[SOLVED] How to make a bash script to switch between color schemes

Oliems · 06-17-2019, 04:48 PM

Hello,

I would like to know how to make a bash script to make changes to .Xresources in order to switch between different color schemes and, if it is possible, to apply the changes without having to close and reopen the terminal.

I am using urxvt and i3.

Here is my .Xresources file :

Code:

! Solarized color scheme for the X Window System
!
! http://ethanschoonover.com/solarized


! Common

#define S_yellow        #b58900
#define S_orange        #cb4b16
#define S_red           #dc322f
#define S_magenta       #d33682
#define S_violet        #6c71c4
#define S_blue          #268bd2
#define S_cyan          #2aa198
#define S_green         #859900


! Dark

! #define S_base03        #002b36
! #define S_base02        #073642
! #define S_base01        #586e75
! #define S_base00        #657b83
! #define S_base0         #839496
! #define S_base1         #93a1a1
! #define S_base2         #eee8d5
! #define S_base3         #fdf6e3


! Light

#define S_base03        #fdf6e3
#define S_base02        #eee8d5
#define S_base01        #93a1a1
#define S_base00        #839496
#define S_base0         #657b83
#define S_base1         #586e75
#define S_base2         #073642
#define S_base3         #002b36


! To only apply colors to your terminal, for example, prefix
! the color assignment statement with its name. Example:
!
! URxvt*background:            S_base03

URxvt*background:              S_base03
URxvt*foreground:              S_base0
URxvt*fading:                  40
URxvt*fadeColor:               S_base03
URxvt*cursorColor:             S_base1
URxvt*pointerColorBackground:  S_base01
URxvt*pointerColorForeground:  S_base1

URxvt*color0:                  S_base02
URxvt*color1:                  S_red
URxvt*color2:                  S_green
URxvt*color3:                  S_yellow
URxvt*color4:                  S_blue
URxvt*color5:                  S_magenta
URxvt*color6:                  S_cyan
URxvt*color7:                  S_base2
URxvt*color9:                  S_orange
URxvt*color8:                  S_base03
URxvt*color10:                 S_base01
URxvt*color11:                 S_base00
URxvt*color12:                 S_base0
URxvt*color13:                 S_violet
URxvt*color14:                 S_base1
URxvt*color15:                 S_base3

URxvt*font:             xft:monospace:size=14
URxvt*inheritPixmap:    false 
URxvt*transparent: 	false
! URxvt*shading: 	110
! URxvt*tint:		white
URxvt*scrollBar:        false
URxvt*cursorBlink:      false

For example, If I want to switch between light and dark mode, I have to uncomment the corresponding lines, then use xrdb to reload .Xresources and finally close and reopen the terminals for the changes to take effect.

Thanks in advance

BW-userx · 06-17-2019, 06:22 PM

keep some originals somewhere safe for a backup!
how do you open a terminal?
make a script that calls to switch out the file, then calls to open a terminal that uses same said switched file, this way you get different colors in different terminals.

this is what I do with one of my terminals

Code:

#!/bin/bash
#BASH Internals 
#to give a random background image to
#mrxvt terminal
#by chaning its resource file
#.mrxvtrc
wd=/media/data1/EtermBGs
mapfile -t ImageA < <(find "$wd" -type f)
sed -i 's|.*mrxvt.Pixmap:.*|mrxvt.Pixmap: '" $( echo ${ImageA[ $RANDOM % ${#ImageA[@]}]})"';70x80|' $HOME/.mrxvtrc
mrxvt &

it sed's config file first changing the bg image then calls to open the terminal. So I get a different image in each terminal I open that is mrxvt, and works like a charm in my case.

so in i3 keyboard short cut calls your script first, then that script calls your terminal.
keeping your different setups for terminal.

Code:

#!/bin/bash

if grep -q test1 $HOME/base/ckfile ; 
then
	cp $HOME/base/filetwo $HOME/base/ckfile
else
	cp $HOME/base/fileone $HOME/base/ckfile
fi

#call terminal here.

in your two different setup files to be copied as .Xresources kept in a safe place. add within them a comment, I used test1, test2 in two different files, and within the ckfile I added !test1. ran that script a few time to look in the ckfile to see if it had changed. so yes.. this work.

you could if you like just use that logic and do your own file to suit your needs.

ondoho · 06-18-2019, 01:03 AM

Various ways!

Includes in ~/.Xresources (*):

Code:

#include </home/ondoho/.local/share/xorg/includes/theme1.xres>

So the file theme1 contains only the desired colors and nothing else.
To change a theme, you could use sed:

Code:

sed -i ... ~/.Xresources

(of course you should back up that file first. you have been warned.)
I leave it to your search-fu to figure out "..."

But even easier is to simply merge the theme into the xrdb database, which exists only in memory:

Code:

xrdb -merge /home/ondoho/.local/share/xorg/includes/theme1.xres

This remains valid until you restart Xorg, so you need to add a script to your startup application that chooses the right theme and performs that merge every time you start X.
It's definitely less intrusive that way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oliems

if it is possible, to apply the changes without having to close and reopen the terminal.

with urxvt this is not possible.

(*) My ~/.Xresources contains much more than just a terminal color scheme.

Oliems · 06-18-2019, 02:43 PM

Thanks for your help guys, I'll manage to do it on my own from then on

ondoho · 06-19-2019, 01:28 AM

Let us know how you solved it in the end

Oliems · 06-19-2019, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

Let us know how you solved it in the end

I have made a ~/.themes folder with different copies of the original .Xresources file with just changes made to the color related part, then bind a shortcut for each of them in i3 to load them using xrdb