Get Window Title or Application Name with Python

Question

I'm working with multitouch and I try to do different stuff on different applications with the same gestures.

I have a python script, basic works.

Bot how can I decide between the applications? How to get the active window title?

Thanks

Edit System Information:

• Python 2.7.6
• Ubuntu 14.04 (Unity)

Solution

Below updated version. I'll leave the old answer, to not remove the answer that got the votes.

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import gi
gi.require_version("Wnck", "3.0")
from gi.repository import Wnck

scr = Wnck.Screen.get_default()
scr.force_update()
print(scr.get_active_window().get_name())

or get xid:

print(scr.get_active_window().get_xid())

or (not very surprising) get pid:

print(scr.get_active_window().get_pid())

Also see here to get Wnck.Window methods.

---

Old answer:

I'd just parse the output of either xprop or xwit and wmctrl (you might have to install wmctrl first: sudo apt-get install wmctrl). xprop gives a lot of information on windows.

xprop -root

gives you information on the active window, a.o. the window id, and

wmctrl -l

gives you a list of currently opened windows. Using the -p option also gives you information on the pids the windows belong to. Combined you can get all the info you need.

for example:

In python 3, using subprocess check_output():

To get the active window (id):

-using xprop

# [1]
import subprocess

command = "xprop -root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW | sed 's/.* //'"
frontmost = subprocess.check_output(["/bin/bash", "-c", command]).decode("utf-8").strip()

print(frontmost)
> 0x38060fd

-using xprop, parsing it "inside" python

# [2]
import subprocess

command = "xprop -root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW"
frontmost = subprocess.check_output(["/bin/bash", "-c", command]).decode("utf-8").strip().split()[-1]

print(frontmost)
> 0x38060fd

Once we have the window-id, get the (pid of) the application it belongs to, using wmctrl:

NB: first, we have to "fix" the frontmost id (output) of the command above for wmctrl; the id from wmctrl and xprop slightly differs:

0x381e427 (xprop)
0x0381e427 (wmctrl)

to fix the output of the function above (using the "frontmost" output of # [1] or # [2]):

fixed_id = frontmost[:2]+"0"+frontmost[2:]

then get the pid of the (application of the) frontmost window:

command = "wmctrl -lp"
window_pid = [l.split()[2] for l in subprocess.check_output(["/bin/bash", "-c", command]).decode("utf-8").splitlines() if fixed_id in l][0]

> 6262

---

In python 2, using subprocess.Popen():

In python 2, subprocess.check_output is not available, so the procedure is slightly different and a bit more verbose:

To get the active window (id):

-using xprop

# [1]
import subprocess

command = "xprop -root _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW"                                       
output = subprocess.Popen(["/bin/bash", "-c", command], stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
frontmost = output.communicate()[0].decode("utf-8").strip().split()[-1]

print frontmost
> 0x38060fd

to get the (pid of the) application it belongs to, using wmctrl and the output of # [1]

-(again) using (and fixing) the output of [1]:

# [2]
import subprocess

fixed_id = frontmost[:2]+"0"+frontmost[2:]

command = "wmctrl -lp"
output = subprocess.Popen(["/bin/bash", "-c", command], stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
window_pid = [l.split()[2] for l in output.communicate()[0].decode("utf-8").splitlines() if fixed_id in l][0]

print window_pid # pid of the application
> 6262

to get the window name, using wmctrl and the output of # [1] (also using socket.gethostname() to split the output of wmctrl by machine name)

# [3]
import subprocess
import socket

command = "wmctrl -lp"
output = subprocess.Popen(["/bin/bash", "-c", command], stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
window_list = output.communicate()[0].decode("utf-8")
window_name = [l for l in window_list.split("\n") if fixed_id in l][0].split(socket.gethostname()+" ")[-1]

print window_name

---

man xprop
man wmctrl
man xwit

Comments

[Jacob Vlijm]

python3 or python2?

[netzaffin]

patrick@pat-workstation:~$ python --version Python 2.7.6

[netzaffin]

I've only tested for python 2, works like a charm. This is the very first "How to" I've found so far, awesome. Thanks! +1

[Jacob Vlijm]

@netzaffin You're welcome, my pleasure.