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ntowakbh

Member

Registered: 2009-06-04

Posts: 29

Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

I know that one can use idesk to produce launchers for desktop programs in window managers like Openbox, but what about an actual small file manager, that always sits on the desktop, confined to its own little space.  Kind of like conky, if this makes sense. 

I don't have a great deal of programming knowledge, just basics, but I've toyed with the idea of making a script to constantly reedit the idesk config file to do this, and while it could work, it's messy at best, and doesn't provide the same desired effect that a small desktop folder sitting on the WM desktop would.

If this does exist, I give my apologies, but I did try to search Google for it, but got junk results.  Also, would something like this be feasible? (I am looking for a way to improve my programming skills over the summer, and was thinking that this could possibly be a way to do it.)  Even further, would it be acceptable to use Python for it?

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Many nights, I lay awake in bed,
Looking up at the stars.
Thinking of life, it's complexity,
And where in the world my ceiling could have gone this time.

whoops

Member

Registered: 2009-03-19

Posts: 891

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

Hi!

I don't really get what you mean... the Desktop usually is a file manager, isn't it? I'm not sure if Thunar draws the desktop, but Nautilus can even be pretty bitchy if something else (like conky) wants to have a piece. I didn't care enough about rox and its "everything's a folder"-philosophy to take a really close look at it, but there was an option to have it provide a desktop, too, if I remember right. And rox sounded/looks a lot, as it would provide the most "normal filemanager" behaviour when providing the Desktop (didn't try though - maybe I will).

Last edited by whoops (2009-06-13 20:51:56)

ntowakbh

Member

Registered: 2009-06-04

Posts: 29

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

Hi!

I don't really get what you mean... the Desktop usually is a file manager, isn't it? I'm not sure if Thunar draws the desktop, but Nautilus can even be pretty bitchy if something else (like conky) wants to have a piece. I didn't care enough about rox and its "everything's a folder"-philosophy to take a really close look at it, but there was an option to have it provide a desktop, too, if I remember right. And rox sounded/looks a lot, as it would provide the most "normal filemanager" behaviour when providing the Desktop (didn't try though - maybe I will).

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5576/shot0004bvb.jpg

Did my best to try to elaborate by using an example there on a screenshot of my desktop. (A sloppy edit done in the GIMP)

EDIT: What I would be looking for is something contained to that spot, so that way, if I were to right click inside of the rectangle, such as on a file, I would get options with what to open the file, or something else, even copy, cut, paste, or delete.  However, if I were to right click outside of the rectangle, I would get my openbox menu.  Hope this helps make more sense.

Last edited by ntowakbh (2009-06-13 21:04:43)

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Many nights, I lay awake in bed,
Looking up at the stars.
Thinking of life, it's complexity,
And where in the world my ceiling could have gone this time.

DevoidOfWindows

Member

Registered: 2009-05-24

Posts: 133

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

I think he means like something like KDE's "Folder View" desktop applet.
You could probably set a rule in your window manager to keep a window on the root.  In Openbox, for example, an application rule can be wriiten to achieve this.

Last edited by DevoidOfWindows (2009-06-13 21:08:29)

ctarwater

Member

Registered: 2009-02-05

Posts: 300

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

What you're describing sounds a lot like one of the applets I see in the kde4 desktops, but I've not played much with kde so I can't say for sure. 

**edit** check out the 2 left "plasmoids" (really guys?) here: http://bonkel.files.wordpress.com/2008/ … esktop.png

It sounds like you want an applet (screenlet?) of sorts that sits on your desktop but doesn't affect it's normal functions (right menu click etc.)

I like the idea.

Last edited by ctarwater (2009-06-13 21:10:18)

ntowakbh

Member

Registered: 2009-06-04

Posts: 29

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

What you're describing sounds a lot like one of the applets I see in the kde4 desktops, but I've not played much with kde so I can't say for sure. 

**edit** check out the 2 left "plasmoids" (really guys?) here: http://bonkel.files.wordpress.com/2008/ … esktop.png

It sounds like you want an applet (screenlet?) of sorts that sits on your desktop but doesn't affect it's normal functions (right menu click etc.)

I like the idea.

Yes, that would be almost exactly what I am looking for.  My only issue with WMs like Openbox/Fluxbox is the desktop files.  Sometimes, if I download a .pdf from the web I'll read once and likely delete, or some other file that I need handy for a moment, it's much more conveniant to have something like that, and while I can open a file manager window, generally that can be slightly more troublesome than it could be.  But running a full file manager would take over the entire desktop, hence my idea, which has apparently already been done for KDE.

Last edited by ntowakbh (2009-06-13 21:17:01)

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Many nights, I lay awake in bed,
Looking up at the stars.
Thinking of life, it's complexity,
And where in the world my ceiling could have gone this time.

ctarwater

Member

Registered: 2009-02-05

Posts: 300

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

I agree.  I love openbox but a screenlet (etc) that behaves like the pictured plasmoid would be great!

If I wasn't shipping off to bootcamp tomorrow I'd think about creating one...but...well...I'ma be a bit busy

whoops

Member

Registered: 2009-03-19

Posts: 891

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

Aaaah, now I see.

Is it important that it creates a special window or something? Or can you just remove window decorations and set it to sticky & not showing up in panel/whatever-tasklist and stuff like that?

- I just tried rox again... still didn't like it, but I noticed among other things it has something called a "pinboard", which is entirely optional. Is has an "openbox hack", whatever that is, but even with operational "Pinboard" allows to (checkbox) "pass all clicks and background to WM"... maybe you can do something like that with it.
- thunar doesn't force you to use it as Desktop too  (I think, it even requires the extra package xfce4-desktop if you want it to)

So maybe what would do was a way to make windows "stick to the openbox desktop" in general? Like - terminal with mc (or just terminal) could be quite nice, too...

Last edited by whoops (2009-06-13 21:21:44)

prol

Member

Registered: 2008-03-27

Posts: 75

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

you can achieve that with pcmanfm, go into the preferences and turn on desktop mangement or something and there is also an option to get the openbox menu too.

ctarwater

Member

Registered: 2009-02-05

Posts: 300

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

True, but then you have that damned "home" folder icon stuck on the desktop permanently.  (I use and love pcmanfm, but I hate that damned icon!)

Also, for some stupid reason, I like the idea of a seperate little area (like the plasmoid) that does that by itself.  No, I don't know why.

ntowakbh

Member

Registered: 2009-06-04

Posts: 29

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

True, but then you have that damned "home" folder icon stuck on the desktop permanently.  (I use and love pcmanfm, but I hate that damned icon!)

Also, for some stupid reason, I like the idea of a seperate little area (like the plasmoid) that does that by itself.  No, I don't know why.

Possibly because it's neat, minimalistic, and out of the way.  At least that's my thought on it.  Like I said, I've been needing to work on my programming skills anyway, perhaps I will give coding something like this a try.  If I do, and I get it done, I will definitely release it to the public.

---

Many nights, I lay awake in bed,
Looking up at the stars.
Thinking of life, it's complexity,
And where in the world my ceiling could have gone this time.

iphitus

Forum Fellow

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2004-10-09

Posts: 4,927

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

I'm in the middle of writing one I'll release something when my exams are over. Though mine has slightly different goals then your mockup, rather it's a pane that fits down the side or comes up on keyboard shortcut.

Last edited by iphitus (2009-06-14 00:38:24)

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,354

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

Man, this sounds interesting. I volunteer to test

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sand_man

Member

From: Australia

Registered: 2008-06-10

Posts: 2,164

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

I am liking this idea a lot!

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mnp3a

Member

Registered: 2009-05-13

Posts: 2

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

a few years ago -i think- someone asked about something similar on a forum (maybe ubuntu's, not sure). he basically wanted  multiple desktops the gnome-way, but every single one showing a different folder. this way you would have your multiple desktops with tasks associated to every one of them, and corresponding directories showing on each one. clean and nice. he asked if it was possible by some tweaking, but didnt receive a definitive answer.

for myself, i want something along the lines of whoops's idea, just don't know how to work out the scrolling / no decorations thing... i imagine it is possible to set some pseudo-transparency and whatever to make it look nice.... actually it's just like the kde plasmoid thingy, my only issue is that kde4 plasmoids are too buggy on my system! (+ they eat resources, hate that).

Last edited by mnp3a (2009-06-15 03:16:16)

Rasi

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2007-08-14

Posts: 1,914

Website

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

What you're describing sounds a lot like one of the applets I see in the kde4 desktops, but I've not played much with kde so I can't say for sure. 

**edit** check out the 2 left "plasmoids" (really guys?) here: http://bonkel.files.wordpress.com/2008/ … esktop.png

It sounds like you want an applet (screenlet?) of sorts that sits on your desktop but doesn't affect it's normal functions (right menu click etc.)

I like the idea.

Yes, that would be almost exactly what I am looking for.  My only issue with WMs like Openbox/Fluxbox is the desktop files.  Sometimes, if I download a .pdf from the web I'll read once and likely delete, or some other file that I need handy for a moment, it's much more conveniant to have something like that, and while I can open a file manager window, generally that can be slightly more troublesome than it could be.  But running a full file manager would take over the entire desktop, hence my idea, which has apparently already been done for KDE.

why dont you open the file from firefox/opera download window? Simply doubleclick it...

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ntowakbh

Member

Registered: 2009-06-04

Posts: 29

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

why dont you open the file from firefox/opera download window? Simply doubleclick it...

While one could do that, there is so much more use to this than just the simple thinking I explained in that post.  The biggest thing is convenience, it doesn't matter how I got the file there, or what I want to do with them, so much as that I have them handy if and when I want them. 

As for that specific situation, It's possible that I wouldn't want to open the file right then.

EDIT: Looking back, that might have sounded rude, if so, I'm sorry, not my intention.

Last edited by ntowakbh (2009-06-16 02:43:21)

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Many nights, I lay awake in bed,
Looking up at the stars.
Thinking of life, it's complexity,
And where in the world my ceiling could have gone this time.

Rasi

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2007-08-14

Posts: 1,914

Website

Re: Does Something Like This Exist Already (for Window Managers)

why dont you open the file from firefox/opera download window? Simply doubleclick it...

While one could do that, there is so much more use to this than just the simple thinking I explained in that post.  The biggest thing is convenience, it doesn't matter how I got the file there, or what I want to do with them, so much as that I have them handy if and when I want them. 

As for that specific situation, It's possible that I wouldn't want to open the file right then.

EDIT: Looking back, that might have sounded rude, if so, I'm sorry, not my intention.

Didnt sound rude at all

Btw, i think something like the quickaccess plasmoid as it exists in kde is the even nicer solution...

http://www.kde-look.org/CONTENT/content … 4128-2.png

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