Echinus window manager, historical & recent github versions

[musher0]

Hello all.

I've encountered a freeze of Gparted under echinus, just as it's going to apply the changes to the partition. Both in Puppy 4.12 and in dpup482 beta5.

Can anybody confirm this, or is this just a case of the cobbler's son?

Same Gparted worked fine under jwm. Strange...

Sincerely,

[musher0]

Updated Nov. 5, 2013, 1 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, all you echinus fans out there!

I've made available a pet of the new version of echinus (v. 0.4.9) here:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 167#731167

It's intentionally that I've posted it in the LucidPuppy thread, since this
echinus does not work completely in wary-5.5 or wolx-5.5. In those
Puppies, the win keys are only activated if you have specified a 105-keys
keyboard, but the rest runs ok. Therefore "not completely".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edit, Nov. 8, 2013 -- Member Médor reports that he had no problem using
echinus on wolx-5.5.
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... ost#735659
I made another test on wary-5.5, which remained partially unsuccessful.
Even with a pure "pc105" keyboard-type setting, the Win keys in echinus
remained dead in PuppyWary-5.5.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But you can use the author polachok's default configuration or create
your own, substituting the Win keys for Alt+Shift, for example.

polachok's own description of the echinus configuration file can be found
at: https://github.com/polachok/echinus. Scroll down to the
"README" section. It contains some additional parameters not used here.

I'm also including here my echinuxrc file, with comments. This may help
to understand better how to use echinus with the most profit for the user,
because echinus is hard to find on the web, and echinus experiences
and/or echninus documentation files are even harder to find.

My echinusrc config call up various spm menus (aka aemenus), which are
not necessary for echinus to work properly. I'll provide these menus if
there is a request.

I also discovered one undocumented behavior, concerning bringing back
a maximized window to its previous size in floating mode.

The comments are in French and in English in the same file. Lazy me, I
didn't want to do the work twice! (Hopefully, it will also give echinus
more exposure.)

If you've also discovered some undocumented behaviors in echinus, or
generally want to share your experience of it, this is the place!

So there you go. Enjoy!

musher0

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

Code: Select all

# musher0's echinusrc file / fichier echinusrc de musher0
# # # # 2009-07-27 # # # #
# # #  Rév. : 2013-10-21 # # 
# # # # # # # # # # # # #

# Couleurs et décorations de la barre de titre et des bordures /
# Colors and décorations of the title bar and of the borders.
# fenêtre active / active window
Echinus*selected.border: #938993
# "#262626" # autre / alternative

Echinus*selected.button: #FFFFFF
# "#d3d7cf" # autre / alternative

Echinus*selected.bg: #938993
# "#B9A9A9" # "#262626" # autre / alternative

Echinus*selected.fg: #FFFFFF
# "#d3d7cf" # autre / alternative

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# fenêtres passives / passive windows
Echinus*normal.border: #000000
# "#938993" # "#B9A9A9" # "#262626" # autre / alternative

# couleur des icônes de contrôle / color of control buttons
Echinus*normal.button: #FFFFFF
# "#8B0000" # "#262626" # autre / alternative

# couleurs du fond et du texte / colors of background and foreground
Echinus*normal.bg: #262626
Echinus*normal.fg: #b0b4ac

# Épaisseur des bordures / Thickness of borders
Echinus*border: 3	 	# 1
# En / in pixels

# Icônes des boutons de contrôle / Control Button Icons
Echinus*button.left.pixmap: iconify.xbm
Echinus*button.center.pixmap: max.xbm
Echinus*button.right.pixmap: close.xbm

Echinus*sloppy: 0
# focus de la souris / mouse focus

Echinus*opacity: 0.7
# opacité / opacity

# décorations en mode pavant / decorations in tiling  mode
Echinus*decoratetiled: 1
# 1= oui / yes # 0 = non / no

Echinus*hidebastards: 0
# cacher les barres "étrangères" / hide extraneous ("foreign") bars

Echinus*titleposition: 1 	# 0
# position du titre / position of title
# 1 = gauche / left # 0 = milieu / middle

############################
# barre indiquant les bureaux / bar indicating desktops
Echinus*tagbar: 0 # 1 
# 0 = off 
# Si 0, contrôlé par ourico (suggestion) / If 0, controlled with ourico
# (la barre propre à echinus) / (echinus' own bar)

Echinus*mwfact: 0.85
# Facteur de déplacement ? / Displacement factor ?
Echinus*nmaster: 1
# ?

Echinus*font: Aerial-11
# fixed-13 # autre / alternative

Echinus*title: 17
# épaisseur de la barre de titre / thickness of title bar 
# en / in pixels

############################
# Nombre et nom des bureaux / Number and name of desks
Echinus*tags.number: 5

Echinus*tags.name0: central
# gestion / general management
Echinus*tags.name1: cli
# lignes de commandes / command line programs
Echinus*tags.name2: web
# applis Internet applications
Echinus*tags.name3: bureau
# bureautique / Office apps
Echinus*tags.name4: mus&gfx
# musique, dessin et médias / music, drawing and medias

# Echinus*tags.name5: divers
# misc
# Echinus*tags.name6: dev
# développement / development
# Echinus*tags.name7: bof 
# pour les jours de ras-le-bol ! :-) / for those "what-the-heck" days!

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
# Styles du gestionnaire / WM style
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# # Comportement par défaut / Default behaviour
Echinus*deflayout: f # i
# # flottant / floating
# # comme / like icewm et / and jwm
# # Layout applied to tag if not explicitly set by tags.layout later.
# # Type du bureau si non défini explicitement par "tags.layout" plus tard.
# # L'un des suivants / One of the following: 
# # i - ifloating / i-flottant, f - floating / flottant 
# # OU : t - tiled / en pavés,
# # Pour le comportement en mode pavés :
# #  b - bottomstack / empilés depuis le bas
# #  m - maximized / maximisé.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Echinus*tags.layout0: f
Echinus*tags.layout1: f
Echinus*tags.layout2: f
Echinus*tags.layout3: f
Echinus*tags.layout4: f
Echinus*tags.layout5: f
# Echinus*tags.layout3: b # ???
# Tous mis en mode flottant pour imiter un gest. de fen. ordinaire. /
# All put in floating mode for now, to imitate an ordinary wm.
#
# C'est plus facile de s'initier si on vient de jwm ou icewm. /
# This is easier for a newbie used to jwm or icewm.
#
# Quand on sera plus habitué, on voudra que chaque bureau ait son style.
# After gaining some experience, you'll want each desk to have its own style.

#################################### 
# Combinaisons de touches pour echinus, v. 0.33 
# Key combinations for echinus, v. 0.33
#
# Adaptation par musher0 : la touche A[lt] est remplacée par C[trl]+A[lt]
# 	Cela permet de conserver la touche A[lt] pour activer
# 	les fonctions des programmes, comme dans OpenOffice,
# 	par exemple, où A[lt]-F active le menu "fichiers".
#
# Adapted by musher0: the A[lt] key is replaced with C[trl]+A[lt]
#	This preserves the A[lt] key to activate
#  	the program functions, such as in OpenOffice,
#	where A[lt]-F activates the "files" sub-menu.
#
# Echinus*modkey: A # polachok's default
# (Voir ci-dessous.) / (See below.)
Echinus*modkey: C
# La touche Ctrl est la touche de modification principale. / 
# The C[trl] key is the main mod key.

###
# Pour enlever les barres externes / To remove strut bars
Echinus*togglestruts: CA + b

###
# Pour donner la préséance à une fenêtre / To give focus to a window
Echinus*focusnext: CA + j
# à la prochaine fenêtre / to the next window

Echinus*focusprev: CA + k
# à la fenêtre précédente / to the previous window

###
# Pour aller d'un bureau à l'autre / To go from one desk to the other
Echinus*viewprevtag: A + Tab
# Bureau précédent / Previous desk

Echinus*viewlefttag: CA + Left
# Bureau à gauche (Ctrl+Alt+flèche gauche)
# Desk to the left (Ctrl+Alt+left arrow)

Echinus*viewrighttag: CA + Right
# Bureau à droite / Desk to the right

###
# Combinaisons de touches pour fermer / Key combinations to close
Echinus*quit: CA + q
# tout / everything

Echinus*restart: CS + q = echinus
# fermer et redémarrer echinus / close and restart echinus

Echinus*killclient: CS + c
# un programme / a program

# Alternance du mode flottant et du mode pavant # Important pour les novices !
# Alternating between floating mode and tiling mode # Important for newbies!
Echinus*togglefloating: CA + space
# Echinus*iconify: A + i
#	# dans / in version 0.321
Echinus*zoom: CA + Return
# pour amener la fenêtre x dans l'espace principal du bureau, en mode "pavant" /
# to bring window x in main desk space, in tiling mode

# Pour passer d'un bureau à l'autre / To switch from one desk to the next
# Echinus*view0: CA + F1	
# Non, car active le "screen" 1,  le "login" de Puppy. On se rabat sur la touche Alt. /
# No, this activates the number 1  screen, Puppy's login. Let's be contented with the A[lt] key.
Echinus*view0: W + F1
# AW + F1
# 	Non: Laissées tel que dans l'original, parce que  / No: left as in the original, bacause
# 	cette combinaison n'est en général pas utilisée / this combination is in general not used
# 	par les logiciels.                                                    / by programs.
Echinus*view1: W + F2
Echinus*view2: W + F3
Echinus*view3: W + F4
Echinus*view4: W + F5 
# Echinus*view5: W + F6 
# Echinus*view5: W + F7
# Add as many as there are desks. / Ajouter selon le nombre de bureaux.

# Envoyer une fenêtre dans le bureau x / Send a window in desk x
Echinus*tag0: AS + 1
Echinus*tag1: AS + 2
Echinus*tag2: AS + 3
Echinus*tag3: AS + 4
Echinus*tag4: AS + 5
# Echinus*tag5: AS + 6
# Echinus*tag5: AS + 7 
# Same comment as above. / Même remarque que ci-dessus.

Echinus*toggleview4: A + F4
Echinus*focusview6: A + s
# Fait quoi ? / What does this do?

# Diverses mises en place des fenêtres en mode pavant / 
# Various window layouts in tiling mode
# # One of / L'un de : 
# i - ifloating, f - floating, t - tiled, b - bottomstack, m - maximized.
# (Voir ci-dessus. / See above.) 
Echinus*setlayoutm: CA + m
Echinus*setlayoutf: CA + f
Echinus*setlayouti: CA + i
Echinus*setlayoutt: CA + r
Echinus*setlayoutb: CA + w

# Pour augmenter ou diminuer la largeur de la bande de droite, en mode pavé. /
# To enlarge or reduce the width of the windows at the right, in tiling mode.
Echinus*moveright: CA + d = 5
Echinus*moveleft: CA + a = -5
Echinus*moveup: CA + w = 0 -5
Echinus*movedown: CA + s = 0 5
Echinus*resizedecx: AS + a = 0 0 -5 0
Echinus*resizedecy: AS + s = 0 0 0 -5
Echinus*resizeincx: AS + d = 0 0 5 0
Echinus*resizeincy: AS + w = 0 0 0 5

# Important
# En mode flottant, pour réduire une fenêtre maximisée à sa taille antérieure :
# Ctrl + clic gauche sur le côté gauche ou droit de la fenêtre (Non documenté)
# 
# In floating mode, to reduce a maximized window to its previous size:
# Ctrl + left-click on either the left or right side of the window (non documented)
#
# Pour ouvrir un menu, une console ou un programme : /
# To open a menu, a console or a program:
# 
# Ci-dessous, tous des "aemenus" avec touche Win (gauche ou droite) /
# All the menus below are "aemenus" called with the left or right Win key.
#
# Les touches Win sont déjà activées dans les LucidPuppy. Problématiques dans 
# les wary. / Win keys are already activated in the LucidPuppies. They are a bit
# of a problem in the wary's. 
#
Echinus*spawn0: W + a = /root/.pekwm/spm2-w12n -m
# 	menu des programmes # aragon's simple Puppy menu

Echinus*spawn1: W + q = /root/my-applications/ae/Sorties.sh
# 	menu de sortie / to quit

Echinus*spawn2: W + z = /root/my-applications/ae/disques-aragon-mod.sh
# 	menu des disques / disks (partitions) menu

Echinus*spawn3: W + s = /root/my-applications/ae/GE.sh
# 	menu de contrôle du bureau / screen control menu

Echinus*spawn4: W + w = /root/my-applications/ae/menu-roxpanel.sh
# 	menu général / meta-menu

Echinus*spawn5: W + x = /root/my-applications/ae/boussole.sh
# 	boussole / compass

Echinus*spawn6: W + b = a-droite.sh
# ROX panel at the right / panneau ROX à droite
###
# Pour augmenter ou réduire la largeur du petit pavé à droite /
# To enlarge or reduce the width of the smaller tiled programs at the right
Echinus*decmwfact: CA + h = -0.05
Echinus*incmwfact: CA + l = +0.05 
# Si le petit pavé est en bas / If the smaller tiled programs are at the bottom.
Echinus*decnmaster: AS + j = -1
Echinus*incnmaster: AS + k = +1

###
# Changer la ligne qui suit pour appeler un aemenu au lieu de la console. /
# Change the following line to call an aemenu instead of the terminal.
Echinus*command: console-hdr.sh
# (Une console urxvt personalisée / A customized urxvt console.)
# Ou / or "xterm". Ou / or "spm" (Simple Puppy Menu).
# Echinus*terminal: xterm # Obsolète. Remplacé par Echinus*command.

###
# Règles pour que tel programme s'affiche lance dans tel bureau /
# Rules to get a certain program to display in a certain desk.
#
Echinus*rule0: Firefox.* web 0 1
Echinus*rule1: opera web 0 1
# Signifie qu'opera se lancera dans le bureau "web" /
# Means that opera will launch in the "web" desk.
Echinus*rule2: Icecat.* web 0 1
Echinus*rule3: gmplayer.* mus 1 1
Echinus*rule4: mtpaint.* mus 1 1
Echinus*rule5: DOSBox.* cli 1 1
Echinus*rule6: Abiword.* *bur 1 1
Echinus*rule7: Soffice.* *bur 1 1
Echinus*rule8: Notecase.* *bur 1 1
Echinus*rule9: dir-mus.sh mus 1 1
#
# Also can apply with programs running under wine: /
# Peut aussi s'appliquer à des programmes tourninant sous wine.
# Par ex.: / For ex.: 
# Echinus*rule5: screamer039b-XP.* mus 1 1 
# Echinus*rule6: nPOPuk.exe misc 1 1
# Echinus*rule7: realplay.* mus 1 1
# 
## 30 ##

[musher0]

As a footnote, here's a screenshot of what you can do with the new echinus-0.4.9:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... ost#731168
and more specifically:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... h&id=71259

[musher0]

Hello, all.

I've edited my suggested echinusrc file today. Please see two posts up.
Thanks for your understanding and have a great day!

musher0

[musher0]

Hello all.

Please find attached an updated echinus from its github echinus-master
zip file. I downloaded and compiled it on Dec. 10, 2015, hence the name.

I didn't publish it immediately because I wanted to test it beforehand.
I've been using it for six days now and it works great. I also tested the
echinus-"abs" fork, but it behaved weirdly when moving windows in
floating mode, so I decided against this "abs" fork.

If you type

Code: Select all

echinus -v

in a terminal, you will see that the version number was left at "version
0.4.9, 2011". However the github page shows that developer Alexander
Polachok edited some of echinus' components closer to today's date.

The pet file of this echinus-master-2015-12-10 contains the companion
ourico taskbar and an ourico startup script. It also contains a ready-made
stalonetray configuration, specially designed to "clip" itself to the right
side of the ourico bar on top of the screen (please see capture). However
stalonetray itself is not included in this package. You may want to get it
from here.

When you do, please be careful not to squish the "specially designed"
config file.

Finally, I've included an echinusrc file that, on right click, calls a package
I authored recently, called CatApps. (See the echinus*command line in
the "specially designed" echinus config file.)

CatApps is a "menu and launch base" based on less; it offers

• 1) a complete menu (similar in function to icewm or jwm menus),
  2) the default apps menu typical of Puppy',
  3) a list of +/- 40 directories to go to,
  4) a memo list of dirs and URLs, and
  5) a generic echinus config file to use as refence or "how-to".

The latter shows only when using CatApps with echinus. (Because you
can use CatApps as a companion utility with any window manager.)

The URL for the most recent CatApps script is here. Two more screenshots
of CatApps operating as a companion script to echinus can also be
viewed here.

If you don't like CatApps to show up on right-click, the original echinus
config file and the config from aragon's earlier compilation of echinus
are also included.

Any and all constructive questions and comments are welcome. Enjoy!

musher0

~~~~~~~~~
P.S. Anyone who'd know where the source code for ourico is now
deposited, please ring in? I looked all over the place (I think) and the
ourico source code seems to have gone to never-never land. (Luckily,
we had copies of the executable in *.pet packages on this forum.)
Thanks in advance.

[Keef]

Musher0

Is this what you want?

(link is near bottom of page)

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/ourico/

Compiles without error on Slacko.

[musher0]

Thanks, keef.
It would indeed be what I want if the site didn't give me the 404 error!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edit, June 21, 2016. Just downloaded it. The URL's worked ok today.

[Keef]

Strange, it is still working for me.
Here is the file anyway.

[musher0]

Wonderful! Many thanks, Keef!

[musher0]

Hello, all.

I've discovered a bug related to echinus' configuration file echinusrc.

The "Echinus*normal.button" cannot be the same color as the
"Echinus*normal.bg", or echinus won't start.

They have to be of different colors. This is ok, echinus will boot:

Echinus*normal.button: #000000
Echinus*normal.bg: #A5BAD3

But echinus won't boot with these config lines:

Echinus*normal.button: #A5BAD3
Echinus*normal.bg: #A5BAD3

or these

Echinus*normal.button: #000000
Echinus*normal.bg: #000000

I have not tested it, but I assume that the problem would be the same if
Echinus*selected.button and Echinus*selected.bg had the same color.

BFN.

[musher0]

Add'l screenie of echinus here!

[musher0]

Hello all.

Here's another thing that's possible with the echinus wm: maximize the
Xclock, "a la mandriva", i.e. like the now defunct Mandriva distro used to
have. (Focus the Xclock with your cursor, then hit Ctrl-Alt-m.) You can use
this as a quick screen lock -- or even as an actual room clock if you're not
working on your computer.

The script for the Xclock is attached. As to the actual full screen effect,
however, it can only be achieved through the echinus wm.

Got it? Get it!

BFN.

[musher0]

Hello again, people.

This is a compilation of the ourico-0.1.7 taskbar, whose source was so
kindly relayed by Keef. (Please see his post above.) This version includes
a digital clock at the right end of the bar.

The ourico version provided in my echinus package is version 0.1.6,
which does NOT have this digital clock. Both versions seem to honor the
same .ouricorc config file, so the choice is up to you. You can stay with
the ourico-0.1.6 included in the echinus package or use this one.

Please note, however, that AFAICT, the digital clock in attached version
0.1.7 (please see below) does NOT appear to be themable. It stays with
a greyish foreground on a darkish background. If you find a way to
theme that clock, it would be great, though.

Just to keep things clear, the digital clock on the ourico-0.1.7
taskbar has nothing to do with the XClock analog clock illustrated above.

BFN
~~~~~~~~~~~
PS. That means I'm still without the actual source code for ourico-0.1.6...
Thanks in advance for posting a copy here if you see it somewhere.

[musher0]

Hello again, people.

Here is ourico-0.1.6 with a twist: it has a nice little conky clock, which is
much more configurable than the digital clock provided by ourico-0.1.7.
(See attached.)

BFN.

[musher0]

A different take, using the bmpanel2 taskbar and its "transpy" theme.

Here we have gotten rid of ourico, stalonetray and the little conky clock.
Those functions and infos are now all provided by the bmpanel2 bar.

[musher0]

Under echinus, a wide screen provides lots of room for multiple programs.

[Pelo]

pet downloaded for test (after pause and sieste, a nice nap). It should not become a duty, Puppy is 'for amusement only'.

[musher0]

Hello all.

Please find attached :
-- almost 50 themes for the echinus window manager
-- a "ChooseTheme" script. This script tries to harmonize the colors
between your chosen echinus theme and its ourico task bar (if you have
installed the optional ourico task bar)
-- a screen capture
-- some partial snapshots of various themes.

To use:
-- open a console in /root/.echinus and type < ./ChooseTheme.sh >
OR
-- open the dir. in ROX and click on < ChooseTheme.sh >

-- then, follow the prompts.

Some checking of your type is provided by the script. The script also tries
to provide suggestions if you have typed something not too far away
from what's listed. (There is no file name completion because I thought it
would be overkill for such a small utility. Just pay attention to what you
type, and everything should go ok.)

-- once you have chosen a valid theme, the screen blanks (in other
words, X recycles) while the echinus WM restarts with your new chosen
theme.

I believe I have tested this script thoroughly. However, would you be so
kind as to report any weird behavior at your end. TIA.

Finally, if you want to let your imagination run loose and write a couple of
echinus themes, please do! There is a template in the folder: figure it out
(it's not difficult) and you're ready to go. You could then contribute your
themes below.

Enjoy! BFN.

[musher0]

I have just edited the above post, to include a few samples of themes, and
the first post, to direct interested users to the theme choosing script above.

BFN.

[musher0]

Hello, echinus fans!

Here are fresh grinds of the theme choosing script and its wrapper:
-- it displays the last or current theme after the list, so you won't be
wondering which theme is the current one anymore;

-- the urxvt window has a proper title -- centered (hehe)

-- the geometry is a bit more logical (IMO).

Note: if you are creating your own themes, try to keep their name at 12
chars. It's in the script, the commented < wc -L >line. Otherwise, the
listing on screen can be seriously out of sync.


and a couple of new themes:
-- I thought echinus needed a couple of nice grey themes, hence new
themes "Granite-01" and "Granite-02". I think these will fit nicely on top
of city scenes, but also "river on a rainy day" or "steep stony cliffs"-type
backgrounds. You be the judge!

I'm not providing screen captures. It's so simple, just run it and see!

TWYL.