title: xdotool

## Random Examples

### Examples
List window names matching pattern
```
xdotool search --name "$search_string" getwindowname %@                  # or
xdotool search --name "$search_string" | xargs -n1 xdotool getwindowname
```
Send keys to named window (sends to):
```
xdotool search --name "$search_string" key key1 key2 ...
```

## Keysyms
See XKeySyms for all.
Snarfed using regex [from here](https://gitlab.com/nokun/gestures/-/wikis/xdotool-list-of-key-codes)
and `/usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h`. Here is a selection. Note that these syms are case sensitive.
```csv sep=|
csvhead: Keysym|Hex|Description
Alt_L|0xffe9|Left alt
Alt_R|0xffea|Right alt
asciicircum|0x005e|U+005E CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT
asciitilde|0x007e|U+007E TILDE
asterisk|0x002a|U+002A ASTERISK
at|0x0040|U+0040 COMMERCIAL AT
BackSpace|0xff08|Back space, back char
braceleft|0x007b|U+007B LEFT CURLY BRACKET
braceright|0x007d|U+007D RIGHT CURLY BRACKET
bracketleft|0x005b|U+005B LEFT SQUARE BRACKET
bracketright|0x005d|U+005D RIGHT SQUARE BRACKET
Break|0xff6b|
Cancel|0xff69|Cancel, stop, abort, exit
Caps_Lock|0xffe5|Caps lock
Clear|0xff0b|
colon|0x003a|U+003A COLON
comma|0x002c|U+002C COMMA
Control_L|0xffe3|Left control
Control_R|0xffe4|Right control
Delete|0xffff|Delete, rubout
Down|0xff54|Move down, down arrow
End|0xff57|EOL
Escape|0xff1b|
F1|0xffbe|
...||
F9|0xffc6|
F10|0xffc7|
F11|0xffc8|
F12|0xffc9|
...||
F20|0xffd1|
...||
F30|0xffdb|
...||
F35|0xffe0|
Help|0xff6a|Help
Home|0xff50|
Hyper_L|0xffed|Left hyper
Hyper_R|0xffee|Right hyper
Insert|0xff63|Insert, insert here
KP_0|0xffb0|
KP_1|0xffb1|
...||
KP_9|0xffb9|
KP_Add|0xffab|
KP_Begin|0xff9d|
KP_Decimal|0xffae|
KP_Delete|0xff9f|
KP_Divide|0xffaf|
KP_Down|0xff99|
KP_End|0xff9c|
KP_Enter|0xff8d|Enter
KP_Equal|0xffbd|Equals
KP_F1|0xff91|PF1, KP_A, ...
KP_F2|0xff92|
KP_F3|0xff93|
KP_F4|0xff94|
KP_Home|0xff95|
KP_Insert|0xff9e|
KP_Left|0xff96|
KP_Multiply|0xffaa|
KP_Next|0xff9b|
KP_Page_Down|0xff9b|
KP_Page_Up|0xff9a|
KP_Prior|0xff9a|
KP_Right|0xff98|
KP_Separator|0xffac|Separator, often comma
KP_Space|0xff80|Space
KP_Subtract|0xffad|
KP_Tab|0xff89|
KP_Up|0xff97|
Left|0xff51|Move left, left arrow
Linefeed|0xff0a|Linefeed, LF
Menu|0xff67|
Meta_L|0xffe7|Left meta
Meta_R|0xffe8|Right meta
Multi_key|0xff20|Multi-key character compose
Next|0xff56|Next
Num_Lock|0xff7f|
Page_Down|0xff56|
Page_Up|0xff55|
Pause|0xff13|Pause, hold
Prior|0xff55|Prior, previous
Redo|0xff66|Redo, again
Return|0xff0d|Return, enter
Right|0xff53|Move right, right arrow
Scroll_Lock|0xff14|
Select|0xff60|Select, mark
semicolon|0x003b|U+003B SEMICOLON
Shift_L|0xffe1|Left shift
Shift_Lock|0xffe6|Shift lock
Shift_R|0xffe2|Right shift
slash|0x002f|U+002F SOLIDUS
space|0x0020|U+0020 SPACE
Super_L|0xffeb|Left super
Super_R|0xffec|Right super
Tab|0xff09|
underscore|0x005f|U+005F LOW LINE
Undo|0xff65|
Up|0xff52|Move up, up arrow
```

## Scripts
Example python script using curses and subprocess to send keypresses to named window using xdotool.
(Note also that there is an `xdotool` package `python-libxdo`, installable via package `python3-xdo` under Ubuntu 24.04, for python rather than using `subprocess.run`).
```
#!/usr/bin/env python3

import curses
import subprocess
import sys
args = sys.argv[1:]
try:
  name = args[0]
except Exception:
  print(f"{args[0]} <window search pattern>")
  exit(1)

def sendkey(x):
  subprocess.run(["xdotool","search","--name",name,"key",x])

def main(stdscr):
  curses.noecho()
  stdscr.addstr(f"Search for {name}\nPress left, right, up, down, or a character\n")
  stdscr.refresh()
  try:
    while True:
      c = stdscr.getch()
      k = chr(c)
      if k.upper() in "ABCDEFGHIJLKMNOPQRSTYVWXYZ0123456789":
        sendkey(k)
      elif k == " ":
        sendkey("space")
      elif c == curses.KEY_LEFT:
        sendkey("Left")
      elif c == curses.KEY_RIGHT:
        sendkey("Right")
      elif c == curses.KEY_UP:
        sendkey("Up")
      elif c == curses.KEY_DOWN:
        sendkey("Down")
  except KeyboardInterrupt:
    return

if __name__ == "__main__":
  curses.wrapper(main)

```