dyn-wall-rs

A utility to allow you to set a dynamic wallpaper and more.
Written in rust.

The images used in the gif above are from the collection Lakeside by Louis Coyle.

Introduction

The aim of dyn-wall-rs is to provide users with a very simple and easy way to implement a dynamic wallpaper, as well as the setup of related things, such as the implementation of a dynamic lockscreen.

Installation

You can download the binary from the releases page but if you prefer, you can install through one of the methods listed below.
NOTE: Feh needs to be installed if you are using a Window Manager

AUR

For those using Arch Linux you can find the package on the AUR here. However, if you're using an AUR helper, the package can be installed through that. For example, If using yay, run the following command:

yay -S dyn-wall-rs

Looking for maintainer for the AUR package. Email me at [email protected] if you are interested.

Cargo

First, install rust, and then run the following command:

cargo install dyn-wall-rs

To update after installation, run:

cargo install dyn-wall-rs --force

Manual

Unix

1. Download the latest binary from the releases page
2. (Optional) To ensure the file you downloaded is correct and was not tampered with, do the following:
   1. Download the respective .sha256 file
   2. Run sha256sum on the .tar.gz file
   3. Compare the output of the command with the contents of the .sha256 file. If they are the same, then your file has not been tampered with
3. Unpack the .tar.gz file by running
   tar -zxvf dyn-wall-rs.tar.gz
4. You can now run it by running ./dyn-wall-rs in the directory the binary was unpacked. It is recommended to place the binary in your $PATH (ex. /usr/bin, which is commonly used), so you can use it from anywhere

Windows

1. Download the latest binary from the releases page
2. (Optional) To ensure the file you downloaded is correct and was not tampered with, do the following:
   1. Download the respective .sha256 file
   2. Open PowerShell, move to the directory contining the zip, and run
      Get-FileHash dyn-wall-rs-windows.zip -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List
   3. Compare the sha256 the command provides with the contents of the .sha256 file. If they are the same, then your file has not been tampered with
3. Unzip the .zip file
4. You can now run it by opening up PowerShell and running ./dyn-wall-rs in the directory the binary was unpacked. It is recommended to place the binary in your $PATH, so you can use it from anywhere

Usage

Firstly, create a directory and place all the wallpapers you want to cycle through within the directory. Make sure that they are named in numerical order ex. first wallpaper is named 1.png, second wallpaper is named 2.png, etc.

Command Line

There are a few different ways to use dyn-wall-rs from the command line using the different flags, which are described in detail below

• -d, --directory <DIRECTORY>
  Changes your wallpaper throughout the day with the images in the directory. If custom timings are not specified through the config file, it changes in even increments throughout the day.
  For example, if I have 12 wallpapers in my wallpaper directory, this option would change the wallpaper every 2 hours (24/12 = 2). Make sure the number of wallpapers in the directory can divide evenly into 1440 (number of minutes in a day). If it doesn't divide evenly into 1440, you may want to place custom timings in the configuration file.
  If timings are specified through the configuration file, then the wallpapers will change based on those timings. More information on custom timings can be found within the automatically created config file.

• -p, --programs <COMMAND>
  Will send the wallpaper as an argument to the specified program(s) when the wallpaper is set to change. Using this feature, you can have your lockscreen change alongside your wallpaper. If the command includes arguments, wrap it in quotation marks.
  ex. dyn-wall-rs -d /path/to/dir/ -p "betterlockscreen -u"

  To be able to send arguments after the wallpaper argument, use !WALL to specify where the wallpaper argument is to be placed, and add the rest of the arguments. !WALL will be explanded to the path of the wallpaper to be set at the current time.
  ex. dyn-wall-rs -d /path/to/dir -p "betterlockscreen -u !WALL -b 1"

  You are also able to specifiy multiple programs to be synced with the wallpaper. Simply just insert the program names one after the other ex. dyn-wall-rs -d /path/to/dir -p "betterlockscreen -u" "echo"

• -s, --schedule
  Prints out a schedule of the times at which the wallpaper will change depending on your settings. Use alongside the --directory option.
  Note: Cannot be set through config file.

• -b, --backend <BACKEND>
  Uses the specified method as the backend to change the wallpaper. Type a supported DE name to use that DE's wallpaper changing command (Case insensitive), or type out a custom command to use as a backend. Similar to the program option, you can use !WALL in place of where the path of the wallpaper should be.

• --lat <LATITUDE>
  Latitude of current location. Requires the use of the long option as well.

• --long <LONGITUDE>
  Longitude of current location. Requires the use of the lat option as well.

• --elevation <ELEVATION>
  Elevation of current location. Optional. Use alongside long and lat options for a more accurate sunset and sunrise reading. Expressed in meters above sea level.

Once you figure out which options you want to use and test it to make sure its working how you want it to, have the command autostart on boot.

Config File

dyn-wall-rs can also be configured through a config file. When you run the program for the first time, a config file will be created at ~/.config/dyn-wall-rs/config.toml for Unix systems, and C:\Users\<USER NAME>\AppData\Roaming\dyn-wall-rs.toml on Windows.

Through this config file, you can use the same configuration options as through the command line (except the schedule option), as well as use your own custom timings. If you would like to configure certain parameters from the config file, and others from the command line, you are able to do so. More details can be found in the automatically created config file.

Systemd Service

On systemd systems, a systemd service such as this one can be used. If installing from the AUR, this service file should already be in the right location. If you haven't installed from the AUR, you can download and move the service file to /usr/lib/systemd/system/dyn-wall-rs.service. The service can be enabled with the command systemctl --user enable dyn-wall-rs.service. If you are running the program with command line arguments, then the service file can be edited to include those arguments.

Syncing to the sun

In order to sync the changing of wallpapers according to the sunset and sunrise timings, create directories within the master directory named night and day. This will cycle through the wallpapers in the day directory if the current time is before the sunset time, and will cycle through the wallpapers in the night directory. After the directories are created and the wallpapers are placed in them, specify your latitude, longitude, and elevation (optional), and let the program do its work! You can find your coordinates through this website.

Sway

To use with sway, download the swaybg-dyn.sh script, and supply a path to it using the backend option.

dyn-wall-rs -d ~/Pictures/backgrounds/ -b ~/Scripts/swaybg-dyn.sh

Supported Desktop Environments

• Windows
• Gnome
• Ubuntu
• Pantheon
• Deepin
• Pop
• KDE
• LXDE
• XFCE
• Window Managers that can have their wallpaper set using Feh
• Sway