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Frequently asked question

How do I use pystray in a virtualenv on Linux?

On Linux, runtime introspection data is required to use the AppIndicator backend, and the GTK backend may not be fully functional without installing desktop environment extensions. The XOrg backend will work, but it provides limited functionality.

In order to use the AppIndicator backend, you may install the package PyGObject. No wheel is provided, so the package must be built locally. On Debian derivatives, such as Ubuntu, the following packages, in addition to compilers and pkg-config, must be installed:

  • libcairo-dev
  • libgirepository1.0-dev

I am trying to integrate with a framework, but run_detached does not work

The run_detached method is used to allow a different framework to drive the main loop. This requires that the framework uses the same kind of mainloop.

On Windows and macOS, this will be the case if you use the platform GUI toolkits. On Linux, the situation is a bit more complicated. Generally, the xorg backend will work with any toolkit, as long as you run it in an X session and not under Wayland. The GTK and AppIndicator backends will work if your toolkit is based on GObject.

However, run_detached is strictly necessary only on macOS. For other platforms, it is possible to just launch the icon mainloop in a thread:

import pystray
import threading
import some_toolkit

# Create the icon
icon = pystray.Icon(
    'test name',
    icon=create_icon())

# Run the icon mainloop in a separate thread
threading.Thread(target=icon.run).start()

# Run the toolkit mainlon in the main thread
some_toolkit.mainloop()