[openbox] two menu files when using a separate taskbar/launcher and other questions

[Marc Wilson]

Well, this is late, but I don't think any of the other posts in the thread
actually answered the questions...


On Wed, Jul 21, 2004 at 05:39:54PM -0700, Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> Are there others that you like to use?

Fspanel with all the patches.  It needs several fixes beyond the 0.8beta to
really make it a good EWMH client, including partial strut support.

> What do you do about having different menu file formats for the launcher
> and openbox?

Don't need a launcher menu.  What good would it be, when the window manager
has a perfectly usable menuing system of its own?  I'd have to move the
mouse to some random position on the screen, versus hitting the hot-key for
the menu, and choosing what I want.  Why should there be two places to get
a menu?  Doesn't that violate one or the other of the principles of
interface design?

> Is there a GUI tool for managing the menu file(s)?

Someone was working on the necessary to use a XML editor for it, but I
don't know if it ever went anywhere.  It's not like it's hard to write a
menu file in $EDITOR.  What seems to bite people is the idea of nesting a
menu within a menu.

> The docs webpage doesn't show the format of the menu file. Does it
> follow the freedesktop.org menu and desktop entry and icon specifications?

Gods, we can only hope not... the XDG spec is about the most idiotic thing
you've ever read.  I can't imagine anything else they've written is any
more sane.

No, openbox's menu files are XML.  And the documentation does show the
format, you just have to interpret a bit as the examples are a little...
terse.

Openbox couldn't care less about icons, so there's no reason to pay
attention to desktop or icon specifications.  Most people who want icons on
the desktop either use the appropriate bits from Gnome, or use something
like idesk or desklaunch.  I use idesk, as the Gnome bits have this insane
idea that they, and not the user, control what GTK is supposed to be doing.

> If not, are there plans? Or is there a conversion tool?

You'd have to ask Mikachu.  There is no conversion tool, although Debian's
openbox package converts their menu format into openbox-readable XML and I
think they have a tool to get from their format into the f.d.o one.  Or
from the f.d.o one to theirs... I forget.

> Also, I didn't see on the "about" or other webpages if openbox supports
> customizable placement and choices for window titlebar buttons and if it
> supports rounded or customized titlebars and window borders. Does it?

You can control the layout, and add and subtract buttons as well as the
window label.  You can use an XBM file to define a bit-mask for the
buttons, but no pixmaps (and there was much rejoicing).

No rounded windows.  What good are they?

Window borders and grabs are controlled by your theme file.

> (By the way, I am looking for an alternative to xfce4 for my wife. I still
> sit at old blackbox.)

Does she need an alternative for some reason?

-- 
 Marc Wilson |     So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the
 msw at cox.net |     family parrot to the town gossip.