VLOCK-PLUGINS(5)

📦
version 2.2.2 · 3 versions
, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing

💖 VLOCK-PLUGINS(5) 💖

okay bestie so this is the vlock-plugins page from the Linux Programmer's Manual — yes it's a section 5 joint, we're in file-formats-and-conventions territory, very niche, very slay ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

vlock-plugins — plugin support for vlock, fr fr 💅

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so picture this: if vlock-main(8) gets compiled with plugin support, its default features are honestly… kinda mid 😭. Out of the box it can only do two things:

  • lock the current session
  • ask for authentication

(yes the original spells it "authenticiaton", we're keeping that typo energy, it's giving ✨character✨)

BUT 🎀 — and this is the main character moment — you can extend those functions through plugins. These plugins get loaded when vlock-main starts up, and they can hand you hooks that get called at certain points during the lifetime of the vlock-main process. literally the way that works is so iconic 🦋

👑 DEFAULT PLUGINS 👑

These ones come through when you install vlock with default options — no extra effort required, they just show up 🫶

  • all — this plugin locks all sessions by disabling console switching. it also gets loaded when you give the -a,--all option to vlock(1). periodt 💅
  • new — this plugin switches to a new virtual console before disabling console switching through the "all" plugin. it also gets loaded when you give the -n,--new option to vlock(1). it's giving fresh start energy 🌸
  • nosysrq — Linux only bestie, don't @ me. this plugin disables the Linux SysRQ mechanism before the console switching is locked by the "all" plugin. it also gets loaded when you give the -s,--disable-sysrq option to vlock(1). okay so it's the responsible older sibling of the plugin family 🙈

🌈 ADDITIONAL PLUGINS 🌈

these ones are NOT just hanging around — they're only available if you explicitly select them at build time. so like, you gotta ask nicely 🔥

  • caca — this plugin runs a random libcaca screensaver when the screen is locked. random! screensaver! when! locked! iconic behaviour honestly 😭🎀

🦋 WRITING PLUGINS 🦋

want to make your own?? obsessed. for information about writing plugins, see the PLUGINS file in the vlock source distribution. go be the main character of your own plugin, i believe in you 💖

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Frank Benkstein <frank-vlock@benkstein.net> — thank you king 👑

okay and that's the whole page bestie!! this one's from the Linux manual, dated 10 November 2007, and the whole thing lives under the VLOCK-PLUGINS(5) name — so next time someone's like "what even is a vlock plugin", you just send them this and walk away looking unbothered 💅✨ mwah, ily, go lock something responsibly 🫶🎀

📦 where this page comes from