[SOLVED] xfce active window hard to distinguish

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flyingrhino
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[SOLVED] xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by flyingrhino »

In xfce, the active window gets the title bar and control buttons (minumize, maximize, close) in a darker grey than inactive windows (see attached screenshot).
When you have many windows open on a large screen, it is easy to lose track of the active window.

Is it possible to make it more clear which window is active ? Something like a different color title bar, different color frame, or some other clear visual change?
xfce active window.png
Running Mint 17.2 / xfce standard install

Thanks
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richyrich

Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by richyrich »

Suggestion - You could go into the Window Manager Tweaks program > Compositor tab, and set the inactive windows more transparent than the active window.
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Flemur
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Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by Flemur »

Try
Xfce Menu->Settings->Appearance
and select a different "style" (actually a "theme", I think).
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] if/when it is solved!
Your data and OS are backed up....right?
flyingrhino
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Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by flyingrhino »

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.
You could go into the Window Manager Tweaks program > Compositor tab, and set the inactive windows more transparent than the active window.
This one is sometimes troublesome if you want to view one or more inactive windows while working on another active window (eg reading this forum while typing in commands into a shell :) )
Xfce Menu->Settings->Appearance and select a different "style"
This one works wonderfully and there are themes that achieve what I want. Problem is they are ugly :(
I was using Mint-X-Red and stuff like stellar / dusk / thinice do this, although their overall appearance to me isn't as nice as my original choice. Pity the Mint-X series don't achieve this, I will happily accept the title bar being more 'contrasty'

Regards,
flyingrhino
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Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by flyingrhino »

Thanks for that
Here's an example of what i am talking about, found in the Xfce-stellar theme (@ /usr/share/themes/Xfce-stellar/gtkrc) ...
I'll look into it tonight or tomorrow, and hopefully this will give what I want. A simple blue border around the active window and the standard grey border around inactive windows is enough. I'll post the solution in this thread for others to enjoy if the trick above succeeds
flyingrhino
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Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by flyingrhino »

Hi,
Note: this tweak is for GTK2-type themes -- i have no idea how to tweak it for GTK3-type themes. At least it is a step in the direction you want ...
Yes that did point me in the right direction, giving me an idea of what information to search on the web - though GTK 3 is proving to be a very complex beast
Reading this site: http://worldofgnome.org/making-gtk3-the ... -1-basics/
I've figured out that there are two main files to deal with (paths are for the Mint-X-Red theme):
/usr/share/themes/Mint-X-Red/gtk-3.0/gtk.css (which then imports gtk-main.css)
/usr/share/themes/Mint-X-Red/gtk-3.0/gtk-widgets.css

Pointing a color picker over the title bar suggests that it's a gradient, meaning I can't simply grep for the corresponding hex color code in the config files. Now it's a matter of trying to decipher which setting controls the active window. Again, the color picker shows that the title and border colors (gradient) don't change between the active and inactive windows, and only the title text of the active window is a darker grey. Therefore I'm discounting my original desire and am willing to accept changing the active window title text to something contrasty - like red (vs all grey) - that will stand out well

The search continues.
Not [RESOLVED] , not easy either, but I'm not giving up yet
flyingrhino
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[SOLVED] Re: xfce active window hard to distinguish

Post by flyingrhino »

I have found the solution. Quite by accident !

Settings -> Window Manager -> Style -> Daloa

Done. Have nice title bar in different color for active window.
Also tested on LM 18.2 XFCE :)
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