The amane Command
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
amane startup | Creates ~/.config/amane/src/main.rs from a template. Never overwrites an existing file. |
amane dev | Builds your shell, starts it, and rebuilds and restarts it on every save. |
amane compile | Builds the optimized shell without starting it. |
amane run | Builds the optimized shell if anything changed, then starts it. |
amane ipc call <name> [arguments...] | Calls a handler in the running shell. See IPC. |
Where things live
- Your shell:
~/.config/amane/src/.main.rsis the entry point. You can add more files next to it and load them withmod, like in any Rust program. - Build files:
~/.cache/amane/.library/holds the copy of Amane unpacked from the command.project/holds the Cargo project generated around yourmain.rs.project/target/holds the build output.
Both paths follow XDG_CONFIG_HOME and XDG_CACHE_HOME when they’re set.
You never edit anything in the cache folder. Deleting it is safe. The next build makes it again, from scratch.
Splitting your shell into files
main.rs can load other files the usual Rust way:
~/.config/amane/src/
├── main.rs
├── bar.rs
└── clock.rs
// main.rs
mod bar;
mod clock;
use amane::App;
fn main() {
App::new().window(bar::view).run();
}amane dev watches the whole src/ folder, so saving any of these files triggers a rebuild.
Dev builds and release builds
amane dev | amane run, amane compile | |
|---|---|---|
| Your code | not optimized, builds in seconds | optimized |
| Amane and its dependencies | optimized | optimized |
| Use it for | writing your shell | daily use |
Amane is optimized even in dev builds, because unoptimized drawing is too slow for smooth animation. Only your own code is left unoptimized, which keeps rebuilds after a save quick.
Dependencies
Your shell’s Cargo.toml is generated for you on every build, and it only depends on amane. That means you can’t add other crates to your shell yet.
Most of what a shell needs is in the library already:
- system data, through Built-in Services
- running commands and reading their output, through Commands and Files
- file watching, D-Bus, and IPC
For anything else, like the current time, run a command with amane::output (for example date +%H:%M).