specy: a command line system description output tool

wm · 2015-01-31 22:24:32

specy is a program which displays your computer's specifications (thus the name specy) which was inspired by the package archey. It is implemented in bash.

Features:
* Adapt to size of terminal to show minimal or full display
* Customizable colors through command arguments
* Easily add new information to the output
* Displays dynamically updating values including drives, swap, RAM, window manager, and packages installed
* Configure what is displayed upon execution

Dependencies:
* ncurses

specy is available in the AUR here.
The git repository is available here.

Here is an example of the program running in a large terminal:
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8572/164 … cb7e_o.png

Here is an example of the program adapting to a smaller terminal:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/164 … 8d49_o.png

This is my first PKGBUILD I have created and uploaded to the AUR. Please contribute, criticize, and comment.

Thanks.

-- mod edit: read the Forum Etiquette and only post thumbnails http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/For … s_and_Code [jwr] --

Last edited by wm (2015-02-07 05:54:26)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-02-01 00:51:55

Very nice, thank you!

Could you just `echo $EDITOR` rather than ask?

Also, monsterwm is not recognised; `wmctrl -m` returns:

Cannot get window manager info properties.
(_NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK or _WIN_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK)

But I suppose it is a little obscure...

wm · 2015-02-01 01:31:19

Thank you for commenting!

I just added support for using the $EDITOR command if it is defined. When not defined. the user is prompted on what text editor they use.
I am baffled as to what is a universal method to detect the current window manager, the most comprehensive method I found was just using wmctrl.

I decided not to prompt the user because sometimes the user may not use a window manager or switch to another. Also, I believe wmctrl works in most cases.

If there is no other solution, you could edit the specy bash executable in /usr/bin/specy and edit the variable line9a to make the text statically output your window manager.

progandy · 2015-02-01 01:38:29

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Could you just `echo $EDITOR` rather than ask?

I'd guess you could choose the editor from a list like this. I assume if emacs is installed you want to use it, then try vim as second choice then nano and as last resort vi.

{ [ -n $EDITOR ] && command -v $EDITOR >/dev/null 2>&1 } || for e in emacs vim nano vi; do
    command -v $e >/dev/null 2>&1 && EDITOR=$e && break
done

Last edited by progandy (2015-02-01 01:39:07)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-02-01 01:40:35

wm wrote:

If there is no other solution

Well, you could steal the method used in screenfetch (lines 1251-1390, with initial definitions at lines 54-58)...

wm · 2015-02-01 01:47:20

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

wm wrote:
If there is no other solution
Well, you could steal the method used in screenfetch (lines 1251-1390, with initial definitions at lines 54-58)...

Very true. I can adapt this method for my program. I will add this, but first I will do a little research to see how to properly deal with licensing stuff. screenfetch is GPLv3.

wm · 2015-02-01 01:56:03

progandy wrote:

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:
Could you just `echo $EDITOR` rather than ask?
I'd guess you could choose the editor from a list like this. I assume if emacs is installed you want to use it, then try vim as second choice then nano and as last resort vi.
{ [ -n $EDITOR ] && command -v $EDITOR >/dev/null 2>&1 } || for e in emacs vim nano vi; do
    command -v $e >/dev/null 2>&1 && EDITOR=$e && break
done

I honestly admire your script-fu. I would use this, but I feel it assumes something which would better to prompt for. In my case, I sometimes install emacs on my system, try it for a while, and don't uninstall it in case I want to experiment with it although I use vim.

Also, what if someone uses gedit, sandy, neovim, or another weird editor like uemacs. They possibly would have to override the program's assumption. I could enumerate a list of every editor in a descending order of specialty and still miss some, but I find prompting to be a more elegant and concise means of getting what editor the user uses.

P.S.
Linux's diverse ecosystem creates a lot of issues, but I wouldn't trade it for any platform which didn't provide such flexibility.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-02-01 13:33:12

wm wrote:

screenfetch is GPLv3.

You are free to copy, modify and re-distribute the code (and even charge for it), but it would be polite to acknowledge the source and it's author.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

wm · 2015-02-01 15:20:41

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

wm wrote:
If there is no other solution
Well, you could steal the method used in screenfetch (lines 1251-1390, with initial definitions at lines 54-58)...

I implemented the method of window manager detection found in screenFetch and simplified the code a bit. I tested it with monsterwm, Mutter, and awesome. I also updated the PKGBUILD and fixed a few minor things. You can upgrade by rebuilding the new package from the AUR.

Thanks for the suggestion, I never thought of scanning the ongoing processes.

I fixed some permissions problems in the upgraded PKGBUILD to change the owner of /etc/xdg/specy/ram.py to root. I figure this is reasonable due to it being in a directory owned by root and not configurable. You might get a permissions error if reinstalling the new package. The solution is to uninstall the old (deleting the problematic file) and then install from the new, update PKGBUILD.

ewaller · 2015-02-01 16:04:42

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

wm wrote:
screenfetch is GPLv3.
...You are free to copy, modify and re-distribute the code..."
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

But... Any redistribution must be done using the GPLv3 license.

Rasi · 2015-02-01 18:14:02

By default the config file is stored in ~/.local/share/specy/config

What an odd choice... why?

wm · 2015-02-01 18:24:13

Rasi wrote:

By default the config file is stored in ~/.local/share/specy/config
What an odd choice... why?

I wanted the configuration file to be writable without root. I just changed it to be ~/.config/specy. That seems more sensible.

Rasi · 2015-02-01 18:30:23

yes, it does. thanks

angelic_sedition · 2015-02-02 17:28:28

Saw that you plan on adding the ram percent and moving the ram stuff over to bash. This is what I'm using for ram percentage:

# percent
free | awk '/Mem/ {printf("%d", $3/$2 * 100)}'
# used
free -h | awk '/Mem/ {print $3}'
# total
free -h | awk '/Mem/ {print $2}'

Awk is nice. It seems awkward to me to be using python for this.

Last edited by angelic_sedition (2015-02-02 17:32:50)

Arch Linux

#1 2015-01-31 22:24:32

specy: a command line system description output tool

#2 2015-02-01 00:51:55

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#3 2015-02-01 01:31:19

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#4 2015-02-01 01:38:29

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#5 2015-02-01 01:40:35

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#6 2015-02-01 01:47:20

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#7 2015-02-01 01:56:03

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#8 2015-02-01 13:33:12

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#9 2015-02-01 15:20:41

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#10 2015-02-01 16:04:42

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#11 2015-02-01 18:14:02

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#12 2015-02-01 18:24:13

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#13 2015-02-01 18:30:23

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

#14 2015-02-02 17:28:28

Re: specy: a command line system description output tool

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