# Message

You can think of xplr as a server. Just like web servers listen to HTTP requests, xplr listens to messages.

A message is a sum type that can have these possible values.

You can send these messages to an xplr session in the following ways:

- Via command-line (currently during start-up only, using `--on-load`)
- Via key bindings
- Via Lua function calls
- Via shell command using the input pipe
- Via socket (coming soon)

### Format

To send messages using the key bindings or Lua function calls, messages are represented in Lua syntax.

For example:

- `"Quit"`
- `{ FocusPath = "/path/to/file" }`
- `{ Call = { command = "bash", args = { "-c", "read -p test" } } }`

However, to send messages using the input pipe, they need to be represented using YAML (or JSON) syntax.

For example:

- `Quit`
- `FocusPath: "/path/to/file"`
- `Call: { command: bash, args: ["-c", "read -p test"] }`

Use `"$XPLR" -m TEMPLATE [VALUE]...` command-line option to safely format `TEMPLATE` into a valid message. If uses jf to parse and render the template. And `$XPLR` (rather than `xplr`) makes sure that the correct version of the binary is being used.

For example:

- `"$XPLR" -m Quit`
- `"$XPLR" -m 'FocusPath: %q' "/path/to/file"`
- `"$XPLR" -m 'Call: { command: %q, args: [%*q] }' bash -c "read -p test"`

## Also See:

- Full List of Messages