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https://github.com/lchsk/xstarter

Application launcher for Linux
https://github.com/lchsk/xstarter

application-launcher c dmenu dmenu-replacement launcher linux ncurses terminal unix

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Application launcher for Linux

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# xstarter



**xstarter is an application launcher for Linux**



It lives in terminal and works well with tiling window managers (e.g. xmonad, i3 etc).



Current version: 0.8.2



| Branch | Build |

| --- | --- |

|`master`|[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/lchsk/xstarter.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/lchsk/xstarter)|

|`dev`|[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/lchsk/xstarter.svg?branch=dev)](https://travis-ci.org/lchsk/xstarter)|



**Check out [Emacs interface](https://github.com/lchsk/helm-xstarter) for xstarter**



![xstarter screenshot](./docs_source/xstarter/source/data/xstarter_2.png "xstarter application launcher")



## Installation



See [installation guide](INSTALL.md)



## Features



* a clean, simple interface that works on various terminals

* able to search for applications using environment variables (e.g. `$PATH`) and user-provided list of directories

* can be configured to launch via a key-binding

* can optionally open an application in terminal (see key shortcuts)

* allows to provide arguments to applications (see key shortcuts)

* remembers previously launched applications allowing to find them more quickly

* allows fuzzy search (parts of the query can be separated with a space)

* applications can be launched with 1, 2, ..., 0 keys, depending on their position in the search results

* fast, uses cache by default

* easy to configure via a single text file

* is able to run an application and detach it from terminal (e.g. `xstarter -e firefox`)

* can provide contents of the cache to outside programs (`xstarter -P`)



## Running xstarter



**xstarter** needs to be launched from a terminal (`$ xstarter`). It is useful to run it using a key binding, preferably by binding your preferred key to a command starting **xstarter** from a terminal of your choice, e.g. `xterm -e xstarter`. Alternatively, you can simply bind it to `xstarter` in which case xstarter will open itself in a terminal.



You can also create an alias in your shell (e.g. bash, zsh): `alias xs=xstarter`.



It should run on any modern terminal. It is tested on: `xterm`, `rxvt`, `gnome-terminal`, `xfce4-terminal`, `konsole`. In case of any problems please [report it](https://github.com/lchsk/xstarter/issues/new).



## Configuration



[Configuration file](./xstarter.conf) is available and includes comments that explain configuration variables. It is located in the `~/.xstarter.d/` directory.



## Providing arguments to applications



You can provide arguments to applications you wish to open.



* If the number of search results is equal to 1, you can provide arguments the selected application should be started with, e.g. `surf gnu.org`

* You can provide multiple arguments, e.g. `emacs -nw -Q`

* You can select the application you want to provide arguments for by pressing Tab key

* This feature works both with GUI (press Enter to start) and terminal applications (press C-o to start)



## Key shortcuts



Use numbers 1..9 and 0 to open an application from the list.



By default, the following shortcuts are available:



| Shortcut | Action |

| --- | --- |

|Return (enter)|Open selected application|

|C-o|Open selected application in terminal (defined by "terminal" variable in the config file, xterm by default)|

|C-n|Move down the list|

|C-p|Move up the list|

|C-g|Quit|

|C-d|Delete entered character|

|C-w|Delete entire query|

|Tab|Auto-complete using current selection; allow to provide arguments|



## License



GPL