Utils

Running external commands

Synchronously

function exec(cmd: string): string

This is synchronous, meaning it will block the eventloop

const echo = Utils.exec('echo "Hi Mom"') // returns string
console.log(echo) // logs "Hi Mom"

const uptime = Utils.exec(`bash -c "uptime | awk '{print $3}' | tr ',' ' '"`)
console.log(uptime)

Asynchronously

function execAsync(cmd: string | string[]): Promise<string>;

This won’t block,

Utils.execAsync(['echo', 'Hi Mom'])
    .then(out => print(out))
    .catch(err => print(err));

Note

Both exec and execAsync launches the given binary on its own, meaning if you want to use | pipes or any other shell features then you have to run it with bash.

Utils.execAsync(['bash', '-c', 'cmd | cmd && cmd']);
Utils.exec('bash -c "cmd | cmd && cmd"');

Running external scripts

function subprocess(
    cmd: string | string[],
    callback: (out: string) => void,
    onError = logError,
    bind?: Gtk.Widget,
): Gio.Subprocess

Takes two to four arguments, returns Gio.Subprocess

const proc = Utils.subprocess(
    // command to run, in an array just like execAsync
    ['bash', '-c', 'path-to-bash-script'],

    // callback when the program outputs something to stdout
    (output) => print(output),

    // callback on error
    (err) => logError(err),

    // optional widget parameter
    // if the widget is destroyed the subprocess is forced to quit
    widget,
)

Killing the process

proc.force_exit()

Writing and reading files

function readFile(file: string | Gio.File): string
function readFileAsync(file: string | Gio.File): Promise<string>

function writeFileSync(string: string, path: string): Gio.File
function writeFile(string: string, path: string): Promise<Gio.File>

Synchronously

const contents = Utils.readFile('/path/to/file')

Utils.writeFileSync('some content', '/path/to/file')

Asynchronously

Utils.readFileAsync('path-to-file')
    .then(content => print('contents of the file: ' + content))
    .catch(logError)

Utils.writeFile('Contents: Hi Mom', 'path-to-file')
    .then(file => print('file is the Gio.File'))
    .catch(err => print(err))

Monitoring files and directories

function monitorFile(
    path: string,
    callback?: (file: Gio.File, event: Gio.FileMonitorEvent) => void,
    flags = Gio.FileMonitorFlags.NONE,
): Gio.FileMonitor | null

const monitor = Utils.monitorFile('/path/to/file', (file, event) => {
    print(Utils.readFile(file), event)
})

Caution

monitorFile only reports events that a user-space program triggers through the filesystem API. As a result, it does not catch remote events that occur on network filesystems. Furthermore, most pseudo-filesystems such as /proc, /sys and /dev/pts cannot be monitored.

Canceling the monitor

monitor.cancel()

Timeout and Interval

You can use native JS setTimeout and setInterval, they return a GLib.Source

Timeout

const source = setTimeout(() => { /* callback */ }, 1000)

Interval

const source = setInterval(() => { /* callback */ }, 1000)

To cancel them use GLib.Source.destroy

source.destroy()

You can use the ones from Utils

function interval(
    interval: number,
    callback: () => void,
    bind?: Gtk.Widget,
): number

function timeout(
    ms: number,
    callback: () => void,
): number

const id = Utils.timeout(1000, () => {
  // runs with a second delay
})

The widget parameter is optional

const id = Utils.interval(1000, () => {
  // runs immediately and once every second
})

If you pass a widget to Utils.interval, it will automatically be canceled, when the widget is destroyed

const widget = Widget.Label()
const id = Utils.interval(1000, () => {}, widget)
widget.destroy()

To cancel them use GLib.source_remove

import GLib from 'gi://GLib'
GLib.source_remove(id)

Lookup an Icon name

const icon = Utils.lookUpIcon('dialog-information-symbolic')

if (icon) {
    // icon is the corresponding Gtk.IconInfo
}
else {
    // null if it wasn't found in the current Icon Theme
}

Fetch

should be pretty close to the web api

Utils.fetch('http://wttr.in/?format=3')
    .then(res => res.text())
    .then(print)
    .catch(console.error)

Authentication

authenticate a user using pam

Note

on NixOS make sure you have security.pam.services.ags = {} in configuration.nix

Utils.authenticate('password')
    .then(() => print('authentication successful'))
    .catch(err => logError(err, 'unsuccessful'))

Utils.authenticateUser("username", "password")
    .then(() => print("authentication successful"))
    .catch(err => logError(err, 'unsuccessful'))

Send Notifications

Utils.notify('summary', 'body', 'icon-name')

const id = await Utils.notify({
    summary: 'Title',
    body: 'Description',
    iconName: 'icon-name',
    actions: {
        'Click Me': () => print('clicked')
    }
})

const notifications = await Service.import('notifications')
const n = notifications.getNotification(id)