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:
49 * Rasmus Wriedt Larsen
59 ## Installation/removal
61 You can use the `autorandr.py` script as a stand-alone binary. If you'd like to
62 install it as a system-wide application, there is a Makefile included that also
63 places some configuration files in appropriate directories such that autorandr
64 is invoked automatically when a monitor is connected or removed, the system
65 wakes up from suspend, or a user logs into an X11 session. Run `make install`
66 as root to install it.
68 If you prefer to have a system wide install managed by your package manager,
71 * Use the [aur package](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/autorandr-git/) on Arch
72 * Use the [official Debian package](https://packages.debian.org/sid/x11/autorandr) on sid
73 * Use the [ebuild from zugaina](https://gpo.zugaina.org/x11-misc/autorandr) on Gentoo.
75 [nix package](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/services/misc/autorandr.nix)
77 * Use the automated nightlies generated by the
78 [openSUSE build service](https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:phillipberndt/autorandr)
79 for various distributions (RPM and DEB based).
80 * Build a .deb-file from the source tree using `make deb`.
82 We appreciate packaging scripts for other distributions, please file a pull
83 request if you write one.
85 If you prefer `pip` over your package manager, you can install autorandr with:
87 sudo pip install "git+http://github.com/phillipberndt/autorandr#egg=autorandr"
91 sudo pip install autorandr
93 if you prefer to use a stable version.
97 Save your current display configuration and setup with:
99 autorandr --save mobile
101 Connect an additional display, configure your setup and save it:
103 autorandr --save docked
105 Now autorandr can detect which hardware setup is active:
111 To automatically reload your setup:
115 To manually load a profile:
117 $ autorandr --load <profile>
121 $ autorandr <profile>
123 autorandr tries to avoid reloading an identical configuration. To force the
126 $ autorandr --load <profile> --force
128 To prevent a profile from being loaded, place a script call _block_ in its
129 directory. The script is evaluated before the screen setup is inspected, and
130 in case of it returning a value of 0 the profile is skipped. This can be used
131 to query the status of a docking station you are about to leave.
133 If no suitable profile can be identified, the current configuration is kept.
134 To change this behaviour and switch to a fallback configuration, specify
135 `--default <profile>`. The system-wide installation of autorandr by default
136 calls autorandr with a parameter `--default default`. There are three special,
137 virtual configurations called `horizontal`, `vertical` and `common`. They
138 automatically generate a configuration that incorporates all screens
139 connected to the computer. You can symlink `default` to one of these
140 names in your configuration directory to have autorandr use any of them
141 as the default configuration without you having to change the system-wide
144 You can store default values for any option in an INI-file in
145 `~/.config/autorandr/settings.ini` in a section `config`. The most useful
146 candidate for doing that is `skip-options`, if you need it.
152 Three more scripts can be placed in the configuration directory (as
153 (as defined by the [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html),
154 usually `~/.config/autorandr` or `~/.autorandr` if you have an old installation
155 for user configuration and `/etc/xdg/autorandr` for system wide configuration):
157 - `postswitch` is executed *after* a mode switch has taken place. This can be
158 used to notify window managers or other applications about the switch.
159 - `preswitch` is executed *before* a mode switch takes place.
160 - `postsave` is executed after a profile was stored or altered.
161 - `predetect` is executed before autorandr attempts to run xrandr.
163 These scripts must be executable and can be placed directly in the configuration
164 directory, where they will always be executed, or in the profile subdirectories,
165 where they will only be executed on changes regarding that specific profile.
167 Instead (or in addition) to these scripts, you can also place as many executable
168 files as you like in subdirectories called `script_name.d` (e.g. `postswitch.d`).
170 If a script with the same name occurs multiple times, user configuration
171 takes precedence over system configuration (as specified by the
172 [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html))
173 and profile configuration over general configuration.
175 As a concrete example, suppose you have the files
177 - `/etc/xdg/autorandr/postswitch`
178 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
179 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm`
180 - `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch`
182 and switch from `mobile` to `docked`. Then
183 `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch` is executed, since the profile specific
184 configuration takes precedence, and
185 `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm` is executed, since
186 it has a unique name.
188 If you switch back from `docked` to `mobile`, `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
189 is executed instead of the `mobile` specific `postswitch`.
191 In these scripts, some of autorandr's state is exposed as environment variables
192 prefixed with `AUTORANDR_`. The most useful one is `$AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILE`.
194 If you experience issues with xrandr being executed too early after connecting
195 a new monitor, then you can use a `predetect` script to delay the execution.
196 Write e.g. `sleep 1` into that file to make autorandr wait a second before
199 ### Wildcard EDID matching
201 The EDID strings in the `~/.config/autorandr/*/setup` files may contain an
202 asterisk to enable wildcard matching: Such EDIDs are matched against connected
203 monitors using the usual file name globbing rules. This can be used to create
204 profiles matching multiple (or any) monitors.
208 * *2018-01-04* Fixed vertical/horizontal/clone-largest virtual profiles
209 * *2018-03-07* Output all non-error messages to stdout instead of stderr
210 * *2018-03-25* Add --detected and --current to filter the profile list output
211 * *2018-03-25* Allow wildcard matching in EDIDs
215 * *2017-12-22* Fixed broken virtual profile support
216 * *2017-12-14* Added support for a settings file
217 * *2017-12-14* Added a virtual profile `off`, which disables all screens
221 * *2017-11-13* Add a short form for `--load`
222 * *2017-11-21* Fix environment stealing in `--batch` mode (See #87)
226 * *2017-07-16* Skip `--panning` unless it is required (See #72)
227 * *2017-10-13* Add `clone-largest` virtual profile
231 * *2017-06-07* Call systemctl with `--no-block` from udev rule (See #61)
232 * *2017-01-20* New script hook, `predetect`
233 * *2017-01-18* Accept comments (lines starting with `#`) in config/setup files
237 * *2016-12-07* Tag the current code as version 1.0.0; see github issue #54
238 * *2016-10-03* Install a desktop file to `/etc/xdg/autostart` by default