📊 Polybar: Bar Configurations

Polybar configurations provide different layout options for various window managers and use cases, from minimalist single bars to complex multi-part layouts.

[!TIP] Each bar configuration is designed to work seamlessly with different window managers while maintaining visual consistency and functionality across all environments.

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📋 Available Bar Configurations

Common Bars (Universal)

• common-top.conf: Universal top bar for all window managers
• common-bottom.conf: Universal bottom bar layout

i3 Window Manager Bars

• i3-top.conf: i3-specific top bar with workspace integration
• i3-bottom.conf: i3-specific bottom bar with enhanced controls
• i3-top-multipart.conf: Multi-section top bar for i3 environments

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🎯 Common Top Bar (common-top.conf)

Layout Configuration

[bar/polybar-top]
width = 100%
height = 25
radius = 0

modules-left = jgmenu dots apps sep window_switch sep rices dots pipewire-microphone sep pipewire-bar sep backlight-acpi-bar
modules-center = date-popup weather
modules-right = night-mode sep feh-blur-toggle sep github dots tray

Visual Design

• Full width: Spans entire monitor width
• Minimal height: 25px for clean appearance
• No radius: Sharp edges for modern look
• Override-redirect: False for proper window manager integration

Module Distribution

Left Section:

• Application launcher (jgmenu)
• Window switcher
• Rice theme selector
• Audio controls (microphone, volume)
• Brightness controls

Center Section:

• Date and time with popup calendar
• Weather information

Right Section:

• Night mode toggle
• Background blur toggle
• GitHub notifications
• System tray

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🎯 Common Bottom Bar (common-bottom.conf)

Layout Configuration

[bar/polybar-bottom]
width = 100%
height = 30
bottom = true
radius = 0

modules-left = workspaces-with-icons
modules-center = player sep playing
modules-right = keyboard dots filesystem sep memory sep cpu sep temperature

Visual Design

• Bottom placement: Positioned at bottom of screen
• Slightly taller: 30px for better content visibility
• System monitoring focus: Resource information and controls

Module Distribution

Left Section:

• Workspace indicators with icons

Center Section:

• Media player controls
• Current playing song information

Right Section:

• Keyboard layout indicator
• Filesystem usage
• System resources (memory, CPU, temperature)

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🎯 i3 Top Bar (i3-top.conf)

Enhanced i3 Integration

[bar/i3-polybar-top]
width = 99.15%
height = 27
offset-x = 0.5%
offset-y = 0.7%
radius = 4

modules-left = jgmenu dots apps sep window_switch sep rices dots pipewire-microphone sep pipewire-bar sep backlight-acpi-bar
modules-center = date-popup weather
modules-right = night-mode sep feh-blur-toggle sep github dots tray

wm-restack = i3
override-redirect = true

i3-Specific Features

• Rounded corners: 4px radius for modern aesthetics
• Floating appearance: Offset positioning with margins
• i3 window stacking: Proper integration with i3 window management
• Override-redirect: True for floating bar behavior

Positioning

• Width: 99.15% with 0.5% horizontal offset
• Vertical offset: 0.7% from top edge
• Floating style: Creates space around the bar

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🎯 i3 Bottom Bar (i3-bottom.conf)

System Information Focus

[bar/i3-polybar-bottom]
width = 100%
height = 30
bottom = true
radius = 0

modules-left = i3-with-icons
modules-center = player sep playing
modules-right = xkeyboard dots filesystem sep memory sep cpu sep temperature

wm-restack = i3

i3 Workspace Integration

Left Section:

• i3-with-icons: Enhanced workspace display
• Shows current workspace and available workspaces
• Icon-based workspace indicators
• Click to switch workspaces

Center & Right: Similar to common bottom bar but optimized for i3

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🎯 i3 Multipart Top Bar (i3-top-multipart.conf)

Advanced Multi-Section Layout

The multipart configuration creates 4 separate bar sections for maximum flexibility:

Section 1: Application Controls

[bar/i3-polybar-top-1]
width = 24.75%
offset-x = 1%
modules-center = jgmenu dots apps sep window_switch sep rices dots pipewire-microphone sep pipewire-bar sep backlight-acpi-bar

Section 2: Date and Weather

[bar/i3-polybar-top-2]
width = 12%
offset-x = 44%
modules-center = date-popup weather

Section 3: System Status

[bar/i3-polybar-top-3]
width = 16.75%
offset-x = 82.25%
modules-center = night-mode sep feh-blur-toggle sep github dots tray

Multipart Benefits

• Modular design: Each section can be independently positioned
• Flexible spacing: Gaps between sections for visual separation
• Responsive layout: Sections adapt to content length
• Enhanced aesthetics: More sophisticated visual arrangement

Visual Effect

[Apps | Controls] ··· [Date | Weather] ··· [System | Tray]

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🎨 Visual Styling

Font Configuration

All bars use consistent font stack:

font-0 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Regular:size=10;2"
font-1 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Solid:pixelsize=15;3"
font-2 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Regular:pixelsize=12;2"
font-3 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Solid:pixelsize=20;4"
font-4 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Solid:pixelsize=25;5"
font-5 = "Hack Nerd Font Mono:style=Solid:pixelsize=30;6"

; Emoji support (added for all configurations)
font-6 = "Noto Color Emoji:style=Regular:pixelsize=12;3"
font-7 = "Noto Color Emoji:style=Regular:pixelsize=15;3"
font-8 = "Noto Color Emoji:style=Regular:pixelsize=20;4"
font-9 = "Noto Color Emoji:style=Regular:pixelsize=25;5"

Color Integration

All bars inherit colors from the main theme:

background = ${colors.background}
background-alt = ${colors.background-alt}
foreground = ${colors.foreground}
foreground-alt = ${colors.foreground-alt}

Cursor Behavior

cursor-click = pointer
cursor-scroll = ns-resize

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🔧 Configuration Selection

Automatic Window Manager Detection

The launch.sh script automatically selects appropriate bars:

# Detect window manager
WM=$(wmctrl -m | grep -oE 'Name: .*' | cut -d' ' -f2 | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')

if [ "${WM}" = "i3" ]; then
  # Launch i3-specific bars
  polybar i3-polybar-top &
  polybar i3-polybar-bottom &
elif [ "${WM}" = "openbox" ]; then
  # Launch universal bars
  polybar polybar-top &
  polybar polybar-bottom &
fi

Manual Bar Selection

# Launch specific bar configuration
polybar polybar-top &              # Universal top bar
polybar i3-polybar-top &           # i3 top bar
polybar i3-polybar-top-multipart & # i3 multipart (launches all sections)

Monitor-Specific Configuration

# Set monitor for bar positioning
export MONITOR="HDMI-1"
polybar i3-polybar-top &

# Multi-monitor setup
for m in $(polybar --list-monitors | cut -d":" -f1); do
    MONITOR=$m polybar polybar-top &
done

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🎯 Customization Patterns

Creating Custom Bar Layouts

1. Copy existing configuration:

   cp ~/.config/polybar/bars/common-top.conf ~/.config/polybar/bars/my-custom-bar.conf
   

2. Modify module placement:

   [bar/my-custom-bar]
   modules-left = custom-module1
   modules-center = custom-module2
   modules-right = custom-module3
   

3. Register in modules.conf:

   include-file = ~/.config/polybar/bars/my-custom-bar.conf
   

Module Arrangement Patterns

Minimalist Layout:

modules-left = jgmenu
modules-center = date
modules-right = tray

Developer-Focused:

modules-left = workspaces github
modules-center = playing
modules-right = cpu memory filesystem date

Media-Centric:

modules-left = apps
modules-center = player playing volume
modules-right = network date

Responsive Design

# Adapt based on screen size
[bar/adaptive]
width = ${env:POLYBAR_WIDTH:100%}
height = ${env:POLYBAR_HEIGHT:25}
offset-x = ${env:POLYBAR_OFFSET_X:0}

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🎚️ Advanced Features

Inter-Process Communication (IPC)

All bars support IPC for dynamic control:

enable-ipc = true

Commands:

# Send action to bar
polybar-msg action "#github.hook.0"

# Update module
polybar-msg cmd restart

Click Actions

Bars support various click interactions:

; Left click actions
click-left = command

; Right click actions  
click-right = rofi -show drun

; Scroll actions
scroll-up = increase-volume
scroll-down = decrease-volume

Window Manager Integration

i3 Configuration:

wm-restack = i3
override-redirect = true

Openbox Configuration:

wm-restack = generic
override-redirect = false

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Bar not appearing:

# Check if polybar is running
pgrep -f polybar

# Test configuration
polybar --config=~/.config/polybar/config.ini polybar-top

# Check for configuration errors
polybar --log=info polybar-top

Wrong bar for window manager:

# Check window manager detection
wmctrl -m

# Force specific window manager
export POLYBAR_WM="i3"
~/.config/polybar/launch.sh

Modules not loading:

# Verify module configuration
polybar --list-modules

# Check module-specific errors
polybar --log=debug polybar-top 2>&1 | grep ERROR

Performance Optimization

Reduce resource usage:

• Increase module update intervals
• Use fewer modules
• Disable unnecessary animations

Improve responsiveness:

• Use appropriate module intervals
• Enable IPC for dynamic updates
• Optimize custom script execution

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✅ Integration

Works With

• ✅ All supported window managers (i3, Openbox, XFCE4)
• ✅ Multi-monitor setups with per-monitor configuration
• ✅ Rice system for automatic theme coordination
• ✅ All polybar modules from the dotfiles collection

Pairs Well With

• Rice switching for coordinated theming
• EWW widgets for additional dashboard functionality
• Window manager configurations for complete desktop integration
• Compositor settings for visual effects

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Choose the perfect bar layout for your workflow and window manager! 📊

[!TIP] Start with the common bars for simplicity, then explore i3-specific features if using i3. The multipart layout offers the most flexibility for complex workflows but requires more configuration.