Xfce Forum

Booby

Member

Registered: 2025-07-05

Posts: 5

Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hello,

I've just down load Conky and installed it on Peppermint OS.

I'm having a problem changing the background to something other than black. I've read and tried loads from this forum but nothing seems to work.

I'm using the basic conky.conf file. Can someone give me some pointers on how to change it? Transparency would be nice.

Bib B

Last edited by Booby (2025-07-06 14:48:38)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,022

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hello and welcome.

Can you post your conky.conf file? Also, which video card and driver are you using?

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Booby

Member

Registered: 2025-07-05

Posts: 5

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hello,

I've just down load Conky and installed it on Peppermint OS.

I'm having a problem changing the background to something other than black. I've read and tried loads from this forum but nothing seems to work.

I'm using the basic conky.conf file. Can someone give me some pointers on how to change it? Transparency would be nice.

Bib B

Hi,
If you can make tails or heads of this.

       VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 06)
    Subsystem: Fujitsu Technology Solutions Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
    Kernel driver in use: i915
    Kernel modules: i915

conky.conf
-- Conky, a system monitor https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky
--
-- This configuration file is Lua code. You can write code in here, and it will
-- execute when Conky loads. You can use it to generate your own advanced
-- configurations.
--
-- Try this (remove the `--`):
--
--   print("Loading Conky config")
--
-- For more on Lua, see:
-- https://www.lua.org/pil/contents.html
--
-- Conky Lua API: https://conky.cc/lua

-- Configuration settings: https://conky.cc/config_settings
conky.config = {
    alignment = 'top_right',
    background = false,
    border_width = 1,
    cpu_avg_samples = 2,
    default_color = 'white',
    default_outline_color = 'white',
    default_shade_color = 'white',
    double_buffer = true,
    draw_borders = false,
    draw_graph_borders = true,
    draw_outline = false,
    draw_shades = false,
    extra_newline = false,
    font = 'DejaVu Sans Mono:size=12',
    gap_x = 10,
    gap_y = 10,
    minimum_height = 5,
    minimum_width = 5,
    net_avg_samples = 2,
    no_buffers = true,
    out_to_console = false,
    out_to_ncurses = false,
    out_to_stderr = false,
    out_to_wayland = false,
    out_to_x = true,
    own_window = true,
    own_window_class = 'Conky',
    own_window_type = 'normal',
    own_window_hints = 'undecorated,sticky,below,skip_taskbar,skip_pager',
    show_graph_range = false,
    show_graph_scale = false,
    stippled_borders = 0,
    update_interval = 1.0,
    uppercase = false,
    use_spacer = 'none',
    use_xft = true,
}

-- Variables: https://conky.cc/variables
conky.text = [[
${color grey}Info:$color ${scroll 32 Conky $conky_version - $sysname $nodename $kernel $machine}
$hr
${color green}Uptime:$color $uptime
${color green}Frequency (in MHz):$color $freq
${color green}Frequency (in GHz):$color $freq_g
${color green}RAM Usage:$color $mem/$memmax - $memperc% ${membar 4}
${color green}Swap Usage:$color $swap/$swapmax - $swapperc% ${swapbar 4}
${color green}CPU Usage:$color $cpu% ${cpubar 4}
${color green}Processes:$color $processes  ${color green}Running:$color $running_processes
$hr
${color green}File systems:
/ $color${fs_used /}/${fs_size /} ${fs_bar 6 /}
${color green}Networking:
Up:$color ${upspeed} ${color green} - Down:$color ${downspeed}
$hr
${color red}Name              PID     CPU%   MEM%
${color lightgrey} ${top name 1} ${top pid 1} ${top cpu 1} ${top mem 1}
${color lightgrey} ${top name 2} ${top pid 2} ${top cpu 2} ${top mem 2}
${color lightgrey} ${top name 3} ${top pid 3} ${top cpu 3} ${top mem 3}
${color lightgrey} ${top name 4} ${top pid 4} ${top cpu 4} ${top mem 4}
]]

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,022

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Try adding:

	own_window_transparent = true,
	own_window_argb_visual = true,

...just below the:

        own_window_hints = 'undecorated,sticky,below,skip_taskbar,skip_pager',

...setting and saving the file for conky refresh.

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Booby

Member

Registered: 2025-07-05

Posts: 5

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hi ToZ,

Sorry to report it stayed the same.

Bib B

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,022

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Are you using xfwm4 as your window manager and do you have the compositor enabled?

ps -ef | grep xfwm4
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing

Can you post back the contents of your ~/.xsession-errors file (if your system has one)?

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Booby

Member

Registered: 2025-07-05

Posts: 5

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hi,

I have no idea with regards to  the 'compositor ', it's above my knowledge, how can I find out.

Thank you

Bib B

Xsession: X session started for booby at dim. 06 juil. 2025 11:58:21 CEST
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/booby/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE
localuser:booby being added to access control list
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/xfce4:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting USER=booby
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_TIME=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting HOME=/home/booby
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DESKTOP_SESSION=xfce
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_MONETARY=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_AoobyDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LOGNAME=
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_CLASS=user
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_ADDRESS=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_TELEPHONE=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=xfce
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/booby/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm/data/chris
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting SHELL=/bin/bash
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_NAME=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GDMSESSION=xfce
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_MEASUREMENT=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_IDENTIFICATION=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GPG_AGENT_INFO=/run/user/1000/gnupg/S.gpg-agent:0:1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PWD=/home/booby
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/xfce4:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_NUMERIC=fr_FR.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LC_PAPER=fr_FR.UTF-8
/usr/bin/startxfce4: X server already running on display :0
/usr/bin/iceauth:  creating new authority file /run/user/1000/ICEauthority
xfce4-session-Message: 11:58:22.284: SSH authentication agent is already running
gpg-agent: a gpg-agent is already running - not starting a new one

(xfsettingsd:754): xfsettingsd-CRITICAL **: 11:58:22.735: Stored Xfconf properties disable all outputs, aborting.
conky: Invalid value 'Desktop' for setting 'own_window_type'. Valid values are: 'normal', 'dock', 'panel', 'desktop', 'utility', 'override'.
conky: desktop window (3ac) is root window
conky: window type - normal
conky: drawing to created window (0x2000002)
conky: drawing to double buffer

** (wrapper-2.0:889): WARNING **: 11:58:23.739: No outputs have backlight property

(nm-applet:797): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 11:58:23.943: gdk_window_thaw_toplevel_updates: assertion 'window->update_and_descendants_freeze_count > 0' failed

(xfce4-power-manager:779): xfce4-power-manager-WARNING **: 11:58:24.013: could not map keysym 1008ffa8 to keycode

** (xfce4-power-manager:779): WARNING **: 11:58:24.065: No outputs have backlight property

(xfce4-power-manager:779): xfce4-power-manager-WARNING **: 11:58:24.071: Failed to get keyboard max brightness level : GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: Object does not exist at path “/org/freedesktop/UPower/KbdBacklight”

(xfce4-power-manager-settings:1355): Gtk-CRITICAL **: 12:01:53.701: gtk_widget_hide: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed

(xfce4-power-manager-settings:1355): Gtk-CRITICAL **: 12:01:53.701: gtk_widget_hide: assertion 'GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget)' failed
MESA-INTEL: warning: Haswell Vulkan support is incomplete
libva error: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/iHD_drv_video.so init failed
[1435:1470:0706/121245.599172:ERROR:google_apis/gcm/engine/registration_request.cc:291] Registration response error message: DEPRECATED_ENDPOINT

Last edited by Booby (2025-07-06 10:59:10)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,022

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

Hi,

I have no idea with regards to  the 'compositor ', it's above my knowledge, how can I find out.

Post back the output of the following command when run in a terminal wnidow:

xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing

...or have a look at Settings Manager > Window Manager Tweaks > Compositor tab.

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Booby

Member

Registered: 2025-07-05

Posts: 5

Re: Conky and background **SOLVED**

$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing

false

$ sudo xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing

true

Added later 44 min 46 s:
Thank you ToZ, turning on compositing made it work..