def show(
        items,
        command='dmenu',
        bottom=None,
        fast=None,
        case_insensitive=None,
        lines=None,
        monitor=None,
        prompt=None,
        font=None,
        background=None,
        foreground=None,
        background_selected=None,
        foreground_selected=None):
    '''Present a dmenu to the user.

    Args:
        items (Iterable[str]): defines the menu items being presented to the user. items should not contain the newline character.
        command (Optional[str]): defines the path to the dmenu executable. Defaults to 'dmenu'.
        bottom (Optional[bool]): dmenu appears at the bottom of the screen.
        fast (Optional[bool]): dmenu grabs the keyboard before reading stdin. This is faster, but will lock up X until stdin reaches end-of-file.
        case_insensitive (Optional[bool]): dmenu matches menu items case insensitively.
        lines (Optional[int]): dmenu lists items vertically, with the given number of lines.
        monitor (Optional[int]): dmenu is displayed on the monitor number supplied. Monitor numbers are starting from 0.
        prompt (Optional[str]): defines the prompt to be displayed to the left of the input field.
        font (Optional[str]): defines the font or font set used. eg. "fixed" or "Monospace-12:normal" (an xft font)
        background (Optional[str]): defines the normal background color. #RGB, #RRGGBB, and X color names are supported.
        foreground (Optional[str]): defines the normal foreground color.
        background_selected (Optional[str]): defines the selected background color.
        foreground_selected (Optional[str]): defines the selected foreground color.

    Raises:
        DmenuCommandError
        DmenuUsageError

    Returns:
        The user's selected menu item, their own typed item, or None if they hit escape.

    Examples:

        >>> import dmenu

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        'a'  # user selected a

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], prompt='pick a letter')
        'b'  # user selected b

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        None  # user hit escape

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        'd'  # user typed their own selection, d

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], command='not_a_valid_dmenu')
        Traceback (most recent call last):
          ...
        dmenu.dmenu.DmenuCommandError: The provided dmenu command could not be used (['not_a_valid_dmenu']): [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'not_a_valid_dmenu'

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], monitor=2)
        Traceback (most recent call last):
          ...
        dmenu.dmenu.DmenuUsageError: This version of dmenu does not support your usage (['dmenu', '-m', '2']):
        usage: dmenu [-b] [-f] [-i] [-l lines] [-p prompt] [-fn font]
                     [-nb color] [-nf color] [-sb color] [-sf color] [-v]

        Consider configuring show using partial application:

        >>> import functools
        >>> show = functools.partial(dmenu.show, bottom=True)
        >>> show(['we', 'show', 'up', 'below'])
        >>> show(['us', 'too'])
    '''

    # construct args

    args = [command]

    if bottom:
        args.append('-b')

    if fast:
        args.append('-f')

    if case_insensitive:
        args.append('-i')

    if lines is not None:
        args.extend(('-l', str(lines)))

    if monitor is not None:
        args.extend(('-m', str(monitor)))

    if prompt is not None:
        args.extend(('-p', prompt))

    if font is not None:
        args.extend(('-fn', font))

    if background is not None:
        args.extend(('-nb', background))

    if foreground is not None:
        args.extend(('-nf', foreground))

    if background_selected is not None:
        args.extend(('-sb', background_selected))

    if foreground_selected is not None:
        args.extend(('-sf', foreground_selected))

    try:
        # start the dmenu process
        proc = subprocess.Popen(
            args,
            universal_newlines=True,
            stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
            stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
    except OSError as err:
        # something went wrong with starting the process
        raise DmenuCommandError(args, err)

    # write items over to dmenu
    with proc.stdin:
        for item in items:
            proc.stdin.write(item)
            proc.stdin.write('\n')

    if proc.wait() == 0:
        # user made a selection
        return proc.stdout.read().rstrip('\n')

    stderr = proc.stderr.read()

    if stderr == '':
        # user hit escape
        return None

    if re.match('usage', stderr, re.I):
        # usage error
        raise DmenuUsageError(args, stderr)

    # other error from dmenu
    raise DmenuCommandError(args, stderr)
Present a dmenu to the user.

    Args:
        items (Iterable[str]): defines the menu items being presented to the user. items should not contain the newline character.
        command (Optional[str]): defines the path to the dmenu executable. Defaults to 'dmenu'.
        bottom (Optional[bool]): dmenu appears at the bottom of the screen.
        fast (Optional[bool]): dmenu grabs the keyboard before reading stdin. This is faster, but will lock up X until stdin reaches end-of-file.
        case_insensitive (Optional[bool]): dmenu matches menu items case insensitively.
        lines (Optional[int]): dmenu lists items vertically, with the given number of lines.
        monitor (Optional[int]): dmenu is displayed on the monitor number supplied. Monitor numbers are starting from 0.
        prompt (Optional[str]): defines the prompt to be displayed to the left of the input field.
        font (Optional[str]): defines the font or font set used. eg. "fixed" or "Monospace-12:normal" (an xft font)
        background (Optional[str]): defines the normal background color. #RGB, #RRGGBB, and X color names are supported.
        foreground (Optional[str]): defines the normal foreground color.
        background_selected (Optional[str]): defines the selected background color.
        foreground_selected (Optional[str]): defines the selected foreground color.

    Raises:
        DmenuCommandError
        DmenuUsageError

    Returns:
        The user's selected menu item, their own typed item, or None if they hit escape.

    Examples:

        >>> import dmenu

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        'a'  # user selected a

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], prompt='pick a letter')
        'b'  # user selected b

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        None  # user hit escape

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'])
        'd'  # user typed their own selection, d

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], command='not_a_valid_dmenu')
        Traceback (most recent call last):
          ...
        dmenu.dmenu.DmenuCommandError: The provided dmenu command could not be used (['not_a_valid_dmenu']): [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'not_a_valid_dmenu'

        >>> dmenu.show(['a', 'b', 'c'], monitor=2)
        Traceback (most recent call last):
          ...
        dmenu.dmenu.DmenuUsageError: This version of dmenu does not support your usage (['dmenu', '-m', '2']):
        usage: dmenu [-b] [-f] [-i] [-l lines] [-p prompt] [-fn font]
                     [-nb color] [-nf color] [-sb color] [-sf color] [-v]

        Consider configuring show using partial application:

        >>> import functools
        >>> show = functools.partial(dmenu.show, bottom=True)
        >>> show(['we', 'show', 'up', 'below'])
        >>> show(['us', 'too'])