need a panel plugin

Skaperen · 2019-07-03 22:55:42

i need a panel plugin to do a menu i need to have. if there is source code in C and/or Python that does a panel plugin with a very simple menu, that could be a very good start for me to make my own.

many years ago while i was still doing Slackware, someone gave me a simple GUI menu app. it read a config file that described the menu layout, including sub-menus, with the string to display for each one, and the command to execute if that menu item was selected. it would drop the displayed menu before executing the command. this became a useful tool for a long time but i didn't need it with Ubuntu. i could use it today.

what i want to do is what i think the Unity Session Manager was doing. it gave me an easy way to switch users via a drop down menu. what i would try to make from an example plugin source is roughly the same. i would always want a thing on the panel to be an easy spot to click to get that menu. it would show the users, and for the one selected, execute "dm-tool switch-to-user user" to do the switch. i would set it up on every user.

ultimately, i would also like to add a few users to permanent positions on the panel (showing user name, a letter, or an icon) where just a single click switches to that user.

both of these could be made as generic command execute apps that can be configure with a config file that others might have use of.

MountainDewManiac · 2019-07-04 04:07:02

It's not exactly what you're looking for (I think), but I use Action Buttons for a quick Lock Screen / Switch User / Suspend / Shut Down / Restart / Log Out "button." It's configurable - any of those options may be turned off, and there's a Hibernate that I don't have activated (and also another Log Out choice, for some reason which escapes me).

It may be sufficient to serve temporary duty until you find one that suits you better.

Regards,
MDM

ToZ · 2019-07-04 13:00:05

Maybe the classicmenu-indicator is what you are looking for. It allows you to use custom menu files - which you could create for your needs. It is located in the ubuntu repositories.

Skaperen · 2019-07-04 14:14:08

what does the term "indicator" mean in cases like this? i've seen this used a lot, mostly in Unity.

Skaperen · 2019-07-04 14:20:30

MountainDewManiac wrote:

It's not exactly what you're looking for (I think), but I use Action Buttons for a quick Lock Screen / Switch User / Suspend / Shut Down / Restart / Log Out "button." It's configurable - any of those options may be turned off, and there's a Hibernate that I don't have activated (and also another Log Out choice, for some reason which escapes me).
It may be sufficient to serve temporary duty until you find one that suits you better.
Regards,
MDM

that Switch User action button just goes to the greeter which didn't have all users in its list. i had to type in "forums" to get back here after trying on on another user. i don't want to go to the greeter unless i need to enter a password.

right now what i am using are some Desktop icons. but my full-size (up to but not over the panel) windows cover them, so i have to switch to an empty workspace then click.

the ideal solution is an app that can be anchored on the panel and do 3 things: (1) have a small few icons next to it (in it?) for direct clicks to go to specific users and (2) have a drop down menu that has all users i configure in a list, showing those that are already logged in in green and those that are not in yellow (pastel background colors, configurable). clicking a user immediately switches to that user not the greeter (if that user is a member of the nopasswdlogin group). and (3) support keyboard shortcuts of its own, within the drop down menu, that are separately configured from the main keyboard shortcuts.

i have been experimenting with keyboard shortcuts to switch users. Alt+f goes to forums. Alt+a goes to admin. Alt+p goes to phil. Alt+s goes to skaperen. for a couple users i need to switch between very frequently, i have the Menu key on each set to switch to the other in one stroke.

i would like to set up an action where bumping the edge of the screen in certain places causes a menu to slide into display from off the display edge, as an alternative to having more things on the panel (i'm worried of the panel becoming too cluttered). the mouse can then click on one of its menu items or an in-window keyboard shortcut can be pressed.

ToZ · 2019-07-04 19:58:15

Skaperen wrote:

what does the term "indicator" mean in cases like this? i've seen this used a lot, mostly in Unity.

Indicator is a type of panel notification protocol that I believe was designed by Canonical (ubuntu). To display indicators in Xfce, you either have to have the "Indicator Plugin" (old) or "Status Notifier Plugin" (new) added to the panel. Once added, manually execute the indicator (e.g. "classicmenu-indicator") to get it to show up. Add it to the Settings Manager > Session and Startup > Application Autostart to make it permanent.

Skaperen · 2019-07-04 23:17:33

while exploring around, i found a plugin called "Quicklauncher" that lets me add a "New" icon to do any command i wish (can type in).

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#1 2019-07-03 22:55:42

need a panel plugin

#2 2019-07-04 04:07:02

Re: need a panel plugin

#3 2019-07-04 13:00:05

Re: need a panel plugin

#4 2019-07-04 14:14:08

Re: need a panel plugin

#5 2019-07-04 14:20:30

Re: need a panel plugin

#6 2019-07-04 19:58:15

Re: need a panel plugin

#7 2019-07-04 23:17:33

Re: need a panel plugin

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