https://github.com/op/whiplash
whiplash makes your whiptail apparent by mixing up some colors
https://github.com/op/whiplash
Last synced: 2 months ago
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whiplash makes your whiptail apparent by mixing up some colors
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/op/whiplash
- Owner: op
- Created: 2019-04-27T23:30:58.000Z (about 6 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2019-04-28T00:26:03.000Z (about 6 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-24T01:42:39.173Z (4 months ago)
- Language: Shell
- Size: 194 KB
- Stars: 5
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# whiplash
whiplash makes your whiptail apparent by mixing up some colors. This project
contains color schemes to alter the default representation of applications
based on Newt such as whiptail.
## Overview
[Newt] is a programming library for color text, widget based user interfaces.
It comes with *whiptail*, a replacement for [dialog]. *whiptail* is used,
among other, as a frontend to Debian APT and its [debconf] tool.
## Examples
Here follows some examples.
### Lamenting
Lamenting is a darker theme with some green and magenta.
[](media/lamenting-gauge.png)
[](media/lamenting-checklist.png)
### Scorched
Scorched is a dark theme with red.
[](media/scorched-gauge.png)
[](media/scorched-checklist.png)
### default
This is the default for illustrative purposes.
[](media/default-gauge.png)
[](media/default-checklist.png)
## Usage
Copy the color scheme and setup your environment.
```
git clone https://github.com/op/whiplash ~/.config/whiplash
export NEWT_COLORS_FILE=~/.config/whiplash/lamenting
```
To setup with debconf (select dialog);
```
sudo visudo /etc/sudoers.d/newt
Defaults env_keep += "NEWT_COLORS_FILE"
sudo dpkg-reconfigure debconf
```
If you want to try it out;
```
cd ~/.config/whiplash
NEWT_COLORS_FILE=lamenting ./example/whiptail
NEWT_COLORS_FILE=scorched ./example/msgbox 'No Pasaran'
```
## Background
Had to write this down. My journey with [debconf] frontends.
For months, all dialogs displayed by [debconf] were almost unreadable on my
system. Not sure if the root cause is my X setup, changing to Alacritty or
upgrading to Debian buster.
1. *readline*. This is the classic, but has it changed? Doesn't look familiar.
What's up with the underlined text and things? And, where did the default
choices go?
2. *Editor*. Tried for a while. Felt annoying.
3. *Dialog*. Colors have changed. Super hard to read. Whatever. Was stuck with
this for a while until today.
4. *GNOME*. Tried but the default window sizes are full screen. Looks horrible in
xmonad unless they are kept in tiled mode. I also don't use a mouse you
know, so this adventure was kept short.
5. Tried `apt-cache search debconf` if there's any frontend I've missed. Check
`apt-cache show debconf` and finds `whiptail`. This looks familiar!
6. Replace whiptail with readline. Hello 1990. Flashbacks to the days of `make
menuconfig`.
7. Skim through `debconf(7)`. Bingo. If you add `libterm-readline-gnu-perl`,
you get default values. Wasn't that easy?
8. Decided to look into _whiptail_ again. Bingo. Ends up in [newt.c] from
[stackoverflow]. Look at that. Colors can be customised. It uses
[SLtt_set_color]. Slang. Documentation is not very helpful.
> ??.
9. `NEWT_MONO` is quite nice. However, I ended up with two themes.
PS. I do love debconf. (Just found out that it is being deprecated in favour of
[cdebconf]. Haha!)
[Newt]: https://pagure.io/newt/
[dialog]: http://invisible-island.net/dialog/dialog.html
[newt.c]: https://pagure.io/newt/blob/master/f/newt.c
[stackoverflow]: https://stackoverflow.com/a/46632188
[Sltt_set_color]: http://www.jedsoft.org/slang/doc/html/cref-12.html#ss12.52
[debconf]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/debconf
[cdebconf]: https://packages.debian.org/cdebconf