Xfce Forum

bbm21

Member

Registered: 2013-12-09

Posts: 1

[solved] embedded terminal on desktop

I am trying to get a terminal embedded into my desktop (ideally terminator, but I dont really care that much) but I cant figure out how to do it. Basically, it needs to be borderless, trasparent, always be behind other windows, and be on all four workspaces. Also I have conly set up as well so If I could specify the size of the window so that it doesn't overlap with conky that would be nice also

thanks

sorry I figured it out using tilda

Last edited by bbm21 (2013-12-09 18:51:01)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 11,488

Re: [solved] embedded terminal on desktop

You can do that with Devilspie. Here's a brief HOWTO:

1. Install devilspie from your distro's repositories.

2. Create the ~/.devilspie directory

3. Create the ~/.devilspie/DesktopTerminal.ds file with the following content:

(if
        (matches (window_name) "DesktopTerminal")
        (begin
                (pin)
                (below)
                (undecorate)
                (skip_pager)
                (skip_tasklist)
                (wintype "utility")
                (geometry "900x700+0+10")
        )
)

...and save the file.

4. Startup devilspie:

devilspie &

5. Fire up a new terminal window and give it the name DesktopTerminal like this:

xfce4-terminal -T "DesktopTerminal"

...and it will start up pinned to all desktops, below all windows, undecorated, not paged, and not on the takslist.

Other notes:
- Edit the "geometry" parameter in the DesktopTerminal.ds configuration file to suit the dimensions that you want on your screen.
- You'll need to add devilspie to your startup applications list so that it runs on login.
- If you want to automatically start an app in the terminal window, use the -x parameter like:

xfce4-terminal -T "DesktopTerminal" -x tail -f /var/log/syslog

---

Please remember to mark your thread [SOLVED] to make it easier for others to find
--- How To Ask For Help | FAQ | Developer Wiki  |  Community | Contribute ---