About jgmenu/jgmenu
jgmenu is a simple, independent, and contemporary-looking X11 menu, designed for scripting, modding, and tweaking. It has a hackable code base and does not depend on toolkits such as GTK or Qt, instead using cairo and pango for rendering. It optionally uses appearance settings from XSettings, tint2, and GTK. It supports multiple menu types including bespoke CSV-based menus, XDG-compliant application menus with localization, pipe menus, and Openbox XML menus (including pipe-menus). Also features UTF-8 search support.
Key Features
Simple and independent X11 menu, no GTK/Qt dependencies
Uses cairo and pango for rendering
Supports bespoke CSV menu format
XDG-compliant application menus with localization
Pipe menu support
Openbox XML menu including pipe-menus
UTF-8 search support
Optionally uses XSettings, tint2, and GTK appearance settings
Hackable and modifiable with a simple code base
Designed for scripting and tweaking
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight with minimal dependencies
- Highly customizable via scripting and configuration files
- Supports multiple menu formats for flexibility
- UTF-8 search enables quick filtering
- Does not require heavy toolkits like GTK or Qt
- Open source and free to use
Cons
- Only supports X11, not Wayland native
- Limited to Unix-like systems
- May lack modern graphical effects compared to desktop-native menus
- Configuration requires manual editing of text files
Best For
Application launcher for X11 window managers like dwm, i3, bspwm, OpenboxCustom menu for panels like polybar and tint2Replacement for desktop environment menus on minimal setupsScripted dynamic menus via pipe menus
FAQ
What is jgmenu?
jgmenu is a simple, independent, and contemporary-looking X11 menu designed for scripting, modding, and tweaking. It uses cairo and pango for rendering and supports multiple menu formats.
Does jgmenu depend on GTK or Qt?
No, jgmenu does not depend on any toolkits such as GTK or Qt. It uses cairo and pango for rendering.
What types of menus does jgmenu support?
jgmenu supports bespoke CSV menus, XDG-compliant application menus with localization, pipe menus, and Openbox XML menus (including pipe-menus).
Can jgmenu use system theme settings?
Yes, it can optionally use appearance settings from XSettings, tint2, and GTK.
Is jgmenu free and open source?
Yes, jgmenu is free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license.