Taskbar from XFCE4 for other windowmanagers

[MU]

XFCE is a desktop, but maybe like me you prefer others like Icewm.

But Xfce has some extremely nice tools, like a relatively small taskbar.
It allows to "group" files, so if you have two xterms open, you'll see only one entry, that opens a popup with all the xterms when you click it. This keeps the taskbar "clean", even if you have many windows open.

look:


Now if you use Icewm, you already have a taskbar.
I deactivated it, because I don't need 2 taskbars

Edit the (hidden) file /root/.icewm/preferences, and replace
TaskBarShowWindows=1 # 0/1
with
TaskBarShowWindows=0 # 0/1

Then restart icewm, and your desktop will look somewhat like this.
The Icewm-panel at bottom now has enough space for many traybuttons



Download (260 kb, 860 kb extracted):
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/WindowManager ... kbarmu.pup

It can be installed independent of other Xfce-tools, as it was compiled to a different folder.

Start it from the dotpups-menu, or add "xfce4-panelmu &" to
/root/.xinitrc before the line
exec $CURRENTWM

Do NOT forget the "&" in the end, it is very important

Mark

[darkerror05]

how can I change the look of the panel. Like themes or a colored background?

[MU]

there are 2 ways, both use the gtkrc-feature.

Install this dotpup:
http://www.murga.org/~puppy/viewtopic.php?t=2137

Then you can change the look of all Gtk-applications from a menu.
So you choose "brushed", and the Panel, Abiword and others look brushed.

There is a small problem:
some themes contain entries for fonts or icons, that do not exist in Puppy.
This gives a error on the internal "errorchannel" (stderr).
This channel is also used by Xdialog, the tool to create windows for Pupget.
I encountered, that with some themes, I cannot install Alien packages.
This is not critical, you simply select "use Puppys theme" in the menu, and pupget works again.
I already sent a patch for this to Barry.

Method 2 adds a theme ONLY to the panel.
You will need the dotpup with the themes, too, but don't activate them with the menu.
Instead, you modify:
/usr/local/Xfce4-taskbarmu/Xfce4-taskbarmu

It currently looks like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

killall xfce4-panel

xfce4-panelmu &

You change it like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

killall xfce4-panel
export GTK2_RC_FILES=/usr/share/themes/Brushed/gtk-2.0/gtkrc

xfce4-panelmu &

Like this only the Panel will use the "brushed" theme.
You can use any other Gtk-2.0 theme in /usr/share/themes/ of course.

Wth this method, you also will have no problems with Pupget.

Mark

[darkerror05]

cool works great. I just untar-ed a gtk theme and pointed to the rc file.

[darkerror05]

humm. If i start a program from the xfce-panel it used the xfce theme. Is there a work around? Mabey a command to use in the launcher?

[MU]

I don't use it to start files, as I use only the taskbar.

But this might work:

create such a script
/usr/bin/mylauncher

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

export GTK2_RC_FILES=/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc:/root/.gtkrc-2.0

"$1" "$2" "$3" "$4" "$5" "$6"  "$7" "$8" "$9"   &

make it executable:
chmod 755 /usr/bin/mylauncher

Now when you add a program to the panel (example: leafpad), do not add
leafpad
but:
mylauncher leafpad

The script simply "resets" the Gtk-environment-variable to use the standard-configuration, and then runs the desired program.
Mark

[darkerror05]

thanks works great.

[darkerror05]

For some reason now the taskbar has nothing in it. I had it set up as a program laucher. and it was working untill i rebooted and now it just shows up as a small black rectagle wit h nothing in it. The only config the is retained is the skin.

[Zepinto]

o.O

It crashes when i try to add an app launcher!!!

whats happening?!

[MU]

run from a consolewindow:
/usr/local/Xfce4-taskbarmu/Xfce4-taskbarmu

Then look, if a errormessage appears when you try to add an application.
I remember I had that in an older Puppy too, but cannot remember what solved it.
Might be some icons had to be installed, like

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... me-0.9.pup
or
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... 2.14.2.pup

But I'm not shure, so please post errors.

Mark

[Zepinto]

run from a consolewindow:
/usr/local/Xfce4-taskbarmu/Xfce4-taskbarmu

Then look, if a errormessage appears when you try to add an application.
I remember I had that in an older Puppy too, but cannot remember what solved it.
Might be some icons had to be installed, like

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... me-0.9.pup
or
http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... 2.14.2.pup

But I'm not shure, so please post errors.

Mark

Hmm....

"# /usr/local/bin/Xfce4-taskbarmu (<=== it was on that directory...)
killall: xfce4-panel: no process killed
# /usr/local/bin/xfce4-panelmu: line3: [: ==: unary operator expected"

Then the tab appears...
Then I try to add a launcher....
The the tab disappears....
^^

Thanks,
Daniel!

[MU]

yes, please install this dotpups:

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... 2.14.2.pup

Then create a file /root/.gtkrc-2.0

Code: Select all

gtk-icon-theme-name="gnome" 

If you already have such a file, that has these lines:

Code: Select all

include "/root/.gtkrc.mine"
# -- THEME AUTO-WRITTEN DO NOT EDIT 

then add that line to:
/root/.gtkrc.mine

Tip:
when you add an application, add a $1, then you can drag files on that icon, to open them with that application.
For example enter as comand to run:
leafpad "$1"

Mark

[Zepinto]

yes, please install this dotpups:

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Libraries/Gtk ... 2.14.2.pup

Then create a file /root/.gtkrc-2.0

Code: Select all

gtk-icon-theme-name="gnome" 

If you already have such a file, that has these lines:

Code: Select all

include "/root/.gtkrc.mine"
# -- THEME AUTO-WRITTEN DO NOT EDIT 

then add that line to:
/root/.gtkrc.mine

Tip:
when you add an application, add a $1, then you can drag files on that icon, to open them with that application.
For example enter as comand to run:
leafpad "$1"

Mark

Great! it works!! ^^

Thanks!
Daniel