Create a select menu with smenu
Not Spoiled for Choice
© Lead Image © acik, 123RF.com
The smenu tool reduces the effort of creating shell menus to one line, with numerous options for a wide range of design alternatives.
If you program for the shell frequently, sooner or later you will have to create a select menu, which usually requires several lines of code – unless you use smenu. Smenu reduces the menu's script to a single line. A number of parameters allow you to adapt the design and to simplify your work a little.
The source code for smenu is available on its project page [1], which contains installation instructions, as well as some useful tips. The smenu wiki [2] contains links to two YouTube videos that demonstrate the practical use of the program. The README file provides a structured overview of smenu's options [1].
Basic Function
In smenu's simplest form, a command's output is passed via pipe to the smenu command. For example, <command> | smenu displays a selection on a single line. To create a line-by-line menu, use <command> | smenu -c (Figure 1).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.