnableTypes in Config.hs . For instance, for the HelloWorld plugin, change runnableTypes into: runnableTypes :: Command :*: Monitors :*: HelloWorld :*: () runnableTypes = undefined Rebuild and reinstall xmobar. Now test it with: xmobar Plugins/helloworld.config

As you may see in the example configuration file, the plugin can be used by adding, in the commands list:

Run HelloWorld

and, in the output template, the alias of the plugin:

%helloWorld%

That's it.

To remove a plugin, just remove its type from the type signature of runnableTypes and remove the imported modules.

To remove the system monitor plugin:

remove, from Config.hs , the line import Plugins.Monitors in Config.hs change runnableTypes :: Command :*: Monitors :*: () runnableTypes = undefined to runnableTypes :: Command :*: () runnableTypes = undefined rebuild xmobar.

7 Authors and credits

Andrea Rossato originally designed and implemented xmobar up to version 0.11.1. Since then, it is maintained and developed by jao, with the help of the greater xmobar and Haskell communities.

In particular, xmobar incorporates patches by Axel Angel, Dragos Boca, Ben Boeckel, Duncan Burke, Roman Cheplyaka, Patrick Chilton, Antoine Eiche, Nathaniel Wesley Filardo, John Goerzen, Reto Hablützel, Juraj Hercek, Tomáš Janoušek, Spencer Janssen, Roman Joost, Jochen Keil, Lennart Kolmodin, Krzysztof Kosciuszkiewicz, Dmitry Kurochkin, Todd Lunter, Robert J. Macomber, Dmitry Malikov, David McLean, Marcin Mikołajczyk, Dino Morelli, Tony Morris, Eric Mrak, Thiago Negri, Edward O'Callaghan, Svein Ove, Martin Perner, Jens Petersen, Alexander Polakov, Petr Rockai, Andrew Sackville-West, Markus Scherer, Alexander Shabalin, Valentin Shirokov, Peter Simons, Alexander Solovyov, Will Song, John Soros, Travis Staton, Artem Tarasov, Samuli Thomasson, Edward Tjörnhammar, Sergei Trofimovich, Thomas Tuegel, Jan Vornberger, Anton Vorontsov, Daniel Wagner, Zev Weiss, Phil Xiaojun Hu, Edward Z. Yang and Norbert Zeh.

7.1 Thanks

Andrea Rossato:

Thanks to Robert Manea and Spencer Janssen for their help in understanding how X works. They gave me suggestions on how to solve many problems with xmobar.

Thanks to Claus Reinke for make me understand existential types (or at least for letting me think I grasp existential types...;-).

jao:

Thanks to Andrea for creating xmobar in the first place, and for giving me the chance to contribute.

9 License

This software is released under a BSD-style license. See LICENSE for more details.

Copyright © 2010-2017 Jose Antonio Ortega Ruiz

Copyright © 2007-2010 Andrea Rossato