Puzzled after reading a LXDE to LXQt article [SOLVED]

[abacus7]

The article was actually a scathing review of the new Lubuntu, saying the old Lubuntu (with LXDE) was pretty good unlike LXQt. I agreed with a lot of the points. Then came the puzzlement:

The final issue we ran into was that you can not resize maximized windows without hitting the “unmaximize” button first. E.g If you have the file manager window open and maximized, then normally on other desktops you can simply drag the title bar down and it will be automatically unmaximized and windowed for you. But this is not the case in LXQt, you have to hit the button by yourself.

That kind of window behavior sounds great. But I've never seen it in LXDE. I've looked at the LXDE and Openbox settings and see no such feature. Maybe the author was referring to other, unnamed DEs. In any case, if anyone has any pointers on how to get this behavior in LXDE, it would be much appreciated.

[drooly]

AFAIU Openbox is one of the few things that are still used on LXQt (and LXDE).
I seem to remember what you want is possible, but I cannot find it now.
I asked on the openbox mailing list.
For now, you might want to take a closer look at this: http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Actions

[abacus7]

AFAIU Openbox is one of the few things that are still used on LXQt (and LXDE).
I seem to remember what you want is possible, but I cannot find it now.
I asked on the openbox mailing list.
For now, you might want to take a closer look at this: http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Actions

Thanks for the reply. I'll take a look thru the info on the link. Certainly a lot of parameters I never saw before!

In the meantime, I'll also look out for a response from the mailing list.

[abacus7]

If you have the file manager window open and maximized, then normally on other desktops you can simply drag the title bar down and it will be automatically unmaximized and windowed for you.

All right, I figured this out, drooly, using the Help document you posted. What's missing from the above quote is that you must drag the title bar down with the middle mouse button. That appears to be a standard openbox binding. One that I never knew about.

Thanks again.

[drooly]

^ that might be an LXDE-specific setting.
Can you show me the section of rc.xml that reflects this?

[abacus7]

^ that might be an LXDE-specific setting.
Can you show me the section of rc.xml that reflects this?

I think part of the confusion is that dragging isn't necessary, and thus "drag" isn't in the rc.xml for this purpose. You simply middle-click the title bar and it unmaximizes. (I was middleclick-dragging until I realized the dragging wasn't needed.)

All three rc.xmls support unmazimizing using the middle mouse button:

(openbox) rc.xml:
<mousebind button="Middle" action="Click">
<action name="ToggleMaximize"> was
<direction>vertical</direction>
</action>
</mousebind>


lxde-rc.xml:
<mousebind button="Middle" action="Click">
<action name="ToggleMaximizeVert"/>
</mousebind>


lubuntu-rc.xml:
<mousebind button="Middle" action="Click">
<action name="ToggleMaximize">
<direction>vertical</direction>
</action>

This may not have been what was referred to in the article, but iit's similar enough for my purposes.

[drooly]

Good you found a partial solution.
However, what you want IS possible with openbox.
You CAN resize a maximised window by pressing the Alt key and simultaneaously right-clicking-dragging anywhere in the window.
This functionality is originally assigned thusly:

Code: Select all

    <mousebind button="A-Right" action="Drag">
        <action name="Resize"/>
    </mousebind>

but it can be assigned to a different action and mouse- or keybind.

PS: you can mark your thread SOLVED by clicking the appropriate button at the top.

[abacus7]

Good you found a partial solution.

Yeah, it was pretty partial. After slogging through all the XML (I hate XML ) , I kinda lost sight of what I was really looking for, which was to demaximize AND get a window to resize. The partial solution was just a straight demaximize to the panel.

However, what you want IS possible with openbox.
You CAN resize a maximised window by pressing the Alt key and simultaneaously right-clicking-dragging anywhere in the window.
This functionality is originally assigned thusly:

Code: Select all

    <mousebind button="A-Right" action="Drag">
        <action name="Resize"/>
    </mousebind>

but it can be assigned to a different action and mouse- or keybind.

Yes, thank you for that. I had run across that before and forgot about it since I don't often use keyboard shortcuts. As more of a mouse person (yeah, I know ), I tend to use the application menu on each window to resize if I'm unable to grab the lower right corner of a window.

What the reviewer was talking about sounded mouse-only:

on other desktops you can simply drag the title bar down and it will be automatically unmaximized and windowed for you.

He didn't mention having to use keyboard shortcuts so I was kinda hoping it could be a mouse-only action.

But I'll mark the issue SOLVED since as keyboard shortcuts go, Alt-Right-Drag is not bad. I could probably get used to it.

[drooly]

Yes, XML is not exactly nice to look at & work with in a plain text editor.
You need syntax highlighting! See attached screenshot.

Yes, thank you for that. I had run across that before and forgot about it since I don't often use keyboard shortcuts. As more of a mouse person (yeah, I know ), I tend to use the application menu on each window to resize if I'm unable to grab the lower right corner of a window.
(...)
I was kinda hoping it could be a mouse-only action.

What I showed you is a mousebind. It requires the Alt-key together with the right mouse button, but all this is configurable! I gave you a link to the OB wiki earlier. There's no reason you couldn't use

Code: Select all

<mousebind button="Right" action="Drag">
<action name="Resize"/>
</mousebind>

instead. That would eliminate the Alt key.
_____________

[abacus7]

Man, that is so cool! THANK YOU!!!

I didn't realize the commands worked that way...where you could just get rid of the control key (or whatever it's called) and leave the mouse part. But that certainly did the trick.

Edit: There is a side effect I'm noticing. I seem to have lost my ability to right-click for anything BUT resizing windows. I can't use the right mouse button to cut/copy/paste, open files using "Open with", etc. So, I've gained the ability to use the right mouse button to resize windows at will, but I've lost the ability to do anything else. I can't even right-click the rc.xml files to open it up in an editor .... They're opening up in the default xml editor, firefox, which gives a nice rendering but is slow as molasses on my system and can't be edited in any case. Dang.

Any suggestions? I'm not sure how to open the xml files for editing. I guess I'll have to use the command line...maybe Nano. [EDIT: Funny how a disruption in one's normal routine and all thought and reason go out the door. I just used Geany and opened the .xml files through the menu]

Then the next step will be to figure out why I lost all the other right mouse functions.

If this can be resolved, the ability to resize windows with the right mouse button will be a HUGE boost to my day-to-day productivity.