i3 FAQ - Individual question feed

Use desktop wallpaper as i3lock image

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:12:17 +0000

I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the **-i /path/to/image** option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Answer by Michael for
I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:24:39 +0000

Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Comment by ab5tract for
Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:59:23 +0000

True, but that would involve including background logic into i3 (copying the root window image). Or perhaps only into i3lock. In the first case I can't imagine it would get incorporated, while in the second perhaps its a possibility.

Comment by Michael for
Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:02:19 +0000

No, it won’t be included. This should be done in a separate program or script.

Comment by Atmoz for
Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:51:11 +0000

The following tutorial for getting urxvt transparent says "[...] copies the wallpaper to the background of the terminal. (more exactly, the contents of Xorg's root window)": http://ctkarch.org/documentation/tutorials/tuto.php?page=urxvt-transpa.xml So it sounds like it's not that impossible.

Answer by sysadamin for
I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:52:03 +0000

you could use a screenshot, inside a wrapper around i3lock - something like this: #!/bin/bash scrot /tmp/screen_locked.png i3lock -i /tmp/screen_locked2.png save the file as an executable somewhere in your path, and that should do it.

Comment by sysadamin for

you could use a screenshot, inside a wrapper around i3lock - something like this:

#!/bin/bash
scrot /tmp/screen_locked.png
i3lock -i /tmp/screen_locked2.png

save the file as an executable somewhere in your path, and that should do it.

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:53:16 +0000

although, apparently i shouldnt post at night. this will use your current desktop. perhaps add in a command to switch to a new desktop, then take the shot?

Answer by dkeg for
I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:45:44 +0000

This is what I did. As stated above using a screenshot will work. However, I did not want any activity on the scrot. I just took a scrot of a good lock back ground image as my wallpaper, with no active apps, and saved it in the .i3 directory. So when I call i3 lock

i3lock -i ~/.i3/lock_screen.png

I get a nice clean lock screen

Answer by lzap for
I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:19:28 +0000

It depend's on your distribution, try to "locate wallpaper". Please note in Fedora the i3lock is not compiled with "-i" support, therefore you can't even load an image there.

i3 FAQ - Individual question feed

Use desktop wallpaper as i3lock image

Answer by Michael for I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Comment by ab5tract for Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Comment by Michael for Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Comment by Atmoz for Wallpapers in X11 work by changing the root window contents. There is no (standard) way to recover the path where that image came from. Neither is there a way to tell i3lock to copy the root window contents. So, this is not possible.

Answer by sysadamin for I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Comment by sysadamin for you could use a screenshot, inside a wrapper around i3lock - something like this: #!/bin/bash scrot /tmp/screen_locked.png i3lock -i /tmp/screen_locked2.png save the file as an executable somewhere in your path, and that should do it.

Answer by dkeg for I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?

Answer by lzap for I want i3lock to show my current desktop wallpaper, without the need to set path manually every time I change the wallpaper. I know that I can use the -i /path/to/image option, but I don't know where X is storing the current wallpaper, if that even exists?