Since bspwm doesn’t handle any keyboard input we need to use a third party program such as, sxhkd or polybar to switch between keyboard layouts.

1. Create a script

First we need to create a script to switch between languages. Here is an example for a bash script that switch between English and Arabic:

#!/bin/bash
# Switching between keyboard layouts
CURRENT_LAYOUT=$(setxkbmap -query | awk 'NR==3{print $2}')

if [ "$CURRENT_LAYOUT" = "us" ]; then
  # To switch to arabic
    setxkbmap "ara"
else
    setxkbmap "us"
fi

Then, make the script executable using chmod +x command.

2. Add new sxhkd keybinding

In the sxhkdrc file, add new keybinding:

# Switch keyboard language
alt + space
	[the script].sh

3. Add Polybar module

Add the below module to the plybar config file:

#############################
[module/toggle_kb]
type = custom/script
exec = echo 'Toggle KB |'
click-left = [the script].sh
#############################

Now, whenever you click the module in the bar, it will switch between the languages predefined in the script.