Description: A script to make the desktop panel semi-translucent, reflective, with a shadow. Results in a very cool and modern desktop look, while staying sobre. Version 2.0.
Supported panel positions: - On bottom of the screen - On top of the screen
==================== == How to Use It: == ====================
1. Click or double-click the icon "double-click_me.bash" in Konqueror to run it.
2. Indicate the image you want to use as the desktop background.
3. If after that process you do not see the translucent panel, reply "No" to the question that the wizard will ask you. You will be redirected to the Panel Configuration window and guided through the steps of making the panel 100% transparent.
======================= == How Does it Work? == =======================
With the current KDE 3 panel it is not possible to make semi-translucent panels. All you can do with recent XOrg versions is make the whole panel transparent at a determined percentage. This is bad looking.
The script change the desktop background image to also include a pre-computed image of a fake translucent-panel with a shadow. Since you make the panel background 100% transparent it will use the desktop as the background. And the desktop background below the panel is precisely a pre-computer background-image with semi-translucent fake of panel!
The magic is in the desktop background image.
An image is worth thousand words: open the patched background image and you will understand imediatly the trick. The patched image is the image you chosen, but followed with the suffix "_pacthed".
In the "Themes/White Round Glass/SVG" folder you will find the SVG source of the panel at different resolutions. The base that served to produce all those SVG files is SOURCE__top_1024x768.svg.
Once you modified the images as you want, in Inkscape, you can export the SVG document into PNG. Make sure you save your image in the right theme folder and you follow the convention of naming it "bottom" or "top", followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the screen resolution (the two numbers should be separated with the letter "x"), ended by the ".png" extension. The naming is important for the script to be able to find the right images.
In the future, I could provide a wide variety of colors, forms and panel sizes. If you've made great-looking panels, please mail them to me. If you mail them me I will include your one in the archive, with your name, of course.
====================== == About the Author == ======================
Sebastien Laout. Website: http://slaout.linux62.org/ Mail: slaout@linux62.org Also the author of BasKet Note Pads: http://basket.kde.org/
Help appreciated to create the images for more resolutions, more Kicker sizes, more colors and more forms.Last changelog:
=== VERSION 2.0 === - Added support for 5 new screen resolutions! Supported screen sizes are now 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x960, 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 pixels. The script automatically detects your screen resolution. - The background image is automatically resized to fill all the screen. - Added an information dialog-box to help configure the Kicker to be 100% transparent. - Added a progressbar because now the process is slower if the image have to be resized
=== VERSION 1.0 === - Initial version, White Round Glass theme. - Only supports 1024x768 screen resolution, with Kicker on bottom or on top.
Hey,...
good Ide and work.. need only a Mandriva Pack *s* i dont have at moment installed sources and develpacks and cant make current rpm's...Can make anyone correckt working rpm's for Mdv ?
Please;)
greetings
Blacky
it's a good idea but it lacks some flexibility. For one I use a custom shaped kicker panel. I think this would work great if u can get it to read the exact kicker dimensions instead of assuming it's 100% in length and normal icon size. Ur script should find the exact pixelsize of the panel and adjust the image accordingly. Just my two cents...
At the beginning, it was only a theme for myself, thus the original resolution of 1024x768 :-)
Then, I tought it would be cool to share it, as it's so beautiful :-)
So I made an easy to use script, and then more resolutions, etc...
I will try to add more Kicker sizes, but as it's all static images, I can't adapt to the width of the panel!
Or I should do an advanced script with pseudo-theme support...
There will be such a theme engine for Kicker in KDE 4, so I don't want to work "for nothing" on a thing that will be dropped in one year.
You can still open the SVG file, adapt it to your Kicker size, export it to PNG and run the script.
With the current KDE 3 panel it is notpossible to make semi-translucent panels
yes it is... go to advanced options, and there you can set the tint amount (if you don't use an image for the background).
In KDE 3, the Kicker use a technique so-called "fake transparency": it takes the desktop background image and apply it to the background of the panel. No less, no more.
You can view that by putting a window UNDER the panel: it will simply not appears throught the panel even if your panel is set to be "semi-transparent". Only the desktop background image appears in the panel background.
My patch modify the desktop background image to include a fake pre-computed translucent panel background. But there too, you can move a window below the panel: you won't see it! It's all fake.
And the fact it's a fake implies that I have to manually create the Kicker background image for every screen resolutions, with every possible Kicker position and size... And you have to put a specific background image for the trick to work. It's pre-computed.
Include more buttons in the panel, make you clock font bigger or smaller, change your Kicker size and position and the magic vanish: you have to change the desktop background image.
What I was talking about is that I hope KDE 4 will allow Kicker to have themes so that the kicker style adapt to its size, position, clock font size, number of icons...
And more importantly, "real-transparency" is now possible with recent versions of XOrg (the software that draws the content of the screen). And with KDE 4 (especialy Qt 4), the Kicker texts and icons could be 100% opaque, while the background will be REALLY semi-transparent. So that you could move a window below the panel and you will see it throught the panel!
That would rock... The technology will be there in KDE 4, we only need Kicker to support sort of themes, with translucent pixmaps.
Kicker is the main panel used in K Desktop Environment 3 and earlier. Together with KDesktop, it forms the graphical shell. It can be customized by the user. By default, it has the K Menu, a Desktop Access button, a Home button, a Konqueror button, a Kontact button, and a Help button. Wikipedia
Ratings & Comments
7 Comments
Hey,... good Ide and work.. need only a Mandriva Pack *s* i dont have at moment installed sources and develpacks and cant make current rpm's...Can make anyone correckt working rpm's for Mdv ? Please;) greetings Blacky
A package ?! This is only a little script. Double-click it in Konqueror and it will work. No need for packages...
it's a good idea but it lacks some flexibility. For one I use a custom shaped kicker panel. I think this would work great if u can get it to read the exact kicker dimensions instead of assuming it's 100% in length and normal icon size. Ur script should find the exact pixelsize of the panel and adjust the image accordingly. Just my two cents...
At the beginning, it was only a theme for myself, thus the original resolution of 1024x768 :-) Then, I tought it would be cool to share it, as it's so beautiful :-) So I made an easy to use script, and then more resolutions, etc... I will try to add more Kicker sizes, but as it's all static images, I can't adapt to the width of the panel! Or I should do an advanced script with pseudo-theme support... There will be such a theme engine for Kicker in KDE 4, so I don't want to work "for nothing" on a thing that will be dropped in one year. You can still open the SVG file, adapt it to your Kicker size, export it to PNG and run the script.
With the current KDE 3 panel it is notpossible to make semi-translucent panels yes it is... go to advanced options, and there you can set the tint amount (if you don't use an image for the background).
In KDE 3, the Kicker use a technique so-called "fake transparency": it takes the desktop background image and apply it to the background of the panel. No less, no more. You can view that by putting a window UNDER the panel: it will simply not appears throught the panel even if your panel is set to be "semi-transparent". Only the desktop background image appears in the panel background. My patch modify the desktop background image to include a fake pre-computed translucent panel background. But there too, you can move a window below the panel: you won't see it! It's all fake. And the fact it's a fake implies that I have to manually create the Kicker background image for every screen resolutions, with every possible Kicker position and size... And you have to put a specific background image for the trick to work. It's pre-computed. Include more buttons in the panel, make you clock font bigger or smaller, change your Kicker size and position and the magic vanish: you have to change the desktop background image. What I was talking about is that I hope KDE 4 will allow Kicker to have themes so that the kicker style adapt to its size, position, clock font size, number of icons... And more importantly, "real-transparency" is now possible with recent versions of XOrg (the software that draws the content of the screen). And with KDE 4 (especialy Qt 4), the Kicker texts and icons could be 100% opaque, while the background will be REALLY semi-transparent. So that you could move a window below the panel and you will see it throught the panel! That would rock... The technology will be there in KDE 4, we only need Kicker to support sort of themes, with translucent pixmaps.
I use it, i think this is simple!