Table of Contents

    ../
    DWM ASWOMEBAR INSTALL

    DWM Awesomebar Patch Setup (Arch Linux)

    Overview

    To use the Awesomebar patch in DWM on Arch Linux, we need to:

    1. Use the correct DWM version (6.6) compatible with the patch.
    2. Apply the patch cleanly.
    3. Compile and install the patched DWM.

    Step 0: Preconditions

    • Make sure base-devel tools installed:
    • Inside the dwm source folder.

    Step 1: Check current DWM version

    cat config.mk | grep VERSION

    • Expected output example:

      VERSION = 6.8

    Step 2: Check Git status

    git status
    • Confirm you are in the dwm source folder.
    • Clean up any untracked or compiled files if needed.

    Step 3: Clean the repository

    git reset --hard
git clean -fd
    • Removes all local changes, compiled objects, and untracked files.
    • Output should show removal of files like `config.h`, `dwm`, `*.o`, patch files, etc.

    Step 4: Confirm version after cleanup

    git describe --tags

    • Should output something like:

      6.8-3-gc3dd6a8

    Step 5: Switch to compatible DWM version for Awesomebar patch

    git checkout 6.6

    • Now you are in a detached HEAD state at version 6.6, which matches the patch.

    • Output example:

      HEAD is now at 693d94d bump version to 6.6

    Step 6: Download the Awesomebar patch

    curl -O https://dwm.suckless.org/patches/awesomebar/dwm-awesomebar-6.6.diff
    • This will download `dwm-awesomebar-6.6.diff` into your current folder.

    Step 7: Apply the patch

    patch -p1 < dwm-awesomebar-6.6.diff

    • Expected output:

      patching file config.def.h Hunk #2 succeeded at 66 (offset -1 lines). Hunk #3 succeeded at 88 (offset -1 lines). patching file dwm.c

    • No errors or `.rej` files should appear. If conflicts exist, resolve manually.

    Step 8: Create config.h

    cp config.def.h config.h
    • Ensures the new config includes the patched changes.

    Step 9: Compile and install DWM

    sudo make clean install
    • Cleans old binaries, compiles patched DWM, and installs it to `/usr/local/bin/dwm`.
    • Output should show compilation of `drw.c`, `dwm.c`, `util.c`, and copying `dwm` binary and man page.

    Step 10: Run DWM

    startx
    • Or select DWM from your display manager (SDDM/LightDM/XDM).
    • The Awesomebar should now appear and function.

    Notes / Tips

    • We used Git to:

      • Reset to a clean state (`reset`, `clean`)
      • Switch to compatible version (`checkout 6.6`)
      • Apply patch safely

    • Using DWM 6.6 ensures patch compatibility. Using 6.8 directly would cause compile/runtime issues.

    • Backup config.h before patching:

      cp config.h config.h.backup

    • If needed, you can revert to 6.8 later:

      git checkout 6.8

    Summary

    1. Clean source → 6.6 version → download patch → apply → config.h → make install → startx
    2. Now DWM is running with Awesomebar patch applied successfully.