WebNowPlaying-BrowserExtension VS spicetify-cli

I am super confused about how to use and install the webnowplaying extension. I have installed and configured rainmeter, I looked around for answers and read the readme files for both the plugin(https://github.com/tjhrulz/WebNowPlaying) and the extension(https://github.com/tjhrulz/WebNowPlaying-BrowserExtension) but I still cant understand what exactly i am supposed to do. Mainly, im wondering if I need the js file in the extensions folder for spicetify and how people are using webnowplaying by only downloading the extension. sorry if i sound erratic, its because i have been doing this for the past 6 hours and it is 3am

The webnowplaying plugin is a 3rd party plugin and what you need if you want to use an online source for music, including the online version of spotify. It requires that you have the plugin installed, have a browser extension added to your browser, and a skin that's coded to use it. Using this method offers much more functionality than the pervious one (and works with the app when you use it in conjunction with spicetify's webnowplaying extension; more below), but because it's 3rd party, when it does sometimes break, there is no guarantee if or when it will be fixed. For example, earlier this year, spotify updated its site and broke the browser extension which effective makes this method unusable with spotify unless you use spicetify as well. But, since the update was apparently released to different places at different times, there's nothing the creator can do until they get it. And, since there hasn't been any updates on the issue in months from what I've seen, for the foreseeable future, this method is only available for online sites other than spotify.

Anyways, even though I don't quite understand what exactly you're getting at, the issue might be related to a recent change to the spotify website that broke the webnowplaying plugin - which is what spicetify uses to work with rainmeter.

Webnowplaying plugin: While not technically an official part of rainmeter, it's so ubiquitous it might as well be. This plugin allows support for the online version of spotify, along with other online sites. It also provides more functionality, but for it to work you need to install a browser extension as well. Note: this only works with the online version of spotify, not the app. Unfortunately though, the spotify site has been updated recently and somewhat broken things. So, while this is a great option, it's might be best to wait if the online route is the one you want to take.

For that, you would need to update the skin to use the webnowplaying plugin and install the appropriate browser extension. Note: that means the skin will work with the online version, but not the app.

You don't really need spicetify, but you do need the webnowplaying browser extension.

A skin using webnowplaying and a browser extension, which works with the online version of spotify.

b) a skin using the webnowplaying plugin (set it to webnowplaying), the appropriate browser extension, and the online version of spotify

You don't need spicetify at all for it to work, the skin comes with what you need save the browser extension. Also, if you're trying to use the latest version of spicetify, than that's likely what's causing the issue there as I don't think it's been updated for the newest version of spotify yet.

With spotify specifically, you need to know that using spotify the app and spotify the online service are different things to rainmeter. For the app, a skin needs to use the now playing measure, of which spotify is one of the partially supported players you can use. For the online service, a skin needs to use the webnowplaying plugin and you need to install a browser extension. On top of all that, you may also need to install spicetify-cli (for help with that, please visit their community); however, it appears the latest spotify update has broken things in regards to it.

Spotify - Spicetify_cli

 ~ λ paru [sudo] password for ken: :: Synchronizing package databases... core is up to date extra is up to date community is up to date multilib is up to date error: failed retrieving file 'core.db' from mirrors.rit.edu : Resolving timed out after 10000 milliseconds error: failed retrieving file 'extra.db' from mirrors.rit.edu : Could not resolve host: mirrors.rit.edu warning: too many errors from mirrors.rit.edu, skipping for the remainder of this transaction error: failed retrieving file 'community.db' from mirrors.rit.edu : Could not resolve host: mirrors.rit.edu error: failed retrieving file 'multilib.db' from mirrors.rit.edu : Could not resolve host: mirrors.rit.edu error: failed retrieving file 'core.db' from mirrors.rit.edu : Failed to connect to mirrors.rit.edu port 443 after 8720 ms: Connection timed out :: Starting full system upgrade... there is nothing to do :: Looking for AUR upgrades :: Looking for devel upgrades error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/tryone144/picom.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomoxify.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/phillbush/pmenu.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/themix-plugin-base16.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/GreenRaccoon23/archdroid-icon-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/simmel/urxvt-resize-font.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/gnome-colors-icon-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/wbthomason/packer.nvim error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/PapirusDevelopmentTeam/papirus-icon-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/khanhas/spicetify-cli.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/gusbemacbe/suru-plus.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/BetterDiscord/BetterDiscord.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/elkowar/eww error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/gusbemacbe/suru-plus-aspromauros.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/numixproject/numix-folders.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/numixproject/numix-icon-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/nana-4/materia-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox-gtk-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/mpereira/tty-solitaire error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/will8211/unimatrix.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://gitlab.com/jallbrit/bonsai.sh.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/archdroid-icon-theme.git error: timed out looking for devel update: https://github.com/themix-project/oomox.git error: timed out looking for devel update: git://github.com/schischi/xcwd :: Resolving dependencies... :: Calculating conflicts... :: Calculating inner conflicts... :: packages not in the AUR: electron15 kalarmcal python-magic-ahupp python2-appdirs python2-ordered-set python2-packaging python2-pyparsing python2-six steam-fonts :: marked out of date: dnstop python-gaphor python-swspotify :: orphans: electron14 gkill-bin ruby-hpricot ugene-bin Aur (12) 3dslicer-bin-5.0.3-2 czkawka-gui-bin-5.0.1-1 ignition-transport-8-8.2.0-2 gazebo-11.11.0-2 lazydocker-0.18.1-1 nvim-packer-git-r522.90b323b-1 paru-1.11.1-1 python-mpv-1.0.1-1 tuner-1.5.1-2 ventoy-bin-1.0.79-3 zoom-5.11.9-1 zotero-6.0.13-1

# Copyright 2020-2022 Gentoo Authors # Distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2 EAPI=8 inherit go-module EGO_SUM=( "github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0" "github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0/go.mod" "github.com/go-ini/ini v1.66.4" "github.com/go-ini/ini v1.66.4/go.mod" "github.com/mattn/go-colorable v0.1.12" "github.com/mattn/go-colorable v0.1.12/go.mod" "github.com/mattn/go-isatty v0.0.14" "github.com/mattn/go-isatty v0.0.14/go.mod" "github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0" "github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod" "github.com/stretchr/objx v0.1.0/go.mod" "github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.1" "github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.1/go.mod" "golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220325170049-de3da57026de" "golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220325170049-de3da57026de/go.mod" "golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210630005230-0f9fa26af87c/go.mod" "golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210927094055-39ccf1dd6fa6/go.mod" "golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220319134239-a9b59b0215f8" "golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220319134239-a9b59b0215f8/go.mod" "gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod" "gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c" "gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c/go.mod" ) go-module_set_globals DESCRIPTION="Commandline tool to customize Spotify client." HOMEPAGE="https://github.com/khanhas/spicetify-cli" SRC_URI=" https://github.com/khanhas/spicetify-cli/archive/v${PV}.tar.gz -> ${P}.tar.gz ${EGO_SUM_SRC_URI} " LICENSE="Apache-2.0 BSD GPL-3 MIT" SLOT="0" KEYWORDS="~amd64" INSTALLDIR="/opt/${PN}" RDEPEND="media-sound/spotify" PATCHES=( "${FILESDIR}/add_gentoo_install_dir.patch" ) src_compile() { go build || die } src_install() { insinto "${INSTALLDIR}" doins -r {CustomApps,Extensions,Themes,jsHelper,spicetify-cli} dobin "${FILESDIR}/spicetify" fperms +x "${INSTALLDIR}/spicetify-cli" } pkg_postinst() { elog "Spicetify requires a Spotify install that it can modify. Version 1.1.72 and 1.1.73" elog "are supported by this version of spicetify. To be able to modify system installed " elog "Spotify like media-sound/spotify then you have to allow spicetify to read and write" elog "to its install location like shown below." elog "# chmod a+wr /opt/spotify/spotify-client" elog "# chmod a+wr /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Apps -R" elog "" elog "Otherwise you can install spotify to a user modifiable location like as a flatpak:" elog "https://github.com/khanhas/spicetify-cli/wiki/Installation#spotify-installed-from-flatpak" }

Spicetify-cli is another 3rd party option and is basically a mix of the two things above made solely for spotify. While also doing other things, it allows you to have the full functionality of the webnowplaying plugin discussed above with the spotify app - aka spotify becomes a fully supported player unlike how it is with just the nowplaying measure. This method requires spicetify and its own webnowplaying extension be installed and a skin that's coded to use the webnowplaying plugin. But, just like that plugin, this method comes with its own hassles, like the install and upkeep being a bit too complex for some users and, again, there's no guarantee on if/when it will be fixed if it breaks (which seems to happen every time spotify releases an app update). Spicetify, though many people will say otherwise because they don't understand all the details, is also not needed unless you specifically want more than what the nowplaying measure provides (aka: if you just want the titles and play/pause/etc, than you don't need spicetify). Lastly, for more on spicetify, please visit their community.

> 3. [Spicetify-cli](https://github.com/khanhas/spicetify-cli) is another 3rd party option and is basically a mix of the two things above made solely for spotify. While also doing other things, it allows you to have the full functionality of the webnowplaying plugin discussed above with the spotify app - aka spotify becomes a fully supported player unlike how it is with just the nowplaying measure. This method requires spicetify and its own webnowplaying extension be installed and a skin that's coded to use the webnowplaying plugin. But, just like that plugin, this method comes with its own hassles, like the install and upkeep being a bit too complex for some users and, again, there's no guarantee on if/when it will be fixed if it breaks (which seems to happen every time spotify releases an app update). Spicetify, though many people will say otherwise because they don't understand all the details, is also not needed unless you specifically want more than what the nowplaying measure provides (aka: if you just want the titles and play/pause/etc, than you don't need spicetify).