ULauncher

• Website
• Docs: extensions and color themes
• GitHub

  • 2k commits, 54 contributors

  • Slow development
  • But in last 6 month (until 2024-11) only commits from the maintainer
• Python
• AUR package: ulauncher
• config in ~/.config/ulauncher
• Ulauncher forks:
  • catapult
    • <300 commits
  • dlauncher (dead)

Usage

• Start ulauncher as a daemon
• Then use ulauncher-toggle to show/hide ulauncher.

Ulauncher extensions

• Extension docs
• Many good extensions
• Plugin examples
  • Bitwarden plugin
  • pass-ulauncher
• Install an extension: Ulauncher preferences -> extensions -> add extension and paste the extension URL

Develop an extension:

git clone https://github.com/yannishuber/pass-ulauncher.git
~/projects/app-launchers/ulauncher/pass-ulauncher/
ln -s ~/projects/app-launchers/ulauncher/pass-ulauncher/ ~/.local/share/ulauncher/extensions/

In order to see the new extension you have to restart Ulauncher.

Try out

• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-the-lay-ulauncher-spotify-api
• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-nesivmi-ulauncher-translate
• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-pbkhrv-ulauncher-keepassxc
• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-dcervenkov-ulauncher-z-search https://github.com/rupa/z https://github.com/andrewferrier/fzf-z
• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-compilelife-ulauncher-searchfile

Password extensions

Bitwarden

• ulauncher-rbw

pass

• ibot3/pass-ulauncher, a fork of
  • yannishuber/pass-ulauncher
  • which supports gopass
  • No fuzzy find :(
• https://github.com/m3y/ulauncher-pass-paster

Stale / archived

• yannishuber/pass-ulauncher

  • Works, but only supports one pwstore
  • No releases, last commit 2019-05

• seqizz/ulauncher-password-store Doesn't support API v2

keepassxc

• No support for multiple databases

System (reboot, hibernate etc)

• https://ext.ulauncher.io/-/github-leinardi-ulauncher-systemctl works

• https://github.com/iboyperson/ulauncher-system doesn't work:

  The extension exited instantly. Please check the logs.

Exec-terminal

https://github.com/henriqueutsch/exec-terminal/

Doesn't install

ip-lookup

https://github.com/munim/ulauncher-ip-lookup

Doesn't work

Issues

• v6 Release is beeing worked on since 2021. v6 brings a new breaking API version v3 but the extension registry still doesn't allow v3 extensions to be published
• Not very welcoming for contributors, comments are beeing marked as off-topic
• All extensions are loaded in background at startup FR: Don't run extensions in the background

Pre-v6

• Ulauncher crashes on big lists:
  • Unable to create Cairo image surface: invalid value
  • Fixed in v6
• Sway: Disable boarders
  • Solution: Run ulauncher with --hide-window and/or --no-window-shadow

Install ulauncher

pamac install ulauncher

Development

Build and run v6 from source:

cd ~/projects/app-launchers/ulauncher/Ulauncher.git/
sudo pacman -Syu --needed git bash make sed yarn mypy \
  ruff typos python-{build,black,pytest,pytest-mock,setuptools}

make run