How To Customize The LXDE Desktop

Johnny_Rico

Hello Friends,

Fairly new to Linux, I've loaded LXLE 18.04.3 32-bit onto a Compaq c700, 1.73GHz Celeron, 2 GB RAM laptop.

I decided to not load an additional desktop like Cinnamon (which actually themed easily and beautifully) or Xfce or MATE, but to try to configure the look and feel from within LXLE itself.

Wanting to "theme" it to resemble XP, I followed the CLI command hints offered by LXLE support forum user "drooly" and was able to import and install XP themes and icons from the GitHub, B00merang project
(user Elbullazul).

[Screen shot of current stage of modification.]
https://ibb.co/2tHqcRw

QUESTION: How do I move / merge the LXLE default top-margin Start button / Taskbar / Status bar, so it resembles and functions as the equivalent bottom margin button and bar you find in Windows XP?

Thank you.

Mr_Linux

You can delete the top panel. Lxpanel seems to allow only left, right, top, and bottom 1 panel each. Today I messed with some icons, I didn't care much for the default Seamonkey browser icon, I made this to replace it.

The artwork was found on Deviant Art, I used GIMP to crop it and added the button and background highlights. To complete this you need to replace the default icons in the /opt/seamonkey/chrome/icons/default folder.

Johnny_Rico

Interesting.

But if I delete the top panel, which has some functionality, how do I merge those functions into the bottom-margin panel?

What I am trying to do -- as closely as possible -- is to mirror the functions you would find in a Windows XP Start Button / Task Bar / Status Bar.

i.e. [Start button] - Quick start icons for fav programs - Status bar in R/H corner - connected USB devices - battery status - WiFi Status - Time/Date.

I keep bouncing between LXLE and Q4OS. LXLE is fast and light, and has good device recognition. Q4OS themes *very* easily with a single download to create XP looks in XPQ4, but have very poor device recognition, particularly older WiFi minicards and webcams.

LXLE themes very easily and nicely, but only if you load another DE, such as MATE, Xfce or Cinnamon on top of the LXLE. I am trying to keep each install as light as possible, because every Byte of RAM counts.

So this time, I am trying to theme LXLE in its native LXDE DE, but it's a real chore.

REASON: I make these machines (mostly older machines, sometimes with as little as 1 Gig of RAM) and give them to the needy, stressing that these are Linux machines. I also put LXLE (or Q4OS) help icons on the desktop so if the user gets stuck they can download manuals, find help pages and user fora.

Having the Start button / Taskbar eases the transition from Windows to Linux.

FYI: each machine, before it is donated, is functions tested. The ones that make it are zippy both on and offline and can easily play Youtube music or videos without lagging.

Mr_Linux

1. Right click on the top menu bar, select "Panel Settings"

https://i.postimg.cc/hGLhpThP/img-01.png

2. Choose the "Panel Applets".

https://i.postimg.cc/nznr5rQK/img-02.png

3. Make notes on which ones you want to place on the bottom panel.

https://i.postimg.cc/tTDJHbhK/img-03.png

4. When you are done with the top panel, right click and "Delete This Panel"

https://i.postimg.cc/kXG6q2Yf/img-04.png

5. You will get a warning.

https://i.postimg.cc/QxzBtjRs/img-05.png

6. Right click on the bottom menu bar, select "Panel Settings", "Panel Applets", and +add from the right hand side.

https://i.postimg.cc/yN4kmv1b/img-06.png

7. Select the items you want to add and press +add button.

https://i.postimg.cc/DwbS4tTG/img-07.png

8. These items will be added to the far right on the bar.

https://i.postimg.cc/J0nnrFxG/img-08.png

9. Use the up button to move the item left on the bar and down button to move the item right.

https://i.postimg.cc/wMGB7k4F/img-09.png

Once you get the format down, you can create an install ISO using Bodhibuilder from the Menu - Control Menu - Utilities.

Johnny_Rico

Thanks! Being able reproduce all those steps in the form of an ISO is awesome.

Thanks also for all the work you put into that tutorial.

I would mark this thread solved but I still need to replace the default START button to more closely resemble the WINDOWS XP Start button.

[EXAMPLES of WinXP Start buttons / Taskbars]
https://i.imgur.com/NbxU52w.png

The closest alternative to LXLE, which is Q4OS, automates the XP theming and icons with a single file download, resulting in XPQ4:

https://xpq4.sourceforge.io/iscreenshots.html

I would love to have the speed, security and device recognition of LXLE, and have the ease of XP-theming offered by Q4OS. Some XP theme packs exist, but only for MATE or Cinnamon. If there is one for LXDE, I haven't found it (there was an LXP out of Italy (?) but ceased support years ago.)

[CINNAMON]
https://www.fosslinux.com/41281/how-to-make-ubuntu-look-like-windows-xp.htm

[MATE]
http://www.winxp4life.tk/

I have repeatedly tried following the instructions for downloading and installing themes from the B00merang project, and its just not working for me.
https://b00merang.weebly.com/windows-xp.html

So I'm looking for an XP-type START button, but with Tux, as done in XPQ4, but I cannot find one.

Nor can I find an icon for the classic File Cabinet, File Manager, found in Windows 98, and revived for later versions with FMNT32.

[a large icon of the Win95 File Manager ... to see, delete [break] ].
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/WinFile_Icon.svg/1024px-WinFile_Icon [break].svg.png

If you or anyone can provide answers, that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Mr_Linux

In those screenshots above, you will notice in the lower left corner of my screen I am using a custom menu button, I created this from scratch using the GIMP.

https://i.postimg.cc/ZqC6436L/menu.png

I know, I make all my icons giant sized, I can scale them down later. Once you have found or created the image for your menu button, you can place it anywhere on your system. All my custom icons get tossed into .icons at the home folder.

Now just right click the menu button, "Menu" Settings, a browser box will pop up and guide it to the custom icon.

I don't know the origin story behind the LXDE glyph logo, apparently it was a paper plane before it became the abstract bird. I don't care much for the abstract bird so I replaced it with something simple. It has to be prior to 2008, as I traced it back to this forum talking about designing a new logo for Lubuntu.
https://forum.lxde.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=437&sid=0a0b85f942513702bda500d66f9560ca

I will take a stab at making an icon like this and post it here to download. I was always partial to Win XP Luna theme.

--- 1 hour 20 minutes later ---

That was easy. I even made a new logo of a paper bird. Here is the image of it on my desktop.

https://i.postimg.cc/tqb2Fvt0/menu-button.png

Here is the "solid" png.

https://i.postimg.cc/LspBBhPk/xp-button.png

This is the layered XCF file for GIMP, if you want to edit it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YOg-pFI5boHON7Qm4SoLnWwmsaVZRBFs/view?usp=sharing

Johnny_Rico

Wow! Thank you!

Johnny_Rico

Okay, here's current state of progress, with a new START button in place, and all functions moved from native, top-margin panel down to a bottom-margin panel.

https://ibb.co/kgzgHxb

This comes close to how the Windows XP START button and Task / Status Bar looks and functions. Important since learning how to do this will go into machines that will be donated to users used to Windows systems. Of course, with each donation, I let them know these are Linux boxes and I place LXLE help links on the desktop and Learning Linux links in the browser bookmarks.

Last piece needed. I have located Windows 98 File Manager icons in png format. But trying right click on the PCmanFM icon just opens another FM function, so I cannot use the same method I used to swap out the START button icon.

Tried to edit PCmanFM as root in Plume (editor) substituting the icon file name for the desired icon (winfile.png) breaks the PCmanFM function, so I reversed that action and restored the original text.

So... how do I swap out the Luna (themed) icon for PCmanFM?

(if you open the screencap, you'll see it located on the lower R/H corner, looking like an open manila folder with a magnifying glass.)

Thanks so much in advance. This last step should do it.

Mr_Linux

From your home navigate .local/share/applications then edit the one found here with Pluma editor and change the line;

Icon=system-file-manager

to

Icon=your/path/to/youricon.png

This solves the way it appears on the menus and desktop, but the icon on the menu bar is another story. This is pulled from your theme. My current icon theme is Gnome-Brave. My in this theme PCmanfm uses a folder but not the one you are wanting.

Johnny_Rico

Thanks. I am going to try that. Before, I tried editing from Root, using Pluma, and simply swapping out the name of the icon and its location, but that broke the apps use as a file manager. So, I take it that the answer is about one line up. Not at the end of the bottom line.

I should have cut and pasted the lines in PLUMA to better illustrate what I'm talking about, but I'm on a different machine right now.

As always, thanks for your help.

Johnny_Rico

This is a little maddening. Finally back at the testbed and eager to plug in the code you suggested, I'm still not there.

I am using screenshots to illustrate what I am doing and the result. Hope the links work.

I found some Windows 98-style individual icons for the Win98 File Manager in .png format, and copied them temporarily to the desktop directory. They can be seen here along the bottom row of main screen icons. They are non-functional.

The current File Manager icon (open manila folder with magnifying glass) is what I want to swap out for one of these, preferably the one named "winfile.png"

[Proposed File Manager and existing FM icons]
https://ibb.co/g6xGGDd

Now, right-clicking on the existing file manager icon, and selecting [Pluma] [Edit as root] you get these four lines.

[File Manager Icon Edit, Pluma Root]
https://ibb.co/dWwQrFf

Then, I swapped out the

"Icon=system-file-manager"

to

"Icon=your/path/to/winfile.png"

But, instead of getting the tan, two-drawer Win98 file drawer icon, I get one which appears to be a broken link, default icon. See below.

[2d icon from Left is the result]
https://ibb.co/pzCQzdq

Almost there. This is the last piece of the puzzle, I'm thinking.

==========
EDIT: This looks like a very good tutorial discussing Lxappearance, Openbox setting and getting such things as themes,. icons and fonts within LXDE.

How To Customize The LXDE Desktop

https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-linux-tips/customize-the-lxde-desktop/
==========

Thanks in advance.

How To Customize The LXDE Desktop

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