Lua configs

The vw executable runs a Lua file as a build function and reloads it when you save. It is deprecated in favour of the C++ API, but still maintained.

-- init.lua
local base = require("vw.base")
local surface = require("vw.surface")
local datetime = require("vw.datetime")

base.rectangle({ width = 160, height = 48, radius = 24, color = { 0.15, 0.23, 0.3, 1 } })
base.text({ text = datetime.format("%H:%M"), font = "sans", size = 18,
            color = { 0.82, 0.9, 1, 1 }, x = 54, y = 13 })
surface.set({ anchor = "top", margin = { 10, 0, 0, 0 } })

vw -c init.lua            # run it
vw --check -c init.lua    # build once and report errors, no Wayland needed

How it runs

The whole file is the build function: it runs again on input, on events and every refresh_interval. Saving the file — or any .lua/.js file next to it — reloads it; SIGHUP forces a reload. An error keeps the last good scene on screen and prints where it happened.

Widgets mirror the C++ props with snake_case keys; colours are { r, g, b, a } in 0–1, and x/y sit directly in the table instead of under place. State that must survive rebuilds belongs in module-level variables or vw.animation.

Hot-reload friendly state

Module tables are re-created on reload, so keep long-lived state in globals you guard (state = state or {}), or in vw itself: text fields, scroll offsets and tweens are keyed by id and survive reloads.