Monthly Archives: November 2025

Browse and run your Sway keybindings with Rofi

What the script does

Reads your Sway config from $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/sway/config (or ~/.config/sway/config)
Finds all bindsym … lines
Formats each entry nicely, e.g.

Mod + Return → exec alacritty

Shows the list in a wide Rofi dmenu
When you select an entry, it executes the associated command through swaymsg

Dependencies

sway (for swaymsg)
rofi
awk, sed, grep (standard on most distros)
notify-send (optional – shows an error if the config isn’t found)

The script

Save this as ~/.local/bin/rofi-sway-keybindings.sh and make it executable.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# This script lists Sway keybindings from the Sway config file and allows the user to select one via rofi dmenu.
# When a keybinding is selected, it executes the associated command.

CONFIG_FILE="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/sway/config"

# Check if config file exists
if [[ ! -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]]; then
    notify-send "Sway Keybindings" "Config file not found: $CONFIG_FILE" -u critical
    exit 1
fi

# Parse keybindings from config file
# Format: "Mod+Key → Command description"
keybindings=$(grep -E '^\s*bindsym' "$CONFIG_FILE" | \
    grep -v '^[[:space:]]*#' | \
    sed 's/^\s*bindsym\s*//' | \
    awk '{
        # Remove trailing inline comments
        sub(/\s+#.*$/, "")

        # Skip leading flags like --release, --locked, etc.
        i = 1
        while (i <= NF && $i ~ /^--/) { i++ }
        if (i > NF) next

        # Extract the key combination
        keys = $i; i++

        # Extract the command (remaining fields)
        cmd = ""
        for (j = i; j <= NF; j++) {
            if (j > i) cmd = cmd " "
            cmd = cmd $j
        }

        # Format: "Key → Command"
        # Clean up common modifier names for better display
        gsub(/\$mod/, "Mod", keys)
        gsub(/Shift/, "⇧", keys)
        gsub(/Control/, "Ctrl", keys)
        gsub(/\+/, " + ", keys)

        printf "%-35s → %s\n", keys, cmd
    }')

# Show in rofi and get selection
selected=$(echo "$keybindings" | rofi -i -dmenu -p "Sway Shortcuts" -theme-str 'window {width: 60%;}')

# If something was selected, extract and execute the command
if [[ -n "$selected" ]]; then
    # Extract the command part (after the arrow)
    command=$(echo "$selected" | sed 's/^[^→]*→\s*//')

    if [[ -n "$command" ]]; then
        # Execute the command through swaymsg
        swaymsg "$command"
    fi
fi

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# This script lists Sway keybindings from the Sway config file and allows the user to select one via rofi dmenu.

# When a keybinding is selected, it executes the associated command.

CONFIG_FILE="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/sway/config"

# Check if config file exists

if [[ ! -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]]; then

notify-send "Sway Keybindings" "Config file not found: $CONFIG_FILE" -u critical

exit 1

# Parse keybindings from config file

# Format: "Mod+Key → Command description"

keybindings=$(grep -E '^\s*bindsym' "$CONFIG_FILE" | \

grep -v '^[[:space:]]*#' | \

sed 's/^\s*bindsym\s*//' | \

awk '{

# Remove trailing inline comments

sub(/\s+#.*$/, "")

# Skip leading flags like --release, --locked, etc.

i = 1

while (i <= NF && $i ~ /^--/) { i++ }

if (i > NF) next

# Extract the key combination

keys = $i; i++

# Extract the command (remaining fields)

cmd = ""

for (j = i; j <= NF; j++) {

if (j > i) cmd = cmd " "

cmd = cmd $j

}

# Format: "Key → Command"

# Clean up common modifier names for better display

gsub(/\$mod/, "Mod", keys)

gsub(/Shift/, "⇧", keys)

gsub(/Control/, "Ctrl", keys)

gsub(/\+/, " + ", keys)

printf "%-35s → %s\n", keys, cmd

}')

# Show in rofi and get selection

selected=$(echo "$keybindings" | rofi -i -dmenu -p "Sway Shortcuts" -theme-str 'window {width: 60%;}')

# If something was selected, extract and execute the command

if [[ -n "$selected" ]]; then

# Extract the command part (after the arrow)

command=$(echo "$selected" | sed 's/^[^→]*→\s*//')

if [[ -n "$command" ]]; then

# Execute the command through swaymsg

swaymsg "$command"

How it works

The core of the script is a small text-processing pipeline that reads the config and renders a nice two-column list for Rofi:

grep -E '^\s*bindsym' finds all bindsym lines (ignoring leading whitespace)
grep -v '^[[:space:]]*#' ignores full-line comments
sed 's/^\s*bindsym\s*//' strips the leading bindsym
awk splits the line into (and does some cleanup):

– keys: the first token (e.g. $mod+Return)
– cmd: the rest of the line (e.g. exec alacritty)

It also strips trailing inline comments (after #) and skips bindsym flags like --release or --locked before reading the key. Finally, it prettifies modifiers and prints a fixed-width column so the arrows line up.

Rofi presents that list with -dmenu. When you pick one, the script extracts the command part (after →) and sends it to swaymsg. That means anything you can put after bindsym (like exec …, workspace …, kill, etc.) will run on demand.

Usage

Run the script from a terminal: rofi-sway-keybindings.sh
Or bind it to a key in your Sway config, e.g.:

bindsym $mod+slash exec ~/.local/bin/rofi-sway-keybindings.sh

1 2	bindsym $mod+slash exec ~/.local/bin/rofi-sway-keybindings.sh

Tip: the window is set to 60% width for readability; tweak it via -theme-str if you prefer.

Nice touches in the UI

Replaces $mod with Mod
Shows Shift as ⇧ and Control as Ctrl
Adds spacing around + so chords read clearly: Mod + ⇧ + q
Aligns the left column to 35 characters for a tidy two-column look

Why this is handy

Onboarding: perfect for new setups or when you come back after a while
Discovery: search by key or by command to find what you already have
Launcher: use it as a programmable “cheat sheet” that also runs things

Here are some screenshots (including filtering):

Modern Java in LaTeX listings (Java 17)

The minimal language extension for Java 17

Here’s a drop‑in snippet that builds on the stock Java lexer to support key Java 17 features:

\lstdefinelanguage{Java17}{
        language     = Java,
        morekeywords = {var,record},
        deletekeywords={label},
        morestring=[b]"""
}

\lstdefinelanguage{Java17}{

language = Java,

morekeywords = {var,record},

deletekeywords={label},

morestring=[b]"""

}

What each line does:

language = Java: inherit all of the listings’ built‑in Java rules.
morekeywords = {var,record}: colorize var and record as keywords (var is contextual, but highlighting it improves readability in code listings).
deletekeywords = {label}: avoid mistakenly highlighting labeled statements like label: for (…) { … }. label is not a Java keyword; removing it prevents false positives.
morestring=[b]”””: treat triple quotes as a balanced string delimiter so Java text blocks highlight as a single string.

Using it in your document

Activate the language globally:

\lstset{language=Java17}

1	\lstset{language=Java17}

…or per listing:

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java17]
// code here
\end{lstlisting}

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java17]

// code here

\end{lstlisting}

If you already have a custom style (e.g., mystyle) with colors and fonts, combine them:

\lstset{language=Java17, style=mystyle}

1	\lstset{language=Java17, style=mystyle}

Minimal working example

This is a compact MWE you can compile with pdflatex, xelatex, or lualatex. Adjust the style to your taste:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} % not needed on XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{listings}

% Simple, readable default style
\lstdefinestyle{mystyle}{
    flexiblecolumns=true,
    keepspaces=true,
    tabsize=4,
    showstringspaces=false,
    basewidth={0em,0em},,
    numbers=left,
    basicstyle=\scriptsize,
    commentstyle=\itshape,
    stringstyle=\ttfamily,
}

% Modern Java language extension
\lstdefinelanguage{Java17}{
    language=Java,
    morekeywords={var,record},
    deletekeywords={label},
    morestring=[b]"""
}

\begin{document}

\section*{Demo}

With the default \texttt{Java} language definition:

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java,style=mystyle]
record Point(int x, int y) {}

class Demo {
        public static void main(String[] args) {
                var msg = """
                        Hello,
                        Java 17 "text blocks!"
                        """;
                System.out.println(msg);

                label: for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
                        break label; // 'label' is not highlighted as a keyword
                }
        }
}
\end{lstlisting}

\noindent
With the \texttt{Java17} language definition:

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java17,style=mystyle]
record Point(int x, int y) {}

class Demo {
        public static void main(String[] args) {
                var msg = """
                        Hello,
                        Java 17 "text blocks!"
                        """;
                System.out.println(msg);

                label: for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
                        break label; // 'label' is not highlighted as a keyword
                }
        }
}
\end{lstlisting}

\end{document}

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} % not needed on XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX

\usepackage{xcolor}

\usepackage{listings}

% Simple, readable default style

\lstdefinestyle{mystyle}{

flexiblecolumns=true,

keepspaces=true,

tabsize=4,

showstringspaces=false,

basewidth={0em,0em},,

numbers=left,

basicstyle=\scriptsize,

commentstyle=\itshape,

stringstyle=\ttfamily,

}

% Modern Java language extension

\lstdefinelanguage{Java17}{

language=Java,

morekeywords={var,record},

deletekeywords={label},

morestring=[b]"""

}

\begin{document}

\section*{Demo}

With the default \texttt{Java} language definition:

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java,style=mystyle]

record Point(int x, int y) {}

class Demo {

public static void main(String[] args) {

var msg = """

Hello,

Java 17 "text blocks!"

""";

System.out.println(msg);

label: for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++) {

break label; // 'label' is not highlighted as a keyword

}

\end{lstlisting}

\noindent

With the \texttt{Java17} language definition:

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Java17,style=mystyle]

record Point(int x, int y) {}

class Demo {

public static void main(String[] args) {

var msg = """

Hello,

Java 17 "text blocks!"

""";

System.out.println(msg);

label: for (int i = 0; i < 1; i++) {

break label; // 'label' is not highlighted as a keyword

}

\end{lstlisting}

\end{document}

Here’s the result, where you can see the differences (note in the standard behavior the wrong highlighting of the double-quoted string in the text-block):

Happy highlighting! 🙂

Getting Your MacBook Air Webcam Working on Linux

Identifying Your Hardware

Before diving into the solution, let’s confirm you have the same hardware. Open a terminal and run:

lspci -nn | grep Cam

1 2	lspci -nn \| grep Cam

If you see output similar to this, you’re dealing with the same Broadcom camera:

02:00.0 Multimedia controller [0480]: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries 720p FaceTime HD Camera [14e4:1570]

1 2	02:00.0 Multimedia controller [0480]: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries 720p FaceTime HD Camera [14e4:1570]

The key identifier here is [14e4:1570]—this tells us we have the Broadcom 1570 chipset that needs the reverse-engineered driver.

The Solution: Community-Developed Drivers

Thanks to the hard work of the Linux community, reverse-engineered drivers are available through the Arch User Repository (AUR). These drivers have been developed by analyzing the hardware behavior and creating open-source alternatives to Apple’s proprietary drivers.

If you’re using an Arch-based distribution (like EndeavourOS, Manjaro, or plain Arch), you can search for the available packages:

yay -Ss facetime

1 2	yay -Ss facetime

This will show you several packages:

facetimehd-dkms: The main reverse-engineered driver
facetimehd-firmware: Required firmware files extracted from macOS
facetimehd-data: Sensor calibration data for optimal performance
facetimehd-dkms-git: Development version of the driver

The installation is straightforward. Install the main driver package:

yay -S facetimehd-dkms

1 2	yay -S facetimehd-dkms

The package manager will automatically pull in the required dependencies, including the firmware and calibration data packages.

After installation, you must reboot your system. This isn’t just a suggestion—the kernel module needs to be loaded fresh, and the hardware needs to be properly initialized during the boot process.

sudo reboot

1 2	sudo reboot

Once your system boots back up, your webcam should be functional. However, there’s an important caveat to be aware of.

While the driver successfully enables the webcam, there are some compatibility quirks:

Google Chrome/Chromium: Works perfectly
Firefox: May not detect the camera
Native Linux applications (like Kamoso): May have issues

This inconsistency likely stems from the different ways in which various applications interact with the video4linux (V4L2) subsystem and handle the specific quirks of this reverse-engineered driver.

Maintaining KDE dotfiles with Chezmoi Modify Manager

1 Reply

I have already blogged about managing KDE dotfiles with chezmoi and chezmoi_modify_manager. But what about maintaining them?

For example, one of the KDE configuration files changes, and you want to update the version managed by chezmoi.

Here’s an example where the Kate configuration file changed on the system and chezmoi detects that:

❯ chezmoi status
MM .config/katerc

1 2	❯ chezmoi status MM .config/katerc

You can see the change with “chezmoi diff”:

diff --git a/.config/katerc b/.config/katerc
index 3a67fa38f0ba021369d48ace9803e4f7f2e55657..17d7ffff36b8526c4ab14f03942e8a14c64c19d3 100600
--- a/.config/katerc
+++ b/.config/katerc
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ Legend=false
 LineNumbers=false

 [UiSettings]
-ColorScheme=BreezeDark
+ColorScheme=Breeze Dark

 [filetree]
 editShade=74,55,117

diff --git a/.config/katerc b/.config/katerc

index 3a67fa38f0ba021369d48ace9803e4f7f2e55657..17d7ffff36b8526c4ab14f03942e8a14c64c19d3 100600

--- a/.config/katerc

+++ b/.config/katerc

@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ Legend=false

LineNumbers=false

[UiSettings]

-ColorScheme=BreezeDark

+ColorScheme=Breeze Dark

[filetree]

editShade=74,55,117

Remember that the part with “+” is the version known by chezmoi, while the one with “-” is the version in the local system.

You now want to update the corresponding file managed by chezmoi.

The command “chezmoi re-add” won’t help because that file is handled by chezmoi_modify_manager, which splits it into two files: “modify_private_katerc” and “private_katerc.src.ini”.
The latter contains only the parts of the file we want to track, and the former is the corresponding modification script.

Moreover, “chezmoi merge” won’t help either for the same reason. Here’s what this command shows (I configured chezmoi to use the GUI program “meld” for such a command):

However, “chezmoi_modify_manager” has an option for such situations. Here’s the option to use with “chezmoi_modify_manager”:

-s, --smart-add        Smartly add a file to be tracked by either chezmoi or
                       chezmoi_modify_manager

1 2	-s, --smart-add Smartly add a file to be tracked by either chezmoi or chezmoi_modify_manager

Here’s the command and the output:

❯ chezmoi_modify_manager -s ~/.config/katerc
State: Managed by chezmoi and is a modify script.
Action: Updating existing .src.ini file for /home/bettini/.local/share/chezmoi/dot_config/modify_private_katerc.
Has existing modify script, parsing to check for filtering...
Writing out file data

❯ chezmoi_modify_manager -s ~/.config/katerc

State: Managed by chezmoi and is a modify script.

Action: Updating existing .src.ini file for /home/bettini/.local/share/chezmoi/dot_config/modify_private_katerc.

Has existing modify script, parsing to check for filtering...

Writing out file data

By using “chezmoi cd” and “git diff”, we can verify that the corresponding “.src.ini” file has been correctly updated (and the git repository can then be committed and pushed):

diff --git a/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini b/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini
index 8e5db59..a54672b 100644
--- a/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini
+++ b/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ Legend=false
 LineNumbers=false

 [UiSettings]
-ColorScheme=Breeze Dark
+ColorScheme=BreezeDark

 [lspclient]
 AllowedServerCommandLines=

diff --git a/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini b/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini

index 8e5db59..a54672b 100644

--- a/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini

+++ b/dot_config/private_katerc.src.ini

@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ Legend=false

LineNumbers=false

[UiSettings]

-ColorScheme=Breeze Dark

+ColorScheme=BreezeDark

[lspclient]

AllowedServerCommandLines=

In the end, it’s easy, once you know the right option to use with “chezmoi_modify_manager”!

Enjoy your KDE dotfiles! 🙂

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Lorenzo Bettini

My Home Page

Monthly Archives: November 2025

Browse and run your Sway keybindings with Rofi

What the script does

Dependencies

The script

How it works

Usage

Nice touches in the UI

Why this is handy

Modern Java in LaTeX listings (Java 17)

The minimal language extension for Java 17

Using it in your document

Minimal working example

Getting Your MacBook Air Webcam Working on Linux

Identifying Your Hardware

The Solution: Community-Developed Drivers

Maintaining KDE dotfiles with Chezmoi Modify Manager