Radical menu system for AwesomeWM

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Warning If you use Awesome git master, please use the awesome3.6 branch

This is Radical, one of the largest Awesome extension module. It provide un unified interface to generate multiple types of menus.

News

December 2016

This module master branch is now for Awesome 4.0+. If you use Awesome 3.5, please use the awesome3.5 branch.

Installation

Installing Radical is simple, just move to ~/.config/awesome and clone the repository

cd ~/.config/awesome
git clone https://github.com/Elv13/radical.git

The require it at the top of your rc.lua:

    local radical = require("radical")

Usage

Unlike awful.menu, radical act like other Awesome 3.5 layouts. You need to add items one by one. This have the benefit of letting you interact with the items themselves programatically.

The most simple kind of menus, contexts one, can be created like this:

    local menu = radical.context{}
    menu:add_item {text="Screen 1",button1=function(_menu,item,mods) print("Hello World! ") end}
    menu:add_item {text="Screen 9",icon= beautiful.awesome_icon}
    menu:add_item {text="Sub Menu",sub_menu = function()
        local smenu = radical.context{}
        smenu:add_item{text="item 1"}
        smenu:add_item{text="item 2"}
        return smenu
    end}
    
    -- To add the menu to a widget:
    local mytextbox = wibox.widget.textbox()
    mytextbox:set_menu(menu, "button::pressed", 3) -- 3 = right mouse button, 1 = left mouse button
    
    -- To add a key binding on a "box" menu (and every other types)
    menu:add_key_binding({"Mod4"},",")

In this example, a simple 3 item menu is created with a dynamically generated submenu. Please note that generating submenus using function will generate it every time it is being shown. For static menus, it is faster to simply create them once and passing the submenu object to the "sub_menu" item property.

:set_menu can also take a lazy-loading function instead of a menu. The second and third parameters are not mandatory, the defaults are "button::pressed" and 1, respectively.

:add_key_binding will add a key binding. It can also take a function as 3rd parameter. However, it wont correctly place "context" menu as it have no idea where you expect them. It work better with "box" menus.

Menu types

The current valid types are:

• Context: Regular context menu
• Box: Centered menus (think Windows alt-tab menu)
• Embed: Menus in menus. This can be used as subsections in large menus
• Bar: A compact horizontal wibox widget
• Flexbar: An extensible horizontal wibox widget
• Dock: OS X like dock with auto hiding and rectangular items

Menu style

Each menus come in various styles for various applications. New style can also be created by beautiful themes. The current ones are:

• Arrow: Gnome3 and Mac OSX like menus with border radius and an arrow
• Classic: Replicate awful.menu look

Arrow also have a few types:

• radical.base.arrow_type.NONE
• radical.base.arrow_type.PRETTY
• radical.base.arrow_type.CENTERED

Note that both menu and items have a margins property to ajust details:

    my_menu.margins.left = 12
    local item = my_menu:add_item {test="Need room"}
    item.margins.top = 3

Item style

Like menus, items can have their own style. Valid values:

• Basic: The most simple kind of items, no borders or special shape
• Classic: 1px border at the end of each items
• Rounded: A 3px border radius at each corner
• Arrow_alt: "Powerline" arrow with alternating colors
• Arrow_prefix: The item prefix are "Powerlined"
• Arrow_single: The item start with a < and end with a >

Menu layouts

On top of each styles, menu can also have different layouts to display items:

• Vertical: Items are displayed on top of each other
• Horizontal: Items are displayed alongside each other
• Grid: Items are displayed as a 2D array

Item layout

Item layouts are how widgets (icons, label, prefix) are disposed in the item

• horizontal: Default layout used by the context style
• icon: Look like a desktop icon, used by horizontal menus
• centerred: Align widgets at the center instead of using all space

Using styles and layouts

    local radical = require("radical")
    
    local m = radical.context {
        style      = radical.style.classic      ,
        item_style = radical.item.style.classic ,
        layout     = radical.layout.vertical    }
    

Tooltip

Radical also have its own styled tooltip widget. It can be used in menus, but also in every widgets using the set_tooltip method:

local mytextbox = wibox.widget.textbox()
mytextbox:set_tooltip("foo bar")

Options

Radical offer a (very, very) wide range of options to allow the creation of rich and novel menus. The options are available in 2 formats: menu wide and item specific. Menu wide options will take effect on all items and on the way the menu itself is being displayed while items ones apply only to a specific item. Multiple items can have multiple sets of options.

Menu options

Name	Description	Type
bg_header	Header (see widgets section) color	String/gradient/pattern
bg_prefix	Prefix background for item_styles that support it	String/gradient/pattern
border_color	Border color	String/gradient/pattern
item_border_color	Alternative border color for item separation	String/gradient/pattern
border_width	Border width	number
item_height	Default height of items	number
item_width	Default width of items	number
width	Original width	number
default_width	Default menu width	number
icon_size	Icon size	number
auto_resize	Resize menu if items are too large	boolean
parent_geometry	Set the menu parent	geometry array
arrow_type	Set the arrow type when use arrow style	see "arrow_type" enum
visible	Show or hide the menu	boolean
direction	The direction from which the arrow will point	"left","right","top","bottom"
row	Number of row (in grid layout)	number
column	Number of columns (in grid layout)	number
layout	The menu layout (default:vertical)	see "Menu layouts" section
style	The menu style (default:arrow)	see "Menu style"
item_style	The item style (default:basic)	see "Item style"
filter	Filter the menu when the user type	boolean
show_filter	Show a filter widget at the bottom	boolean
filter_string	Default filter string	string
fkeys_prefix	Display F1-F12 indicators for easy navigation	boolean
filter_prefix	Text to be shown at begenning of the filter string	string
max_items	Maximum number of items before showing scrollbar	number
enable_keyboard	Enable or disable keyboard navigation / hooks	boolean
disable_markup	Disable pango markup in items text	boolean
x	X position (absolute)	number
y	Y position (absolute)	number
sub_menu_on	Show submenu on selection or when clicking	see "event" enum
select_on	The event used to trigger item selection	see "event" enum
overlay	A layer on top of the item	function(data,item,cr,w,h)
opacity	Make this menu translucent (require a compositor)	number (0 to 1)
icon_transformation	Hijack the icon drawing function	function(icon,data,item)
icon_per_state	Call icon_transformation when state change	boolean
disable_submenu_icon	Do not show the submenu icon (arrow)	boolean
margins	Read/Write table (left,right,top and bottom)	dynamic table
visible_row_count	Number of visible items -(#max-(#total-#filtered))	number
default_item_margins	Default margins for items ({left=1,right=1...})	array of direction
default_margins	Default margins for the menu ({left=1,right=1...})	array of direction

Item options

Name	Description	Type
text	The item text	string
height	The item height	number
icon	The item icon	string or pattern
sub_menu	Add a submenu to this item	menu or function
selected	Select this item	boolean
checkable	Is the item dual state (a checkbox)	boolean
checked	Is the item checked or not	boolean
prefix_widget	Widget to append at the begenning of the item	widget
suffix_widget	Widget to append at the end of the item	widget
style	Custom item_style for this item	item_style
layout	Custom item_layout for this item	item_layout
tooltip	A tooltip shown on the side or bottom	string
button1	Left mouse button action	function
button2	Mid mouse button action	function
button3	Right mouse button action	function
button4	Scroll up action	function
button5	Scroll down action	function
overlay	See menu.overlay	function
margins	Read/Write table (left,right,top and bottom)	dynamic table
infoshapes	See the infoshapes widget documentation	array of infoshapes
overlay_draw	Draw a custom painter on top of the item	draw function
font	Set a custom font	font_string

Colors options

The colors option are available for both menus and items objects.

Name	State	Description
bg	---	Default background
fg	---	Default foreground
bg_disabled	theme.state.DISABLED	The item cannot be interracted with
fg_disabled	theme.state.DISABLED	The item cannot be interracted with
bg_urgent	theme.state.URGENT	The item request immediate attention
fg_urgent	theme.state.URGENT	The item request immediate attention
bg_focus	theme.state.SELECTED	Focussed / Selected items
fg_focus	theme.state.SELECTED	Focussed / Selected items
bg_pressed	theme.state.PRESSED	The item is being pressed
fg_pressed	theme.state.PRESSED	The item is being pressed
bg_hover	theme.state.HOVERED	The mouse is over the item
fg_hover	theme.state.HOVERED	The mouse is over the item
bg_changed	theme.state.CHANGED	The item recently changed
fg_changed	theme.state.CHANGED	The item recently changed
bg_used	theme.state.USED	The item is used
fg_used	theme.state.USED	The item is used
bg_checked	theme.state.CHECKED	The item is checked
fg_checked	theme.state.CHECKED	The item is checked
bg_alternate	theme.state.ALTERNATE	Alternative to bg
fg_alternate	theme.state.ALTERNATE	Alternative to fg
bg_highlight	theme.state.HIGHLIGHT	The item is hightlighted
fg_highlight	theme.state.HIGHLIGHT	The item is hightlighted

Common methods

All menus provide a bunch of methods. Most of them have been coverred above, but here is the list:

Name	Description	Arguments	Return
add_item	Add new item to a menu	array of options	item
add_items	Add new items to a menu	array of items arrays	array
add_widget	Add a new widget instead of an item	a widget, args	---
add_widgets	Add new widgets	array of widgets	---
add_embeded_menu	Add an inline menu to another menu	an "embed" menu	---
add_key_binding	Add a global key binding to a menu	mod array, key	---
add_key_hook	Add a callback when a key is pressed	mod, key, event, func	---
clear	Remove all items	---	---
scroll_down	If the menu is cropped, scroll down	---	---
scroll_up	If the menu is cropped, scroll up	---	---
hide	Hide a menu and all sub menus	---	---
swap	Swap 2 items	both items	---
move	Move an item	the item, the new idx	---
remove	Remove the item	the item	---
append	Append an existing (but unused) item	the item	---
add_prefix_widget	Add a widget at the beginning of the menu	the widget	---
add_suffix_widget	Add a widget at the end of the menu	the widget	---
add_colors_namespace	Use prefixed colors from beautiful	the namespace name	---
add_colors_group	Add a new color group (see below for details)	the group name	---

Signals

Menu also emit many signals, the syntax is usually PROPERTY_NAME::changed. Some others are item::moved, item::swapped, item::removed, item::appended

Here is an example of how to catch an "opacity" change:

    mymenu:connect_signal("opacity::changed",function(value)
        -- Do something
    end)

Most item_layout also repackage the default widget signals. It usually does the same as using the buttonX menu attributes, but is preferrable in some scenarios like when a modifier is applied.

Name	Description	Arguments
button::press	A button press	menu,item,button_id,mods,geo
button::release	A button release	menu,item,button_id,mods,geo
mouse::enter	When the mouse enter	menu,item
mouse::leave	When the mouse leave	menu,item
long::hover	The mouse is hover 1.5 sec	menu,item
long::press	The mouse is pressed 1.5 sec	menu,item

mods is an array with the applied modifier as key. If the value is nil, then the modifier is not present. Usual modifiers are Control, Shift, mod1 (Alt) and mod4.

An example of how to use them:

    local menubar = radical.bar{}
    menubar:connect_signal("button::press",function(data,item,button,mods)
        if mods.Control then
            print("Foo menu pressed!",item.text,button,data.rowcount)
        end
    end)
    
    -- Also work on items
    menubar:add_item{text="bar"}:connect_signal("button::release",function(d,i,b,m)
        print("bar click released!")
    end)

Beautiful options

Radical also use the some of the same theme options as awful.menu, plus some:

Name	Description	Type
menu_height	Menu height	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_width	Menu default/minimum width	Number
menu_border_width	Border width	Number
menu_border_color	Border color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_fg_normal	Text/Foreground color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_bg_focus	Selected item color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_bg_header	Header widget background color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_bg_alternate	Scrollbar and other widget color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_bg_normal	Default background	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_bg_highlight	Highlighted item background	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_submenu_icon	Sub menu pixmap (aka >)	Path/Pattern
menu_separator_color	Menu separator color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_opacity	Use your favorite compositor	Number (0=0%, 1=100%)
menu_draw_underlay	Function returning the underlay pixmap	function(array,width)
menu_icon_transformation	The function used to draw the icon	function(image,data,item)
menu_corner_radius	Arrow based menu corner radius	Number (default = 10)
dock_corner_radius	The dock menu type corner radius	Number (default 10)
menu_outline_color	Arrow menu outer border color	String/Gradient/Pattern
menu_checkbox_style	The style used for checkboxes	"holo" or "default"

Styling can also be done using the icon_transformation option. This feature allow masks such as desaturation, tinting, invert or some matrix to be applied on the pixmap before it is being drawn. This function take the path/surface as only parameter and return the transformed surface.

Other elements can be added to items such as prefix and siffixes. Those elements sometime need extra color groups. The add_color_group method allow to register such new category.

Some generic menu can also register beautiful namespaces using the add_colors_namespace method. For example, the tasklist namespace can be used by adding elements such as beautiful.tasklist_bg_urgent to your theme.

Extending Radical

Radical is not designed to be used "as is". Every menus are different. While common ones can be created without extending Radical capabilities, more advanced one most likely will. Good news, this is what Radical have been designed for. The previous generations proved to me that any lack or native extensibility will cause the code to bloat when it come to adding a feature. Radical horizontal design allow to add more modules and properties without having to touch the "core" files.

Object model

The Radical object model is similar to the Awesome one. Each objects have a set of signals developers can listen to to have changes notification. The big difference is that Radical object model automatically generate the properties themselves. If one desire to add a new one, it is possible to listen to item::added to apply it on the item or apply it directly on the menu itself depending if the property is for the menu or for an item. Here is an example how it work:

    local menu = radical.context{}
    
    -- Create the setter
    menu.set_foo = function(m,value)
        print("Setting value to:",value)
        m._foo_real = value
    end
    
    -- Create the getter
    menu.get_foo = function(m)
        print("Getter called, returning",m._foo_real)
    end
    
    -- The property is now created, this will call the setter:
    menu.foo = "my foo value"
    
    -- This will call the getter:
    print(menu.foo)
    
    -- The signals will be automatically generated
    data:connect_signal("foo::changed",function(m,value)
        print("foo changed:",value)
    end)
    
    -- New signals don't need to be registered and can be called right away
    data:connect_signal("my_new_signal::action_name",function(m,value1,value2,value3)
        print("Callback",m,value1,value2,value3)
    end)
    
    -- Manually emiting a signal
    menu:emit_signal("my_new_signal::action_name",value1,value2,value3)
    

State model

Radical support multiple states per item at once. The "current state" is the one with the smallest ID. A state ID is an integer from -inf to inf. More important states, like urgent versus checked can be implemented by using an appropriate ordering. The default set of states is subject to changes, so it is wiser to use a completely different range if someone want to replace the currents one. Each states can be assigned a background and foreground color using the radical.theme.register_color(id, radical_name, beautiful_name, true ) method. Toggling a state can be done using the item.state[] meta table:

    local my_state_name = 9999 -- <== The ID
    local menu = radical.context{}
    local item = menu:add_item{text="text"}
    
    -- Activate a state
    item.state[my_state_name] = true
    
    -- Desactivate a state
    item.state[my_state_name] = nil
    

Radical will take care of choosing the current state and redraw the item with the right background and foreground colors.

Layout

TODO

Style

TODO

Item layout

TODO

Item style

TODO