guides

VLC Finesse

Auto enable VLC extensions in the View menu.

Install xdotool

sudo apt install xdotool

Locate the VLC binary:

which vlc

This will give you the path to the VLC binary, typically something like /usr/bin/vlc.

Rename the original VLC binary:

sudo mv /usr/bin/vlc /usr/bin/vlc-original

Create a wrapper script to replace the VLC binary:

sudo nano /usr/bin/vlc

Add the following lines to the script:

#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/vlc-original "$@" &
sleep 2  # Adjust the sleep duration if VLC takes longer to start
xdotool key Alt+i
xdotool key Up
# Add another `xdotool key Up` depending on the extension's position in the View menu
xdotool key Return 

Save the script and make it executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/vlc