HIde parts of a ROX panel using conky config. files

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musher0
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Joined: Mon 05 Jan 2009, 00:54
Location: Gatineau (Qc), Canada

HIde parts of a ROX panel using conky config. files

#1 Post by musher0 »

Note to Flash:
I thought this was an "expert", not for newbies, topic, which is why I put it in this section.
If you think this thread should go elsewhere, please move it where it should belong.

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Hello all.

Please find attached some conky configuration files that will hide parts of a ROX panel.

-- the very top of a ROX panel located on the left-hand side of your screen, using an
horizontal conky configuration.

-- the top left, vertically, to about the middle

-- the bottom left, again, vertically, to about the middle

-- one for the bottom of a ROX panel, horizontal.

All these conky config files play with dots and spaces in the TEXT part, to achieve the
desired hidden size.

You can color the font to match the color of the background in that area.

The top part of these config files should remain unchanged, since that is how the
transparency is defined / obtained.

You can adapt them to top panel, right panel, bottom panel.

Also you will need the qiv or feh picture utility to load a copy of the PuppyPin backdrop
image from /root/.initrc for this effect to work. (Search the forum for qiv and / or feh.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who do not know, you can display a panel -- and populate it with any
icon you like -- on any side of your monitor, using the following commands:

Code: Select all

rox -l any-name ### at the left
rox -r any-name ### at the right
rox -t any-name ### at the top
rox -b any-name ### at the bottom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can test the attached conky configuration files by opening a terminal in /root
and then typing, e.g.

Code: Select all

rox -l left-test ## This shows a vertical ROX panel on the left.
conky -q -c name-of-config-file.conf
Hit Cntrl-C when finished to remove the conky bar.
You remove a ROX panel by right-clicking anywhere on it, then you click on
< panel options >, then click on < close >.

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Why I came up with these config files

I was looking for a replacement of the ROX panel, but couldn't find one that I liked or did
what I needed it to do. I eventually chanced on this solution.

The ROX panel is an old concept, but it still has advantages over plank and similar icon
bars:

-- the ROX panel icons do not "breathe", I mean they do not inflate to ridiculous sizes
when your cursor touches them, and then burst like the frog in Aesop's fable!

-- you can use nice gradients to color its background, or plain colors, or a cut-out of
your background picture, via the .gtkrc.mine file in /root; (attached)

-- you can finely control the distance between program icons,plus you can group them
according to a certain logic using transparent icons of different sizes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An illustration is attached.

I use conky-1.9.1 with these config. files. With later versions, you're on your own.

If you have questions about this effect, ask them below? I'll do my best to answer them.

BFN.
Attachments
.gtkrc.mine.zip
Illustrates how to specify a color or a png image either for the ROX window or for the ROX panel.
(1.53 KiB) Downloaded 129 times
conky-hides-ROXpanel.zip
(4.23 KiB) Downloaded 122 times
conky-hiding-parts-of-ROX-panel.jpg
(24.94 KiB) Downloaded 206 times
musher0
~~~~~~~~~~
"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

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