FVWM myExt collection

[rasat]

I have uploaded the latest myExt config package 1.9.8 on Box-Look. An improvement on the virtual management config (vPager4pg.sys) and the config structure in general.
https://www.box-look.org/p/1472903

The wallpaper is inspired by the latest MX 21 "Wildflowers". Matches well with myExt configs. Soon there will also be one new MX Fvwm respin.

[rasat]

Copied from
https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php ... 89#p682089

@rasat Thankyou for the direction. Now I have a .config folder in my home directory and there is one in the root home directory as well. Now what file do I edit for the CDEDecor? Do I find a .fvwmrc file somewhere in my Linux filesystem? Or do I make a .fvwmrc file if it does not exist? And where do I put that file so my local user fvwm desktop finds it and changes the default theme to the CDEDecor theme? So far there is NO .fvwmrc file in my /home/linux home directory. I did find a system wide file in /etc/X11/fvwm/system.fvwmrc and system.fvwmrc-menu. Do I edit those? And then put the files in my /home/linux directory or do I drag and drop them into /home/linux/.config/ folder instead? It is kinda confusing cause the online instructions do NOT tell you WHAT file to edit or create, and WHERE to save the file..

Welcome to Fvwm basic startup.
When loading Fvwm it creates one hidden home folder .fvwm where you set up all configs and settings. When the folder is empty, it runs the default /usr/share/fvwm3/default-config/config (depending of version 3 or fvwm2). To modify the config file or add another user-made config, copy it to .fvwm. In Fvwm2, the file name "config" cannot be renamed which means that the default root config is excluded. In Fvwm3 the root config is included when home .fvwm/config is renamed to local.config that I am using in this sample to create the CDE look as per this link.
https://www.fvwm.org/Wiki/Decor/CDE/

Usually, everything is added into one file but I prefer to keep each major feature in a separate file. It becomes easier to debug, search and keep a proper order when separating the features. Also, sometime the right sequence must be kept. If you use Fvwm3, in .fvwm folder, create these 5 files, stating with local.config

1. local.config

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## Home variable
SetEnv HOME_DIR $[HOME]/.fvwm

## 1.Functions

## 2-3.Styles
Read $[HOME_DIR]/styleCDE
Read $[HOME_DIR]/colorsetCDE

## 4.Menus

## 5.Bindings
Read $[HOME_DIR]/bindingCDE

## 6.Decorations
Read $[HOME_DIR]/decorCDE

## 7.Modules

######
## Change preloaded default settings
######

## EwmhBaseStruts [left] [right] [top] [bottom]
## Reserves space along the edge(s) of the Screen that will not
## be covered when maximizing or placing windows.
## (untag and edit below line)

# EwmhBaseStruts 70 150 60 100

## Mouse click behaviour and window focus.
Style * ClickToFocus, FPGrabFocus

2. styleCDE

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Style * Colorset 1, HilightColorset 2, BorderColorset 3, HilightBorderColorset 4, \
        BorderWidth 5, HandleWidth 5, MWMBorder, DepressableBorder, MWMButtons, UseDecor CDEDecor

3. colorsetCDE

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#   1 - Inactive Windows 
#   2 - Active Window
#   3 - Inactive Windows Borders
#   4 - Active Windows Borders
Colorset 1 fg white, bg #afbdc07ac200
Colorset 2 fg white, bg #cc0068006f00
Colorset 3 fg white, bg #afbdc07ac200
Colorset 4 fg white, bg #cc0068006f00

4. bindingCDE

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# Window Button Locations [1 Title 42]
Mouse 1 4 A Iconify
Mouse 1 2 A Maximize
Mouse 1 1 A Menu MenuWindowOps

5. decorCDE

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AddToDecor CDEDecor
+ TitleStyle    AllInactive -- Raised
+ TitleStyle    AllActive -- Raised
+ ButtonStyle   All Simple -- UseTitleStyle
+ BorderStyle   Simple
+ TitleStyle    Centered -- Raised
+ ButtonStyle   All -- Raised

+ AddButtonStyle 1 Vector 3 23x58@0 77x58@0 77x42@0
+ AddButtonStyle 1 Vector 3 23x58@1 23x42@1 77x42@1

+ AddButtonStyle 2 Vector 3 21x79@0 79x79@0 79x21@0
+ AddButtonStyle 2 Vector 3 21x79@1 21x21@1 79x21@1

+ AddButtonStyle 4 Vector 3 42x58@0 58x58@0 58x42@0
+ AddButtonStyle 4 Vector 3 42x58@1 42x42@1 58x42@1

+ TitleStyle Height MinHeight 20

Note: After doing any changes, restart Fvwm (left-click, Restart)

If any questions, be free to ask.

[pianokeyjoe]

Thankyou @rasat for leading me in the right direction with all this! I have almost successfully done a CDE LOOK FVWM setup. The old right hand side panel is still in the config file as is the color scheme of default fvwm 2/3 but only on the side panel. I am piecing together a working CDE look fvwm theme now.. Since fvwm 2/3 both support .png graphics files where the old versions from 1990s and early 2000s did NOT, I would have to reconfigure the menu to NOT use icons or to use .xpm icons instead in order to make the theme truly universal across all versions of fvwm. I am not sure about fvwm 1.x though. That version was the only fvwm in the 90s and early 2000s for most NIX OSs. I guess one step and one thing at a time eh?! But thankyou cause now I am much further along in this goal then I have been for decades! In your instructions for colorsets this is incomplete as it only colors the window borders but not the menus(desktop menu nor window menus). The window button binding is also broken because I could not access the WindowMenu to close the windows and if you iconify a window or app, you can not restore it by clicking on the icon on the desktop. I had to use parts of the default fvwm config file to restore much of these needed basic operations.. I am still playing around here but I will report back upon success of a fully working theme for fvwm 2.

[rasat]

I guess one step and one thing at a time eh?!

For my information, you are using Fvwm2 or Fvwm3?
For a general understanding about Fvwm, there is no universal theme that affects all features. Each item is individually configured with a style and color. Lets continue with the menu.
Add this file to .fvwm folder.

menuCDE

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## Menu Styling
MenuStyle * MenuColorset 1, ActiveColorset 6, GreyedColorset 3, TitleColorset 4
MenuStyle * Hilight3DOff, HilightBack, HilightTitleBack, SeparatorsLong
MenuStyle * TrianglesSolid, TrianglesUseFore
MenuStyle * ItemFormat "%|%3.1i%5.3l%5l%5r%5.3>%|"
MenuStyle * Font "xft:Sans:Bold:size=8:antialias=True"

Add this line in local.config below "4.Menu"

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Read $[HOME_DIR]/menuCDE

Replace colorsetCDE with this content

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## Colorset for windows
#   1 - Inactive Windows 
#   2 - Active Window
#   3 - Inactive Windows Borders
#   4 - Active Windows Borders

## Colorset for menuCDE
#   1 - Menu - Inactive Item
#   6 - Menu - Active Item
#   3 - Menu - Grayed Item
#   4 - Menu - Title

Colorset 1 fg white, bg #afbdc07ac200
Colorset 2 fg white, bg #cc0068006f00
Colorset 3 fg white, bg #afbdc07ac200
Colorset 4 fg white, bg #cc0068006f00

Colorset 6  fg #000000, bg #88b2b1, hi, sh, Plain, NoShape # (highlight text color)

To change an item is to identify it. The name of right-side panel is "RightPanel". It is made of two parts (FvwmPager and FvwmIconMan) and scripts, How does it look-like in CDE, I am not sure. This is just a sample.

Add this at the end of local.config file.

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###
CHANGE RIGHT PANEL
###

## Right Panel color
*RightPanel: Colorset 1

## Fvwm Pager color
*FvwmPager: Colorset * 4
#*FvwmPager: HilightColorset * 13
#*FvwmPager: BalloonColorset * 11
*FvwmPager: WindowColorsets 1 2

## Fvwm IconMan

*FvwmIconMan: Colorset 1
*FvwmIconMan: FocusColorset 2
# *FvwmIconMan: IconColorset 14
# *FvwmIconMan: FocusAndSelectColorset 12
# *FvwmIconMan: SelectColorset 12
# *FvwmIconMan: IconAndSelectColorset 12

## Date and Time
*FvwmScript: DefaultColorset 2

## Style
Style "RightPanel" Borders, BorderWidth 4, BorderColorset 2

Restart and have a look.

[oops]

####
Download version 0.9.7 (15 Feb 2021)
http://rasatpc.net/download/fvwm/ext/FV ... v0.9.7.zip

Nice rasat,
I have tested your FVWM-myExt-v0.9.7.zip, nice job.
tested too: FVWM-myExt-v3.2.zip ... here: https://www.box-look.org/p/1472903

One suggestion, you can optimize all yours bigs .png files with (size divided by 2 or more):
pngquant -f --ext .png --quality 70-95 MyPicture.png

[pianokeyjoe]

@rasat Thankyou!! It all worked! I did more or less just replace lines of code in the default config file with the appropriate lines for CDE and saved. I am using FVWM2. It is the default version that comes provided in synaptic under misc graphical or something like that. I reckon I could replace this with fvwm3 but then I would break NsCDE which required fvwm2 and during the install of NsCDE it did uninstall fvwm3 and replaced it with fvwm2. No worries here! I will be packing the theme file shortly and sharing it and giving credit where credit is due.

[amlug]

I reckon I could replace this with fvwm3 but then I would break NsCDE which required fvwm2 and during the install of NsCDE it did uninstall fvwm3 and replaced it with fvwm2.

What NSCDE version you have? Version 2.1 work good on Fvwm3.

[pianokeyjoe]

I reckon I could replace this with fvwm3 but then I would break NsCDE which required fvwm2 and during the install of NsCDE it did uninstall fvwm3 and replaced it with fvwm2.

What NSCDE version you have? Version 2.1 work good on Fvwm3.

I have installed version 1.2 which was the latest available from SparkyLinux at the time. I just checked their repo site again and found the new 2.1. I have downloaded the .deb files for all the CPU platforms and will try it though I suspect it is only for Bullseye and not for Buster(Debian 10/MX 19). So I would have to try it on a MX21 install which I do not have access to at the moment. But it is nice to know that when I do setup a desktop with MX21.1 that I have better choices! I even have CDE DESKTOP 2.4.0 that may work on Bullseye/MX21.1 as well. Again, these are deb files from SparkyLinux repo. MX nor any other distro based on Debian has these files. Sure, Elive has the uber rare E16(Enlightenment 16) release deb files in its repo which I do activate on MX when I want to only install the Debianized packages of E16 but sadly they do not have NsCDE nor CDE Desktop nor any other vintage Desktop or WM. Not that I am not looking! Fvwm3.. what benefits does fvwm3 have over fvwm2?

[rasat]

One suggestion, you can optimize all yours bigs .png files with (size divided by 2 or more):
pngquant -f --ext .png --quality 70-95 MyPicture.png

Thanks, this is great. I have been avoiding adding many png (wallpaper) images due to the large size.

[rasat]

...what benefits does fvwm3 have over fvwm2?

Fvwm3 is designed for duel-monitors, overall improvement, and smaller memory usage. One of the visible differences is the use of local.config that runs along with the default config.