I just wanted to spread the word about a handy new tray application for Arch Linux users seeking hassle-free volume control. VolWheel, written by Olivier “oliwer” Duclos is now available in the Arch User Repository (AUR) and I can tell you I’ve already added it to my essential software list.
Once VolWheel has been launched, the volume can be adjusted up or down by placing your cursor over the tray icon and using the scroll wheel of your mouse or touchpad. To mute, simply middle-click on the icon.
From the preferences window, accessible by a right-click menu, you can select the default audio channel, such as Master or PCM, as well as the default mixer command which is executed when you left-click on the tray icon.
By default, VolWheel uses the standard GNOME volume control icon (pictured above), however this can be customized to whatever you want by simply altering the icon’s file path in the source script.
VolWheel is written in Perl and currently depends on the following packages:
- gtk2-perl
- perl-gtk2-trayicon
- alsa-utils
- gnome-icon-theme
To report any bugs or to request new features, visit the VolWheel discussion thread.
2 Comments
This is perfect. I’ve had an alsamixer entry in my openbox menu, but this is much nicer. It’s in the repos now which is convenient.
The only slight problem is that the volume control isn’t instant, like there is a slight delay when changing volume. Other than that, perfect!