I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

beardedlinuxgeek · 2013-02-27 15:21:43

This is the official resource - http://wiki.xfce.org/dev/howto/panel_plugins

Here is the panel-plugins source code to use as a reference - http://git.xfce.org/panel-plugins/

Here is a good tutorial available at http://xfc.xfce.org/docs/tutorial/html/chapter08.html (but remember you want to do a panel-plugin,not an XFCE app )

It's probably enough to go on, but its not incredibly straight forward. Is there a "hello world" tutorial to get me started? The first link I posted used to have an example plugin to download, but its since been striked out. Is there another simple example plugin I can play with or can you recommend an existing panel plugin that it quite simple (preferably one not in the goodies pack as I already have those installed).

ToZ · 2013-02-27 17:24:23

The first link I posted used to have an example plugin to download, but its since been striked out.

The sample plugin can be found in the git repository: http://git.xfce.org/panel-plugins/xfce4-sample-plugin/

beardedlinuxgeek · 2013-02-28 23:49:23

I can't can't figure out to build the example plugin. I installed xfce4-dev-tools and I ran ./autogen.sh

$ ./autogen.sh 
Preparing package directory /home/beardedlinuxgeek/Downloads/xfce4-sample-plugin...
Creating /home/beardedlinuxgeek/Downloads/xfce4-sample-plugin/aclocal.m4...
Running glib-gettextize --force --copy...
Copying file mkinstalldirs
Copying file po/Makefile.in.in

Please add the files
  codeset.m4 gettext.m4 glibc21.m4 iconv.m4 isc-posix.m4 lcmessage.m4
  progtest.m4
from the /usr/share/aclocal directory to your autoconf macro directory
or directly to your aclocal.m4 file.
You will also need config.guess and config.sub, which you can get from
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/config/.

Running intltoolize --automake --copy --force
Patching file 'po/Makefile.in.in'
Running libtoolize --force --copy...
libtoolize: putting auxiliary files in `.'.
libtoolize: copying file `./ltmain.sh'
libtoolize: You should add the contents of the following files to `aclocal.m4':
libtoolize:   `/usr/share/aclocal/libtool.m4'
libtoolize:   `/usr/share/aclocal/ltoptions.m4'
libtoolize:   `/usr/share/aclocal/ltversion.m4'
libtoolize:   `/usr/share/aclocal/ltsugar.m4'
libtoolize:   `/usr/share/aclocal/lt~obsolete.m4'
libtoolize: Consider adding `AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])' to configure.ac and
libtoolize: rerunning libtoolize, to keep the correct libtool macros in-tree.
libtoolize: Consider adding `-I m4' to ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS in Makefile.am.
Running aclocal   -I /usr/share/xfce4/dev-tools/m4macros -I /usr/share/xfce4/dev-tools/m4macros...
configure.ac:37: error: 'AM_CONFIG_HEADER': this macro is obsolete.
    You should use the 'AC_CONFIG_HEADERS' macro instead.
/usr/share/aclocal-1.13/obsolete-err.m4:12: AM_CONFIG_HEADER is expanded from...
configure.ac:37: the top level
autom4te: /usr/bin/m4 failed with exit status: 1
aclocal: error: echo failed with exit status: 1

I tried automake

configure.ac: error: no proper invocation of AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE was found.
configure.ac: You should verify that configure.ac invokes AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE,
configure.ac: that aclocal.m4 is present in the top-level directory,
configure.ac: and that aclocal.m4 was recently regenerated (using aclocal)
configure.ac:59: error: required file './install-sh' not found
configure.ac:59:   'automake --add-missing' can install 'install-sh'
Makefile.am: error: required file './INSTALL' not found
Makefile.am:   'automake --add-missing' can install 'INSTALL'
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:1: warning: 'INCLUDES' is the old name for 'AM_CPPFLAGS' (or '*_CPPFLAGS')
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:10: error: Libtool library used but 'LIBTOOL' is undefined
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:10:   The usual way to define 'LIBTOOL' is to add 'LT_INIT'
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:10:   to 'configure.ac' and run 'aclocal' and 'autoconf' again.
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:10:   If 'LT_INIT' is in 'configure.ac', make sure
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:10:   its definition is in aclocal's search path.
panel-plugin/Makefile.am: error: required file './depcomp' not found
panel-plugin/Makefile.am:   'automake --add-missing' can install 'depcomp'
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am: error: am__fastdepCC does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:   The usual way to define 'am__fastdepCC' is to add 'AC_PROG_CC'
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:   to 'configure.ac' and run 'aclocal' and 'autoconf' again
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am: error: AMDEP does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:   The usual way to define 'AMDEP' is to add one of the compiler tests
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:     AC_PROG_CC, AC_PROG_CXX, AC_PROG_OBJC, AC_PROG_OBJCXX,
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:     AM_PROG_AS, AM_PROG_GCJ, AM_PROG_UPC
/usr/share/automake-1.13/am/depend2.am:   to 'configure.ac' and run 'aclocal' and 'autoconf' again

No idea how to build this package.

ToZ · 2013-03-01 02:33:21

The following worked for me:

git clone http://git.xfce.org/panel-plugins/xfce4-sample-plugin/
cd xfce4-sample-plugin
./autogen.sh --enable-maintainer-mode --prefix=/usr --disable-debug

beardedlinuxgeek · 2013-03-01 18:19:41

That almost worked. Before I ran autogen.sh I had to open configure.ac.in and change line 32 from AM_CONFIG_HEADER to AC_CONFIG_HEADERS. Then between lines 30 and 31 I inserted a new line with AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS.

Then everything was able to be compiled and installed. Thank you for your help.

Last edited by beardedlinuxgeek (2013-03-01 18:20:01)

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#1 2013-02-27 15:21:43

I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

#2 2013-02-27 17:24:23

Re: I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

#3 2013-02-28 23:49:23

Re: I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

#4 2013-03-01 02:33:21

Re: I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

#5 2013-03-01 18:19:41

Re: I'm looking for a tutorial on making panel plugins

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