Desktop shortcuts in OpenBox

[renewit]

Hi folks!

How can I place icons on the desktop? Is that even possible? I've tried everything but I haven't managed to do it.


Thanks in advance, renewit

[Yankee]

Hi,

If you clone a desktop configuration file and keep it in
/home/user/desktop that should be successful.

I have 2 folders, Desktop and Desktop-Inactive.   Only
the ones in "Desktop" will show on the desktop.   Or
copy one from usr/share/applications to the Desktop
directory there.

Merry Christmas !

[melodie]

Hi,

It also depends upon if you use or not pcmanfm to manage the destkop. Look into the file /home/you/.config/autostart.sh : it should show there.

If you don't use pcmanfm to manage the desktop, and don't want to use if for this purpose, then you may need to install and configure idesk (not as easy, the program is old and does not have a recent replacement).

[Yankee]

Hi Melodie,

Seems that whatever I use I always hit the PCManFM icon
on the desktop first.   Good old "My Documents".

FF

[melodie]

Hi Melodie,

Seems that whatever I use I always hit the PCManFM icon
on the desktop first.   Good old "My Documents".

FF

Hi,
If you use feh only to provide a background, and not pcmafm, there is not desktop icon... unless you configure them with idesk.

[Yankee]

If you use feh only to provide a background, and not pcmafm, there is not desktop icon... unless you configure them with idesk.

Melodie,

My OpenBox-Bonsai is fairly well closed, not completely.   As a matter of fact I'm going
to put it in archive on a DVD with a Gnome I did, and also hoping the
HTML5 on Firefox doesn't become obsolete.   I'll  put them static on a
super desktop eventually.   

Experimenting with feh or idesk, no way today.  They're probably
deprecated or not currently supported, like IceWM or Catfish, unlike our current
OpenBox, currently supported standard stuff is, PCManFM included.
And I don't have the technical know-how to go ahead on these.

So I copy some files from usr/share/applications to /home/usr/desktop
and you'll have a Windows 7 look-alike desktop in no time  as this thread
originator requested. 

Just don't have the manpower I guess.

Merry Christmas !

[melodie]

Thank you very much ! Merry Christmas too !

[abetteruser]

hello

I don't know wheter someone is already aware of it but, as I read on the arch wiki openbox doest not support natively desktop icons, but as others have already stated, they may be provided by some file manager.
Besided the already mentioned iDesk (http://idesk.sourceforge.net/html/index.html), also ROX would be a fine alternative (http://roscidus.com/desktop/) to do the job.

don't know about rox beng avaiable in the pclos repos. I wish so.

And, finally, merry 2011 christmas and happy new 2012

 

[melodie]

Hi,

I configured a few icons with Idesk in this remaster. You double-click the icons : it works !

(I had to start idesk in console to seek the errors and see what was needed to get to the target, and also read the readme and edit some of the .idesktop files to succeed... )

PS: Ferdes Fides, idesk is old and not updated but feh is active, see here: http://feh.finalrewind.org/

[Yankee]

PS: Ferdes Fides, idesk is old and not updated but feh is active, see here: http://feh.finalrewind.org/

Hi Melodie,

Have stopped PCManFM from desktop duties...using Thunar again also, very nice.
Using feh to put a wallpaper up.  OK.

I think the only trick with iDesk is setting up a iDesk directory in /home/usr, then the
icon's file's should be read and work on the desktop, need a little more time to do that.
I see what you are driving at.

Could be a more pure OpenBox configuration.    One question.   If I don't use feh,
where can I change the OpenBox configuration to display an all black screen as
opposed to the default grey screen without feh, without PCManFM ?    Just can't find it.

THX.

Patrick

[melodie]

I think the only trick with iDesk is setting up a iDesk directory in /home/usr, then the
icon's file's should be read and work on the desktop, need a little more time to do that.
I see what you are driving at.

Hi Ferdes Fides,

It does not work like that. Once idesk is installed and you start it (from autostart.sh or from console) a directory .idesktop is created in the home of the user. You will then need to visit it, copy "dot.ideskrc" to your home as ".ideskrc". Then stop idesk (with a killall) and start it without a &, from console : $ idesk

and look at the message errors. It is these messages which helped me figure out how to configure the thing. Also read the README, and don't fear to do tries and tests.

If you get the above said remaster (not very large), you will see directly inside what it looks like.

Merry Christmas !
Mélodie

[Yankee]

It does not work like that. Once idesk is installed and you start it (from autostart.sh or from console) a directory .idesktop is created in the home of the user. You will then need to visit it, copy "dot.ideskrc" to your home as ".ideskrc". Then stop idesk (with a killall) and start it without a &, from console : $ idesk

I could have sworn it said to just put the icon files into the .idesktop directory in /home/usr
to read from and they would work automatically.   No problem, I'll see, it will work. 

[melodie]

The files idesk reads from (in $HOME/.idesktop) are files ending with ".lnk" and have a syntax different from the ones used in desktop files (the ones in /usr/share/applications). I suppose it probably came before the freedesktop.org specifications.

So using the model of the files already installed, you will probably be able to create your own icon files : but you can't copy directly the ones from the system... unless I mistake (I didn't give it a try, so I can't be sure).

[melodie]

One question.   If I don't use feh,
where can I change the OpenBox configuration to display an all black screen as
opposed to the default grey screen without feh, without PCManFM ?    Just can't find it.

THX.

Patrick

There is no such thing as a grey default background. It is the root window, end of line. But you might want to give Hootie's wallpaper a try... XD

If you don't want a grey background you need to have something above the root window. (If you don't use feh, you could use pcmanfm to define a color above the root window, or... what is this other program ? I don't remember for now).

[Yankee]

The files idesk reads from (in $HOME/.idesktop) are files ending with ".lnk"

Yes, *.ink files.   Should work perfectly the way I'm reading it then.
I've got 2 or 3 things I would like to try tonight.

Merry Christmas !!!!!