Script to register a dummy panel so that multimedia keys work properly when using weirdo WMs

fake-panel.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3

# Michael J. Sullivan (http://www.msully.net/)

# Stupid little script to make gnome/unity media keys work when running
# weirdo window managers like xmonad and notion.
# Directions:
# With unity-settings-daemon running, run this script in the background.

# Tested on Ubuntu 15.04 using notion.

# unity-settings-daemon manages the keys (I think?), but only does it these
# days if there is a registered "Panel", which is, of course, done with
# a dbus call. So just do that, I guess.

# python dbus stuff cribbed from http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21793826/simple-but-specific-listener-and-sender-python-3-dbus-example
# The dance necessary to make this work was figured out from
# http://gnome-panel.sourcearchive.com/documentation/3.0.2-1/panel-shell_8c_source.html

import sys, signal
import dbus

def main(args):
    try:
        bus = dbus.SessionBus()
        # Register ourselves as an org.gnome.Panel
        proxy = bus.get_object("org.freedesktop.DBus", "/org/freedesktop/DBus")
        iface = dbus.Interface(proxy, "org.freedesktop.DBus")
        res = iface.RequestName("org.gnome.Panel", 1)

        # 1 and 4 mean we succeeded
        if res == 1 or res == 4:
            pass
        # 2 and 3 means there is already a panel running
        elif res == 2 or res == 3:
            sys.stderr.write("fake-panel: there is already a panel")
            return 1
        # Anything else is ??
        else:
            sys.stderr.write("fake-panel: unexpected reply: %s\n" % res)
            return 1

    except dbus.DBusException as e:
        sys.stderr.write("fake-panel: got dbus error: %s\n" % e)
        return 1

    # Now just keep on idling forever so we hang onto the name.
    while True:
        signal.pause()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(main(sys.argv))