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.
150 Three more scripts can be placed in the configuration directory (as
151 (as defined by the [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html),
152 usually `~/.config/autorandr` or `~/.autorandr` if you have an old installation
153 for user configuration and `/etc/xdg/autorandr` for system wide configuration):
155 - `postswitch` is executed *after* a mode switch has taken place. This can be
156 used to notify window managers or other applications about the switch.
157 - `preswitch` is executed *before* a mode switch takes place.
158 - `postsave` is executed after a profile was stored or altered.
159 - `predetect` is executed before autorandr attempts to run xrandr.
161 These scripts must be executable and can be placed directly in the configuration
162 directory, where they will always be executed, or in the profile subdirectories,
163 where they will only be executed on changes regarding that specific profile.
165 Instead (or in addition) to these scripts, you can also place as many executable
166 files as you like in subdirectories called `script_name.d` (e.g. `postswitch.d`).
168 If a script with the same name occurs multiple times, user configuration
169 takes precedence over system configuration (as specified by the
170 [XDG spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html))
171 and profile configuration over general configuration.
173 As a concrete example, suppose you have the files
175 - `/etc/xdg/autorandr/postswitch`
176 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
177 - `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm`
178 - `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch`
180 and switch from `mobile` to `docked`. Then
181 `~/.config/autorandr/docked/postswitch` is executed, since the profile specific
182 configuration takes precedence, and
183 `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch.d/notify-herbstluftwm` is executed, since
184 it has a unique name.
186 If you switch back from `docked` to `mobile`, `~/.config/autorandr/postswitch`
187 is executed instead of the `mobile` specific `postswitch`.
189 In these scripts, some of autorandr's state is exposed as environment variables
190 prefixed with `AUTORANDR_`. The most useful one is `$AUTORANDR_CURRENT_PROFILE`.
192 If you experience issues with xrandr being executed too early after connecting
193 a new monitor, then you can use a `predetect` script to delay the execution.
194 Write e.g. `sleep 1` into that file to make autorandr wait a second before
199 * *2018-01-04* Fixed vertical/horizontal/clone-largest virtual profiles
200 * *2018-03-07* Output all non-error messages to stdout instead of stderr
204 * *2017-12-22* Fixed broken virtual profile support
205 * *2017-12-14* Added support for a settings file
206 * *2017-12-14* Added a virtual profile `off`, which disables all screens
210 * *2017-11-13* Add a short form for `--load`
211 * *2017-11-21* Fix environment stealing in `--batch` mode (See #87)
215 * *2017-07-16* Skip `--panning` unless it is required (See #72)
216 * *2017-10-13* Add `clone-largest` virtual profile
220 * *2017-06-07* Call systemctl with `--no-block` from udev rule (See #61)
221 * *2017-01-20* New script hook, `predetect`
222 * *2017-01-18* Accept comments (lines starting with `#`) in config/setup files
226 * *2016-12-07* Tag the current code as version 1.0.0; see github issue #54
227 * *2016-10-03* Install a desktop file to `/etc/xdg/autostart` by default