MX-21 and MX-23 Graybird Theme Lacks Border Contrast

[calinb]

The lack of Greybird theme border contrast since MX-17/18 has always bugged me. I've studied the XFWM and XFCE sites a bit but, admittedly, I don't wish to spend the time to learn how to create themes myself. I simply want my dark borders back (especially the top border). I've not been able to achieve this with either MX-21 or MX-23. I've also attempted to find a solution in other themes to no avail.

Here is a comparison, below, which I captured using a remote desktop to my old MX-17/18 system side-by-side with an MX-21 system window. In my experience, MX-23 (not shown here) is similar to MX-21.

The dark border example on the left (thin side and bottom border but thick at the top) are what I'm after.

Thanks very much for any advice or howto.

Cal

[AVLinux]

Hi,

@CharlesV or @asqwerth might have some expertise to share, they are both proficient with theme mods.

I also found xfwm to be frustratingly difficult to modify, back in my XFCE4 days I was fond of using Openbox with XFCE4 as a WM because changing things like window border and color was trivially easy with a text editor..

[calinb]

Thanks for your reply, AVLinux. Ha--I agree about xfwm being frustratingly difficult! I can't believe how much time I've spent searching online and experimenting to make such a simple change, but I'm sick of tolerating my window borders since MX-18 went end-of-life. When I have a bunch of windows open and I'm zipping in and out of them on my desktop, I just don't get the visual cues I had with the darker borders (too many misplaced clicks).

Thanks for your experience with Openbox. After being a Greybird fan since it first came out (after Blackbird IIRC), I might just have to try Openbox.

[CharlesV]

If you use MX Tweak and theme tab. you can choose something like:
Themes: Greybird
Window Manager: mx-comfort-thick-border

and it will be very close to what you have in your pic.

I did some heavy modification to both the mx-comfort (widening the grab handles on sides and bottom) and a little bit ago I completed a new theme called PiranhaII which I did because I wanted a more defined difference of focused windows as well as rounded borders and a little more grab even. ( viewtopic.php?t=79560 )

I will have to hunt down my mx comfort tweaks. Try that above method of using it, and if it still is not what your after let me know and I will go hunting.

[calinb]

Thanks, CharlesV! Your suggestion is very close to what I was accustomed to using before the MX-18 EOL. I forgot that MX Tweak has this feature. I've never used it for themes until today but, at one time long ago, I noticed it was there.

Your suggested settings also quickly dialed-in a change that closely matches my needs. I'll let you know if it's still not closely enough aligned to what my brain's visually programmed to quickly recognize as cues during my next crowded open windows desktop debug session.

Best,
Cal

[CharlesV]

Excellent glad to help!

[Stuart_M]

It looks like you found a solution to your problem which is fine. I mention the below only because it may be of interest or even important to some viewers.

Looking at your MX-23 screenshot of the Appearance window in Post #1, I noticed you have "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" enabled, which is located on the bottom of the window.

By default that setting is disabled and the Greybird-mx theme will produce a blue border, which is normal. That border is 2px wide on the two sides and bottom and a 28px blue title-bar (top) - see the below screenshot.

BUT, when the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" setting in the "Appearance" window is enabled, the blue perimeter in the Greybird-mx theme will disappear (right screenshot in below image). Note that the change will occur when another theme is selected and then selecting the Greybird theme. Note that that not only changes the Greybird-mx theme but other themes as well. Also, logging out/in does not change the theme. I do not know if rebooting will produce that change because I only tested on a Live MX-23 Flash Drive and I do not have an installed MX-23 to test on.

Strangely, disabling the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" setting does NOT restore the normal Greybird-mx theme with the blue borders (right screenshot in below image). I gave up after trying several different ways. Fortunately I was testing on a Live MX-23 USB so just booting up again restores all the default settings.

Perhaps someone knows how to restore the normal theme look after the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" is enabled (again, disabling it does not seem to affect anything, regardless of changing themes and returning to Greybird-mx).


The left screenshot is the default Greybird-mx theme and the right screenshot is the same Greybird-mx theme but AFTER the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" setting has been enabled (and after another theme is selected and then returned to the Greybird-mx theme). The red text in the below image is somewhat misleading because once the "Xfwm4" setting is enabled and the theme changes, the blank (no-blue) Greybird look is there to stay even if the "Xfwm4" setting is later disabled (at least in my testing).

Greybird-mx_theme_Xfwm4_enabled-disabled.png

[FullScale4Me]

Great detective work Stuart_M!

[asqwerth]

@calinb You may wish to read this page in the MX wiki: https://mxlinux.org/wiki/xfce/changing- ... w-manager/

Among other things, it also contains download links to a very visible, different-contrast window decoration (xfwm4) theme where the border of the active window takes on the colour of your gtk3 theme's colour accent. There is also a similar one for hiDpi displays if the 1st theme shows up too small on your screen.

Ultimately it's up to the user to choose which window decoration theme suits them; you are not constrained by what gtk theme you are using (except for gnome-style CSD gtk applications which force a fixed window decoration on the app).

Thus, follow Stuart_M's advice and untick the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" option. That will enable you to choose which xfwm4 theme to be applied. Explore those already provided in MX, and download the ones in the wiki if you wish.

[calinb]

It looks like you found a solution to your problem which is fine. I mention the below only because it may be of interest or even important to some viewers.

<snip>

Strangely, disabling the "Set matching Xfwm4 theme if there is one" setting does NOT restore the normal Greybird-mx theme with the blue borders (right screenshot in below image). I gave up after trying several different ways. Fortunately I was testing on a Live MX-23 USB so just booting up again restores all the default settings.

<snip

That sounds like a bug! No doubt I've toggled the "Set matching Xfwm4..." switch plenty of times during my search for a solution. I didn't know it is now stuck!
Very interesting.

Thanks, Stuart_M!