setting window frame width

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luxy
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:04 am

setting window frame width

Post by luxy »

Hi, I really like working with LXDE but the one thing that is a constant problem is the window border width which is way too small to catch with the precision of a touchpad on a laptop. ( It's fine on my desktop system with a real mouse ).

I can't find any way in the various GUI tools to alter this.

Could someone tell me where this is if I'm over looking it or how this can be set from a config file or something.

It only seems to be one pixel wide and it often takes 15-20 seconds to hit it by rolling around on a touchpad and trying to move for long enough to press a "mouse" button and drag to resize a window. This is a real killer for productivity and very frustrating.

Please send help ;)
seppalta
Posts: 449
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 6:09 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: setting window frame width

Post by seppalta »

Change the "border.Width" number in the ".themerc" for the window theme you are using. To find what theme you are using, open ~/.config/rc.xml and look in the "theme" section, which should be near the top. Your theme name should be between the tags <name></name>.

Theme documents are probably in ~/.themes. Find ".themerc" file in the file for your theme. If your theme is not in ~/.themes, then it will be in /usr/share/themes, in which case you will have to do the editing as root.
luxy
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:04 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by luxy »

belated thanks, I've just had time to look at this.

I don't find the rc.xml file you indicated. In ~/.config/xfce4/mcs_settings/xfwm4.xml , I find

<option name="Xfwm/ThemeName" type="string" value="Default"/>

Right, not much help. From the GUI I worked out I was useing Clearlooks.

I find border.width=1 in /usr/share/themes/Clearlooks/open*/themerc , that looks like the one.

Bit crazy that this is not configurable from the GUI tool.

Presumably that is going to disappear next time I do an update. Is there a way to make the user dependent and persistent?

Many thanks.
drooly
Posts: 791
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:45 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by drooly »

luxy wrote:Presumably that is going to disappear next time I do an update. Is there a way to make the user dependent and persistent?
create a folder in $HOME/.local/share/themes.
copy the whole theme in question over there, so it looks like this:
$HOME/.local/share/themes/Clearlooks/open*/themerc
that one won't be overwritten by updates.
btw, it might be better to rename it
$HOME/.local/share/themes/Clearlooks-mine
for distinction.
if you copied over index.theme, you have to edit that also.

and don't complain to me about missing GUIs; plain text file editing is the way!
seppalta
Posts: 449
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 6:09 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: setting window frame width

Post by seppalta »

Sorry, I got sloppy. User rc.xml file is in ~/.config/openbox. There are literally hundreds of themes available for openbox. See http://lxlinux.com/themes.html. Themes are quite easy to install. You could search for one that comes with a fat border width and suits you as well, otherwise. I don't know if changes in themrc are changed back with updates. My guess is they are not. Try an update to test it.
luxy
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:04 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by luxy »

I will look at the other themes. I don't usually get too interested in stuff like theme tweeking but having a usable border is not something that can be written off as eye-candy.

I tend to work from command line but it seemed odd that there exists a "look and feel" GUI tool which includes a tab entitled "window border" which does not allow you to set the window border ;?

thanks for the help.
drooly
Posts: 791
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:45 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by drooly »

luxy wrote:it seemed odd that there exists a "look and feel" GUI tool which includes a tab entitled "window border" which does not allow you to set the window border ;?
it allows you to set the theme of the window decorations; but it is the theme itself that defines the width of the border.
that's how it is.
themes can be changed with a gui, but edited by hand.
luxy
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:04 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by luxy »

In the "look and fell" GUI, there is a tab "window border" which itself has a tabbed pane one tab of which is the theme , the others called Title bar and Misc allow you to set just about every detail EXCEPT the window border.

That's how it is.
drooly
Posts: 791
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:45 am

Re: setting window frame width

Post by drooly »

i know exactly what you're talking about.
the choice of words might be unfortunate here, but it does not change what i wrote before.
just replace "window border" with "window decoration theme" in your mind.

and to actually change the border width, edit the themerc.
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