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[slstatus.git] / README.md

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-# slstatus
+slstatus
+========

 
 

-A suckless status monitor for DWM written in pure C without any system() calls.
+**slstatus** is a suckless and lightweight status monitor for window managers which use WM_NAME as statusbar (e.g. DWM). It is written in pure C without any system() calls and only reads from files most of the time. It is meant as a better alternative to Bash scripts (inefficient) and Conky (bloated for this use).

 
 

-# Information
+If you write a bash script that shows system information in WM_NAME, it executes a huge amount of external command (top, free etc.) every few seconds. This results in high system resource usage. slstatus solves this problem by only using C libraries and/or reading from files in sysfs / procfs.
+
+Looking at the LOC (lines of code) in the [Conky project](https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky) is very interesting: *28.346 lines C++, 219 lines Python and 110 lines Lua*. slstatus currently has about **500 lines of clean, well commented C code** and even includes additional possibilities as it can be customized and extended very easily. Configuring it by editing config.h (a C header file) is very secure and fast as no config files are parsed at runtime.
+
+The following information is included:

 
 

-- wifi percentage

 - battery percentage
 - battery percentage

-- cpu usage in percent
-- cpu temperature
-- ram usage in percent
-- alsa volume level in percent
-- date
-- time
+- cpu usage (in percent)
+- date and time
+- disk numbers (free storage, percentage, total storage and used storage)
+- available entropy
+- hostname
+- ip addresses
+- ram numbers (free ram, percentage, total ram and used ram)
+- temperature
+- volume percentage (alsa)
+- wifi percentage
+
+Multiple entries per function are supported and everything can be reordered and customized via the C header file config.h (similar to DWM).
+
+![screenshot](screenshot.png)
+
+## Usage
+
+### Installation
+
+Before you continue, please be sure that a C compiler, GNU make and `alsa-lib` (for volume percentage) are installed. Then copy config.def.h to config.h and edit it to your needs. Recompile and install it after every change via `sudo make install`! 
+
+### Starting
+
+Put the following code in your ~/.xinitrc (or similar):
+
+```
+while true; do
+    slstatus
+done &
+```
+
+The loop is needed that the program runs after suspend to ram.

 
 

-# Screenshot
+## Contributing

 
 

-![screenshot](screenshot.jpg)
+In [TODO.md](TODO.md) there is a list of things that have to be done.

 
 

-# Installation
+People who contributed are listed in [CONTRIBUTORS.md](CONTRIBUTORS.md).

 
 

-Just run ```sudo make install```!
+For detailed information about coding style and restrictions see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)

 
 

-# Configuration
+## License

 
 

-Just edit config.h and recompile!
+See [LICENSE](LICENSE).