Rofi Configuration & Theming

This document explains how Rofi is configured in the nixri setup, how it automatically synchronizes its theme with your global system aesthetics, and details the custom powermenu script.

Overview

Rofiโ€™s entire configuration has been completely overhauled from legacy static .rasi files to a fully declarative Nix implementation via Home Manager. The main files are located at modules/desktop/niri/rofi:

  • default.nix: The entry point that enables Rofi and declares the complete theme. It dynamically imports variables from the global stylix palette and constructs the CSS-like Rasi structures natively in Nix using mkLiteral.
  • config.nix: Contains all the general Rofi settings, such as fuzzy matching, history tracking, sorting behavior, and generic keybindings for navigating lists.
  • rofi-powermenu.nix: A standalone custom Rofi launcher specifically built to act as an elegant, icon-driven system exit menu.

Declarative Theming (Stylix Integration)

Unlike traditional setups that require you to maintain dozens of external colors.rasi files or download pre-made themes from external repositories, nixri uses Stylix to colorize Rofi on the fly.

Inside default.nix and rofi-powermenu.nix, the configuration explicitly pulls from config.lib.stylix.colors to dynamically build the exact highlight patterns for your system:

  • base00: Background (bgColor)
  • base01: Secondary Background (bgAltColor)
  • base05: Text (fgColor)
  • base0E: Selected Focus (accentColor)
  • base0B: Active States (activeColor)
  • base08: Urgent / Alert States (urgentColor)

Because the entire theme tree is generated at build time using mkLiteral structures, Rofi will perfectly match your systemโ€™s global aesthetics whenever you change your base16 palette in stylix/default.nix.

Background Images

Rofi uses a fixed background image mapped directly from your Nix repository:

currentWallpaper = "${self}/modules/wallpapers/tree-rofi.jpg";

This image is embedded directly into the inputbar (and imagebox for the powermenu) natively. By keeping a smaller, optimized image (tree-rofi.jpg) rather than loading a massive 4K wallpaper, Rofi opens completely instantly without the micro-stutter typical of image-heavy launchers.

Custom Powermenu (rofi-powermenu)

To provide a sleek and safe exit workflow, nixri implements a heavily stylized shutdown menu in rofi-powermenu.nix.

Features

  1. System Controls: Displays large, beautiful icons for Lock, Suspend, Logout, Hibernate, Reboot, and Shutdown.
  2. System Information: Automatically pulls your $USER, hostname, and exact system uptime to display in the menu header.
  3. Safety Confirmation: To prevent accidental shutdowns, clicking any destructive option triggers a secondary, centered Rofi confirmation window asking โ€œAre you Sure?โ€ with Yes/No checkmarks.
  4. Wayland Integration: Safely interfaces with systemctl for hardware states and talks directly to the niri IPC to cleanly close the session on logout.

Customizing the Powermenu

If you want to adjust the icon fonts or tweak the interactive prompts, you can edit the script portion located at the bottom of rofi-powermenu.nix:

lock='๓ฐŒพ'
suspend='๓ฐค„'
logout='๓ฐƒ'
# ...

To change its structural design, modify the powermenuTheme block at the top of the file, which dictates the spacing, border radii, and dimensions using the same Stylix colors as the main application launcher.