Simple Waybar module that checks Arch Linux system updates May 7, 2023 on Savely Krasovsky's blog

I’ve released simple but yet effective module for the Waybar that checks Arch Linux system updates. There are some features that I think you would like.

Features

• Sends notifications about updates.
• Supports GNU gettext localization (contribute new po-files!)
• Checks updates from AUR using Aurweb RPC, so works independently.
• Shows updates in the tooltip.
• Supports two states: pending-updates and updated to use different icons or hide module.
• Uses infinite loop to supply Waybar JSON updates.
• Configurable interval between checks.

You can easily install it from AUR: yay -S waybar-updates

I use it with this config:

"custom/pacman": {
  "format": "{icon}{}",
  "return-type": "json",
  "format-icons": {
    "pending-updates": " ",
    "updated": ""
  },
  "exec-if": "which waybar-updates",
  "exec": "waybar-updates"
}

In that case you will also need Nerd fonts (I personally use ttf-jetbrains-mono-nerd).

I’ve also added lite blinking effect to it:

@keyframes blink-update {
	to {
		background-color: dodgerblue;
	}
}

#custom-pacman {
	animation-timing-function: linear;
	animation-iteration-count: infinite;
	animation-direction: alternate;
}
#custom-pacman.pending-updates {
	animation-name: blink-update;
	animation-duration: 3s;
}

Screenshots

If you like it, please consider to give it a star!