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Xfce4 Whisker Menu


V.T. Eric Layton

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V.T. Eric Layton
6 hours ago, Hedon James said:

And just HOW did we accomplish that?

 

Xfce-Settings --> Display er... I meant Desktop --> Menus --> Desktop Menu --> check box for: Include Menu on destop Right Click.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Mauser said:

In my experience Xfce always opened the applications menu by right clicking on every distro I have tried in the past.

 

Well, I installed Xfce in Arch. I also had it in Debian, installation I did from a netinst iso. Anyway, I think the default (if I'm remembering correctly), from what I've seen lately, is that a desktop right-click opens up the root menu, which includes Thunar options as well as an "Applications" submenu.

 

3 hours ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

 

Xfce-Settings --> Display er... I meant Desktop --> Menus --> Desktop Menu --> check box for: Include Menu on destop Right Click.

 

And for the rest:

 

To remove Thunar options from right-click menu, I issue the following command - - see man xfconf-query.

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -v --create -p /desktop-icons/style -t int -s 0

To toggle back and forth between the properties:

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -v -p /desktop-icons/style -s 0

or

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -v -p /desktop-icons/style -s 2

 

Also, as you can see, I like to remove the File Manager, Terminal Emulator, Mail Reader, and Web Browser entries from the root menu. For that, I copy the exo-file-manager.desktop, exo-terminal-emulator.desktop, exo-mail-reader.desktop, and exo-web-browser.desktop files from /usr/share/applications to ~/.local/share/applications, then edit each file by removing the Category X-Xfce-Toplevel.

 

Edited to correct my content quoted here by Saturnian to prevent any confusion. ~Eric

 

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Below is a shot of what I see when I right-click on the Xfce desktop in a live session of MX-19 (running from a flash drive; I haven't changed the menu setup from the default). It's just too much stuff that I don't use. That's why I get rid of everything except the Applications menu.

 

mx-xfce-menu-web.jpg.5194f536628b813872051226a4a29d2b.jpg

 

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9 hours ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

 

Xfce-Settings --> Display er... I meant Desktop --> Menus --> Desktop Menu --> check box for: Include Menu on destop Right Click.

 

 

 

Thanks for catching that, Eric! Yeah, looks like this in the Desktop settings window here:

 

settings-right-click.jpg.389aff5e0dd6c478bf4c69ccc0657548.jpg

 

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Well, I added the Whisker menu to my Xfce panel, to play with it for a bit, at least. I don't know why I prefer the old Applications menu, but of course Whisker menu is very cool!

 

whisker-menu.thumb.jpg.c711fefdf3f6503e613adc67b3d5fe4b.jpg

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Thanks for the tip Saturnian!  Looks like XFCE is similar to LXDE in that the right-click root menu can be enabled.  I didn't know XFCE had that option?!  And of course, you took it to a whole new level with customization!  We have similar tastes.  No doubt, that is because you introduced me to the wonders of Fluxbox and the extreme customizability of that menu!

 

Thanks for the new information, my friend!  😎

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10 hours ago, Hedon James said:

Thanks for the tip Saturnian!  Looks like XFCE is similar to LXDE in that the right-click root menu can be enabled.  I didn't know XFCE had that option?!  And of course, you took it to a whole new level with customization!  We have similar tastes.  No doubt, that is because you introduced me to the wonders of Fluxbox and the extreme customizability of that menu!

 

Thanks for the new information, my friend!  😎

 

Wow, I'm honored to be called your friend! Didn't realize that I had introduced you to Fluxbox. LXQt as well has a checkbox for "Show menus provided by window managers when desktop is clicked." But it doesn't seem to work for me in Buster. So I've been using only the LXQt Applications menu from the panel. But that's okay because the theme (from Openbox) doesn't go well with how things look in LXQt, so I'm not terribly fond of that option -- I felt the same way when I was using LXDE, I wanted that Openbox menu but to me it didn't look right in LXDE.

 

By the way, I've stopped using LXDE, using LXQt instead. LXQt is a bit buggy yet, but it's ok to use. I don't know if Iike it better than LXDE. Some things, like pcmanfm-qt and qterminal, are very nice.

 

As for Fluxbox, I've added it to my Arch installations where I already had Xfce. From the Fluxbox session, all of the Xfce apps are available for use. I really like doing this sort of thing. A long time ago, I had a Kubuntu (I think it was Dapper) installation on an old laptop. It was working, but slowly. I added Fluxbox, and from the Fluxbox session everything was snappier, even when I used the KDE apps! Helped me get a few more years out of that piece of junk.

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13 hours ago, saturnian said:

Wow, I'm honored to be called your friend! Didn't realize that I had introduced you to Fluxbox. LXQt as well has a checkbox for "Show menus provided by window managers when desktop is clicked." But it doesn't seem to work for me in Buster. So I've been using only the LXQt Applications menu from the panel. But that's okay because the theme (from Openbox) doesn't go well with how things look in LXQt, so I'm not terribly fond of that option -- I felt the same way when I was using LXDE, I wanted that Openbox menu but to me it didn't look right in LXDE.

 

Well, yes...of course we are!  And several others here at BATL that have given selflessly to help someone else in need.  If that isn't the definition of a friend, it's pretty darn close!  As for Fluxbox, I had heard of it, as well as Openbox; and I had even tinkered with Openbox, but I just didn't "get it".  The grey screen of nothing, the accidental right click of a menu with programs/options that weren't even on my host system...I just dismissed it as yet another Linux work in progress (WIP) project that wasn't ready yet.  And then I saw you post a screenshot in one of these threads...with a nice theme and cascading menus of options, and I asked THE question..."what is that?!" and "how did you do it?!"  And DING...the light bulb went on; quite BRIGHTLY, I might add.  I was off to the races, customizing Fluxbox in the exact manner I wanted.  It was PERFECT!  Full credit to you....if it isn't your fault, you at least lit the match for the pyromaniac!  I've also dabbled in PekWM, which is VERY similar.  Perhaps even more featureful, but with a serious shortage of GOOD themes, and the syntax is a little more tricky than Fluxbox's plain english config files.  This also opened the door to revisit Openbox, once I realized it wasn't a WIP, but simply a blank universal template to start with..."here's some clay, sculpt something."  I like Openbox, but it's a distant 3rd favorite behind Flux & Pek.  I get frustrated with the lack of tabbed windows.  And Openbox can start specified programs in specified places on specified desktops, but it's so convoluted that it's a PITA, compared to Flux.  And Openbox syntax is a foreign language to me....open brackets & closed brackets, and indented formatting...another confusing PITA. 

 

And lastly, once I realized the role of a WM within a desktop environment, I started swapping out Openbox for Fluxbox.  Since 2015ish, my Lubuntu starts with Fluxbox rather than the default Openbox.

 

13 hours ago, saturnian said:

By the way, I've stopped using LXDE, using LXQt instead. LXQt is a bit buggy yet, but it's ok to use. I don't know if Iike it better than LXDE. Some things, like pcmanfm-qt and qterminal, are very nice.

 

I'm in migration to LXQt (some of my machines are already LXQt, some are still LXDE) and LXQt is even easier to specify the WM you want LXQt to use.  I still like LXDE, as it's much lighter weight than LXQt.  But LXDE has no real future and is likely to die on the vine, or get forked, or become a Legacy novelty, IMO.  LXQt is the way forward and has way more advantages than disadvantages, IMO.  It's been pretty stable for me, so I started the migration a couple months ago.  My migration is a WIP.

 

Some things I've learned about LXQt, FWIW:

  • whereas LXDE was designed to be tightly integrated with lightweight WMs (and Openbox in particular), LXQt has been designed to be very modular, especially with WMs.  Many of the LXQt devs recommend (and prefer) XFWM4 and Kwin as the WMs.
  • LXQt has 3 different "components" of themes.
    • LXQt themes include overall appearance and widgets; this only affects Qt components and may or may not affect GTK apps
    • WM (i.e. Openbox or XFWM, etc...) themes for window decorations
    • LXQt appearance for icons, fonts, etc...
    • I highly recommend using Kvantum in place of LXQt themes, as Kvantum can theme Qt and GTK apps, making your desktop more uniform in appearance; and Kvantum has many more theme options

LXQt devs have recently disabled the option to "show native menu for Window Manager" in attempt to "clean up code".  I protested this removal as loudly and politely as possible but....bottom line....none of them use the Openbox/Fluxbox style WMs and they don't care.  And I think I unintentionally offended them when I said I understood the need to "clean up code", and was glad they were looking at such things in LXQt development, but this removal reminded me of Gnome developers removing code in the name of code cleanup, rather than actually cleaning up the code.  Apparently I touched a nerve, or cursed at them in code-speak or something similar.  It was suggested that an easy workaround was to uncheck the box for LXQt to manage the desktop, which would allow the right-click menus again.  However, this also disables desktop icons.  When I pointed that out, they responded that an icon desktop manager could be installed, such as idesk.  When I questioned the wisdom of adding yet another program to replace deprecated functionality and questioned whether perhaps re-enabling the deprecated feature to an already existing central component of LXQt wouldn't make more sense, the response was to "feel free to submit the code and they'll consider it".  Of course, I can't code, or I would've already coded my own personal solution; so I interpreted that response for what it truly was...."it IS that way, because WE want it that way, and WE are the coders, so shove off."  End result....that feature has been deprecated.  Maybe it will return someday, maybe it won't.  But you can get your right click WM root menu back by disabling the "manage desktop" function, FWIW.

 

I'm also looking into jgmenu to duplicate that functionality.  Besides solving the right-click root menu issue and allowing LXQt to continue managing the desktop, I also typically have Fluxbox, Openbox AND PekWM installed on my system.  While I spend probably 80% of my time in Flux, I sometimes switch to Pek or Open just for some theme variety.  So anytime I add a program, or change something in my system that necessitates a menu customization, I have to do it 3 times to maintain uniformity.  I'd like to have jgmenu as the "master menu" for applications, settings, etc..., which is actually pretty easy to do.  But I'd also like to have 3 distinct sections for the WM settings of each WM....the section where you choose to configure styles, workspaces, and reconfigure/restart, etc...  If I can figure out the jgmenu commands to recreate that functionality for each WM, I can have ONE master menu that works on all 3 underlying WMs.

 

But I've digressed again....  Just sharing info for a fellow LXQt and *boxen user!  Enjoy!

Edited by Hedon James
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Lots of great info in that post!

 

I'm gonna take a look at jgmenu. I think it's the default for BunsenLabs going forward, so I'll play around with a live session of that first.

 

Wondering if Xfce can be configured so that a desktop right-click brings up the Whisker meenu...

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7 hours ago, saturnian said:

Lots of great info in that post!

 

I'm gonna take a look at jgmenu. I think it's the default for BunsenLabs going forward, so I'll play around with a live session of that first.

 

Wondering if Xfce can be configured so that a desktop right-click brings up the Whisker meenu...

 

It is!  In fact, most of what I know about jgmenu was gleaned from that forum.  The github/sourceforge(?) page for jgmenu is very comprehensive, and confusing to a layperson like me.  But the Bunsen forums were more helpful, due to the practical examples of "here is how I configured my jgmenu, and how I did it" and the resultant discussions.  I think Void(?) Linux forums have some helpful discussions also.  The original idea behind jgmenu was to provide a compatible menu for Tint2 users.  While it accomplishes that, it took off in other directions too.  Credit to the developer for the "right" attitude...he continues to develop jgmenu in these "other directions", despite his original vision being the Tint2 menu having already been fulfilled.  While most devs seem to have the attitude of "it does what I want, but feel free to fork it and have at it", his attitude seems to be "that's an interesting idea I hadn't contemplated, let me see what I can do with that".  Refreshing...

 

For instance, one of the jgmenu customization options is that he added a "flag" to read the Openbox menu and reproduce it in jgmenu.  Once I figure out how that happens, I hope to look into the jgmenu configuration and compare it with an Openbox config, and then apply it to Flux & Pek for my "master menu" idea.  So if you beat me to it, share the learnings brutha!  😉

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V.T. Eric Layton
8 hours ago, saturnian said:

Wondering if Xfce can be configured so that a desktop right-click brings up the Whisker meenu...

 

A search here and there didn't turn up anything on doing this, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Hedon James said:

 

 The github/sourceforge(?) page for jgmenu is very comprehensive, and confusing to a layperson like me. 

I agree with you on that statement as for GitHub because in most cases there are no directions in plain English. In most cases it's a bunch of gibberish. As for Sourceforge it's not confusing like GitHub is. Be very careful on what you download and install from Sourceforge because what's posted is not check for being harmful to your computer. I know this from my own personal experience. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
4 minutes ago, saturnian said:

From the MX repo!

It came with the stock MX 19 installation including all the updates.

Edited by Mauser
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