[Solved] Easiest way to add items to IceWM toolbar and menu?

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-18 04:36

I am using the Fluxbox-Rox combination

I can see config filesfor both menu amd toolbar in antiX Control Center under both"Edit Fluxbox Settings" and"EditIceWM Settings", which is confusing by itself, but the the entries in files are not too obvious, and I have not found a place that describes how to work with them.

Thanks, Nick

anticapitalista · posted: 2011-10-18 12:08

Not sure what you mean here, Nick.

SamK · posted: 2011-10-18 12:25

gurfle wrote:...the entries in files are not too obvious, and I have not found a place that describes how to work with them.

I'll take a guess...If you are asking for the form of the entries perhaps section 4.3 of this page might help:

========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
url was:"http://www.icewm.org/FAQ/IceWM-FAQ-4.html"
linktext was:"http://www.icewm.org/FAQ/IceWM-FAQ-4.html"
====================================

The entries in the toolbar file starting with # are commented. Remove the # from say the Streamtuner entry in the quick launch button section, save the file and restart IceWM and a button will appear.

dolphin_oracle · posted: 2011-10-18 14:20

Here's a link for editing the menu in fluxbox. Its not hard once you understand the syntax of the text file.

========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
url was:"http://fluxbox-wiki.org/index.php?title=Editing_the_menu"
linktext was:"http://fluxbox-wiki.org/index.php?title ... g_the_menu"
====================================

The reason there are menu entries in both the icewm-settings and fluxbox-settings buttons for the control centre is because both icewm and fluxbox have menus, and they are not cross-compatible, so there are two files.

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-19 01:56

Thanks, all. Just the simple references to key fodlers and files was all it took. Thanks anti, too, for pointing me to how to ungarble a startup config file problem.

One serious problem, though re. the Applicatins sub-menu: After I go and edit these lines in ~/.icewm/application

prog"Root Terminal""/usr/share/icons/Buuf-Deuce/128x128/apps/gksu-root-terminal.png" gksu /usr/bin/x-terminal-emulator
prog"ROXTerm""/usr/share/pixmaps/roxterm.xpm" roxterm

to the following

prog"Root Terminal""/usr/share/icons/Buuf-Deuce/128x128/apps/gksu-root-terminal.png" gksu"/usr/bin/x-terminal-emulator --geometry +0+0"
prog"ROXTerm""/usr/share/pixmaps/roxterm.xpm" roxterm --geometry +0+0

I get the change to work (always opening terminals in upper left corner of screen) for the current session. However . . . as soon as I log out and back in, the change wiped out. The file ~/.icewm/application gets recreated everytime IceWM restarts.

Would the fact that /usr/local/bin/auto-icewm-menu.sh or /usr/local/bin/icewm-xdg-menu appear to get run have anything to do with this? I can't quite follow what's going on here.

Thanks for your help, |\|

SamK · posted: 2011-10-19 19:09

gurfle wrote:One serious problem, though re. the Applicatins sub-menu: After I go and edit these lines in ~/.icewm/application

prog"Root Terminal""/usr/share/icons/Buuf-Deuce/128x128/apps/gksu-root-terminal.png" gksu /usr/bin/x-terminal-emulator
prog"ROXTerm""/usr/share/pixmaps/roxterm.xpm" roxterm

to the following

prog"Root Terminal""/usr/share/icons/Buuf-Deuce/128x128/apps/gksu-root-terminal.png" gksu"/usr/bin/x-terminal-emulator --geometry +0+0"
prog"ROXTerm""/usr/share/pixmaps/roxterm.xpm" roxterm --geometry +0+0

I get the change to work (always opening terminals in upper left corner of screen) for the current session. However . . . as soon as I log out and back in, the change wiped out. The file ~/.icewm/application gets recreated everytime IceWM restarts.

Would the fact that /usr/local/bin/auto-icewm-menu.sh or /usr/local/bin/icewm-xdg-menu appear to get run have anything to do with this? I can't quite follow what's going on here.|\|

Not sure if this is the"approved" antiX way, but I deal with matters like this by editing the underlying program_name.desktop file.

Perhaps you might try something like this as root:
Edit /usr/share/applications/roxterm.desktop
Add your additional settings to the end of the lines"TryExec=roxterm" and"Exec=roxterm"
Save the file

To test:
Menu->Desktop->IceWM->Update Menu (Auto)
Then open a roxterm using the menu entry

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-20 03:51

Thanks for the suggestion, @SamK. After adding the options as you suggest, and running auto-icewm-menu.sh (which is all that"Menu->Desktop->IceWM->Update Menu (Auto)" really is) as you suggest, the roxterm menu item goes away __{{emoticon}}__

Also, I was really looking for a more generally applicable approach that would allow me to add arbitrary new items to the menu.

Whatever auto-icewm-menu.sh and /usr/local/bin/icewm-xdg-menu do, is by no means clear.

There has to be something a little more intuitive and easier to use.

SamK · posted: 2011-10-20 06:45

gurfle wrote:After adding the options as you suggest, and running auto-icewm-menu.sh (which is all that"Menu->Desktop->IceWM->Update Menu (Auto)" really is) as you suggest, the roxterm menu item goes away __{{emoticon}}__

This is different to the behaviour seen here. A single entry (rather than a double) was used in roxterm.desktop as follows:

Code: Select all

...
TryExec=roxterm
Exec=roxterm --geometry +0+0
Icon=roxterm
Type=Application
Categories=GTK;Utility;TerminalEmulator;

This survives the IceWM update and also a reboot.

gurfle wrote:Also, I was really looking for a more generally applicable approach that would allow me to add arbitrary new items to the menu.

Try adding the wanted items outside the applications section. For example add them directly to ~/.icewm/menu. This method is also used here and is unaffected by an update/reboot.

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-20 14:40

SamK wrote:
Code: Select all
...
TryExec=roxterm
Exec=roxterm --geometry +0+0
Icon=roxterm
Type=Application
Categories=GTK;Utility;TerminalEmulator;
This survives the IceWM update and also a reboot.

I see you only put the geometry option on the"EXEC" line, not the"TryExec" line, as I did following your previous post. I can't check now to see if that makes a difference, since . . .

I am not at the machine at the moment, but when I return in about 12 hours, I can and if it still fails then, I will post a full list of packages installed on the off chance that someone can spot some messed up combination. In the meantime, @SamK, are you using AntiX M-11 as I am? I installed it from a liveCD downloaded mid August, but then of course a bunch of other things I needed have involved getting stuff at various times from the moving target Debian Testing and that makes me a little nervous . . .

The behaviour for me is that the edits (on both lines, anyway) to /usr/share/applications/roxterm.desktop stick there, but cause ~/.icewm/application to get reconstructed without the (non-root) Roxterm entry.

SamK wrote:Try adding the wanted items outside the applications section. For example add them directly to ~/.icewm/menu. This method is also used here and is unaffected by an update/reboot.

Can one add customized submenus in a manner similar to the premade"application" one (except that they don't succumb to uncontrolled modifications)?

Thanks, Nick

anticapitalista · posted: 2011-10-20 14:57

Customized submenus need to be made to the menu file in ~/icewm (or fluxbox). The applications file gets updated everytime you login, reboot, restart the 'desktop' or update the menu. This was requested so any newly installed applications would show up, rather then user having to add entries manuallt.
Also, antiX applications menu is based on lxde menu (the original Debian menu was seen to be too cluttered), so if a newly installed app doesn't have a .desktop file then it will not appear in the menu.

SamK · posted: 2011-10-20 15:14

gurfle wrote:...are you using AntiX M-11 as I am?

Yes.

gurfle wrote:Can one add customized submenus

Yes, see the link in post #3 and have a look at the entries already in ~/.icewm/menu for the way in which they are stuctured.

gurfle wrote:in a manner similar to the premade"application" one...

...(except that they don't succumb to uncontrolled modifications)?

Not sure what you mean by either of these.

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-21 04:36

SamK wrote:
gurfle wrote:in a manner similar to the premade"application" one...

...(except that they don't succumb to uncontrolled modifications)?
Not sure what you mean by either of these.

Well, the answer to my question, and the problem posed in the thread is YES:

I renamed the constantly - by some mysterious process - recreated"application" menu file to something like"Applications", made the changes to Roxterm options or anything else there, and then referenced this file, instead of the"application" file, from the"menu" file. All changes stick now after running the menu update script.

Thanks for keeping the discussion going on this. It's been an intersting learning experience, which I can now put to good use in configuring my system. __{{emoticon}}__

Nick

P.S. If anyone can explain what the point of the constant rebuilding of the"application" menu file is, and how to get control of the process in a reasonably simple manner, I would certainly appreciate hearing it.

SamK · posted: 2011-10-21 10:50

gurfle wrote:P.S. If anyone can explain what the point of the constant rebuilding of the"application" menu file is...

In addition to the previous explanation provided by anticapitalista, I would offer the following which is superficial, unresearched, and based entirely on supposition.

IceWM and Fluxbox probably adhere to different standards. In such a case, a translation mechanism will be required in order for the menu to be displayed. Add to this the previously described desire for new apps to be added to the menu in a (semi) automated manner and a potential explanation of the two files you mentioned begins to emerge.

The"mysterious process" is a result of design, based on a desire for antiX to offer choice and convenience.

Of course someone who was around when the decisions were made might offer a different explanation.

gurfle · posted: 2011-10-21 15:02

SamK wrote:In addition to the previous explanation provided by anticapitalista, I would offer the following which is superficial, unresearched, and based entirely on supposition.

Thanks for so patiently sharing this. Suppositions are always interesting too! I was so focused on getting a working solution, that I only saw your last couple of posts and missed anti's preceding one __{{emoticon}}__ . Together they are very helpful. The motivations both of you give make perfect sense, and give me added confidence in AntiX __{{emoticon}}__

musetto · posted: 2015-02-19 09:27

Thank you very much to everybody.

This thread saved my day!