Setting window properties when executing programs in Lua

[PlasmaMiasma]

In autostart, binds, and with hyprctl, I want to see native functionality of running a program as float/tile or pin on a specified workspace regardless of existing window rules.

This worked in hyprlang (with what I consider a workaround) by creating a temporary window rule, such as in a script:

#!/bin/bash
windowrule="match:class $1, float off"
program=("${@:2}")

hyprctl keyword windowrule $windowrule
hyprctl dispatch -- exec $program
hyprctl keyword remove windowrule $windowrule

Currently in Lua, an adaptation of the above script, which also requires specifying the workspace, doesn't work in autostart, and, depending in the approach, works unexpectedly after hyprland starts. Because a window rule can't be removed, only disabled, I would expect that creating a window rule with the same name as an existing window rule would replace the existing rule but it doesn't, but there's a janky workaround:

#!/bin/bash
to_workspace="$1"
class="$2"
program=("${@:3}")

workspace=$(hyprctl -j activeworkspace | jq -r '.id')
if [ "$this_workspace" != "$to_workspace" ]; then
   workspace="$to_workspace"
fi

# correct approach:
# * fails in autostart
# * fails manually despite returning "ok"
#hyprctl eval "local tmp = hl.window_rule({ name = \"tmp_exec\", match = { class = \"${class}\" }, float = false, workspace = \"${workspace}\" }); hl.dispatch(hl.dsp.exec_cmd(\"${program}\")); tmp:set_enabled(false)"

# janky approach:
# * fails in autostart
# * works manually despite the expected error:
#   error: [string "local tmp = hl.window_rule({ name = "tmp_exec..."]:1: attempt to index a nil value (global 'tmp_exec')
hyprctl eval "local tmp = hl.window_rule({ name = \"tmp_exec\", match = { class = \"${class}\" }, float = false, workspace = \"${workspace}\" }); hl.dispatch(hl.dsp.exec_cmd(\"${program}\")); tmp_exec:set_enabled(false)"

A script seems to be necessary because what the wiki indicates doesn't work:

• Doesn't run but returns "ok":

hyprctl eval 'hl.dsp.exec_cmd("ghostty", { workspace = "2", float = false })'

• Runs but doesn't set properties:

hyprctl eval 'hl.dsp.dispatch(hl.exec_cmd("ghostty", { workspace = "2 silent", float = false }))'

[Dregu]

This has existed for years https://wiki.hypr.land/Configuring/Basics/Dispatchers/#executing-with-rules