TV-friendly Window Manager

Kosta · 2017-05-01 20:35:29

Hi!

I installed arch linux on a small PC connected to my TV. I would like to launch a handful of applications such as kodi, steam etc.

Is there any simple window manager that works well with arrow keys? Then I could use a simple remote (or xbox controller etc.) to launch these.

Is there _any_ Window Manager that has a "sitting on the couch friendly" interface like kodi, steam etc. do?

I googled and read the wiki the best I could: the closest I could find was xlunch but that didn't work nicely with arrow keys. Is "starting dmenu/rofi as wm" the best I can do?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Cheers,
Kosta

cccplex · 2017-05-02 09:28:25

I just use openbox with xterm now because I have a remote with keyboard. But you got me thinking. You just need a desktop with some launchers.

So I changed it to xfce4 without the panel and with xfdesktop.
configured .config/user-dirs.dirs to XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/applications"
copied some more desktop files to it like /usr/share/applications/kodi.desktop

And last but not least you have to focus the desktop somehow. I dit it by putting this command in the autostart:
sh -c "sleep 1 && xdotool key super+d" and super+d is configured in de windowmanager to focus the desktop.

Kosta · 2017-05-02 09:41:58

Hm, ok that could worth to try out. But it could be a bit hackish: What if the desktop looses focus somehow (e.g. after returning from steam, ...)

Are there really no proper solutions for this? O_o

seth · 2017-05-02 13:57:07

I really don't understand what you're after, because you ask for window managers, but then mention "launch" and xlunch (a launcher, not a window manager) and some fullscreen clients (which by default grab input and are pretty much designed to run the show while they're up, ie. rather contrast the usage of window managers), but how does xlunch not "work nicely with arrow keys"? There's even a switch to turn off the prompt and then selecting an icon (with the arrow keys.... and tab) is actually the only way to navigate the matrix, in both dimensions.

No offense, but you got to explain your desires much better, notably what kind of action you wish to what kind of keys (arrow keys and enter, presumingly?)

Kosta · 2017-05-03 18:50:25

Thanks for your feedback!

What I actually want is something to run _instead_ of a window manager, I guess. Ideally, something that runs after autologin from the DM and starts (fullscreen) programs (such as kodi, steam in big picture mode etc.). If any application quits, they return to that "fullscreen launcher slash window manager".

So xlunch is _almost_ there - but for me, keyboard navigation did not work (it just flickered but nothing was selected, I could not start apps from the keyboard). Also, the "background" mode (which keeps running in the background after launching an app) tries to _not_ get focus which is not what I want (but I guess that should be rather easily patchable).

Does this make more sense?

(From reading this, it seems to me that I should give xlunch another try...)

seth · 2017-05-03 19:12:59

Sounds as if there was spurious (mouse/pointer) input since xlunch reacts to that as well and will move the selection to where the pointer is.
Check the output of "xinput" - if there's a "misbehaving" (and maybe synthetic?) mouse/pointer device, you might want to disable that (and/or just patch xlunch to ignore mouse input (eg. remove "ButtonPressMask | ButtonReleaseMask | PointerMotionMask" from the XSelectInput call in line 850)

I'm not sure about focus handling of the desktop mode, because that vastly* depends on whether and which WM there is in addition (for it controls the focus) but passing the "-n" switch (no fullscreen) might help (and on top of that your WM may provide advanced settings/rules for focus handling)

*Afaics, xlunch does nowhere attempt to take focus itself (seen no XSetInputFocus call, you probably would want to add one in the Expose event handling, ie. fetch focus everytime the window gets -partially- visible. Notice that there're usually no Expose events in a composited environment)

Kosta · 2017-05-03 19:30:33

Sounds reasonable. I'll give this a spin!

Arch Linux

#1 2017-05-01 20:35:29

TV-friendly Window Manager

#2 2017-05-02 09:28:25

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

#3 2017-05-02 09:41:58

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

#4 2017-05-02 13:57:07

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

#5 2017-05-03 18:50:25

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

#6 2017-05-03 19:12:59

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

#7 2017-05-03 19:30:33

Re: TV-friendly Window Manager

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