Auto update menu?

hakimaki · 2008-11-25 17:40:06

How do I go about getting an auto updated menu in openbox?

corenominal · 2008-11-26 04:20:12

Hi hakimaki

I think you are looking for the debian-menu. It is disabled in the default CrunchBang install. Follow these instructions to enable it:

1. Open the file ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml and find the following section near the bottom:

    <!-- system menu files on Debian systems 
    <file>/var/lib/openbox/debian-menu.xml</file>
    <file>debian-menu.xml</file> -->

Change it to look like this:

   <!-- system menu files on Debian systems  -->
    <file>/var/lib/openbox/debian-menu.xml</file>
    <file>debian-menu.xml</file>

Save the file and exit.

2. Install the menu package with the following terminal command.

sudo apt-get install menu

3. Add the following line to ~/.config/openbox/menu.xml where you would like the menu to appear:

<menu id="Debian" />

4. Restart or reconfigure your Openbox session.

Hope this helps

ggordon · 2008-11-26 23:25:53

I d/l'ed and installed Thunderbird, as I prefer it over other email clients...was an easy thing to go to 'Preference', 'Openbox Config', 'Edit menu.xml' and change 'Claws' to 'Thunderbird'...straight-forward way of changing the menu....then 'Reconfigure' and your done.

ggordon

Master One · 2008-11-27 11:37:10

I think, hakimaki meant an autoupdating application menu, like it is in Xfce, which looks for all the *.desktop files, each time it is accessed. In Xfce, each time you install or uninstall an app, it automatically appears (or vanishes, if not present any more) in the right category in the menu, which is quite nice and comfortable, because you do not need to manually edit the menu, if you fiddle around with new programs.

Is that kind of autoupdating menu possible with Openbox?

That functionality is pretty common, I remember having it as well, when playing around with FVWM.

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-11-27 15:39:35

Hi, I knew this could sounds like spam, but it isn't.

Right now I'm writting a small app that do this. I'm writting it in the D programming language. The app it's in its 0.2alpha version, but is absolutelly usable (the alpha part is because I just re-written it in a Object Oriented fashion). In fact it's what I'm using (and 2 or 3 of my closest friends) each day of my life at both work and home desktops.
The features are:
- Generates a full menu using the information present in *.desktop files (with static content or dinamically generated).
- No dependencies (it is statically compiled in a 367K binary)
- In a relative modest machine with ~200 *.desktop files it generates the full menu in ~90ms. In mine's it takes 14-19ms. This feature allows to call it in a way that generates the menu dinamically each time without any notable time penalization. (***This is the key function to this thread***)
- Very configurable and simple to use.
- Support to exclude menu items throught a really simple (but confortable and powerfull enough) regular expressions subset.
- Support to exclude menu items based on the directive OnlyShowIn present in *.desktop files.
- Easy access to edit OpenBox and obmenugen configuration files througth a submenu.

I called the program obmenugen and here are some calling examples:

To generate (and overwrite any existing) menu.xml with static content.

$ obmenugen

To generate (and overwrite any existing) menu.xml with instructions to generate dinamically the menu content each time you ask for him (for the menu, right-clicking on desktop or via a keybind).

$ obmenugen -p

By now it's not hosted anywhere, anyone interested, please contact me for a copy. I promess I'll be registering a project at sf.net or dsource.org ASAP.

See you

PS: I don't use ubuntu or debian, I use ArchLinux, but I'm in this forums 'cause I really love OpenBox.
PS2: I don't really speak english, so, sorry about my mistakes.

Last edited by NeOnsKuLL (2008-11-27 15:55:12)

corenominal · 2008-11-27 16:11:42

Hi NeOnsKuLL Your app sounds very interesting. I would definitely be interested in testing it.

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-11-27 16:42:37

Hi corenominal, just give me some hours to change a thing I just noticed would be different and I'll be sending you a copy.

By the way, I'll be recomending this (yours?) distro probably to my parents, 'cause Arch has a higher difficulty level to they.

See you and thanks for the interest.

Last edited by NeOnsKuLL (2008-11-27 16:47:40)

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-11-27 20:58:30

OK, obmenugen 0.2beta is out. People who wants a copy, send me an email to [neonskull at gmail.com]

Thanks a lot for your interest

NeOnsKuLL

Last edited by NeOnsKuLL (2008-11-27 21:05:57)

hakimaki · 2008-11-27 22:04:57

Thanks corenominal, the debian menu worked out great!

corenominal · 2008-11-27 22:07:36

hakimaki wrote:

Thanks corenominal, the debian menu worked out great!

No problem, glad I could help

fabsh · 2008-11-28 22:27:09

Just out of curiosity, why is the Debian menu off by default?

corenominal · 2008-11-28 22:40:15

fabsh wrote:

Just out of curiosity, why is the Debian menu off by default?

Well, originally I built the distro for myself and personally I am not keen on the Debian menu. Some applications seem to be listed under obscure categories and some really obscure applications also appear when maybe they should not. I guess I just like a clean logical menu, as opposed to leaving it up to the category gods to decide.

I would be interested to know whether or not the Debian menu should be enabled by default, or left up to the user to decide? Personally, I would leave it off, but that is just me.

fabsh · 2008-11-28 22:55:15

I guess I just like an auto-updating menu. But maybe when I get more into Openbox and used to the config files that will change.

Maybe you could put a script in the menu for easily enabling the debian menu or something (like you did with the compositing). Mind you, I have no idea how hard that would be to actually implement...

corenominal · 2008-11-29 02:57:49

fabsh wrote:

I guess I just like an auto-updating menu. But maybe when I get more into Openbox and used to the config files that will change.

I have a feeling that it possibly will. Compared to GNOME, I find Openbox to infinitely hackable, so much so that it has turned me into somewhat of a control freak, at least when it comes to my system configs. I am actually fairly easy-going in meatspace

fabsh wrote:

Maybe you could put a script in the menu for easily enabling the debian menu or something (like you did with the compositing). Mind you, I have no idea how hard that would be to actually implement...

I would not think it would be too difficult, a simple shell script should do it. Thanks for the suggestion.

jobester · 2008-11-29 06:38:49

When I selected the menu panel applet it gave me the debian menu

omns · 2008-11-29 07:04:53

corenominal wrote:

I would be interested to know whether or not the Debian menu should be enabled by default, or left up to the user to decide? Personally, I would leave it off, but that is just me.

I kind of like things the way they are. The current menu has a nice structure to it and is easy to navigate. It's also fairly easy to edit if needed. As for the Debian menu I agree that it has some odd placements in its structure but it can be added if desired or as jobester has mentioned adding the menu applet gives you the Debian menu as well.

kestrel · 2008-11-30 13:36:20

Thanks for suggesting the menu applet. Now I have the best of both worlds, a simple easy menu under the right mouse button and the Debian menu on the left of the panel. I can try them both out and see for myself.

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-12-02 14:04:12

Hi all:
Everyone interested in obmenugen (OpenBox Static/Dinamic Menu Generator) could now see the project's web site at http://obmenugen.sourceforge.net

I hope you found it useful and enjoy using it.

See you

NeOnsKuLL

corenominal · 2008-12-02 14:27:39

NeOnsKuLL wrote:

Hi all:
Everyone interested in obmenugen (OpenBox Static/Dinamic Menu Generator) could now see the project's web site at http://obmenugen.sourceforge.net
I hope you found it useful and enjoy using it.
See you
NeOnsKuLL

Congrats on the new website. It is looks excellent!

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-12-02 16:13:21

corenominal wrote:

Congrats on the new website. It is looks excellent!

Thanks man, web development is one of my most enjoyable tasks.

See you

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-12-02 16:55:28

@corenominal
Have you tried obmenugen yet? Did you received my email?

Last edited by NeOnsKuLL (2008-12-02 17:01:48)

corenominal · 2008-12-02 17:12:28

NeOnsKuLL wrote:

@corenominal
Have you tried obmenugen yet? Did you received my email?

No I have not tried it yet, sorry. I am planning to though, just as soon as I get chance. I have just been terribly busy is all. It is on my todo list

I will let you know as soon as I do and I will report back with some feedback.

NeOnsKuLL · 2008-12-02 17:26:18

OK, really thanks. I'll be awaiting your email.

arpbook · 2008-12-02 17:51:15

@NeOnxKuLL
hi,
just install obmenugen and it works fine. i think it's very usefull for base to work with: i explain:
i don't use thunar , so the entry "file manager" doesn't work. but using obmenugen give me a really good menu to work with obmenu. i just have to install whatever .deb i want and run obmenugen, then, i customize with obmenu.
really useful, thanks a lot

omns · 2008-12-02 18:27:06

NeOnsKuLL wrote:

Have you tried obmenugen yet? Did you received my email?

I gave it a try and to be honest I didn't like that it replaced the default menu structure for crunchbang completely. It also seemed to just do a very similar job to the Debian menu and I already have a panel applet for that.

CrunchBang Linux

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#1 2008-11-25 17:40:06

Auto update menu?

#2 2008-11-26 04:20:12

Re: Auto update menu?

#3 2008-11-26 23:25:53

Re: Auto update menu?

#4 2008-11-27 11:37:10

Re: Auto update menu?

#5 2008-11-27 15:39:35

Re: Auto update menu?

#6 2008-11-27 16:11:42

Re: Auto update menu?

#7 2008-11-27 16:42:37

Re: Auto update menu?

#8 2008-11-27 20:58:30

Re: Auto update menu?

#9 2008-11-27 22:04:57

Re: Auto update menu?

#10 2008-11-27 22:07:36

Re: Auto update menu?

#11 2008-11-28 22:27:09

Re: Auto update menu?

#12 2008-11-28 22:40:15

Re: Auto update menu?

#13 2008-11-28 22:55:15

Re: Auto update menu?

#14 2008-11-29 02:57:49

Re: Auto update menu?

#15 2008-11-29 06:38:49

Re: Auto update menu?

#16 2008-11-29 07:04:53

Re: Auto update menu?

#17 2008-11-30 13:36:20

Re: Auto update menu?

#18 2008-12-02 14:04:12

Re: Auto update menu?

#19 2008-12-02 14:27:39

Re: Auto update menu?

#20 2008-12-02 16:13:21

Re: Auto update menu?

#21 2008-12-02 16:55:28

Re: Auto update menu?

#22 2008-12-02 17:12:28

Re: Auto update menu?

#23 2008-12-02 17:26:18

Re: Auto update menu?

#24 2008-12-02 17:51:15

Re: Auto update menu?

#25 2008-12-02 18:27:06

Re: Auto update menu?

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