#791718 conky-std: conky should clearly document how the removed pre_exec variable may be replaced

Package:
conky-std
Source:
conky
Description:
highly configurable system monitor (default version)
Submitter:
"Francesco Poli \(wintermute\)"
Date:
2024-04-25 17:54:34 UTC
Severity:
normal
Tags:
#791718#5
Date:
2015-07-07 20:28:00 UTC
From:
To:
Hello Vincent,
I've recently upgraded conky on my Debian testing boxes:
[UPGRADE] conky-std:amd64 1.9.0-6 -> 1.10.0-1

I noticed that the pre_exec variable has been removed, without
providing anything with an equivalent behavior.
This seems to be confirmed by:
https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky/issues/62
https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky/commit/b96f112106ea43dda5b5747bc315a2b76ba9da8f

The commit description says that the pre_exec variable has been removed
"because one can use lua to generate the config on the startup, if one
wants to".

Oh well, if one *knew* how to program in Lua, one could use Lua
to generate the config on startup!
I have currently no knowledge about Lua, so I am a bit lost without
some example in the documentation.

I failed to find any relevant explanation on how Lua could be used
to emulate the behavior of pre_exec...

My attempt (after converting my .conkyrc to the new Lua-based syntax)
is the following:

  $ cat .config/conky/conky.conf
  -- vim: syntax=lua

  conky.config = {
    -- many settings...
    lua_startup_hook = 'conky_cow', -- append fortune said by a cow
    };
#791718#10
Date:
2015-07-08 00:38:08 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Francesco,

Unfortunately I can't help you much with this either; I myself am
unfamiliar with conky's new lua configuration (and there's very little
documentation upstream about it), and I don't know of a way to
emulate/replace pre_exec functionality with 1.10. I'll forward your
message to that upstream bug report, but that's about all I can do to
help, sorry!

Regards,
Vincent
#791718#17
Date:
2015-07-08 17:01:04 UTC
From:
To:
On Tue, 7 Jul 2015 17:38:08 -0700 Vincent Cheng wrote:

[...]
[...]

That's OK, one cannot be supposed to know everything!    ;-)

Thanks for confirming that upstream documentation is not abundant (or
otherwise that, at the very least, it's really well hidden!).
Now, let's hope that upstream will react as quickly as you did!

Bye.