Some dialog content can be updated on the fly after it has been launched. This is facilitated by sending commands to a command file which Dialog reads and interprets.
Dialog must be launched in the background to allow commands to be sent to it from the same script:
/usr/local/bin/dialog & sleep 0.1
The sleep 0.1 gives Dialog 100ms to initialise before the first command is sent.
The default command file path is /var/tmp/dialog.log. A custom path can be set with the --commandfile argument:
dialog --commandfile /var/tmp/my.log
Send commands using:
echo " <command>: <value> " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
Command Description title: <text>Update the dialog title title: noneHide the title area titlefont: <params>Update title font properties. Accepts space-separated key=value pairs: size=<float>, weight=<value>, colour=<color|hex>, name=<fontname>, shadow=<bool> message: <text>Replace the message content. Supports Markdown. message: + <text>Append to the existing message (adds a newline before the new content) message: /path/to/file.mdLoad message content from a local Markdown file alignment: [left|center|right]Set the message text alignment
Command Description icon: <path|url|SF Symbol>Change the displayed icon icon: noneHide the icon icon: centre / icon: centerMove the icon to the centre position icon: left / icon: defaultMove the icon back to the default left position icon: size: <num>Change the icon size iconalpha: <float>Set icon opacity (0.0 transparent → 1.0 opaque) overlayicon: <path|url|SF Symbol>Set the overlay icon overlayicon: noneHide the overlay icon
Command Description bannerimage: <path|url>Set the banner image bannerimage: noneRemove the banner image bannertext: enableShow the title as banner text (sets font colour to white) bannertext: disableRestore default title appearance bannertext: shadowEnable drop shadow on banner title text bannertext: <text>Set the banner title text and enable banner text mode
Command Description image: <path|url>Display an image (appends to carousel if one is already shown) image: showShow the current image image: hideHide the current image image: clearRemove all images imagecaption: <text>Set the caption below the displayed image video: <path|url>Display a video. Supports youtube=<id> and vimeo=<id> shortcuts. video: noneRemove the video webcontent: <url>Load a URL in the web content area webcontent: noneRemove the web content
Command Description button1: enable / button1: showEnable Button 1 button1: disable / button1: hideDisable Button 1 button1text: <text>Update Button 1 label button2: enable / button2: showEnable Button 2 button2: disable / button2: hideDisable Button 2 button2text: <text>Update Button 2 label buttonsize: [mini|small|regular|large]Set button size infobutton: <text>Update the info button label infotext: <text>Update the info text area infotext: disable / infotext: hideHide the info text infotext: reset / infotext: clearClear the info text value
Command Description infobox: <text>Replace the info box content. Supports Markdown. infobox: + <text>Append to the existing info box content infobox: /path/to/file.mdLoad info box content from a local Markdown file
Command Description progress: <int>Set the progress bar to a specific step value progress: incrementIncrement the progress bar by one step progress: increment <n>Increment the progress bar by n steps progress: completeSet the progress bar to maximum progress: reset / progress: indeterminateReset the progress bar to indeterminate mode progress: show / progress: enable / progress: createShow the progress bar progress: hide / progress: disable / progress: delete / progress: removeHide the progress bar progresstext: <text>Update the label below the progress bar
Command Description list: <csv>Replace the list with new comma-separated items list: clearClear all list items and hide the list list: showShow the list list: hideHide the list without clearing its contents
Update an existing item by title (simple form):
echo " listitem: My Item: success " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
echo " listitem: My Item: Processing... " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
Update an item with full control using comma-separated properties:
echo " listitem: title: My Item, status: success, statustext: Done " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
echo " listitem: index: 0, status: fail, statustext: Error occurred " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
Add a new item to the end of the list:
echo " listitem: add:, title: New Item, status: wait, statustext: Pending " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
Delete an item:
echo " listitem: title: My Item, delete: " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
echo " listitem: index: 0, delete: " >> /var/tmp/dialog.log
Available listitem properties:
Property Description title: <text>Match item by title index: <int>Match item by index (0-based) subtitle: <text>Set the item subtitle icon: <path|url|SF Symbol>Set the item icon iconalpha: <float>Set item icon opacity status: <status>Set the status icon. One of wait, success, fail, error, pending, progress, or an SF Symbol name (optionally with a colour suffix, e.g. lock.shield.fill-green) statustext: <text>Set the status label text progress: <float>Set an inline progress value (displays a progress-style status) action: <url>URL to open when the item is clicked add:Add a new item to the list delete:Delete the matched item
Command Description helpmessage: <text>Update the help message content. Supports Markdown.
Command Description width: <num>Change the window width height: <num>Change the window height position: <position>Move the window. One of top, bottom, left, right, centre, or a combination (e.g. topright)
Command Description activate:Bring the dialog window to the foreground show:Unhide the dialog window hide:Hide the dialog window minimize: / minimise:Minimise the dialog window to the Dock maximize: / maximise:Restore a minimised dialog window blurscreen: enableEnable the blur screen effect blurscreen: disableDisable the blur screen effect
Command Description showdockicon: enable / showdockicon: true / showdockicon: 1Show the Dialog icon in the Dock showdockicon: <any other value>Hide the Dialog icon from the Dock dockicon: <file|url>Set a custom image as the Dock icon dockicon: none / dockicon: defaultRestore the default Dialog Dock icon dockiconbadge: <text>Display a badge on the Dock icon dockiconbadge: none / dockiconbadge: removeRemove the Dock icon badge bounce:Bounce the Dock icon once (informational) bounce: criticalBounce the Dock icon continuously until the window is brought to the foreground
Command Description quit:Quit Dialog with exit code 5
