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Openbox

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Contents

Openbox

Openbox.jpg

Openbox is a free window manager for the X Window System, licensed under the GNU General Public License.penbox was originally derived from Blackbox 0.65.0, but has been totally rewritten in the C programming language and since version 3.0 is not based upon any code from Blackbox.

Installation

Installing Openbox, the config manager and the menu generator:

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S openbox obconf obmenu


Screenshot

With this tutorial, you can obtain a desktop like this :

Openbox-capture.png

Slim configuration

Slim is a lightweight login manager which is adequate with OpenBox. Run this command to install Slim :

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S slim


Actually, Slim is not configure, you must configure it with :

User terminal 48px.png
$ vim /etc/slim.conf

Change this lines as :

 numlock     on
 login_cmd   exec /bin/bash -login /usr/bin/openbox-session %session
 sessions    openbox


OpenBox configuration

Run a program at startup

To run a program at startup, you must create this file :

~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh 

This is an example :

#! /bin/bash
pypanel &         # A configurable taskbar
numlockx on &     # Add the numlock
ivman &           # Mount system
parcellite &      # A paper-weight

Don't forget the & to the end of each line, otherwise, the load going to stop.

Change the mod of this file to executable :


User terminal 48px.png
$ chmod +x ~/.config/openbox/autostart.sh

Enjoy !

Menu configuration

The default menu is empty, but you can modify him easily !

First, create a copy of the menu.xml which is in your personnal folder (~/.config/openbox/). Use this command :

User terminal 48px.png
$ cp /etc/xdg/openbox/menu.xml ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml

To configure him, there are two ways :

Graphical method

User terminal 48px.png
$ obmenu

This is a easy to use application. The menu is corrected after save.

Manual method

You can also edit the file ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml

Add a panel

The panel is a bar which contain the taskbar, the systray and the time.

We going to install Pypanel which is light and complete (You can use also tint2, BMPanel, Fbpanel or Gnome-panel).

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S pypanel


If you want to configure it, go here :

User terminal 48px.png
$ vim ~/.pypanelrc

If you want to test it, type pypanel in a terminal. To add pypanel at startup, add the line pypanl & in the startup applications file.

Manage Openbox theme

Run obconf and choose your theme, font size, focus, etc…

GTK theme

By default, Openbox don't use GTK for the GNOME apps.

To have the GTK theme in OpenBox, you have many way but one of them is easy to use.

Install lxappearance.

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S lxappearance


And run it with lxappearance.

Choose your theme, your icon pack and apply. Enjoy !

This application put the configuration in ~/.gtkrc-2.0.

Have a wallpaper

Install nitrogen.

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S nitrogen


Run it with the wallpaper folder :

User terminal 48px.png
$ nitrogen ~/Images/

After, choose the wallpaper that you want.

To have the wallpaper at startup, add the following line in the startup applications file: nitrogen –restore &.

deviantArt is a good website for wallpaper.

Icons

By default, OpenBox don't manage the desktop, also, we can't create easily a desktop icon.

You can create your desktop icons with Idesk or use a desktop manager.


With Idesk

Install idesk.

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S idesk


The file configuration is here : ~/.ideskrc

To add your icons :

User terminal 48px.png
$ mkdir ~/.idesktop && cd ~/.idesktop

In this folder you can create your desktop icons with the extension '.lnk'

Example :

User terminal 48px.png
$ vim firefox.lnk

Add this lines :

table Icon
  Caption: Firefox                                 # The name which appear under the icon
  Command: firefox                             # The command to run
  Icon: /home/user/icones/firefox.png    # Icon path
  Width: 64                                         # Width icon
  Height: 64                                        # Height icon
  X: 37                                               # X position
  Y: 17                                               # Y position
end

The icon picture is obligatory, whitout this picture you can't see anything. You can found some icons on http://www.gnome-look.org.

You can write what you want for the icon position because you can move it with the mouse if you have change the Locked option to false in ~/.ideskrc.

When it done, restart OpenBox to see them.

With a desktop manager

If you want a fastest method, you can choose a desktop manager but this is more heavy.

Install and run PCManFM (he is complete, light and easy to use) :

Root terminal 48px.png
# pacman-g2 -S pcmanfm


 pcmanfm &

Going in Éditions → Préférences → Desktop and tick Manage the desktop and show files icons and Show menus provided by WM when desktop is clicked. Without it you can't have the menu.

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