GTKRC (themes)

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Description:	Well, I think there are a lot of new themers who have trouble understanding gtkrc and think that the widget factory is some magical app that once you have that installed and you know how to use it theming becomes very easy. So this group I thought I'd start because I know there are a lot of experienced themers here with a lot of knowledge and a lot of new themers which have a lot of questions. This would be the place to discuss possible bugs and fixes and ideas and such. I think we need a place like this because: "No problem should ever have to be solved twice." Join if you have any knowledge in gtkrc or are interested in starting making themes and contributing to this site! Useful links: Object hierarchy (very useful for figuring out how to assign different classes and widgets and for figuring out why things got messed up during your last edit): http://library.gnome.org/devel/gtk/stable/ch01.html Nice set of useful links on a number of topic: http://live.gnome.org/GnomeArt/Tutorials/UsefulLinks Well linked theming tutorial: http://live.gnome.org/GnomeArt/Tutorials/GtkThemes Yet another guide to theming: http://orford.org/gtk/ Another great set of links (some to the ones above, but there are more): http://www.gtk.org/documentation.html You can spend a lot of time clicking around live.gnome.org's stuff and get a lot of really useful information. http://library.gnome.org/devel/gtk/unstable/
Members:	74
Comments:	261

Created:	Apr 17 2008
Changed:	Apr 24 2008
Readability:	readable for everybody
Membership:	everybody can join

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GIMP & theme testing

by twrock on: May 10 2008

Score 50%

Just thought I'd throw this out there and see what others' experience is.

I've found myself mainly using four pieces of software to test my themes: TheWidgetFactory (obviously), Rhythmbox (just to see all of those window panes, column headers, toolbars, scrollbars, etc. in one place together), OOo's Writer (the options menus can get really weird if you aren't careful with your pixmaps), and GIMP. GIMP is the program I use to create/edit graphics, but I also make a point of noticing how my theme interacts with the different on screen components of GIMP, particularly the dialogs side window.

Now here a question to see if anyone else has ever run into this. I have seen the two different open windows in GIMP apparently displaying two different widgets for what I thought should have been the same widget. So for example, if you haven't changed the default GIMP installation, GIMP opens with two windows, the one on the left being the main window and the one on the right being the "dialogs" window. During testing of a theme, I've seen different widgets in those two windows for what should have been the same widget. Has anyone else seen this? Is it just a temporary condition that would change if I had restarted GIMP or GNOME? Or is there something different going on with GIMP?

Re: GIMP & theme tes

by code933k on: May 10 2008

Score 50%

code933k
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I don't work under the WIMP model (aka. desktop: root-window icons, click, drag and drop oversimplified menus, overlapping windows, extra interprocess APIs, "virtual" FSs, caos, resource draining and what not..?) so my experience is a little different from yours.

You'll see, twf is not a must have for me! To avoid my recent laziness I'll do use from now on the experience engine hinter/debugger, so that I can get the complete widget list per application easier. I previusly used to see the glade XML for such tasks...

My must have list of Gnome/GTK applications is Inkscape, Gimp, Epiphany, gcolor2, gruler gmpc and comix (which I think is going to be erased too...). That's it. As I have compiled my system neither nautilus is there ;) the all mighties feh and mc are for that!

Though, I think I will install rythmbox to prepare my next two Gnome/GTK themes untitled Titanium and uniTech Retro. Inan off topic for quality audio rack: mpd + dmixer + ladspa !!
(By the way, do you saw special rythmbox widgets? What about Exaile)

Sorry for the radical zealotry tastes. Cheers !

Ignorance is the same as an utterly repeated epistemological failure. The problem is ignorants don't realize what epistemological is.
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Re: Re: GIMP & theme tes

by twrock on: May 11 2008

Score 50%

Re Rhythmbox, it's not that it has any strange widgets, it's just that the Rhythmbox layout allows me to see a lot of the "potential" layout of different widgets in one place. It a sense, it is similar to looking at TWF, seeing lots of stuff there, but better in the sense that it is laid out for a purpose, not JUST to show every individual widget.

I'm having trouble expressing what I mean. Maybe this: TWF is a color pallette; Rhythmbox is a painting. It's nice to see the different colors available in the pallette and whether or not they are compatible, but it is "better" to look at a painting that has used those colors and decide if they really did look good when applied to a canvas.

I'm curious if there are other apps that people typically will look at during the testing phase of a theme to see if it is coming together well.

Re: Re: GIMP & theme

by TheRob on: May 14 2008

Score 50%

The experience hinter sounds cool!

I was just on the experience site trying to locate some
info on how to use it but nothing, I didn't even find
info of that it existed?!?!

could you please point me in the right direction where
I can find info on how to use it?

I would appreciate it :)

thanks!

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Re: Re: Re: GIMP & t

by code933k on: May 14 2008

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Quite simple indeed:

1.) Just do install experience
2.) use whatever default experience theme.
3.) Run your_X_application from a terminal like this:

export EXPERIENCE_PRINT_WIDGET_PATH=TRUE; your_X_application

-> The first time you should see the basics appearing on the terminal. Then the widgets will start appearing by class ID etc as you click/handle them.

Xubuntu:
1.) adj. Often refered to the unusable and insecure bloated interface of Ubuntu.
2.) Ed. It is considered correct the use of the X meaning "I don't really like Ubuntu".
3.) n. Neologism me
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Re: Re: Re: Re: GIMP

by TheRob on: May 14 2008

Score 50%

Thank you man!

let's see if I can get it to work :D

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

by TheRob on: May 14 2008

Score 50%

Holy crap man!

This thing is goldmine!

How did I completely miss this :D

thanks again!

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Special Widgets

by code933k on: May 10 2008

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code933k
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I think we should make a list around here so that anyone know what apps have weird, rare, unusual widgets.

The Gimp is not an option ;)

PS:// I really like this group, quite much sense of community.

Ignorance is the same as an utterly repeated epistemological failure. The problem is ignorants don't realize what epistemological is.
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Re: Special Widgets

by code933k on: May 10 2008

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code933k
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PS2:// A personal message of @skies started the sparkle in my head.

Ignorance is the same as an utterly repeated epistemological failure. The problem is ignorants don't realize what epistemological is.
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Re: Special Widgets

by TheRob on: May 10 2008

Score 50%

Yeah, I think that would be great because:
"No problem should ever have to be solved twice."

And that way everyone has easy access to
weird bugs the might encounter!

I don't know, atm I'm not experiencing any
problems with the gimp... I'll have to try
rythmbox or whatever it's called that everybody
seems to be talking about.

Glad to see people interested in this!

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Re: Re: Special Widgets

by twrock on: May 11 2008

Score 50%

Robert, good reminder. Maybe I need to pull out some of those obscure panel applet references I found. I'm sure there are others, but it would be good to start a list.

Later today I should have more time.

Re: Special Widgets

by twrock on: May 12 2008

Score 50%

Here are a few "special widgets" that I've run into:

widget "PanelMenuBar" - this directly references the panel menu bar; it will allow you to create a specific button style if you wish to.

widget "fast-user-switch" - another panel widget, this will allow you to create a specific style for the user switcher in the panel.

widget "AppletVolume" - I was having trouble with dark text on dark background in the panel pop up volume control; this allowed me to fix that.

widget_class "PanelGtkToggleButton" - this affects a few panel buttons such as the "show desktop" button; if you assign them to a transparent pixmap, you will only see the icon and not the button around it.

widget "PanelContact*" - to directly reference the Contact panel applet.

Here's one to get rid of little up and down arrows that overlay the "main menu" button in the panel.
In your main panel style:

image
{
function = ARROW
recolorable = TRUE
state = NORMAL
overlay_file = "transparent.png"
overlay_border = { 0, 0, 0, 0 }
overlay_stretch = FALSE
arrow_direction = UP
}
image
{
function = ARROW
recolorable = TRUE
state = NORMAL
overlay_file = "transparent.png"
overlay_border = { 0, 0, 0, 0 }
overlay_stretch = FALSE
arrow_direction = DOWN
}

Then just create the "transparent.png" graphic and you should be in business.

Happy coding.

Re: Re: Special Widg

by TheRob on: May 13 2008

Score 50%

That's great!

Hmm, I'm wondering, if we make this list,
how should we make it?

If I put everything in the description then
it will be like 5 miles long :)

So if anybody has an idea on how to make this
list happen I'd be happy to hear from you :)

a way could be that someone of us posts it
here at gnome-look like normal content and
when downloaded it's a normal text file,
that way, everybody has easy access to it
and hopefully more people will see it,
I'm sure it's a bad idea and you have
much better ones, let's hear!

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Re: Re: Re: Special

by code933k on: May 14 2008

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See my answer downstairs ;)

Ubuntu is an old mystical African word meaning "Gentoo is too hard for new GNU fellas"
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back again

by szerencsefia on: May 12 2008

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szerencsefia
LUX Desktop Project
Home

Excuse me if I jumped in the middle of something. I have lacking knowledge again and google did not help much. I have no clue which code affect the insensitive menu-item text colors. I am talking about the two different one and I want to change both if it is possible. They consist of one dark and one lighter - look at 'Paste' line that is what I am talking about >>> here (zoom in to see):
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/9628/luxinactivemenuitemtextkq7.png)
-
"Operator: I need a little help!"

SzerencseFia
---------------
(-o|o-)
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Re: back again

by twrock on: May 12 2008

Score 50%

First, to clarify, are you attempting to get rid of the "shadow" offset that shows up with insensitive text? If so, I think this is definitely a question for Robert. I don't know how he came up with it, but he's got a bit of "magic" code to get rid of that shadow. Then you can set whatever color want and it will show up as simple text without the "shadow". Hopefully he'll see your question and reply.

BTW, Robert has been the most helpful person to me over these past few months in my attempts to understand and tweak Gtk themes. He is both an artist and a genuinely nice guy. I certainly wouldn't have gotten as far as I have in understanding gtk code without his help.

Re: Re: back again

by szerencsefia on: May 13 2008

Score 50%

szerencsefia
LUX Desktop Project
Home

Thanks TWROCK! SlicknesS-black included the solution.
Thankx Robert fella!

SzerencseFia
---------------
(-o|o-)
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Re: Re: Re: back aga

by TheRob on: May 13 2008

Score 50%

Wow!

Thank you Ron for your kind words man!!!

I really am glad I have been able to be of
help!

glad you got the solution szerencsefia!

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Proposal...

by code933k on: May 14 2008

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code933k
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As for the current question of Rob about how will we do the widget list, I make this proposal to all of you:

Keep your widgets in mind so that I can get some kind of WIKI done in about two weeeks (maximum) for we can get track of what is being discussed here.

(a link may go at this very group description)

We can have a little more disk space for which is voted worthy/valuable artwork among us. Having centralized (neat/cathegorized) resources permits opening our themes for comments and help from each other (the people who know how the heck the things are done).

It can be a real improvement.

Do you want to get in the GTK mafia?

Re: Proposal...

by TheRob on: May 14 2008

Score 50%

A wiki on how to make themes :D

Yeah! ,that way we will maybe see more
themes here :D

I personally think it's a great idea!

However, I don't know how much of help I'm
able to be since my skills are higly limited :(

However, I will do my best in helping :)

count me in

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Panel Problems

by BrunoNZ on: May 16 2008

Score 50%

BrunoNZ

Ok..
Thats the deal...
Im making/modifying a theme for the first time, and i have some problems:

1- The panel dont show up right where main menu is. Is there a way to fix it?
PS.: Im not using a Panel Background, its from the theme. The main menu is using "Menubar" image instead of "Panel" image. But i really dont want to change "ManuBar" image...

2- Is there a way to remove "Places" button from Nautilus?

PS.: Take look at this image for more details: http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/79/problemasog4.png

Thx!!!

Re: Panel Problems

by TheRob on: May 16 2008

Score 50%

hmm, well, to make the panel menubar use
the same style as the rest of the panel
you need to do something like this:
style "panelmenubar"
{
engine "pixmap"
{
image
{
function = BOX
state = NORMAL
file = "panel/panel-bg.png"
border = { 0, 0 ,0 , 0}
stretch = FALSE
}

}
}

#and then something like this:

widget_class "PanelMenuBar*" style "panelmenubar"

as for the button in nautilus...
well, no there is no easy way to remove
that button.

If you know C++ programming then you
can download the source code, modify it
and then compile it yourself.

hope this answers your question :)

//Robert

\\\\\\\"life sucks, get a f***ing helmet alright!\\\\\\\" -Denis Leary
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Thx!!!

by BrunoNZ on: May 16 2008

Score 50%

BrunoNZ

Thx a lot TheRob!!!
It worked perfectly!!!

Congratulations for the group.

Probably ill need it more times soon...

Cya!!!