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
61 ## Installation/removal
63 You can use the `autorandr.py` script as a stand-alone binary. If you'd like to
64 install it as a system-wide application, there is a Makefile included that also
65 places some configuration files in appropriate directories such that autorandr
66 is invoked automatically when a monitor is connected or removed, the system
67 wakes up from suspend, or a user logs into an X11 session. Run `make install`
68 as root to install it.
70 If you prefer to have a system wide install managed by your package manager,
73 * Use the [official Arch package](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/autorandr/).
74 * Use the [official Debian package](https://packages.debian.org/sid/x11/autorandr) on sid
75 * Use the [ebuild from zugaina](https://gpo.zugaina.org/x11-misc/autorandr) on Gentoo.
77 [nix package](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/services/misc/autorandr.nix)
79 * Use the automated nightlies generated by the
80 [openSUSE build service](https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:phillipberndt/autorandr)
81 for various distributions (RPM and DEB based).
82 * Use the [X binary package system](https://wiki.voidlinux.eu/XBPS)' on Void Linux
83 * Build a .deb-file from the source tree using `make deb`.
84 * Build a .rpm-file from the source tree using `make rpm`.
86 We appreciate packaging scripts for other distributions, please file a pull
87 request if you write one.
89 If you prefer `pip` over your package manager, you can install autorandr with:
91 sudo pip install "git+http://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr#egg=autorandr"
95 sudo pip install autorandr
97 if you prefer to use a stable version.
101 Save your current display configuration and setup with:
103 autorandr --save mobile
105 Connect an additional display, configure your setup and save it:
107 autorandr --save docked
109 Now autorandr can detect which hardware setup is active:
115 To automatically reload your setup:
119 To manually load a profile:
121 $ autorandr --load <profile>
125 $ autorandr <profile>
127 autorandr tries to avoid reloading an identical configuration. To force the
130 $ autorandr --load <profile> --force
132 To prevent a profile from being loaded, place a script call _block_ in its
133 directory. The script is evaluated before the screen setup is inspected, and
134 in case of it returning a value of 0 the profile is skipped. This can be used
135 to query the status of a docking station you are about to leave.
137 If no suitable profile can be identified, the current configuration is kept.
138 To change this behaviour and switch to a fallback configuration, specify
139 `--default <profile>`. The system-wide installation of autorandr by default
140 calls autorandr with a parameter `--default default`. There are three special,
141 virtual configurations called `horizontal`, `vertical` and `common`. They
142 automatically generate a configuration that incorporates all screens
143 connected to the computer. You can symlink `default` to one of these
144 names in your configuration directory to have autorandr use any of them
145 as the default configuration without you having to change the system-wide
148 You can store default values for any option in an INI-file in
149 `~/.config/autorandr/settings.ini` in a section `config`. The most useful
150 candidate for doing that is `skip-options`, if you need it.
156 Three more scripts can be placed in the configuration directory
157 (as defined by the [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html),
158 usually `~/.config/autorandr` or `~/.autorandr` if you have an old installation
159 for user configuration and `/etc/xdg/autorandr` for system wide configuration):
161 - `postswitch` is executed *after* a mode switch has taken place. This can be
162 used to notify window managers or other applications about the switch.
163 - `preswitch` is executed *before* a mode switch takes place.
164 - `postsave` is executed after a profile was stored or altered.
165 - `predetect` is executed before autorandr attempts to run xrandr.
167 These scripts must be executable and can be placed directly in the configuration
168 directory, where they will always be executed, or in the profile subdirectories,
169 where they will only be executed on changes regarding that specific profile.
171 Instead (or in addition) to these scripts, you can also place as many executable
172 files as you like in subdirectories called `script_name.d` (e.g. `postswitch.d`).
174 If a script with the same name occurs multiple times, user configuration
175 takes precedence over system configuration (as specified by the
176 [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html))
177 and profile configuration over general configuration.
179 As a concrete example, suppose you have the files
181 - `/etc/xdg/autorandr/postswitch`
182 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
183 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm`
184 - `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch`
186 and switch from `mobile` to `docked`. Then
187 `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch` is executed, since the profile specific
188 configuration takes precedence, and
189 `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm` is executed, since
190 it has a unique name.
192 If you switch back from `docked` to `mobile`, `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
193 is executed instead of the `mobile` specific `postswitch`.
195 In these scripts, some of autorandr's state is exposed as environment variables
196 prefixed with `AUTORANDR_`, such as:
197 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILE`
198 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILES`
199 - `AUTORANDR_PROFILE_FOLDER`
200 - `AUTORANDR_MONITORS`
202 If you experience issues with xrandr being executed too early after connecting
203 a new monitor, then you can use a `predetect` script to delay the execution.
204 Write e.g. `sleep 1` into that file to make autorandr wait a second before
207 ### Wildcard EDID matching
209 The EDID strings in the `~/.config/autorandr/*/setup` files may contain an
210 asterisk to enable wildcard matching: Such EDIDs are matched against connected
211 monitors using the usual file name globbing rules. This can be used to create
212 profiles matching multiple (or any) monitors.
216 **autorandr 1.9 (dev)**
218 * *2019-03-24* Fix handling of recently disconnected outputs (See #128 and #143)
222 * *2019-03-18* Removed mandb call from Makefile
226 * *2019-02-17* Add an X11 daemon that runs autorandr when a display connects (by @rliou92, #127)
227 * *2019-02-17* Replace width=0 check with disconnected to detect disconnected monitors (by @joseph-jones, #139)
228 * *2019-02-17* Fix handling of empty padding (by @jschwab, #138)
229 * *2019-02-17* Add a man page (by @somers-all-the-time, #133)
233 * *2018-09-25* Fix FB size computation with rotated screens (by @Janno, #117)
237 * *2018-04-19* Bugfix: Do not load default profile unless --change is set
238 * *2018-04-30* Added a `AUTORANDR_MONITORS` variable to hooks (by @bricewge, #106)
239 * *2018-06-29* Fix detection of current configuration if extra monitors are active
240 * *2018-07-11* Bugfix in the latest change: Correctly handle "off" minitors when comparing
241 * *2018-07-19* Do not kill spawned user processes from systemd unit
242 * *2018-07-20* Correctly handle "off" monitors when comparing -- fixup for another bug.
246 * *2018-01-03* Add --version
247 * *2018-01-04* Fixed vertical/horizontal/clone-largest virtual profiles
248 * *2018-03-07* Output all non-error messages to stdout instead of stderr
249 * *2018-03-25* Add --detected and --current to filter the profile list output
250 * *2018-03-25* Allow wildcard matching in EDIDs
254 * *2017-12-22* Fixed broken virtual profile support
255 * *2017-12-14* Added support for a settings file
256 * *2017-12-14* Added a virtual profile `off`, which disables all screens
260 * *2017-11-13* Add a short form for `--load`
261 * *2017-11-21* Fix environment stealing in `--batch` mode (See #87)
265 * *2017-07-16* Skip `--panning` unless it is required (See #72)
266 * *2017-10-13* Add `clone-largest` virtual profile
270 * *2017-06-07* Call systemctl with `--no-block` from udev rule (See #61)
271 * *2017-01-20* New script hook, `predetect`
272 * *2017-01-18* Accept comments (lines starting with `#`) in config/setup files
276 * *2016-12-07* Tag the current code as version 1.0.0; see github issue #54
277 * *2016-10-03* Install a desktop file to `/etc/xdg/autostart` by default