Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

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jakersaurus

Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by jakersaurus »

How can I add `up' and `down' arrows to the scroll bars in LM 13 (Cinnamon). If I remember correctly, this could be done in LM 12 by changing the gtk+ theme, but so far this hasn't worked for me in LM 13. Any ideas?

[I initially formulated this question in a misleading way, and so have edited it here to make it more clear.]
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
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xenopeek
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Re: Removing overlay scroll bars in LM 13

Post by xenopeek »

Well, by default it doesn't have overlay scrollbars. Did you perhaps upgrade in place from an older version of Linux Mint, or Ubuntu? Perhaps add a screenshot on http://imgbin.org/ to show the problem.
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jakersaurus

Re: Removing overlay scroll bars in LM 13

Post by jakersaurus »

Sorry, Vincent, I mistakenly referred to my problem with the wrong terminology. What I'd like to do is set things so that scroll bars have `up' and `down' arrows. If I remember correctly, this could be done in LM 12 by changing the window theme to Adwaita, but this hasn't worked for me in LM 13.

Apologies for my confusion.
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xenopeek
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by xenopeek »

Apparently this is part of the theme: http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&p=529878

I'm not sure which theme does have these, or if indeed the theme mentioned there for Linux Mint 12 will work on Linux Mint 13.
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bdantas

Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by bdantas »

I'm using LM13 MATE and was also missing the scrollbar arrows. I searched the net for over an hour and found no good leads, so I decided to tinker on my own. I found a solution :D

LM13 MATE only came with two themes (Mint-X and Mint-Z), neither of which has the scrollbar arrows. However, you can edit either theme's "Controls" (System > Preferences > Appearance > Theme tab > Customize > Controls tab) to one of the several options that includes the scrollbar arrows. I'm using the Clearlooks controls and the arrows are there. http://db.tt/c0DuWYFt

If the scrollbar and/or buttons are too small for your liking, install the package gnome-color-chooser, start the application (System > Preferences > GNOME Color Chooser), go to the "Specific" tab, put checkmarks next to Scrollbar width and button size, and specify a size. I'm using size 18 for both the scrollbar width and buttons and it is perfect. http://db.tt/Ezf5ACuF

End result: http://db.tt/eFAlOifv

Cheers!
blued
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by blued »

bdantas wrote: If the scrollbar and/or buttons are too small for your liking, install the package gnome-color-chooser, start the application (System > Preferences > GNOME Color Chooser), go to the "Specific" tab, put checkmarks next to Scrollbar width and button size, and specify a size. I'm using size 18 for both the scrollbar width and buttons and it is perfect. http://db.tt/Ezf5ACuF

End result: http://db.tt/eFAlOifv

Cheers!
Thank you very much!
talora

Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by talora »

Hi!

I'm trying to follow the steps (the lack of scroll arrows really annoys me), but I see no "Theme" tab (nor any other tab) under "Appearance". Am I doing something wrong?

There goes the screenshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/v8odzdneyufu9 ... arance.png

Image

Thanks!

Regards,

Luís Talora
abnvolk

Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by abnvolk »

No, in Gnome 3 and Cinnamon the Appearance app is just for changing the wallpaper.
You need to go to Cinnamon Settings (type it in menu to find) -> Themes -> Other Settings.
talora

Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by talora »

Oh, I see now: I had to switch the GTK+ theme to "Aldabra" in order to make it work. Do you know some way to customize "Mint-Z" GTK+ theme in order to make it show the scrollbar arrows?

Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Luís Talora
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by ROY428 »

:D I'm running LM 13 (Cinnamon) and got them back for Firefox and Thunderbird by switching to Adwaita for "Window theme" and "GTK+ theme" - Themes ===> All settings, with the "White" theme installed.
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by Rehdon »

I understand that you have to install a theme including the arrows, what's the best one in your opinion?

Removing the arrows from scrollbars is another mobile-induced, otherwise-unmotivated and as-such-not-really-logical decision IMHO.

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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by morri »

I also think it is pretty strange. Mint isnt even a mobile distro so why remove them? using the scroll bar is a bit inexact if you only want to scroll a bit.
aes2011
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by aes2011 »

dalcde wrote:Personally I never press the arrows. They are too far away. ...
Exactly. I just use the up and down arrows on the keyboard or pg up and pg down if I want specific control.
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by morri »

They would be handy if you are using the laptop from further away- where the keyboard isnt immediately accessible.
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by aes2011 »

morri wrote:They would be handy if you are using the laptop from further away- where the keyboard isnt immediately accessible.
Seems quite a rare situation. Being too far from the keyboard but yet being able to read the screen. Anyway, most mice have scrollwheels.
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by Rehdon »

aes2011 wrote:
morri wrote:They would be handy if you are using the laptop from further away- where the keyboard isnt immediately accessible.
Seems quite a rare situation. Being too far from the keyboard but yet being able to read the screen. Anyway, most mice have scrollwheels.
Consider that:

- laptops may have up/down arrows which have to be activated using a function key;
- if you are a mouse oriented person (like I am) you don't want to press those anyway, it'd be a distraction and an interruption of your modus operandi;
- again, using your mouse to right click on a scrollbar to go at the top/bottom of a page is probably faster than finding the seldom used Home/Bottom keys on your keyboard;
- scrollbar arrows are an important indication that the thing you're looking at actually is a scrollbar: reducing the scrollbar size makes sense on a smartphone or a tablet, where space is important, but this should not be a concern on a desktop, the side effect of this smartphone-OS mimicking is that very often now scrollbars are thin, grey and inconspicuous, which might confuse users.

These are all good reasons (IMHO, of course) to keep arrows in scrollbars.
NumLock

Up and down arrows in cinnamon's scroll bar

Post by NumLock »

Is there a way to put back the up and down arrows in cinnamon's scroll bars.

Its a nuisance not having them when I have to scroll one line at a time on a long document - instead I have to very precisely drag the scroll bar up and down with the mouse.
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xenopeek
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by xenopeek »

Topics merged; same subject.
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morri
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by morri »

aes2011 wrote:
morri wrote:They would be handy if you are using the laptop from further away- where the keyboard isnt immediately accessible.
Seems quite a rare situation. Being too far from the keyboard but yet being able to read the screen. Anyway, most mice have scrollwheels.
yea maybe you should check your eyes then :P. I can read the laptop from twice my arms lengths. Also if you beam the screen onto a wall (for watching stuff) you can read it from even further. In any case the scroll increments are different when using he arrows or the keys.
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Re: Adding scroll bar `up' and `down' arrows in LM 13

Post by Rehdon »

morri wrote:In any case the scroll increments are different when using he arrows or the keys.
That's another good point, but I'm afraid that if theme designers are not convinced we'll have to either use beautiful themes with less than functional (and ugly looking) scrollbars, or use one of the few (and often ugly) themes that still have up and down arrows ...
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