Arch Linux

mamamia88

Member

Registered: 2012-08-29

Posts: 483

Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

I managed to get it up and running but is there an app or something that makes it easier to disconnect and reconnect my laptop to the secondary monitor without having to restore all the settings everytime i decide that i want to move my laptop away from secondary monitor?

nixpunk

Member

Registered: 2009-11-23

Posts: 271

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

Not sure what you mean.  Are you saying that every time you connect your laptop to an external monitor you need to bring up Menu -> Settings -> Display?

I use Xfce with a laptop and external monitor (via docking station) and all I do to connect/disconnect is hit fn-F7 to bring up the external monitor menu.  If you don't have a monitor hotkey, you could always use xrandr and a hotkey(s) of your choice.

nomorewindows

Member

Registered: 2010-04-03

Posts: 3,541

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

Gnome is automatic, but xfce is like most window managers, it has to be done manually with xrandr:
xrandr --output <laptop> --auto --output <external> --auto --left-of/--right-of <laptop>/<external>
If you disconnect, you may have to reexecute xrandr to leave out the external monitor.

---

I may have to CONSOLE you about your usage of ridiculously easy graphical interfaces...
Look ma, no mouse.

Giroscopic

Member

Registered: 2012-07-26

Posts: 10

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

nomorewindows has it right.

a GUI alternative is ARandr from the repos

---

Lenovo ThinkPad X230. i5-3360m. Memory: 8GB 1666mhz. Crucial m8 SSD 128GB(root/home/boot) and 16GB mSATA (Swap/var). Running ArchLinux@KDE

mamamia88

Member

Registered: 2012-08-29

Posts: 483

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

Not sure what you mean.  Are you saying that every time you connect your laptop to an external monitor you need to bring up Menu -> Settings -> Display?

I use Xfce with a laptop and external monitor (via docking station) and all I do to connect/disconnect is hit fn-F7 to bring up the external monitor menu.  If you don't have a monitor hotkey, you could always use xrandr and a hotkey(s) of your choice.

seems like a good solution to tie the xrandr command to a keyboard shortcut and bind the panels to a particular monitor.    Thanks.  Sorry for responding so late.   edit that works now wondering if there is a command to both enable secondary monitor and reset xrandr settings all at once edit again i set f6 to turn off external display f7 to turn it back on and f8 to restore dual monitor settings.    now if only there was a way to combine f7 and f8.   and && doesn't work.   3rd and final edit.     combined commands into bash script and linked to that as a keyboard shortcut

Last edited by mamamia88 (2012-09-09 04:49:58)

assaf_ben

Member

Registered: 2014-05-20

Posts: 1

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

Hi mamamia88,
I would be interested in your bash script, can you share it?

Inxsible

Forum Fellow

From: Chicago

Registered: 2008-06-09

Posts: 9,183

Re: Dual Monitor XFCE on a Laptop?

assaf_ben, do not necrobump threads.

Closing..

---

Forum Rules

There's no such thing as a stupid question, but there sure are a lot of inquisitive idiots !