wal (Python 3 version)

wal is a script that takes an image (or a directory of images), generates a colorscheme (using imagemagick) and then changes all of your open terminal's colorschemes to the new colors on the fly. wal then caches each generated colorscheme so that cycling through wallpapers while changing colorschemes is instantaneous. wal finally merges the new colorscheme into the Xresources db so that any new terminal emulators you open use the new colorscheme.

wal can also change the colors in some other programs, check out the WIKI.

NOTE: wal is not perfect and won't work with some images.

Albums of examples (Warning large)

Table of Contents

• Requirements
  • Dependencies
  • Terminal Emulator
• Installation
  • Pip install
  • Manual install
• Setup
  • Applying the theme to new terminals.
  • Making the colorscheme persist on reboot.
• Usage
• Customization

Requirements

Dependencies

• python 3.6
• imagemagick
  • Colorscheme generation
• xfce, gnome, cinnamon, mate
  • Desktop wallpaper setting.
• feh, nitrogen, bgs, hsetroot, habak
  • Universal wallpaper setting.

Terminal Emulator

To use wal your terminal emulator must support a special type of escape sequence. The command below can be used as a test to see if wal will work with your setup.

Run the command below, does the background color of your terminal become red?

printf "%b" "\033]11;#ff0000\007"

If your terminal's background color is now red, your terminal will work with wal.

Installation

Pip install

pip install pywal

Manual install

Just grab the script (wal) and add it to your path.

Setup

NOTE: If you get junk in your terminal, add -t to all of the wal commands.

Applying the theme to new terminals.

wal only applies the new colors to the currently open terminals. Any new terminal windows you open won't be using the new theme unless you add a single line to your shell's start up file. (.bashrc, .zshrc etc.) The -r flags tells wal to find the current colorscheme inside the cache and then set it for the new terminal.

Add this line to your shell startup file. (.bashrc, .zshrc or etc.)

# Import colorscheme from 'wal'
(wal -r &)

Here's how the extra syntax above works:

&   # Run the process in the background.
( ) # Hide shell job control messages.

Making the colorscheme persist on reboot.

On reboot your new colorscheme won't be set or in use. To fix this you have to add a line to your .xinitrc or whatever file starts programs on your system. This wal command will set your wallpaper to the wallpaper that was set last boot and also apply the colorscheme again.

Without this you'll be themeless until you run wal again on boot.

# Add this to your .xinitrc or whatever file starts programs on startup.
wal -i "$(< "${HOME}/.cache/wal/wal")"

Usage

Run wal and point it to either a directory (wal -i "path/to/dir") or an image (wal -i "/path/to/img.jpg") and that's all. wal will change your wallpaper for you and also set your terminal colors.

usage: wal [-h] [-c] [-i "/path/to/img.jpg"] [-n] [-o "script_name"] [-q] [-r]
           [-t] [-v]

wal - Generate colorschemes on the fly

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -c                    Delete all cached colorschemes.
  -i "/path/to/img.jpg"
                        Which image or directory to use.
  -n                    Skip setting the wallpaper.
  -o "script_name"      External script to run after "wal".
  -q                    Quiet mode, don"t print anything.
  -r                    Reload current colorscheme.
  -t                    Fix artifacts in VTE Terminals. (Termite,
                        xfce4-terminal)
  -v                    Print "wal" version.

Customization

See the wal wiki!

https://github.com/dylanaraps/wal.py/wiki