"properties" feature for GUI menu items


Forum: DSL Ideas and Suggestions
Topic: "properties" feature for GUI menu items
started by: jpeters

Posted by jpeters on Sep. 17 2007,15:00
I'm generally at a loss to find the xterm command for a GUI menu item, and would love to be able to see a path/command by right clicking on it.
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Sep. 17 2007,15:26
Not clear on what you are asking for.

xterm command? xterm is a terminal emulator (for X), can be executed by `xterm`

GUI menu items? You mean the fluxbox right-click menu?  See ~/.fluxbox/menu

Posted by jpeters on Sep. 17 2007,16:03
Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ Sep. 17 2007,11:26)
Not clear on what you are asking for.

xterm command? xterm is a terminal emulator (for X), can be executed by `xterm`

GUI menu items? You mean the fluxbox right-click menu?  See ~/.fluxbox/menu

example:

I right click on system/PMCIA card control and get a menu with "properties."  I select it and see the command name that I can run from xterm (i.e., cardctl ).  Properties for apps would show the path.

Posted by mikshaw on Sep. 18 2007,00:56
The item you are right-clicking is an xtdesk icon, which gives only the information stored in the *.lnk file in /home/dsl/.xtdesktop
These files are simple text files, and have no concept of path

The features available for these files are limited to whatever is built into the xtdesk application, and have little to do with DSL development, so it's not likely that it will change. You will need to learn more about how linux commands, PATH, and other linux features work and as a result you will have a much better understanding of how to modify these files.

Posted by jpeters on Sep. 18 2007,01:16
Quote (mikshaw @ Sep. 17 2007,20:56)
The item you are right-clicking is an xtdesk icon, which gives only the information stored in the *.lnk file in /home/dsl/.xtdesktop
These files are simple text files, and have no concept of path

System/pmcia card control is an .xtdesktop icon? I guess you're saying that's it's impossible to build in a right click sub-menu for items on the desktop menu.

edit:  .xdesktop icons already have a right-click properties menu which shows the command.

Posted by mikshaw on Sep. 18 2007,02:51
Oh, sorry, I jumped to a conclusion there, based on misreading your post.

But yeah, it is impossible to add a right-click to the desktop menu (if you mean the fluxbox menu) without modifying the fluxbox source. Fluxbox doesn't have that ability built in. My guess is that DSL development tends to stay away from making changes to the code of individual applications unless they can't be made to work in DSL otherwise.

Posted by jpeters on Sep. 18 2007,13:05
One workaround is to put the command in the label by editing the .fluxbox/menu (e.g.    [exec] (PCMCIA Card Control 'command: cardctl')
Posted by mikshaw on Sep. 18 2007,13:15
That's a pretty good idea.
Since the command is already provided in that file, it should be a simple task to automate the copy of the command string into the label string. I can't think of how it would be at the moment, but i'm sure it woud take only a little lua code or maybe just a sed one-liner.

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