example.mp4
It's a dirty little hack but it gets the job done. For it to work we need to compile labwc from source since we are adding 4 lines of code to get what we need (minus comments). It works as an indicator and as a swicher; we can either click each workspace number/indicator or use the mouse wheel.
- wtype: it provides the 'switcher' functionality part
- inotify-tools: our watcher (installation)
We modify labwc to make it write the current workspace name to a file in /tmp (/tmp is mounted in RAM). We do so in the only place where labwc makes the actual workspace switch no matter the action taken by the user/environment. So it's simple and effective.
Then we just run a 'server' shell script that watches the aforementioned file for changes and reacts by letting the different waybar workspace modules (custom, one per workspace) know if they are the active one or not, so they can adjust accordingly, e.g., by changing it's appearance.
The workspace modules that we put in the bar are all one same shell script that receives its workspace number as a parameter when you define it in the waybar's 'config' file.
The communication between the 'server' and the 'modules' is done through named pipes (FIFO).
This is the 'server' shell script that watches for changes in the file labwc writes to anytime there's a change of workspace (our hack) and proceed to send a message to each of our modules notifying them if they are the active one or not.
Our actual modules for waybar. We instantiate as many of this script as workspaces we want. Each of them will read their state (active/inactive) from a different pipe.
Use this module in waybar if you want a unique module displaying the current active workspace number for example (second half of the video). When using this module you don't need to use the previous two, since it acts both as a 'server' (watcher) and 'client' (setter).
-
Modify the function
workspaces_switch_to()in src/workspaces.c applying the patch0000-expose-current-workspace.patchor editing the file by hand. Compile and install.Detailed information
### General considerations I'll be using the release branch 0.7.4 of labwc as an example to avoid all kind of things that could go wrong. You can use a tty (alt+ctrl+F2...12) to run the steps or do it from another WM/DE. ### Steps 1 - Make sure you don't have labwc already installed via your package manager. If it is, uninstall it first. 2 - Clone the labwc repo and switch to a release branch. $ git clone https://github.com/labwc/labwc $ cd labwc $ git checkout 0.7.4 3 - Install the necessary dependencies for compilation and runtime (but don't compile it yet). Be aware of distro specific shenanigans. For example, in Arch, one must install wlroots version 0.17 which is called 'wlroots0.17' and make sure you have only one version installed. Follow labwc's wiki for dependencies: https://github.com/labwc/labwc/wiki Aditional dependencies for us: - wtype: it provides the 'switcher' functionality part (https://github.com/atx/wtype) - inotify-tools: watching file's changes capability (https://github.com/inotify-tools/inotify-tools/wiki) 4 - Modify the source code. You can either apply the patch '0000-expose-current-workspace.patch' from my repo: Copy the file 0000-expose-current-workspace.patch from my repo to the base folder of the labwc source code and apply the patch like this: $ patch -p 1 < 0000-expose-current-workspace.patch Or edit manually: Go into the 'src' directory in the labwc folder you just cloned. Edit the file named 'workspaces.c' with your favorite editor adding this lines from line 284 (this is specific to branch 0.7.4), inside the funcion 'void workspaces_switch_to(...)': /* HACK */ FILE *fptr; fptr = fopen("/tmp/labwc.current-ws", "w"); fputs(target->name, fptr); fclose(fptr); /*******/  Save the file and exit. 5 - Compilation. On Arch, run this before compilation so it can find the wlroots libraries: $ export PKG_CONFIG_PATH='/usr/lib/wlroots0.17/pkgconfig' Compile: (standing in the labwc/ folder) $ meson build $ ninja -C build 6 - Installation. $ meson install -C build By default the labwc binary is installed in the /usr/local/bin folder, so make sure you have the path in your PATH environment variable, for example: $ echo $PATH /usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games If it's missing you need to add this line at the end of your ~/.bashrc file (in case you use bash): export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin You should be able to run the modified 'labwc' from anywhere now. -
Download, review and copy the 3 shell scripts
ws_labwc(server),ws_moduleandws_uniqueto the~/.config/waybar/scripts/folder. Create the folder if it doesn't exist or adjust the paths to your liking. Make sure the scripts are executable.Detailed information
Clone the repo: $ git clone https://github.com/jenav/labwc-ws4waybar.git Create the scripts folder: $ mkdir ~/.config/waybar/scripts Copy the scripts to the destination: $ cp labwc-ws4waybar/ws_* ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ -
Modify the workspaces names in the scripts
ws_labwcandws_uniqueto match the names defined in your labwcrc.xmlconfig file (usually in~/.config/labwc/rc.xml).Example config in ~/.config/labwc/rc.xml
```xml <!-- ... --> <desktops> <popupTime>1000</popupTime> <names> <name>Escritorio 1</name> <name>Escritorio 2</name> <name>Escritorio 3</name> <name>Escritorio 4</name> </names> </desktops> <!-- ... --> ``` -
Add the custom modules to your waybar config file (usually in
~/.config/waybar/config). One per workspace. See my snipet below. Adjust the wtype commands to match your labwc keymaps as defined in your labwc/rc.xml file
I provide my snipets as an example:
file: ~/.config/waybar/config
file: ~/.config/waybar/style.css
/* ... */
#custom-ws_unique {
padding: 0 6px;
color: #cccccc;
font-size: 15px;
}
#custom-ws1 {
padding: 0 3px 0 6px;
color: #707070;
}
#custom-ws2,
#custom-ws3 {
padding: 0 3px 0 3px;
color: #707070;
}
#custom-ws4 {
padding: 0 6px 0 3px;
color: #707070;
}
#custom-ws1.active,
#custom-ws2.active,
#custom-ws3.active,
#custom-ws4.active {
color: #cccccc;
}
/* ... */
{ //... "modules-left": ["custom/ws1", "custom/ws2", "custom/ws3", "custom/ws4"], // Alternatively: //"modules-left": ["custom/ws_unique"], //... //... "custom/ws_unique": { "format": "{}", "on-click": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "on-click-right": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-up": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-down": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_unique", "exec-if": "test -f ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_unique", "return-type": "json", "tooltip": false }, "custom/ws1": { "format": "{}", "on-click": "wtype -M logo -P 1 -m logo", "on-scroll-up": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-down": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module 1", "exec-if": "test -f ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module", "return-type": "json", "tooltip": false }, "custom/ws2": { "format": "{}", "on-click": "wtype -M logo -P 2 -m logo", "on-scroll-up": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-down": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module 2", "exec-if": "test -f ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module", "return-type": "json", "tooltip": false }, "custom/ws3": { "format": "{}", "on-click": "wtype -M logo -P 3 -m logo", "on-scroll-up": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-down": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module 3", "exec-if": "test -f ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module", "return-type": "json", "tooltip": false }, "custom/ws4": { "format": "{}", "on-click": "wtype -M logo -P 4 -m logo", "on-scroll-up": "wtype -M logo -M shift -P tab -m logo -m shift", "on-scroll-down": "wtype -M logo -P tab -m logo", "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module 4", "exec-if": "test -f ~/.config/waybar/scripts/ws_module", "return-type": "json", "tooltip": false }, }