3 Automatically select a display configuration based on connected devices
7 This is a compatible Python rewrite of
8 [wertarbyte/autorandr](https://github.com/wertarbyte/autorandr). Contributions
9 for bash-completion, fd.o/XDG autostart, Nitrogen, pm-utils, and systemd can be
10 found under [contrib](contrib/).
12 The original [wertarbyte/autorandr](https://github.com/wertarbyte/autorandr)
13 tree is unmaintained, with lots of open pull requests and issues. I forked it
14 and merged what I thought were the most important changes. If you are searching
15 for that version, see the [`legacy` branch](https://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr/tree/legacy).
16 Note that the Python version is better suited for non-standard configurations,
17 like if you use `--transform` or `--reflect`. If you use `auto-disper`, you
18 have to use the bash version, as there is no disper support in the Python
19 version (yet). Both versions use a compatible configuration file format, so
20 you can, to some extent, switch between them. I will maintain the `legacy`
21 branch until @wertarbyte finds the time to maintain his branch again.
23 If you are interested in why there are two versions around, see
24 [#7](https://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr/issues/7),
25 [#8](https://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr/issues/8) and
27 [#12](https://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr/issues/12)
28 if you are unhappy with this version and would like to contribute to the bash
31 ## License information and authors
33 autorandr is available under the terms of the GNU General Public License
36 Contributors to this version of autorandr are:
50 * Rasmus Wriedt Larsen
60 ## Installation/removal
62 You can use the `autorandr.py` script as a stand-alone binary. If you'd like to
63 install it as a system-wide application, there is a Makefile included that also
64 places some configuration files in appropriate directories such that autorandr
65 is invoked automatically when a monitor is connected or removed, the system
66 wakes up from suspend, or a user logs into an X11 session. Run `make install`
67 as root to install it.
69 If you prefer to have a system wide install managed by your package manager,
72 * Use the [aur package](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/autorandr-git/) on Arch
73 * Use the [official Debian package](https://packages.debian.org/sid/x11/autorandr) on sid
74 * Use the [ebuild from zugaina](https://gpo.zugaina.org/x11-misc/autorandr) on Gentoo.
76 [nix package](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/services/misc/autorandr.nix)
78 * Use the automated nightlies generated by the
79 [openSUSE build service](https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:phillipberndt/autorandr)
80 for various distributions (RPM and DEB based).
81 * Build a .deb-file from the source tree using `make deb`.
83 We appreciate packaging scripts for other distributions, please file a pull
84 request if you write one.
86 If you prefer `pip` over your package manager, you can install autorandr with:
88 sudo pip install "git+http://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr#egg=autorandr"
92 sudo pip install autorandr
94 if you prefer to use a stable version.
98 Save your current display configuration and setup with:
100 autorandr --save mobile
102 Connect an additional display, configure your setup and save it:
104 autorandr --save docked
106 Now autorandr can detect which hardware setup is active:
112 To automatically reload your setup:
116 To manually load a profile:
118 $ autorandr --load <profile>
122 $ autorandr <profile>
124 autorandr tries to avoid reloading an identical configuration. To force the
127 $ autorandr --load <profile> --force
129 To prevent a profile from being loaded, place a script call _block_ in its
130 directory. The script is evaluated before the screen setup is inspected, and
131 in case of it returning a value of 0 the profile is skipped. This can be used
132 to query the status of a docking station you are about to leave.
134 If no suitable profile can be identified, the current configuration is kept.
135 To change this behaviour and switch to a fallback configuration, specify
136 `--default <profile>`. The system-wide installation of autorandr by default
137 calls autorandr with a parameter `--default default`. There are three special,
138 virtual configurations called `horizontal`, `vertical` and `common`. They
139 automatically generate a configuration that incorporates all screens
140 connected to the computer. You can symlink `default` to one of these
141 names in your configuration directory to have autorandr use any of them
142 as the default configuration without you having to change the system-wide
145 You can store default values for any option in an INI-file in
146 `~/.config/autorandr/settings.ini` in a section `config`. The most useful
147 candidate for doing that is `skip-options`, if you need it.
153 Three more scripts can be placed in the configuration directory (as
154 (as defined by the [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html),
155 usually `~/.config/autorandr` or `~/.autorandr` if you have an old installation
156 for user configuration and `/etc/xdg/autorandr` for system wide configuration):
158 - `postswitch` is executed *after* a mode switch has taken place. This can be
159 used to notify window managers or other applications about the switch.
160 - `preswitch` is executed *before* a mode switch takes place.
161 - `postsave` is executed after a profile was stored or altered.
162 - `predetect` is executed before autorandr attempts to run xrandr.
164 These scripts must be executable and can be placed directly in the configuration
165 directory, where they will always be executed, or in the profile subdirectories,
166 where they will only be executed on changes regarding that specific profile.
168 Instead (or in addition) to these scripts, you can also place as many executable
169 files as you like in subdirectories called `script_name.d` (e.g. `postswitch.d`).
171 If a script with the same name occurs multiple times, user configuration
172 takes precedence over system configuration (as specified by the
173 [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html))
174 and profile configuration over general configuration.
176 As a concrete example, suppose you have the files
178 - `/etc/xdg/autorandr/postswitch`
179 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
180 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm`
181 - `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch`
183 and switch from `mobile` to `docked`. Then
184 `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch` is executed, since the profile specific
185 configuration takes precedence, and
186 `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm` is executed, since
187 it has a unique name.
189 If you switch back from `docked` to `mobile`, `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
190 is executed instead of the `mobile` specific `postswitch`.
192 In these scripts, some of autorandr's state is exposed as environment variables
193 prefixed with `AUTORANDR_`, such as:
194 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILE`
195 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILES`
196 - `AUTORANDR_PROFILE_FOLDER`
197 - `AUTORANDR_MONITORS`
199 If you experience issues with xrandr being executed too early after connecting
200 a new monitor, then you can use a `predetect` script to delay the execution.
201 Write e.g. `sleep 1` into that file to make autorandr wait a second before
204 ### Wildcard EDID matching
206 The EDID strings in the `~/.config/autorandr/*/setup` files may contain an
207 asterisk to enable wildcard matching: Such EDIDs are matched against connected
208 monitors using the usual file name globbing rules. This can be used to create
209 profiles matching multiple (or any) monitors.
213 * *2018-04-19* Bugfix: Do not load default profile unless --change is set
217 * *2018-01-03* Add --version
218 * *2018-01-04* Fixed vertical/horizontal/clone-largest virtual profiles
219 * *2018-03-07* Output all non-error messages to stdout instead of stderr
220 * *2018-03-25* Add --detected and --current to filter the profile list output
221 * *2018-03-25* Allow wildcard matching in EDIDs
225 * *2017-12-22* Fixed broken virtual profile support
226 * *2017-12-14* Added support for a settings file
227 * *2017-12-14* Added a virtual profile `off`, which disables all screens
231 * *2017-11-13* Add a short form for `--load`
232 * *2017-11-21* Fix environment stealing in `--batch` mode (See #87)
236 * *2017-07-16* Skip `--panning` unless it is required (See #72)
237 * *2017-10-13* Add `clone-largest` virtual profile
241 * *2017-06-07* Call systemctl with `--no-block` from udev rule (See #61)
242 * *2017-01-20* New script hook, `predetect`
243 * *2017-01-18* Accept comments (lines starting with `#`) in config/setup files
247 * *2016-12-07* Tag the current code as version 1.0.0; see github issue #54
248 * *2016-10-03* Install a desktop file to `/etc/xdg/autostart` by default