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 [aur package](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/autorandr-git/) on Arch
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 * Build a .deb-file from the source tree using `make deb`.
84 We appreciate packaging scripts for other distributions, please file a pull
85 request if you write one.
87 If you prefer `pip` over your package manager, you can install autorandr with:
89 sudo pip install "git+http://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr#egg=autorandr"
93 sudo pip install autorandr
95 if you prefer to use a stable version.
99 Save your current display configuration and setup with:
101 autorandr --save mobile
103 Connect an additional display, configure your setup and save it:
105 autorandr --save docked
107 Now autorandr can detect which hardware setup is active:
113 To automatically reload your setup:
117 To manually load a profile:
119 $ autorandr --load <profile>
123 $ autorandr <profile>
125 autorandr tries to avoid reloading an identical configuration. To force the
128 $ autorandr --load <profile> --force
130 To prevent a profile from being loaded, place a script call _block_ in its
131 directory. The script is evaluated before the screen setup is inspected, and
132 in case of it returning a value of 0 the profile is skipped. This can be used
133 to query the status of a docking station you are about to leave.
135 If no suitable profile can be identified, the current configuration is kept.
136 To change this behaviour and switch to a fallback configuration, specify
137 `--default <profile>`. The system-wide installation of autorandr by default
138 calls autorandr with a parameter `--default default`. There are three special,
139 virtual configurations called `horizontal`, `vertical` and `common`. They
140 automatically generate a configuration that incorporates all screens
141 connected to the computer. You can symlink `default` to one of these
142 names in your configuration directory to have autorandr use any of them
143 as the default configuration without you having to change the system-wide
146 You can store default values for any option in an INI-file in
147 `~/.config/autorandr/settings.ini` in a section `config`. The most useful
148 candidate for doing that is `skip-options`, if you need it.
154 Three more scripts can be placed in the configuration directory (as
155 (as defined by the [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html),
156 usually `~/.config/autorandr` or `~/.autorandr` if you have an old installation
157 for user configuration and `/etc/xdg/autorandr` for system wide configuration):
159 - `postswitch` is executed *after* a mode switch has taken place. This can be
160 used to notify window managers or other applications about the switch.
161 - `preswitch` is executed *before* a mode switch takes place.
162 - `postsave` is executed after a profile was stored or altered.
163 - `predetect` is executed before autorandr attempts to run xrandr.
165 These scripts must be executable and can be placed directly in the configuration
166 directory, where they will always be executed, or in the profile subdirectories,
167 where they will only be executed on changes regarding that specific profile.
169 Instead (or in addition) to these scripts, you can also place as many executable
170 files as you like in subdirectories called `script_name.d` (e.g. `postswitch.d`).
172 If a script with the same name occurs multiple times, user configuration
173 takes precedence over system configuration (as specified by the
174 [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html))
175 and profile configuration over general configuration.
177 As a concrete example, suppose you have the files
179 - `/etc/xdg/autorandr/postswitch`
180 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
181 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm`
182 - `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch`
184 and switch from `mobile` to `docked`. Then
185 `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch` is executed, since the profile specific
186 configuration takes precedence, and
187 `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm` is executed, since
188 it has a unique name.
190 If you switch back from `docked` to `mobile`, `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
191 is executed instead of the `mobile` specific `postswitch`.
193 In these scripts, some of autorandr's state is exposed as environment variables
194 prefixed with `AUTORANDR_`, such as:
195 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILE`
196 - `AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILES`
197 - `AUTORANDR_PROFILE_FOLDER`
198 - `AUTORANDR_MONITORS`
200 If you experience issues with xrandr being executed too early after connecting
201 a new monitor, then you can use a `predetect` script to delay the execution.
202 Write e.g. `sleep 1` into that file to make autorandr wait a second before
205 ### Wildcard EDID matching
207 The EDID strings in the `~/.config/autorandr/*/setup` files may contain an
208 asterisk to enable wildcard matching: Such EDIDs are matched against connected
209 monitors using the usual file name globbing rules. This can be used to create
210 profiles matching multiple (or any) monitors.
216 * *2018-09-25* Fix FB size computation with rotated screens (by @Janno, #117)
220 * *2018-04-19* Bugfix: Do not load default profile unless --change is set
221 * *2018-04-30* Added a `AUTORANDR_MONITORS` variable to hooks (by @bricewge, #106)
222 * *2018-06-29* Fix detection of current configuration if extra monitors are active
223 * *2018-07-11* Bugfix in the latest change: Correctly handle "off" minitors when comparing
224 * *2018-07-19* Do not kill spawned user processes from systemd unit
225 * *2018-07-20* Correctly handle "off" monitors when comparing -- fixup for another bug.
229 * *2018-01-03* Add --version
230 * *2018-01-04* Fixed vertical/horizontal/clone-largest virtual profiles
231 * *2018-03-07* Output all non-error messages to stdout instead of stderr
232 * *2018-03-25* Add --detected and --current to filter the profile list output
233 * *2018-03-25* Allow wildcard matching in EDIDs
237 * *2017-12-22* Fixed broken virtual profile support
238 * *2017-12-14* Added support for a settings file
239 * *2017-12-14* Added a virtual profile `off`, which disables all screens
243 * *2017-11-13* Add a short form for `--load`
244 * *2017-11-21* Fix environment stealing in `--batch` mode (See #87)
248 * *2017-07-16* Skip `--panning` unless it is required (See #72)
249 * *2017-10-13* Add `clone-largest` virtual profile
253 * *2017-06-07* Call systemctl with `--no-block` from udev rule (See #61)
254 * *2017-01-20* New script hook, `predetect`
255 * *2017-01-18* Accept comments (lines starting with `#`) in config/setup files
259 * *2016-12-07* Tag the current code as version 1.0.0; see github issue #54
260 * *2016-10-03* Install a desktop file to `/etc/xdg/autostart` by default