UI Modes

Raffi supports two distinct user interface modes, each designed for different use cases and preferences.

Overview

Raffi can operate in two modes:

Fuzzel Mode

External launcher integration with Wayland environments

Native Mode

Built-in graphical interface with advanced features

Fuzzel Mode

Fuzzel mode uses the external Fuzzel launcher and integrates naturally with Wayland environments.

Features

Lightweight and fast
Seamless Wayland integration
Uses system Fuzzel configuration
Minimal resource usage

Configuration

Fuzzel appearance is configured through ~/.config/fuzzel/fuzzel.ini:

dpi-aware=yes
font=RobotoMonoNerdFont-Thin:size=16
terminal=kitty
width=50
layer=overlay
exit-on-keyboard-focus-loss=no
inner-pad=15
fields=filename,name

[colors]
background=282a36ff
text=f8f8f2ff
match=8be9fdff
selection-match=8be9fdff
selection=44475add
selection-text=f8f8f2ff
border=bd93f9ff

Refer to the Fuzzel manual for full configuration details.

raffi -u fuzzel

general:
  ui_type: fuzzel

Building Fuzzel-Only Binary

For a significantly smaller binary (1.1 MB vs 15 MB), you can build without the native UI:

cargo build --release --no-default-features

This removes the iced GUI dependency while maintaining full Fuzzel functionality.

Native Mode

Native mode uses an internal iced-based graphical interface with fuzzy search, keyboard navigation, and theme support.

Features

Built-in Calculator

Evaluate mathematical expressions as you type

Currency Converter

Convert between currencies with live exchange rates

File Browser

Navigate filesystem with keyboard shortcuts

Script Filters

Dynamic results from external commands

Web Search

Quick searches with URL templates

Text Snippets

Reusable text values with multiple sources

Theme Support

Dark and light themes with color customization

Fuzzy Search

Fast filtering across all entries

Usage

raffi -u native

raffi -u native -i "firefox"

raffi -u native -t light

general:
  ui_type: native
  theme: dark
  font_size: 20
  font_family: "Inter"
  window_width: 900
  window_height: 500

Window Manager Integration

Sway
Hyprland

set $menu raffi -p
set $super Mod4
bindsym $super+Space exec $menu | xargs swaymsg exec --

$super = SUPER
bind = $super, R, exec, (val=$(raffi -pI); echo $val | grep -q . && hyprctl dispatch exec "$val")

Comparison

Feature	Fuzzel Mode	Native Mode
Size	1.1 MB (no-default-features)	15 MB
Dependencies	Requires Fuzzel	Self-contained
Calculator	❌	✅
Currency Converter	❌	✅
File Browser	❌	✅
Script Filters	❌	✅
Web Search	❌	✅
Text Snippets	❌	✅
Theme Support	System Fuzzel config	Built-in dark/light
Configuration	`fuzzel.ini`	`raffi.yaml`

Automatic Selection

If no UI type is specified, Raffi automatically chooses:

Fuzzel mode if fuzzel binary is found in PATH
Native mode as fallback (if built with wayland feature)