Global Functions

gui_enabled()

Checks if we’re running inside a GUI (i.e. Wireshark) or not.

Returns

Boolean true if a GUI is available, false if it isn’t.

register_menu(name, action, [group])

Register a menu item in one of the main menus. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

name

The name of the menu item. Use slashes to separate submenus. (e.g. Lua Scripts → My Fancy Statistics). (string)

action

The function to be called when the menu item is invoked. The function must take no arguments and return nothing.

group (optional)

Where to place the item in the menu hierarchy. If omitted, defaults to MENU_STAT_GENERIC. One of:

• MENU_STAT_UNSORTED: Statistics
• MENU_STAT_GENERIC: Statistics, first section
• MENU_STAT_CONVERSATION: Statistics → Conversation List
• MENU_STAT_ENDPOINT: Statistics → Endpoint List
• MENU_STAT_RESPONSE: Statistics → Service Response Time
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY: Telephony
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY_ANSI: Telephony → ANSI
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY_GSM: Telephony → GSM
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY_LTE: Telephony → LTE
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY_MTP3: Telephony → MTP3
• MENU_STAT_TELEPHONY_SCTP: Telephony → SCTP
• MENU_ANALYZE: Analyze
• MENU_ANALYZE_CONVERSATION: Analyze → Conversation Filter
• MENU_TOOLS_UNSORTED: Tools

  new_dialog(title, action, …?)

  Displays a dialog, prompting for input. The dialog includes an OK button and Cancel button. Requires a GUI.

Example

    if not gui_enabled() then return end

    -- Prompt for IP and port and then print them to stdout
    local label_ip = "IP address"
    local label_port = "Port"
    local function print_ip(ip, port)
            print(label_ip, ip)
            print(label_port, port)
    end
    new_dialog("Enter IP address", print_ip, label_ip, label_port)

    -- Prompt for 4 numbers and then print their product to stdout
    new_dialog(
            "Enter 4 numbers",
            function (a, b, c, d) print(a * b * c * d) end,
            "a", "b", "c", "d"
            )

Arguments

title
The title of the dialog.
action
Action to be performed when the user presses OK.

Errors

• GUI not available
• At least one field required
• All fields must be strings

retap_packets()

Rescans all packets and runs each tap listener without reconstructing the display.

copy_to_clipboard(text)

Copy a string into the clipboard. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

text

The string to be copied into the clipboard.

open_capture_file(filename, filter)

Open and display a capture file. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

filename

The name of the file to be opened.

filter

The display filter to be applied once the file is opened.

get_filter()

Get the main filter text.

set_filter(text)

Set the main filter text.

Arguments

text

The filter’s text.

get_color_filter_slot(row)

Gets the current packet coloring rule (by index) for the current session. Wireshark reserves 10 slots for these coloring rules. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

row

The index (1-10) of the desired color filter value in the temporary coloring rules list.

set_color_filter_slot(row, text)

Sets a packet coloring rule (by index) for the current session. Wireshark reserves 10 slots for these coloring rules. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

row

The index (1-10) of the desired color in the temporary coloring rules list. The default foreground is black and the default backgrounds are listed below.

Table 11.2. Default background colors

The color list can be set from the command line using two unofficial preferences: gui.colorized_frame.bg and gui.colorized_frame.fg, which require 10 hex RGB codes (6 hex digits each), e.g.

wireshark -o gui.colorized_frame.bg:${RGB0},${RGB1},${RGB2},${RGB3},${RGB4},${RGB5},${RGB6},${RGB7},${RGB8},${RGB9}

For example, this command yields the same results as the table above (and with all foregrounds set to black):

wireshark -o gui.colorized_frame.bg:ffc0c0,ffc0ff,e0c0e0,c0c0ff,c0e0e0,c0ffff,c0ffc0,ffffc0,e0e0c0,e0e0e0 -o gui.colorized_frame.fg:000000,000000,000000,000000,000000,000000,000000,000000

text

The display filter for selecting packets to be colorized .

apply_filter()

Apply the filter in the main filter box. Requires a GUI.

reload()

Reload the current capture file. Deprecated. Use reload_packets() instead.

reload_packets()

Reload the current capture file. Requires a GUI.

reload_lua_plugins()

Reload all Lua plugins.

browser_open_url(url)

Opens an URL in a web browser. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

url

The url.

browser_open_data_file(filename)

Open a file located in the data directory (specified in the Wireshark preferences) in the web browser. If the file does not exist, the function silently ignores the request. Requires a GUI.

Arguments

filename

The file name.