LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

JWJones · 2009-06-13 01:29:33

I posted this on the LXDE forum, but have not received an answer.

I like to keep a clean desktop with no icons, but I also like to frequently change my wallpaper. It would seem that you can't have it both ways in LXDE. If I uncheck 'Manage the desktop and show file icons' in PCManFM preferences, the icon goes away, but then if I log out and log back in, my wallpaper is gone.

Anybody find a solution for this? I know this is an LXDE issue, and not an Arch issue, but I'm still wondering if anyone has found a solution.

Tenken · 2009-06-13 02:08:50

I'm not that familiar with PCManFM, but there are stand alone programs out there that can handle setting your wallpaper for you. So, you could uncheck the PCManFM option and use something like nitrogen or feh to set the wallpaper.

droog · 2009-06-13 02:31:22

pcmanfm is going the way of the dinosaurs...
best to ditch it now as well as lxde. just install openbox and get rid of the problem they are having from the mass of ubuntu people voting on their future.

seems ridiculous to me.

/editing for some clarity.

lxde had some votes for the future of pcmanfm and lxde but the ubuntu horde voted to use gnome deps...
I predict they will be followers like everyone else faced with the great ubuntards.

I don't have the links but I'm sure you can find them if you are so inclined.
sad to say, get a file manager built with elegance, skill and some morals like rox, mc or vifm...
and never be dissapointed again!

Last edited by droog (2009-06-13 02:48:56)

JWJones · 2009-06-13 02:59:59

Hmmm, I had caught wind of that, but hadn't really read about it. Sad. Yeah, I'll give Openbox a try with it; I do like Openbox. And Nitrogen. Thanks!

JWJones · 2009-06-16 15:48:53

Eh, I ended up switching to XFCE. The limitations of LXDE are, uh, very limiting. XFCE is pretty damn fast, too, but with many more features. I also have fluxbox and IceWM installed if I want to go even lighter still.

scarecrow · 2009-06-20 12:12:53

I'm also a great fan of XFCE4- clean, fast, fullfeatured. There are just two thing that annoy me:
1. panel icons transparency and having it covered by windows without "autohide", ala-KDE4, and
2. wallpaper rotation.
For the first one I found nothing satisfactory, and I'lll wait. for the latter, after trying many too many scripts, I ended up using this one, which is working perfectly:

#!/bin/bash

export PATH="/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin"

ROTATEDELAY=120

WORKDIR=/tmp/.rotate_wallpaper

FILELIST=$WORKDIR/.imagefiles

# Location of the directories of your image files.
IMAGEFILES="$HOME/wallpapers"


if [ ! -d $WORKDIR ]
then
    mkdir $WORKDIR
fi

if [ -e FILELIST ]
then
    rm -f FILELIST
fi

# Build file list
for I in $IMAGEFILES
do
    find $I -type f \( -name '*.jpg' -o -name '*.png' -o -name '*.gif' \)>> $FILELIST
done

# Load list of images into array and remove unneeded file.
oIFS=$IFS IFS=$'\n' LINES=($(<"$FILELIST")) IFS=$oIFS
rm $FILELIST


# Pick random image, set the background, and loop forever.
cd $WORKDIR
while :
do
    n=${#LINES[@]}
    r=$((RANDOM % n))
    IMAGE="`echo ${LINES[r]}`"
    xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path -s ""
    xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path -s "${IMAGE}"
    killall -USR1 xfdesktop
    sleep $ROTATEDELAY
done

Simply change ROTATEDELAY and IMAGEFILES to your likings, and then chmod +x it and put it at a system PATH.

Last edited by scarecrow (2009-06-20 12:13:37)

Arch Linux

#1 2009-06-13 01:29:33

LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

#2 2009-06-13 02:08:50

Re: LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

#3 2009-06-13 02:31:22

Re: LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

#4 2009-06-13 02:59:59

Re: LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

#5 2009-06-16 15:48:53

Re: LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

#6 2009-06-20 12:12:53

Re: LXDE, desktop icons, & wallpaper

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