[SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

k-3.14 · 2019-08-30 12:02:54

I am using Debian 10 and Debian Testing. Borrowed the Defcon-IV theme from Linux Mint. Placed in ~/.theme.

This is the frame color under Buster Xfce4.12

and this under Debian testing Xfce4.14

Searching in vain for a 'button' to change the color in testing to that light grey frame.

Icon theme in both cases is 'oxygen', which ships with the Debian version.

br KH

Last edited by k-3.14 (2019-09-02 08:19:55)

ToZ · 2019-08-30 12:29:56

Which Appearance (GTK) theme are you using for both?

The theme itself uses Gtk Color Pickup so it is picking up the blue colour from your appearance theme.

-------

If matching up the Appearance themes doesn't work, you can manually adjust the colours in the defcon-IV theme to match to previous ones. I used the following commands to strip out the Gtk Colour Pickups and change the color to match.

First, I created a new custom theme:

mkdir -p ~/.themes/my-defcon-IV/xfwm4

Then I dropped the following defcon-IV xfwm files from here into that folder.

Then I ran the following commands:

cd ~/.themes/my-defcon-IV/xfwm4
for f in *.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/ s.*/\"/g' $f; done
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/D5D6D5/9FA09A/g' $f; done
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/FFFFFF/9FA09A/g' $f; done

...I used "#9FA09A" as the colour of the active window borders - you can change to suit.

Once done, select "my-defcon-IV" theme from the Window Manager settings app.

k-3.14 · 2019-08-31 15:59:38

Thank you for pointing me in the direction, where to look!

Found this webpage quite helpful https://wiki.xfce.org/howto/xfwm4_theme

... but also it raises some more questions.

First of all the command lines, you posted, create this here (LEFT side in picture)

The RIGHT side is unmodified ....

Don't get, what this command is for?

for f in *.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/ s.*/\"/g' $f; done

What these lines do, they modify the color for '+' and '@'. Correct?

for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/D5D6D5/9FA09A/g' $f; done
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/FFFFFF/9FA09A/g' $f; done

In all xpm files with 'active' in file name. So also in 'inactive', 'toggled-active' and 'toggled-inactive'. Yes?

But what puzzles me most, in the unmodified picture, I do not see the hex code for blue? The colors there look OK??

br KH

ToZ · 2019-08-31 16:36:14

k-3.14 wrote:

Don't get, what this command is for?
for f in *.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/ s.*/\"/g' $f; done

It strips the Gtk Color Pickup settings (active_shadow_1, active_highlight_1, etc) from the file.

What these lines do, they modify the color for '+' and '@'. Correct?
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/D5D6D5/9FA09A/g' $f; done
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/FFFFFF/9FA09A/g' $f; done

Yes, once the Gtk Colour pickup codes are removed, it changes the colour of the borders to match the colour from your original picture.

In all xpm files with 'active' in file name. So also in 'inactive', 'toggled-active' and 'toggled-inactive'. Yes?

No, only the files that match "-active" - so only the files for the active window.

But what puzzles me most, in the unmodified picture, I do not see the hex code for blue? The colors there look OK??

That's how Gtk Colour pickup works. It's grabbing the colour from your GTK (appearance) theme - I believe active_color_1.

What the xpm file says is this:

"@             c #D5D6D5 s active_color_1"

..which means that for every instance of "@" replace it with the colour "#D5D6D5" OR "active_color_1" from the GTK theme. "active_color_1" takes preference if it is defined, which it usually is in your Gtk theme. According to the Gtk Color mapping table, "active_color_1" maps to the "bg[selected]" value of your Gtk theme and uses that. Your Gtk theme must have it set to display a blue color.

k-3.14 · 2019-09-01 17:36:55

Thank you for explaining and your patience.

Until now I thought, Xfce4 is quite easy to modify.

Keep your own icon and mouse theme in ~$ .icons and the window theme in ~$ .themes. But I think, I have to skip that.

.. which means that for every instance of "@" replace it with the colour "#D5D6D5" OR "active_color_1" from the GTK theme.

Where is that value from the GTK theme saved, please? The blue seems to be coded #3483e2, but I could not find that color code in any config file.

And then please have a look at that picture here. Showing 4 screenshots.

I placed in all 4 screenshots an active window (midnight commander) just in front of an inactive window.

On the left side two unmodified screenshots. On top 'bottom active' and below 'bottom inactive'.

On the right side two modified (with your 3 command lines!) screenshots.

- The frame in inactive window behind midnight commander is changed and text hardly readable.

- In 'bottom_ inactive_xpm' inactive_color_1 #D5D6D5 is changed to #9FA09A

Could you please comment.

br KH

Last edited by k-3.14 (2019-09-01 17:37:59)

ToZ · 2019-09-01 18:40:15

k-3.14 wrote:

Thank you for explaining and your patience.
Until now I thought, Xfce4 is quite easy to modify.
Keep your own icon and mouse theme in ~$ .icons and the window theme in ~$ .themes. But I think, I have to skip that.

It is if you are using themes that others have created. If you are trying to create your own theme, or edit an existing one, then yes, it is a little more difficult. But this is the case for any DE if you are trying to create/edit a theme.

.
Where is that value from the GTK theme saved, please? The blue seems to be coded #3483e2, but I could not find that color code in any config file.

It comes from the GTK2 part of your theme. Which appearance theme are you using:

xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Net/ThemeName

...and look in that theme's "gtk-2.0/gtkrc" file.

And then please have a look at that picture here. Showing 4 screenshots.
- The frame in inactive window behind midnight commander is changed and text hardly readable.

I think you may have mis-run these commands:

for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/D5D6D5/9FA09A/g' $f; done
for f in *-active.xpm; do echo $f; sed -i 's/FFFFFF/9FA09A/g' $f; done

If you didn't specify exactly "*-active.xpm", for example entered "*active.xpm", you would have affected even the background windows.

If possible, start with a fresh copy of the theme and re-run my steps from the second post above again. I also used the files from here as my base.

k-3.14 · 2019-09-02 08:39:39

ToZ, YOU ARE RIGHT!

I made a mistake with the bash command. It is working.

BUT, I understand now, what the problem is.

The conversion in Debian Testing to Xfce4.14 is still on the way and hopefully not finished yet.

On left side is the theme selection in Debian Buster (Xfce4.12) and on the right Debian testing.

With those only 'Adwaita dark' and 'High contrast' show differences in appearance. The whole rest is just the same.

Thank you and best regards from Germany - KH

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#1 2019-08-30 12:02:54

[SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#2 2019-08-30 12:29:56

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#3 2019-08-31 15:59:38

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#4 2019-08-31 16:36:14

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#5 2019-09-01 17:36:55

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#6 2019-09-01 18:40:15

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

#7 2019-09-02 08:39:39

Re: [SOLVED] Difference between 4.12 and 4.14 - theme Defcon-IV

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