Emacs: sxhkdrc-mode version 1.2.0

2025-08-14

This is a major mode for editing sxhkdrc files. SXHKD is the Simple X Hot Key Daemon which is commonly used in minimalist desktop sessions on Xorg (I use it with bspwm, herbstluftwm, and i3wm). The sxhkdrc file configures key chords, binding them to commands. For the technicalities, read the man page sxhkd(1).

• Package name (GNU ELPA): sxhkdrc-mode
• Git repositories:
  • GitHub: https://github.com/protesilaos/sxhkdrc-mode
  • GitLab: https://gitlab.com/protesilaos/sxhkdrc-mode
• Backronym: Such Xenotropic Hot Keys Demonstrate Robustness and Configurability … mode.

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1.2.0 on 2025-08-14

The package is stable and gets the job done. This version introduces a small new feature to restart the daemon from inside Emacs. Thanks to Jonathan Neidel for making the suggestion in issue 1: https://github.com/protesilaos/sxhkdrc-mode/issues/1.

Reload the SXHKD daemon on demand

The command sxhkdrc-mode-restart sends a signal to the sxhkd process which causes it to restart, thus reloading its configuration file. Use this after modifying the sxhkdrc to make the new changes available.

Automatically reload the daemon on file save

The function sxhkdrc-mode-auto-restart can be assigned to the sxhkdrc-mode-hook to automatically reload the daemon after the sxhkdrc file is saved (well, technically, after the file which is using the sxhkdrc-mode is saved).

Sample configuration with use-package

The project’s README.md includes this sample configuration:

(use-package sxhkdrc-mode
  :ensure t
  :mode "sxhkdrc.*" ; if you want more than just "sxhkdrc"
  :commands (sxhkdrc-mode-restart)
  :hook (sxhkdrc-mode . sxhkdrc-mode-auto-restart))