Zenity enables you to create the following types of simple dialogue:

When you write scripts, you can use Zenity to create simple dialogues that interact graphically with the user, as follows:

When the user closes the dialogue, Zenity prints the text produced by the dialogue to standard error.

zenity --calendar --title="Holiday Planner"

zenity --calendar --title=Holiday Planner

"_Choose a name".

Use the --calendar option to create a calendar dialogue. Zenity returns the selected date to standard error. If no date is specified on the command line, the dialogue uses the current date.

The calendar dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a calendar dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh


        if zenity --calendar \
        --title="Select a Date" \
        --text="Click on a date to select that date." \
        --day=10 --month=8 --year=2004
          then echo $?
          else echo "No date selected"
        fi
      

Figure 1 Calendar Dialogue Example

Use the --file-selection option to create a file selection dialogue. Zenity returns the selected files or directories to standard error. The default mode of the file selection dialogue is open.

The file selection dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a file selection dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh

        FILE=`zenity --file-selection --title="Select a File"`

        case $? in
                 0)
                        echo "\"$FILE\" selected.";;
                 1)
                        echo "No file selected.";;
                -1)
                        echo "No file selected.";;
        esac
      

Figure 2 File Selection Dialogue Example

The following example script shows how to create a notification icon:

        #!/bin/sh

        zenity --notification\
          --window-icon="info" \
          --text="There are system updates necessary!"
      

Figure 3 Notification Icon Example

Use the --list option to create a list dialogue. Zenity returns the entries in the first column of text of selected rows to standard error.

Data for the dialogue must specified column by column, row by row. Data can be provided to the dialogue through standard input. Each entry must be separated by a newline character.

If you use the --checklist or --radiolist options, each row must start with either 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'.

The list dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a list dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh

        zenity --list \
          --title="Choose the Bugs You Wish to View" \
          --column="Bug Number" --column="Severity" --column="Description" \
            992383 Normal "GtkTreeView crashes on multiple selections" \
            293823 High "GNOME Dictionary does not handle proxy" \
            393823 Critical "Menu editing does not work in GNOME 2.0"
      

Figure 4 List Dialogue Example

Zenity can create four types of message dialogue:

For each type, use the --text option to specify the text that is displayed in the dialogue.

7.1. Error Dialogue

Use the --error option to create an error dialogue.

The following example script shows how to create an error dialogue:

          #!/bin/bash

          zenity --error \
          --text="Could not find /var/log/syslog."
        

Figure 5 Error Dialogue Example

7.2. Information Dialogue

Use the --info option to create an information dialogue.

The following example script shows how to create an information dialogue:

          #!/bin/bash

          zenity --info \
          --text="Merge complete. Updated 3 of 10 files."
        

Figure 6 Information Dialogue Example

7.3. Question Dialogue

Use the --question option to create a question dialogue.

The following example script shows how to create a question dialogue:

          #!/bin/bash

          zenity --question \
          --text="Are you sure you wish to proceed?"
        

Figure 7 Question Dialogue Example

7.4. Warning Dialogue

Use the --warning option to create a warning dialogue.

The following example script shows how to create a warning dialogue:

          #!/bin/bash
        
          zenity --warning \
          --text="Disconnect the power cable to avoid electrical shock."
        

Figure 8 Warning Dialogue Example

Use the --progress option to create a progress dialogue.

Zenity reads data from standard input line by line. If a line is prefixed with #, the text is updated with the text on that line. If a line contains only a number, the percentage is updated with that number.

The progress dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a progress dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh
        (
        echo "10" ; sleep 1
        echo "# Updating mail logs" ; sleep 1
        echo "20" ; sleep 1
        echo "# Resetting cron jobs" ; sleep 1
        echo "50" ; sleep 1
        echo "This line will just be ignored" ; sleep 1
        echo "75" ; sleep 1
        echo "# Rebooting system" ; sleep 1
        echo "100" ; sleep 1
        ) |
        zenity --progress \
          --title="Update System Logs" \
          --text="Scanning mail logs..." \
          --percentage=0

        if [ "$?" = -1 ] ; then
                zenity --error \
                  --text="Update cancelled."
        fi

      

Figure 9 Progress Dialogue Example

Use the -entry option to create a text entry dialogue. Zenity returns the contents of the text entry to standard error.

The text entry dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a text entry dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh

        if zenity --entry \
        --title="Add an Entry" \
        --text="Enter your _password:" \
        --entry-text "password" \
        --hide-text
          then echo $?
          else echo "No password entered"
        fi
      

Figure 10 Text Entry Dialogue Example

Use the --text-info option to create a text information dialogue.

The text information dialogue supports the following options:

The following example script shows how to create a text information dialogue:

        #!/bin/sh

        FILE=`zenity --file-selection \
          --title="Select a File"`

        case $? in
                 0)
                        zenity --text-info \
                          --title=$FILE \
                          --filename=$FILE \
                          --editable 2>/tmp/tmp.txt;;
                 1)
                        echo "No file selected.";;
                -1)
                        echo "No file selected.";;
        esac
      

Figure 11 Text Information Dialogue Example