Read busctl as JSON so device names keep their characters

A phone named "Gib's iPhone" with a typographic apostrophe was shown as
"Gib\342\200\231s iPhone".

busctl's default text output escapes every non-ASCII byte in octal, and
escapes it into the output rather than into a quoted string a
shell-style parser can undo, so shlex handed back the escape sequences
as literal characters and they went straight to the page. Apostrophes
were only the visible case: accents, emoji, quotes and backslashes were
all affected, and a name containing a quote could have split a field.

Property and method reads now use --json=short, which returns real
UTF-8, and the parsers read a document rather than splitting words.
That removes the class rather than unescaping octal by hand.

The fixtures were the reason this stayed invisible: every test fed the
text form and passed against output the helper is no longer asking for.
They now carry what busctl actually emits in the mode used, plus a case
for a non-ASCII name and one asserting the old text form is refused
rather than parsed wrongly.

Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01BRvzt4H8XXLPVH5MyYdk9L

config/dot/quickshell/scripts/panama-kdeconnect

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import json
 import pathlib
 import re
-import shlex
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from collections.abc import Callable
@@ -88,33 +87,44 @@ def normalize_device_line(
     }
 
 
+# busctl properties are read with --json=short, not in its default text form.
+#
+# The text form escapes every non-ASCII byte in octal, and it escapes them into
+# the OUTPUT rather than into a quoted string a shell-style parser can undo -- so
+# a phone named "Gib's iPhone" with a typographic apostrophe arrived as the
+# literal characters "Gib\342\200\231s iPhone" and was displayed that way.
+# That is not specific to apostrophes: any name with an accent, an emoji, a
+# quote, or a backslash was affected the same way.
+#
+# The JSON form returns real UTF-8 and needs no unescaping, which is why these
+# parse a document rather than splitting words.
+def parse_property(output: str, expected: str) -> object | None:
+    """The value of a busctl --json=short property read, or None if it is not
+    the type asked for."""
+    try:
+        payload = json.loads(output)
+    except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
+        return None
+    if not isinstance(payload, dict) or payload.get("type") != expected:
+        return None
+    return payload.get("data")
+
+
 def parse_loaded_plugins(output: str) -> list[str]:
-    try:
+    data = parse_property(output, "as")
-        parts = shlex.split(output)
+    if not isinstance(data, list):
-    except ValueError:
         return []
-    if len(parts) < 2 or parts[0] != "as":
+    return [str(item) for item in data]
-        return []
-    try:
-        count = int(parts[1])
-    except ValueError:
-        return []
-    return parts[2 : 2 + max(0, count)]
 
 
 def parse_string_property(output: str) -> str:
-    try:
+    data = parse_property(output, "s")
-        parts = shlex.split(output)
+    return data if isinstance(data, str) else ""
-    except ValueError:
-        return ""
-    return parts[1] if len(parts) == 2 and parts[0] == "s" else ""
 
 
 def parse_bool_property(output: str) -> bool | None:
-    parts = output.split()
+    data = parse_property(output, "b")
-    if len(parts) != 2 or parts[0] != "b" or parts[1] not in {"true", "false"}:
+    return data if isinstance(data, bool) else None
-        return None
-    return parts[1] == "true"
 
 
 def run_command(
@@ -141,6 +151,7 @@ def loaded_plugins(device_id: str, runner: Runner = subprocess.run) -> list[str]
         [
             "busctl",
             "--user",
+            "--json=short",
             "call",
             "org.kde.kdeconnect",
             device_object(device_id),
@@ -157,6 +168,7 @@ def supported_plugins(device_id: str, runner: Runner = subprocess.run) -> list[s
         [
             "busctl",
             "--user",
+            "--json=short",
             "get-property",
             "org.kde.kdeconnect",
             device_object(device_id),
@@ -178,6 +190,7 @@ def reported_type(device_id: str, runner: Runner = subprocess.run) -> str:
         [
             "busctl",
             "--user",
+            "--json=short",
             "get-property",
             "org.kde.kdeconnect",
             device_object(device_id),
@@ -198,6 +211,7 @@ def device_property(
         [
             "busctl",
             "--user",
+            "--json=short",
             "get-property",
             "org.kde.kdeconnect",
             device_object(device_id),

tests/quickshell/kdeconnect_bridge_test.py

@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_busctl_plugin_output_is_normalized(self) -> None:
         output = (
-            'as 5 "kdeconnect_ping" "kdeconnect_share" '
+            '{"type":"as","data":["kdeconnect_ping","kdeconnect_share",'
-            '"kdeconnect_clipboard" "kdeconnect_findmyphone" "unrelated"\n'
+            '"kdeconnect_clipboard","kdeconnect_findmyphone","unrelated"]}\n'
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(
@@ -104,16 +104,42 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             ],
         )
 
+    def test_device_name_keeps_its_typographic_characters(self) -> None:
+        """A phone named "Gib's iPhone" is displayed that way.
+
+        busctl's default TEXT output escapes every non-ASCII byte in octal, and
+        escapes it into the output rather than into a quoted string a
+        shell-style parser can undo -- so the name arrived as the literal
+        characters "Gib\\342\\200\\231s iPhone" and was shown on the Home &
+        Phone page exactly like that. Apostrophes were only the visible case;
+        accents, emoji, quotes and backslashes were all affected.
+        """
+        output = '{"type":"s","data":"Gib\u2019s iPhone"}\n'
+
+        self.assertEqual(bridge.parse_string_property(output), "Gib\u2019s iPhone")
+
+    def test_octal_escaped_name_is_not_accepted_as_a_value(self) -> None:
+        """The old text form must not parse at all, rather than parse wrongly.
+
+        Reading it as a value is what produced the mangled name; refusing it
+        means a future change back to text output fails loudly instead of
+        displaying escape sequences to someone.
+        """
+        self.assertEqual(bridge.parse_string_property('s "Gib\\342\\200\\231s iPhone"\n'), "")
+        self.assertEqual(bridge.parse_bool_property("b true\n"), None)
+        self.assertEqual(bridge.parse_loaded_plugins('as 1 "kdeconnect_ping"\n'), [])
+
     def test_offline_device_falls_back_to_supported_plugins(self) -> None:
         def runner(command: list[str], **_kwargs: object) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
             member = command[-1]
             if member == "loadedPlugins":
-                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, "as 0\n", "")
+                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, '{"type":"as","data":[]}\n', "")
             if member == "supportedPlugins":
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(
                     command,
                     0,
-                    'as 3 "kdeconnect_share" "kdeconnect_clipboard" "kdeconnect_findmyphone"\n',
+                    '{"type":"as","data":["kdeconnect_share",'
+                    '"kdeconnect_clipboard","kdeconnect_findmyphone"]}\n',
                     "",
                 )
             raise AssertionError(command)
@@ -139,17 +165,17 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, "0 devices found\n", "")
             if command == ["busctl", "--user", "tree", "org.kde.kdeconnect"]:
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, f"└─ {device_path}\n", "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "call"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "call"]:
-                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, "as 0\n", "")
+                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, '{"type":"as","data":[]}\n', "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "get-property"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "get-property"]:
                 values = {
-                    "name": 's "Fixture iPhone"\n',
+                    "name": '{"type":"s","data":"Fixture iPhone"}\n',
-                    "type": 's "phone"\n',
+                    "type": '{"type":"s","data":"phone"}\n',
-                    "isPaired": "b true\n",
+                    "isPaired": '{"type":"b","data":true}\n',
-                    "isReachable": "b false\n",
+                    "isReachable": '{"type":"b","data":false}\n',
                     "supportedPlugins": (
-                        'as 3 "kdeconnect_share" "kdeconnect_clipboard" '
+                        '{"type":"as","data":["kdeconnect_share",'
-                        '"kdeconnect_findmyphone"\n'
+                        '"kdeconnect_clipboard","kdeconnect_findmyphone"]}\n'
                     ),
                 }
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, values[command[-1]], "")
@@ -180,14 +206,14 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             if command == ["busctl", "--user", "tree", "org.kde.kdeconnect"]:
                 path = f"/modules/kdeconnect/devices/{device_id}"
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, f"└─ {path}\n", "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "call"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "call"]:
-                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, "as 0\n", "")
+                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, '{"type":"as","data":[]}\n', "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "get-property"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "get-property"]:
                 values = {
-                    "name": 's "Fixture iPhone"\n',
+                    "name": '{"type":"s","data":"Fixture iPhone"}\n',
-                    "type": 's "phone"\n',
+                    "type": '{"type":"s","data":"phone"}\n',
-                    "isPaired": "b true\n",
+                    "isPaired": '{"type":"b","data":true}\n',
-                    "isReachable": "b false\n",
+                    "isReachable": '{"type":"b","data":false}\n',
                 }
                 if command[-1] == "supportedPlugins":
                     raise subprocess.TimeoutExpired(command, 8)
@@ -217,12 +243,12 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             if command == ["busctl", "--user", "tree", "org.kde.kdeconnect"]:
                 path = f"/modules/kdeconnect/devices/{device_id}"
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, f"└─ {path}\n", "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "get-property"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "get-property"]:
                 values = {
-                    "name": 's "Nearby Stranger"\n',
+                    "name": '{"type":"s","data":"Nearby Stranger"}\n',
-                    "type": 's "phone"\n',
+                    "type": '{"type":"s","data":"phone"}\n',
-                    "isPaired": "b false\n",
+                    "isPaired": '{"type":"b","data":false}\n',
-                    "isReachable": "b true\n",
+                    "isReachable": '{"type":"b","data":true}\n',
                 }
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, values[command[-1]], "")
             raise AssertionError(command)
@@ -240,16 +266,16 @@ class KdeConnectBridgeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             if command == ["busctl", "--user", "tree", "org.kde.kdeconnect"]:
                 path = f"/modules/kdeconnect/devices/{dbus_id}"
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, f"└─ {path}\n", "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "call"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "call"]:
-                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, "as 0\n", "")
+                return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, '{"type":"as","data":[]}\n', "")
-            if command[:3] == ["busctl", "--user", "get-property"]:
+            if command[:4] == ["busctl", "--user", "--json=short", "get-property"]:
                 is_dbus_device = dbus_id in command[4]
                 values = {
-                    "name": 's "Fixture iPhone"\n',
+                    "name": '{"type":"s","data":"Fixture iPhone"}\n',
-                    "type": 's "phone"\n' if is_dbus_device else 's "desktop"\n',
+                    "type": '{"type":"s","data":"phone"}\n' if is_dbus_device else '{"type":"s","data":"desktop"}\n',
-                    "isPaired": "b true\n",
+                    "isPaired": '{"type":"b","data":true}\n',
-                    "isReachable": "b false\n",
+                    "isReachable": '{"type":"b","data":false}\n',
-                    "supportedPlugins": "as 0\n",
+                    "supportedPlugins": '{"type":"as","data":[]}\n',
                 }
                 return subprocess.CompletedProcess(command, 0, values[command[-1]], "")
             raise AssertionError(command)