Developer Tools

2026-09-19

Mode-Specific Tool for Developer

Script Breakdown: developer-tools.sh (Developer Mode Tool Dispatcher)

This script is a specialized, GTK/XFCE-focused variant of the PlebMachine tool launcher specifically configured for the Developer operational mode. Unlike the global master templates that use case switches for all modes, this script hardcodes developer-centric options (xfce4-terminal, mousepad, and glade) while preserving the system’s state-driven launcher framework.

Key Functionality

• Environment Setup: Exports standard GUI display variables (DISPLAY, XAUTHORITY, GDK_BACKEND=x11) so applications launch cleanly when triggered from background events or hotkeys.
• Mode Name Extraction: Strips file extensions and path prefixes from $0 via basename "$0" .sh and parameter expansion (${SCRIPT_NAME%-tools}) to set $MODE to developer.
• State Check: Inspects ~/.config/plebmachine/state.conf for PM_STATE settings:
  • AUTOMATIC State: Bypasses any interactive prompts and immediately spawns the default terminal application (xfce4-terminal) in the background (&).
  • COGNITIVE State: Presents a zenity checklist window populated with lightweight desktop development tools.
• Asynchronous Tool Spawning: Parses pipe-separated choices (|), strips quotation marks, maps selections via a case statement, and redirects standard streams (>/dev/null 2>&1) to launch applications silently without blocking the execution thread.

Mode Configuration & Tools (COGNITIVE State)

Dependencies

Core Utilities & Engine

• bash: Script execution environment.
• grep, cut, tr, xargs: Parsers used to process state.conf.
• zenity: Provides the GTK GUI checklist window.

Binary Dependencies

• xfce4-terminal: Terminal emulator executable.
• mousepad: Text editor binary.
• glade: GTK UI builder executable.

#!/bin/bash
export DISPLAY="${DISPLAY:-:0}"
export XAUTHORITY="${XAUTHORITY:-$HOME/.Xauthority}"
export GDK_BACKEND="${GDK_BACKEND:-x11}"

# Determine mode from script name
SCRIPT_NAME="$(basename "$0" .sh)"
MODE="${SCRIPT_NAME%-tools}"

# Read current system state
STATE_FILE="$HOME/.config/plebmachine/state.conf"
if [ -f "$STATE_FILE" ]; then
    PM_STATE=$(grep -i "PM_STATE" "$STATE_FILE" | cut -d'=' -f2 | tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]' | xargs)
else
    PM_STATE="COGNITIVE"
fi

# Developer specific
DEFAULT_APP="xfce4-terminal"
ZENITY_ITEMS='FALSE "Terminal" FALSE "Mousepad" FALSE "Glade"'

if [ "$PM_STATE" = "AUTOMATIC" ]; then
    $DEFAULT_APP >/dev/null 2>&1 &
    exit 0
fi

CHOICE=$(zenity --list \
  --checklist \
  --title="PlebMachine Developer Tools" \
  --text="Select developer applications to launch:" \
  --column="Pick" \
  --column="App" \
  $ZENITY_ITEMS \
  --separator="|")

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    exit 0
fi

IFS="|" read -ra APPS <<< "$CHOICE"

for app in "${APPS[@]}"; do
  app="${app%\"}"
  app="${app#\"}"
  case "$app" in
    "Terminal")   xfce4-terminal >/dev/null 2>&1 & ;;
    "Mousepad")   mousepad >/dev/null 2>&1 & ;;
    "Glade")      glade >/dev/null 2>&1 & ;;
    *)            echo "Unknown app: $app" ;;
  esac
done

Review — 2026-09-20

Review subject: Developer Tools

• Documentation review: Complete for the version currently preserved in this article.
• Description: The article identifies the script’s role, execution flow, dependencies, and/or configuration where those details are available.
• Code preservation: The working code shown in this article has been retained as the reference copy; this review does not replace or rewrite the script itself.
• PlebVox: None. Script/code articles in the PlebMachine Working Code Library are intentionally kept free of PlebVox markers.
• Runtime verification: This repository review is not a substitute for running the script on the current PlebMachine test system. Runtime status should only be marked WORKING when the current installed copy has been tested successfully.
• Maintenance note: If the installed PlebMachine implementation changes, this article should be reviewed and updated so the documented code, paths, dependencies, and behaviour remain aligned with the tested version.

Review date: 2026-09-20
Review scope: Documentation, code preservation, description quality, and PlebVox exclusion.\n