App Launcher for Zebar

A configurable app launcher widget for Zebar. Adds a waffle-menu button that opens a dropdown to launch your favorite apps.

Features

• Two layout modes — embed flush in your bar or float standalone
• Configurable apps — add any app with a name, Nerd Font icon, and command
• Themeable — all colors customizable via config.json
• Click-outside & Escape to close — dropdown dismisses naturally
• Dynamic window resizing — embedded mode keeps a tiny footprint when closed, expands on click
• Auto-flip dropdown — automatically opens upward when the widget is near the bottom of the screen

Installation

1. Copy the app-launcher folder to ~/.glzr/zebar/
2. Add a startup config to ~/.glzr/zebar/settings.json:

{
  "startupConfigs": [
    {
      "pack": "app-launcher",
      "widget": "app-launcher",
      "preset": "floating"
    }
  ]
}

3. Restart Zebar

Presets

Preset	Description
floating	Standalone button below the bar (default)
embedded	Flush with the bar's top-left corner
embedded-bottom	Flush with the bar's bottom-left corner

Change the "preset" value in settings.json to switch modes.

When using embedded, also set "mode": "embedded" in config.json so the widget styles and window resizing adjust accordingly.

Configuration

All settings live in a single config.json file:

{
  "mode": "embedded",
  "bar": {
    "height": 40,
    "offsetX": 0
  },
  "theme": {
    "background": "rgba(13 14 22 / 92%)",
    "foreground": "#a9b1d6",
    "accent": "#7aa2f7",
    "hover": "rgba(122 162 247 / 18%)",
    "active": "rgba(122 162 247 / 28%)",
    "border": "rgba(122 162 247 / 15%)"
  },
  "apps": [
    { "name": "Terminal", "icon": "nf nf-md-console", "command": "wt.exe" },
    { "name": "Browser", "icon": "nf nf-md-web", "command": "msedge.exe" },
    { "name": "Explorer", "icon": "nf nf-md-folder", "command": "explorer.exe" },
    { "name": "Notepad", "icon": "nf nf-md-note_text", "command": "notepad.exe" }
  ]
}

Mode

• "floating" — standalone button with rounded corners and border
• "embedded" — flush button that blends into the bar (use with the embedded or embedded-bottom preset)

Bar

Optional settings for bar integration. Only needed when fine-tuning embedded mode.

Key	Default	Description
height	40	Button height in pixels (min 24)
offsetX	0	Horizontal offset for floating mode

The dropdown direction (up or down) is detected automatically based on the widget's screen position — no manual configuration needed.

Theme

All CSS color values. Applied at runtime, with sensible defaults as fallback.

Key	Controls
background	Dropdown and button background
foreground	Text color
accent	Icon color and active borders
hover	Hover highlight
active	Active/pressed highlight
border	Button and dropdown border

Apps

Each entry in the apps array has three fields:

Field	Description
name	Display label shown in the dropdown
icon	Nerd Font icon class
command	Program to launch (see below)

Customizing the app list

Edit the "apps" array in config.json. Add, remove, or reorder entries — the dropdown renders them in the order listed. Restart Zebar after making changes.

"apps": [
  { "name": "VS Code", "icon": "nf nf-md-microsoft_visual_studio_code", "command": "code" },
  { "name": "Spotify", "icon": "nf nf-md-spotify", "command": "spotify.exe" },
  { "name": "Discord", "icon": "nf nf-md-chat", "command": "discord.exe" },
  { "name": "Firefox", "icon": "nf nf-md-firefox", "command": "firefox.exe" }
]

Finding the right command

The command field is passed to cmd /c start, so anything you can type into the Windows Run dialog (Win+R) will work here.

• Apps in PATH — use the exe name directly: wt.exe, notepad.exe, code, spotify.exe
• Apps not in PATH — use the full path: C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe
• Tip: to check if an app is in PATH, open a terminal and type the exe name. If it launches, you can use that name directly

Choosing an icon

Icons use Nerd Fonts classes. To find the right icon:

1. Go to the Nerd Fonts Cheat Sheet
2. Search for your app (e.g. "spotify", "firefox", "folder")
3. Click the icon to copy its name (e.g. nf-md-spotify)
4. Prefix with nf in the config: "icon": "nf nf-md-spotify"

Some useful icons:

Icon class	Description
nf nf-md-console	Terminal / command line
nf nf-md-web	Generic browser
nf nf-md-firefox	Firefox
nf nf-md-google_chrome	Chrome
nf nf-md-microsoft_edge	Edge
nf nf-md-microsoft_visual_studio_code	VS Code
nf nf-md-spotify	Spotify
nf nf-md-folder	File explorer
nf nf-md-note_text	Notepad / text editor
nf nf-md-chat	Chat / messaging
nf nf-md-gamepad_variant	Gaming
nf nf-md-cog	Settings

Screenshots

Floating (closed)	Floating (open)

Embedded (closed)	Embedded (open)

Requirements

• Zebar v3.0+
• Windows 10/11

License

MIT

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Part of my Windows rice. See also: zebar-spotify-widget | zebar-doom-widget