(Solved) Xfce Desktop Application Icons

[Adelante]

Can anyone tell me how to turn off the large informational popups that accompany application launcher icons I placed on the desktop? They're really, really big, useless and annoying. In every other way, I love LM 13 Xfce. Thank you very much if you can help.

[jjaythomas]

Not sure if (or how) global setting/command...

I don't have many Icons (launchers) on my desktop.
But for the limited ones have (also usefull in panel)

I right click on Icons and selected 'edit Launcher' and blank out the coments for it.

Tedious (I know) if lots of launchers but works
J.Jay

P.S. can also use a 'Menu Editor' (alacarte ect.) and do same thing for menu list.

[Adelante]

Thank you for responding, jjaythomas.

I right click on Icons and selected 'edit Launcher' and blank out the coments for it.

This did spare me the idiotic "Browse the filesystem with the file manager" on the Thunar popup. But I still have the popup, ten or fifteen times larger than the modest desktop icon.

After deleting the comment, the meddlesome popup says:

Type: desktop configuration file
Size: 190 bytes
Last Modified: Yesterday at 12:51:04 PM

Fine information to have, I'm sure, but to have to look at it every single time I want to click on an icon, not so fine. However, it's always possible I did something wrong in the way I made the launcher icons. Is there a better way than right-click desktop, create launcher?

I can't help thinking there is a way to stop the damned popups from popping up, though. Let's hope for advice. Thank you again.

[jjaythomas]

Sorry was thinking of other (menu tooltips)

Not sure but would think its a setting of 'xfwm' or 'xf-desktop'

This is radical but a year or so ago I did this playing around...

I installed LXDE(ish) system (believe it was Peppermint OS (Ice?)
Then installed XFCE4 (couldn't figure out how to install individual components )
Then swap in panel, thunar (I preferred pcmanfm found out),mousepad (leafpad), parole, xaile ect.
was able to use some not all xfce components/GUI config settings), not all thou.
used a composioner (I could get XFCE one to work )

Got LXDE (based) to look and act (more or less) like XFCE4 (Xubuntu or Mint-LXDE) (could probably used Mint12-LXDE but Peppermint has 64bit version and Peppermint3 is 12.04 based now (mint has no 13version planed)) . A little more resources used (surprisingly not much) but a lot of time and HD space wasted (mostly XFCE4 stuff not used ).

Long story short LXDE (openbox) doesn't have those type of 'popups BUT making desktop launchers are more involved.
And I think (haven't tried) you could swap openbox with pcmanfm for xfwm4 and xf-desktop You can compiz (but very resource intensive) and icon bug (not sure?),

J.Jay

edit P.S. the next 'WattOS' will also have a 64bit version.

[Beardedragon]

I would suggest you use one of the Docks like Cairo-Dock. You can not only control the size and other things in the Icons, you can place it where you want it or even have it hidden until you hover your Cursor over the area. I understand some people still use the way Windows was set up, but the Linux editions offer so much more.

[Adelante]

I'm actually happy with LXDE, where icons don't bring with them this visual disruption that can't be simply disabled, apparently. So I'm okay. I appreciate the responses.

[jjaythomas]

Yea I like LXDE also

only thing I prefer is XFCE panel vz LXDE panel. It is easily changed in session thou.

Never thought of Cairo dock to take care of desktop icon. (clear background multiple rows/docks hmm...)
only thing I remember is Cario dock takes alot of resources (memory & CPU usage) and slows flash ect.

Thanks You
Food for Thought
J.Jay

[Adelante]

I keep a little Cairo dock with switchers, system monitor, weather, and logout on the right side under the clock. Love it. But I like icons on the left for applications. LXDE makes it easy, just right click the menu item and add to desktop. I'm no kind of Linux expert, but I like things to make sense to me. I've used Xfce before, quite a bit, but I inexplicably must have missed these tooltip balloons. Ugh.

[Beardedragon]

I used Cairo-dock as an example. One that takes fewer resources is simdock, or you could use a second Panel and create your own. Also, some people like Dockey and the Avant Window Manager. Versatility is the name of the game. They are all in Synaptic Package Manager. Search dock.

[aes2011]

.... But I still have the popup, ten or fifteen times larger than the modest desktop icon.

After deleting the comment, the meddlesome popup says:

Type: desktop configuration file
Size: 190 bytes
Last Modified: Yesterday at 12:51:04 PM

...
I can't help thinking there is a way to stop the damned popups from popping up, though. Let's hope for advice. Thank you again.

Make a text file called gtkrc in your home folder.
Paste this in it:

Code: Select all


style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 32
}

widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"


[aes2011]

And read
http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/preferences
and
http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/advanced

[altair4]

I did what aes2011 suggested but added it to $HOME/.gtkrc-xfce:

style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0

fg[NORMAL] = "#000000"
fg[SELECTED] = "#000000"
fg[ACTIVE] = "#000000"
XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 32
}
widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"

You could also try adding another option right at the top of the file to delay the pop up for so long it appears to be disabled:

gtk-tooltip-timeout = 3000

style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0

fg[NORMAL] = "#000000"
fg[SELECTED] = "#000000"
fg[ACTIVE] = "#000000"
XfdesktopIconView::tooltip-size = 32
}
widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"

The only problem with the timeout setting is that it affects the tooltip everywhere - even on those things on the panel where you may want the pop-up.

[Adelante]

Here is the solution.

Hidden files on.

Home>.gtkrc-2.0

Right click and open the file with gedit.

Add: gtk-enable-tooltips = 0

Save. Log out. Log in.

This also does away with panel tooltips, so if you rely on those, don't do it. But the application icons on the desktop no longer show the tooltip bubbles, so I'm happy.

Thank you all for helping.

[altair4]

Add: gtk-enable-tooltips = 0

But just as in the past it disables moving desktop icons, right?

You can move them and have them stay there during the session but after a reboot or a logoff / logon it resets to where they were before. Are you experiencing that?

[Adelante]

Yes, altair4, but I wasn't able to control their location before, either. I'm just glad they're all in a line, at this point.

[Beardedragon]

Yes, altair4, but I wasn't able to control their location before, either. I'm just glad they're all in a line, at this point.

Right click the desktop and use "Arrange Desktop Icons" from the menu.

[Adelante]

I've done that many times. It doesn't allow me to change the order, though.