awful.spawn.easy_async

awesome/calendar.lua

@@ -1,19 +1,8 @@
 local awful = require("awful")
 
-function get_calendar()
-    local f = io.popen('gcal -i- -s1 .+')
-    local l = nil
-    if f ~= nil then
-        f:read()
-        l = f:read("*all")
-    else
-        l = '?'
-    end
-    f:close()
-    return l
-end
-
 textclock_widget = awful.widget.textclock(" %a %d %b  %H:%M ")
 
 calendar_widget = awful.tooltip({objects={textclock_widget}})
-calendar_widget:set_text(get_calendar())
+awful.spawn.easy_async('gcal -i- -s1 .+', function(stdout)
+    calendar_widget:set_text(stdout)
+end)

awesome/music.lua

@@ -54,19 +54,28 @@ local function set_text(text)
 end
 
 ret.execute_command = function(command)
-    local fd = io.popen('music-client ' .. command)
-    local text = string_split(fd:read('*all'), '\n')
-    local rc = {fd:close()}
-    local active_command = string_starts_with(command, 'file') or string_starts_with(command, 'next') or string_starts_with(command, 'previous')
-    local start_server_command = active_command or string_starts_with(command, 'play') or string_starts_with(command, 'pause')
 
-    if rc[3] == 0 then
+    awful.spawn.easy_async('music-client ' .. command, function(stdout, stderr, reason, code)
+
+        local text = string_split(stdout, '\n')
+        local active_command =
+            string_starts_with(command, 'file') or
+            string_starts_with(command, 'next') or
+            string_starts_with(command, 'previous')
+
+        local start_server_command = active_command or
+            string_starts_with(command, 'play') or
+            string_starts_with(command, 'pause')
+
+        if code == 0 then
+
             if active_command then
                 set_text(text[1])
             elseif string_starts_with(command, 'noop') then
                 total_text = text[1]
                 position = math.floor((width - string.len(total_text)) / 2)
             end
+
         elseif start_server_command then
             -- Start the server and re-exec the command
             os.execute('music-server&')
@@ -80,7 +89,8 @@ ret.execute_command = function(command)
             icon = text[2]
         end
 
-    update_widget()
+    end)
+
 end
 
 function update_widget()

awesome/volume.lua

@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ volume_widget = wibox.widget.textbox()
 volume_widget:set_align("right")
 
 function update_volume()
-        fd = io.popen("amixer sget Master")
-        local status = fd:read("*all")
+
+    awful.spawn.easy_async('amixer sget Master', function(stdout, stderr)
+        local status = stdout
         local widget = volume_widget
-        fd:close()
 
         -- local volume = tonumber(string.match(status, "(%d?%d?%d)%%")) / 100
         local volume = string.match(status, "(%d?%d?%d)%%")
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ function update_volume()
             volume = volume .. "M"
         end
         widget:set_markup("V :" .. volume)
+    end)
 end
 
 update_volume()