Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

MountainDewManiac · 2015-08-11 18:37:11

I just tried holding down my (left) Alt key, my right mouse button, and dragging VLC's window. This partition has Mint 17.1 Xfce (4.10). It works for me. I had never tried it before because simply placing my cursor on an application's border, holding my left mouse button, and dragging the cursor seems simpler and easier.

The "left-click/drag" works on the other partition that has Xfce 4.12, too. IDK if the more complicated method that you described does.

Is it all windows that you are experiencing this issue with? Are you seeing any other symptoms?

Regards,
MDM

Donny Bahama · 2015-08-12 00:11:17

MDM- the thing that you may be missing is that, when using the Alt+right-click & drag method, you don't have to grab the side/corner of the window - you just have to get somewhat (not even very) close to it. Try it; it's really pretty cool.

In 17.2 Xfce, I've tried it using a thunar window and a firefox window. In both cases, right clicking brings up the context menu (even with Alt held down.)

MountainDewManiac · 2015-08-12 01:30:04

I did try it. It'll be of great benefit to me if/when Parkinson's sets in, lol, but right now it's more along the lines of some lines of useless code and wasted development time. OtOH, I realize that what is less than useless (IOW, a negative) to most people might be of some kind of use - or at least novelty, I suppose - to others. I also realize that happens to be one of the appeals of linux, that many of the developers are sort of like California governments in that they'll implement pretty much any request that someone comes along and asks for. Furthermore... I realize that one of these days, I might, myself, want something added that (guessing) 90% of the other linux users have no use for and would probably only try once just to see what it's all about (if then) - so I don't have any problems with features like this, lol. In that spirit:

Just now, I was able to hold down my (again, left) Alt key and my right mouse button, and resize both Thunar's and Firefox's windows by making "dragging" motions with my mouse. So that's three for three (five for five, actually, because - in addition to VLC, Thunar, and Firefox, I also tried and succeeded with FBReader and gedit).

Perhaps something other than Xfce is causing your issue? Are you, by chance, using Compiz as your window manager instead of Xfwm? IDK that doing so would cause this "lack of a feature" that you are currently experiencing, but I do know that Mint 17.2 comes with it as an option, that I'm not using Compiz (to be fair, the ability to see a window fold itself into a paper airplane and "fly" off my screen when I minimized it was interesting in a juvenilistic sort of way for a short time - but it turns out that the only "extra" that I really have any use for in a WM is to allow me to quickly and easily adjust the level of transparency/translucency in whichever window that I've got on top so that I can see both it and the one(s) underneath at the same time, and Xfwm manages to do that), and that - and I'm speculating here, but it makes sense (to me roll ) - the feature that we're discussing seems to be something that a window manager would be responsible for and, therefore, the very first bit of troubleshooting that I would do is to ensure that I'm using Xfwm. So... If you are currently using Compiz as your WM, try changing that to Xfce's default one (Xfwm) and see if that gives you back your feature.

If you're using Xfwm... I have no more thoughts. Good luck, though.

Regards,

wgoltz · 2015-08-12 05:40:11

I lost my (L-alt + right-mouse button) 'resize window' trick a couple of months ago and miss it. I think I lost it after an upgrade rather than me fiddling with things. I have tried "Window Manager->Keyboard->Resize window" set to a key-combination I kind of like as a work around while I try to find out how to get the trick back, but using this requires another mouse click to release the dragging window. (Two clicks for one action is a bit sad!)

Donny Bahama · 2015-09-21 14:31:42

MountainDewManiac wrote:

Are you, by chance, using Compiz as your window manager instead of Xfwm?

MDM - thanks for the help and I'm sorry it took me over a month to respond. I /may/ be using Compiz -- I vaguely remember enabling it, playing around a bit, and deciding that, like you, I didn't really need the "paper airplane effect" either. I don't remember if I put it back, though. And the thing is, when I bring up Settings and click Window Manager, nothing happens. Likewise, if I click Window Manager Tweaks - nothing. Any suggestions on how to tell what window manager I'm using - without using the settings applet(s)? OK, I figured it out. Yes, I was using Compiz. I found it in Session and Startup -> Application Autostart and deleted it. When I restarted, my Alt + right-drag resizing worked again.

Only *now* I've got this weird gray line across my middle desktop?! Help?

I tried changing the wallpaper (no change). Also tried rebooting (again, no change). I tried changing the display resolution (no change) then changing it back. There's an Xreset script in /etc/X11 - but I'm not sure how to backup my settings before running it.

Last edited by Donny Bahama (2015-09-21 15:02:25)

ungutknut · 2015-09-25 10:43:45

Donny Bahama wrote:

Only *now* I've got this weird gray line across my middle desktop?! Help?

I remember this once was a topic here:
https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=9729

Donny Bahama · 2015-09-25 22:51:33

Fixed me right up! Many thanks, ungutknut!

mjv · 2020-04-15 23:53:15

Hi all,

this thread started in 2011.
Now, in 2020, we STILL do not have drag corners of any useful size.
As has been mentioned over and over, the slim borderline is cool and the "1 x 1" pixel drag area is a nuisance.

Huh huh, hello anybody out there willing to take GUI performance and acceptance from a USER standpoint into account to improve Xfce?

And no, I do not need any other context in the corner than "resize" (the current context menu applies for every point within the window. No problem to apply it just everywhere except ...)
I am aware of the Alt+Right feature, but something more direct would be very welcome.

Best regards,

Michael

mort1skoda · 2021-01-31 13:59:19

Hi,

I go to Window Manger and choose Default-hdpi Theme
This gives me a much wider and better corner grip area

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8sr5k843xm8z … 1.png?dl=0

best regards
mort1

Last edited by mort1skoda (2021-01-31 14:26:33)

fixitmanarizona · 2021-07-13 06:03:07

There seems to be (after what, a decade?) a new solution that is fairly easy to use, and works for me on Xubuntu 20.04.
Download "borders" theme and apply it AFTER tweaking theme with OOmox. https://app.box.com/s/7gk3pwdn5onj5q5b9eowa2315qy8pcy3 (zip file) Extract to your ~.themes folder ( yourusername .themes) Then, go to settings> window manager and in the "style" tab select "borders." It will preserve your current theme EXCEPT you will now have larger borders to grab on newly opened windows. It does this by applying (I'm not sure, possibly replacing?) XPM files (pictures) that are transparent but wider than any of the standard GTK or XWFM themes to your current theme.
By the way this works with or without enabling display compositing. Discovered by accident.
Instructions from the great guys at MX Linux (no wonder it's the MOST popular distro on distrowatch this year!)
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/xfce/changing- … w-manager/ scroll down to the section "Window manager themes with easy to grab edges" and under <draft> you'll find what you need.
I use a custom theme built with OOmox for custom colors, so I can have the "ancient" tan colors (in most windows) and applying "borders" after my 00mox custom theme worked great.
Your mileage may vary as there are many themes based on many theme engines out there.
In my opinion XFCE could include both these features in say, window manager tweaks easily enough?

Last edited by fixitmanarizona (2021-07-13 06:16:08)

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#26 2015-08-11 18:37:11

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#27 2015-08-12 00:11:17

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#28 2015-08-12 01:30:04

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#29 2015-08-12 05:40:11

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#30 2015-09-21 14:31:42

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#31 2015-09-25 10:43:45

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#32 2015-09-25 22:51:33

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#33 2020-04-15 23:53:15

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#34 2021-01-31 13:59:19

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

#35 2021-07-13 06:03:07

Re: Wish to tweak corner-grabbing and edge-grabbing accuracy

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