Roxset -Open two Rox windows side by side

[bigpup]

This is a pet from 2009, but it works in Fossapup64 9.5.
So may work in other Puppies.
There are some tweaks, discussed in the old topic, that did not get into it.
So could probably use some updating.

Roxset
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=45771
Open two Rox windows side by side.
creates two Rox windows - one with the / directory on the left and one with the /root directory on the right.
The windows are placed near the top of the screen and do not overlap.
This creates a much better starting platform for drag & drop work.

Run from entry in menu->Filesystem->Roxset Duel Windows

Info:
To keep the windows the same size all the time.
right-click empty space in either pane.
select- Options > Filer windows > Never automatically resize.

Note:
This uses xdotool and the pet package installs a 32bit version of it.
It works in 64bit Puppies if their 32bit compatibility SFS is loaded.
You can install the 64bit version of xdotool by using Puppy Package Manager(PPM) if not already installed.
It does not seem to matter which xdotool is used, as long as there is one and it can work.
.

Roxset.pet

(11.73 KiB) Downloaded 201 times

.
Seems to work OK,
Anyone that wants to tweak it is welcome to do so.
I noticed there is code in the roxset script file, to show a message about keeping windows the same size.
But something is keeping it from showing.
.

Screenshot.jpg (32.95 KiB) Viewed 36547 times

[GMBudwrench]

Confirmed - works in Bionic 64 as well. Thanks for this.

[amethyst]

Not sure why you need xdotool. You can do this manually by editing the Settings.xml file of ROX.

[amethyst]

Doesn't work all that great for me. One pane opens / whilst the other pane opens /root. If you work in the / pane and select to go to /root, the pane moves and resizes for me..and vice versa.

Edit: To overcome this problem I did the following: I created two empty folders called 1 and 2 (so, folders you are not going to use or explore whilst using rox) on my puppy partition. I then manually set up the window panes for these two folders (I didn't use the application at all) which took a bit of time with resizing/fitting but eventually I got there. Made a little script which will open the two panes when clicked. Make a few entries for your favorite folders. This is what my ROX Settings.xml file looks like. Note the sizes of the panes are identical, just a matter of getting X right. May be helpful to some, I don't use dual panes but just checked what I could do to set it up manually.

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Settings>
  <FilerWindow path="/initrd/mnt/dev_save/1">
    <X>0</X>
    <Y>69</Y>
    <Width>600</Width>
    <Height>547</Height>
    <ShowHidden>0</ShowHidden>
    <DisplayStyle>0</DisplayStyle>
    <SortType>0</SortType>
    <SortOrder>0</SortOrder>
    <ViewType>0</ViewType>
    <DetailsType>0</DetailsType>
    <ShowThumbs>1</ShowThumbs>
    <FilterType>0</FilterType>
    <FilterDirectories>0</FilterDirectories>
  </FilerWindow>
  <FilerWindow path="/initrd/mnt/dev_save/2">
    <X>680</X>
    <Y>69</Y>
    <Width>600</Width>
    <Height>547</Height>
    <ShowHidden>0</ShowHidden>
    <DisplayStyle>0</DisplayStyle>
    <SortType>0</SortType>
    <SortOrder>0</SortOrder>
    <ViewType>0</ViewType>
    <DetailsType>0</DetailsType>
    <ShowThumbs>1</ShowThumbs>
    <FilterType>0</FilterType>
    <FilterDirectories>0</FilterDirectories>
  </FilerWindow>
</Settings>

[bigpup]

Info:
To keep the windows the same size all the time.
right-click empty space in either pane.
select- Options > Filer windows > Never automatically resize.

[MochiMoppel]

So could probably use some updating.

It surely does. At the time the script was created an external tool like xdotool or wmctrl was useful to position an opening ROX window. It could have also been done with the ROX menu item "Save Current Display Settings", but this forces a window for a given directory to always display in a certain position and with a certain size, not just when the window is opened. For what you have in mind a ROX SOAP script and a JWM Group setting might be the best option.

This uses xdotool and the pet package installs a 32bit version of it.

Pretty dangerous. A pet should never install a tool that the author *thinks* the user hasn't installed yet. If it already exists it will be overwritten and eventually removed when the pet is uninstalled.

It works in 64bit Puppies if their 32bit compatibility SFS is loaded.

Now this is something I would be very interested in. 32bit applications don't work in Slacko 8 and I couldn't find a suitable runtime in PPM. Where do I find such a "32bit compatibility SFS"?

[bigpup]

32bit compatibility SFS.

I can not find one for Slacko64 8
Does not seem to be one made for it.

[amethyst]

For those using dual pane rox - I find it a bit annoying to close the panes one by one. The command to close all open rox windows is:

Code: Select all

 rox  -D /

I have a desktop icon (shortcut/link) for opening my dual pane. Left-clicking the icon opens it. If you right-click it a menu will pop-up. I've made a script for the above mentioned exit command and placed it in this top menu. So when I want to close the panes I right-click the icon and click my exit item in the pop-up menu. This is just one way of doing it, having a button in the launch tray is another, etc.

[mikeslr]

Yes. Best to find and delete the 32-bit xdotool --/usr/bin/xdotool and dependency /usr/lib/libxdo.so.?-- and install xdotool using Puppy Package Manager.

It was hard in 2009 to prepare for the computing world of 2022.

[amethyst]

Yes. Best to find and delete the 32-bit xdotool --/usr/bin/xdotool and dependency /usr/lib/libxdo.so.?-- and install xdotool using Puppy Package Manager.

It was hard in 2009 to prepare for the computing world of 2022.

Or don't install anything and set it up manually...

[mikeslr]

Hi amethyst.

I thought I'd take a wack at providing an updated version. It was easy enough to extract the pet, then delete /usr/local/bin/xdotool. [xdotool-64bit is already installed into my bionicpup64]. There was no /usr/lib/libxdo.so.? in the pet. [That library --and locations-- found on the xdotool pet I extracted before writing the prior post is likely later developments of xdotool]. Then repackaged it.

Installing and running the resulting pet opens 2 windows. But they are not side-by-side nor configured for immediate use.

rox-sets.png (160.57 KiB) Viewed 33155 times

MochiMoppel's suggestion "ROX SOAP script and a JWM Group setting" seemed the best way to create a pet sufficiently generalized that it could be used OOTB. But I couldn't find any information about how to set that up.

I then re-examined your suggestion, viewtopic.php?p=62854#p62854. It would be easy to include in a pet two empty folders --one / and the other /root-- and provide a command for rox to open those 'windows'. What would be needed is some way to configure their placement and size on any monitor*. Your script provides such specifics. But as you mentioned it was the result of testing on YOUR monitor. [A formula could likely be developed to ascertain the dimensions of the monitor and, using that and 0,0 as a starting point apply percentages rather than fixed points]. But I don't know where or how to include such configuration file in a pet.

As it now stands, rox-sets doesn't really make it that much easier to have two rox-windows than just starting rox twice, or starting rox once and right-clicking the up-Arrow.

* An application should be almost if not entirely usable OOTB. Configurations, if necessary, should be easy for even a newbie.

[bigpup]

It does work in some Puppy versions, as it is suppose to work.

As I said. this needs some updating or maybe a complete re-coding.

But the idea is good for using Rox.

Someone want to take on the job of doing the re-code or making a completely new program?

I will help test,
I am no good at coding software.
Only know enough to mess things up.

[amethyst]

@mikeslr Yes, that is why xdotool was included to automize the placement of the panes. My manual method has to be configured for your particular screen size but on the other hand is more flexible in terms of the size and positioning of the panes. Anyways, if you use that Settings file of mine and work from there it could be slightly easier to do it yourself (it's a nice exercise in "do it yourself" anyway). If you are going to try it the manual way, remember to restart X everytime you edit the file. That Settings file must be copied to /root/.config/rox.sourceforge.net/ROX-Filer
The dual pane can be started with a script, the command:

Code: Select all

rox -d LocationOfFirstFolder LocationOfSecondFolder

BTW: I suggest that you do not use regularly accessed folders like / and /root because there seems to be a bug with rox (if you go to location /root using the / pane, then the pane will shift and vice versa). See a previous post of mine in this regard. Also important - access Rox options beforehand and tick the Never automatically resize box otherwise the panes will resize like you've experienced.

[Burunduk]

Someone want to take on the job of doing the re-code or making a completely new program?

The stiler program can put windows side by side. It's an old python2 script. To use it on Fossapup64 I've converted it to python3 and added some commands. It depends on the wmctrl and xwininfo programs. All the deps are already in Fossapup.
The screenshot shows six rox windows rearranged by the stiler.py 2x3 command.
In the stiler.py NxN command, NxN stands for a maximal layout. For example, if 3x3 is specified and there are only two windows opened, the actual layout will be 2x1. Also, all the windows should be resizable enough to fit the layout (and rox windows often has a big possible minimal size).
If you want to test it on Fossapup64, the pet is here. It adds a small right-click menu to the "Show Desktop" tray button and several keyboard shortcuts. It probably won't work on other puppy versions. The older ones may have python2, the newer ones may have wayland.

[MochiMoppel]

Someone want to take on the job of doing the re-code or making a completely new program?
I will help test,
I am no good at coding software.
Only know enough to mess things up.

There is not much to re-code, but I still wonder why you want a script or even a pet for a basically trivial task.

Solution 1: Open 2 folders, place them side by side and you are done ... I know, I know, that's not what you want, but it has its merits
Solution 2: No scripts, no file editing, completely with ROX tools. You may have to adapt your workflow.
Solution 3: The SOAP/JWM approach. No real script either, but needs a little JWM configuration and will not work with JWM version found in older Puppies. Basically uses JWM to open any ROX window with one of 2 (or more) specified geometries. Sounds familiar? Yes, JWM would do what xdotool is doing in your pet.
Solution 4: One of the many applications that can place and size any window, not just ROX windows.

All of above solutions come with their pros and cons. Instead of heading straight for solution 4 I suggest that you try the easier solutions first. Want to try one of them?

[amethyst]

I've re-arranged my desktop layout so that everything fits nicely. Added desktop shortcut to close all panes quickly.

[MochiMoppel]

MochiMoppel's suggestion "ROX SOAP script and a JWM Group setting" seemed the best way to create a pet sufficiently generalized that it could be used OOTB.

IMO it's the best option to do exactly what bigpup asked for (opening '/' and '~' side by side ) and the SOAP part is no problem but configuring JWM programmatically is VERY difficult if you want to do it right and don't want to make a program based on assumptions. Configuring JWM manually is far easier, even for newbies.

It would be easy to include in a pet two empty folders --one / and the other /root-- and provide a command for rox to open those 'windows'.

??? Impossible. Those folders already exist and they are not empty.

What would be needed is some way to configure their placement and size on any monitor*. Your script provides such specifics. But as you mentioned it was the result of testing on YOUR monitor. [A formula could likely be developed to ascertain the dimensions of the monitor and, using that and 0,0 as a starting point apply percentages rather than fixed points]. But I don't know where or how to include such configuration file in a pet.

The roxset script already contains such calculation. Sets the window height at 85% of screen height and window width at 49% of screen width.
The real problem is that it still applies a one-size-fits-all approach. Those huge windows may be OK for a person who uses ROX-Filer in icon mode, but I use list mode and don't need such wide windows. I also have a ROX pane and a JWM tray at the top.The 2 windows created by roxset cover both, rendering them useless. Bottomline: Making bold assumptions on which sizes and locations fit the user's needs and also ignoring ROX-Filer's maximum size settings is wrong.