finally actually fixed the blocks dissappearing problem completely

config.h

@@ -10,7 +10,16 @@ static const Block blocks[] = {
 	/* {"",	"volume",	0,	10}, */
     /* {"",	"internet",	5,	4}, */
     {"",    "stalonetray.sh", 0, 27},
+    /* {"?",   "sleep 2s && date", 1, 8}, */
     {"",	"cpupercent.sh",	1,	19},
 	{"",	"battery",	5,	3},
 	{"",	"clock",	1,	1},
 };
+
+//Sets delimiter between status commands. NULL character ('\0') means no delimiter.
+static char *delim = "|";
+
+// Have dwmblocks automatically recompile and run when you edit this file in
+// vim with the following line in your vimrc/init.vim:
+
+// autocmd BufWritePost ~/.local/src/dwmblocks/config.h !cd ~/.local/src/dwmblocks/; sudo make install && { killall -q dwmblocks;setsid dwmblocks & }

dwmblocks.c

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
-#include<stdlib.h>
-#include<stdio.h>
-#include<string.h>
-#include<unistd.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include <time.h>
-#include<signal.h>
-#include<X11/Xlib.h>
-#define LENGTH(X)               (sizeof(X) / sizeof (X[0]))
+#include <signal.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <X11/Xlib.h>
+#define LENGTH(X) (sizeof(X) / sizeof (X[0]))
 #define CMDLENGTH		50
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -42,23 +43,21 @@ static void (*writestatus) () = setroot;
 
 void replace(char *str, char old, char new)
 {
-	int N = strlen(str);
-	for(int i = 0; i < N; i++)
-		if(str[i] == old)
-			str[i] = new;
+	for(char * c = str; *c; c++)
+		if(*c == old)
+			*c = new;
 }
 
+// the previous function looked nice but unfortunately it didnt work if to_remove was in any position other than the last character
+// theres probably still a better way of doing this
 void remove_all(char *str, char to_remove) {
 	char *read = str;
 	char *write = str;
-	while (*read) {
-		if (*read == to_remove) {
-			read++;
-			*write = *read;
-		}
-		read++;
-		write++;
-	}
+    do {
+        while (*read == to_remove) read++;
+        *write++ = *read;
+        read++;
+    } while (*(read-1));
 }
 
 //opens process *cmd and stores output in *output
@@ -69,21 +68,38 @@ void getcmd(const Block *block, char *output)
 		output[0] = block->signal;
 		output++;
 	}
-	strcpy(output, block->icon);
 	char *cmd = block->command;
 	FILE *cmdf = popen(cmd,"r");
-	if (!cmdf)
+	if (!cmdf){
+        //printf("failed to run: %s, %d\n", block->command, errno);
 		return;
-	char c;
+    }
+    char tmpstr[CMDLENGTH] = "";
+    // TODO decide whether its better to use the last value till next time or just keep trying while the error was the interrupt
+    // this keeps trying to read if it got nothing and the error was and interrupt
+    // could also just read to a separate buffer and not move the data over if interrupted
+    // this way will take longer trying to complete 1 thing but will get it done
+    // the other way will move on to keep going with everything and the part that failed to read will be wrong till its updated again
+    // either way you have to save the data to a temp buffer because when it fails it writes nothing and then then it gets displayed before this finishes
+	char * s;
+    int e;
+    do {
+        s = fgets(tmpstr, CMDLENGTH-(strlen(delim)+1), cmdf);
+        e = errno;
+    } while (!s && e == EINTR);
+    // this is equivalent but less readable and stuff
+    //while(!fgets(tmpstr, CMDLENGTH-(strlen(delim)+1), cmdf) && errno == EINTR);
+	pclose(cmdf);
 	int i = strlen(block->icon);
-	fgets(output+i, CMDLENGTH-(strlen(delim)+1), cmdf);
+	strcpy(output, block->icon);
+    strcpy(output+i, tmpstr);
 	remove_all(output, '\n');
 	i = strlen(output);
-    if ((i > 0 && block != &blocks[LENGTH(blocks) - 1]))
+    if ((i > 0 && block != &blocks[LENGTH(blocks) - 1])){
         strcat(output, delim);
+    }
     i+=strlen(delim);
 	output[i++] = '\0';
-	pclose(cmdf);
 }
 
 void getcmds(int time)
@@ -179,28 +195,26 @@ void statusloop()
 #ifndef __OpenBSD__
 	setupsignals();
 #endif
-	int i = 0;
-	int previ = -1;
+	unsigned int i = 0;
     int gotscrewed = 0;
     struct timespec sleeptime = {1, 0};
-    struct timespec left;
+    struct timespec tosleep = sleeptime;
 	getcmds(-1);
 	while(statusContinue)
 	{
-        if(i != previ){
-            getcmds(i);
-            writestatus();
+        // sleep for tosleep (should be a sleeptime of 1s) and put what was left if interrupted back into tosleep
+        gotscrewed = nanosleep(&tosleep, &tosleep);
+        // if interrupted then just go sleep again for the remaining time
+        if(gotscrewed == -1){
+            continue;
         }
-        gotscrewed = nanosleep(&sleeptime, &left);
-        previ = i;
-        /* long diff = (left.tv_sec + (left.tv_nsec + 500000000l) / 1000000000l); */
-        /* i += 1 - diff; */
-        if(gotscrewed != -1){
-            i++;
-        /* }else{ */
-        /*     printf("sec and nanosec left: %d, %d", left.tv_sec, left.tv_nsec); */
-        }
-
+        // if not interrupted then do the calling and writing
+        getcmds(i);
+        writestatus();
+        // then increment since its actually been a second (plus the time it took the commands to run)
+        i++;
+        // set the time to sleep back to the sleeptime of 1s
+        tosleep = sleeptime;
 	}
 }