Crowbar

A fast, minimal and smart application launcher for Linux

Prototype: Crowbar is currently a prototype. While it's functional, you may encounter bugs, and features might change in the future.

Tested on:

• Ubuntu 24.04 with (Wayland, GNOME)

Launch applications:

Query search engines:

Customize your launcher:

Features

• Written in Rust (btw)
• Single binary - drop it anywhere and run
• Lightning-fast launches
• Smart suggestions that basically read your mind (based on usage patterns and time of day)
• Customizable to your heart's content

Installation & Setup

These instructions are written for Ubuntu, but should apply to most Linux distributions.

1. Download the latest Crowbar binary from the releases page

2. Install the binary:

   # Create the bin directory if it doesn't exist
   mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
   
   # Move the binary to your local bin directory
   mv crowbar ~/.local/bin/
   
   # Make it executable
   chmod +x ~/.local/bin/crowbar

3. Set up the keyboard shortcut in Ubuntu:

   1. Open System Settings
   2. Go to Keyboard settings
   3. Click on View and Customize Shortcuts
   4. Select Custom Shortcuts
   5. Click the + button to add a new shortcut
   6. Fill in the following:
      • Name: Crowbar
      • Command: /home/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/crowbar (replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username)
      • Shortcut: Press your desired key combination (e.g., Super + Space)

Now you can launch Crowbar anytime by pressing your chosen keyboard shortcut!

Note: Make sure to use the absolute path in the command field. For example, if your username is "john", the command should be /home/john/.local/bin/crowbar

Navigation

Keyboard Controls

Action	Keys
Open Launcher	User-configured shortcut
Close	Escape
Navigate Down	↓ or Ctrl+N or Ctrl+J or Tab
Navigate Up	↑ or Ctrl+P or Ctrl+K or Ctrl+Tab

Configuration

Crowbar can be configured through a TOML file located at ~/.config/crowbar/crowbar.toml. The configuration file will be automatically created with default values on first run.

Available Options

# Window dimensions (in pixels)
window_width = 800.0
window_height = 400.0


# Font settings
font_family = "Liberation Mono"
font_size = 16.0


# Colors
text_primary_color = "#cdd6f4"            # Main text color
text_secondary_color = "#a6adc8"          # Secondary text color (e.g., descriptions)
text_selected_primary_color = "#cdd6f4"   # Selected item main text color
text_selected_secondary_color = "#a6adc8" # Selected item secondary text color
background_color = "#1e1f2f"              # Main background color
border_color = "#bac2de"                  # Window border color
selected_background_color = "#45475a"     # Selected item background color


# Status bar configuration - each section can contain multiple items
[[status_bar_left]]
type = "text"
content = "Crowbar"

[[status_bar_left]]
type = "text"
content = "v1.0"

[[status_bar_center]]
type = "datetime"
format = "%I:%M:%S %p"

[[status_bar_right]]
type = "datetime"
format = "%Y-%m-%d"

All colors must be specified in hex format with a leading # followed by 6 characters.

The font_family setting accepts any font name installed on your system. Make sure the specified font is installed and supports monospace rendering for best results.

For the status bar configuration, you can customize each section with multiple items:

• type = "text" - Static text content specified in the content field
• type = "datetime" - Dynamic date/time that uses the format specified in the format field (follows strftime format)

Examples of datetime formats:

• %H:%M:%S - 24-hour time with seconds (e.g., 13:45:30)
• %I:%M %p - 12-hour time with AM/PM (e.g., 01:45 PM)
• %a %b %d - Abbreviated weekday, month and day (e.g., Mon Jan 01)
• %Y-%m-%d - Full date in ISO format (e.g., 2023-01-01)

You can combine multiple items in each section, and they will be displayed with a small gap between them.

If the configuration file becomes corrupted or contains invalid values, Crowbar will override it with the default values.

Modules

You can enable or disable specific features as needed. To enable or disable modules, open Crowbar and use the following commands:

• :enable [module_id] - Enable a specific module
• :disable [module_id] - Disable a specific module

For example, to disable the Google search module, you would type :disable google in the Crowbar search field.

Available Modules

The following modules are available in Crowbar:

Module ID	Description	Default State
executable	Launches desktop applications and binary executables	Enabled
url	Opens URLs in your default browser	Enabled
browser-history	Provides quick access to your browser history	Enabled
google	Allows direct Google searches	Enabled
duckduckgo	Allows direct DuckDuckGo searches	Enabled
yandex	Allows direct Yandex searches	Enabled
perplexity	Allows direct Perplexity AI searches	Enabled

When a module is disabled, its functionality won't appear in search results.