text in xfce desktop does not look good

debasish patra · 2014-12-13 14:24:37

The text in the desktop launchers or files looks really bad. It not a necessity, but it would be nice it has some antialiasing or shadow of some kind so that the fonts look good as in the file manager.

Really appreciate the hard works from all volunteers.

Regards, Debasish

Last edited by debasish patra (2014-12-13 14:30:11)

ToZ · 2014-12-13 15:08:13

Which version of Xfce? Which distro? A screenshot would also help us to see what bad looks like.

Fonts can be set via Settings Manager >> Appearance >> Fonts tab (including anti-aliasing, hinting and sub-pixel ordering). Does making a change there have any effect?

debasish patra · 2014-12-14 08:46:26

Thanks Toz for the response. smile
I am using the latest xfce from git in arch linux.
Subpixel rensering is working perfectly for everything. This issue is only related to desktop folders or files alone.
You can see the difference below. I have taken screenshots from mate desktop and xfce desktop with same white background.

Mate Screenshot

Xfce Screenshot

Last edited by debasish patra (2014-12-14 10:31:14)

ToZ · 2014-12-14 11:39:27

Interesting. I'm also running Xfce from git and I'm not seeing this problem.

Are you running both Mate and Xfce on the same computer?

Can you confirm the version of xfdesktop:

xfdesktop -V

And just to double-check some of the settings, can you post back:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /desktop-icons -lv
xfconf-query -c xsettings -lv

sixsixfive · 2014-12-14 13:32:20

in addition look your gtkrc for font settings

https://developer.gnome.org/gtk2/stable … -antialias

and maybe there is an override for xfdesktop

eg something like this:

http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/advanced

debasish patra · 2014-12-14 14:27:37

ToZ wrote:

Interesting. I'm also running Xfce from git and I'm not seeing this problem.
Are you running both Mate and Xfce on the same computer?
Can you confirm the version of xfdesktop:
xfdesktop -V
And just to double-check some of the settings, can you post back:
xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /desktop-icons -lv
xfconf-query -c xsettings -lv

Yes, I have installed mate as well. But I can confirm that this issue with xfce desktop has nothing to do with mate. Since I installed it some few days before.
But I have been using xfce for a very long time.
And here we go ...

[d@DArchLinux ~]$ xfdesktop -V
This is xfdesktop version 4.11.8git-694b10f, running on Xfce 4.10.
Built with GTK+ 2.24.25, linked with GTK+ 2.24.25.
Build options:
    Desktop Menu:        enabled
    Desktop Icons:       enabled
    Desktop File Icons:  enabled

[d@DArchLinux ~]$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /desktop-icons -lv
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-filesystem  false
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-home        false
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-removable   false
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-trash       false
/desktop-icons/icon-size                   32

[d@DArchLinux ~]$ xfconf-query -c xsettings -lv
/Gtk/ButtonImages               false
/Gtk/CanChangeAccels            false
/Gtk/ColorPalette               black:white:gray50:red:purple:blue:light blue:green:yellow:orange:lavender:brown:goldenrod4:dodger blue:pink:light green:gray10:gray30:gray75:gray90
/Gtk/CursorThemeName            Adwaita
/Gtk/CursorThemeSize            0
/Gtk/FontName                   Segoe UI 10
/Gtk/IconSizes                  
/Gtk/KeyThemeName               
/Gtk/MenuBarAccel               F10
/Gtk/MenuImages                 true
/Gtk/ToolbarIconSize            3
/Gtk/ToolbarStyle               icons
/Net/CursorBlink                true
/Net/CursorBlinkTime            1200
/Net/DndDragThreshold           8
/Net/DoubleClickDistance        5
/Net/DoubleClickTime            400
/Net/EnableEventSounds          false
/Net/EnableInputFeedbackSounds  false
/Net/IconThemeName              Faenza-Darkest
/Net/SoundThemeName             default
/Net/ThemeName                  Numix
/Xfce/LastCustomDPI             96
/Xft/Antialias                  1
/Xft/DPI                        -1
/Xft/Hinting                    -1
/Xft/HintStyle                  hintslight
/Xft/RGBA                       rgb

Last edited by debasish patra (2014-12-14 14:38:39)

debasish patra · 2014-12-14 14:45:57

sixsixfive wrote:

in addition look your gtkrc for font settings
https://developer.gnome.org/gtk2/stable … -antialias
and maybe there is an override for xfdesktop
eg something like this:
http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/advanced

Thanks sixsixfive.
I am using numix theme. Below code is present in gtkrc.

style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
	XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 0
	XfdesktopIconView::selected-label-alpha = 60
	XfdesktopIconVIew::ellipsize-icon-labels = 1

	base[NORMAL] = @selected_bg_color
	base[SELECTED] = @selected_bg_color
	base[ACTIVE] = @selected_bg_color

	fg[NORMAL] = @selected_fg_color
	fg[SELECTED] = @selected_fg_color
	fg[ACTIVE] = @selected_fg_color

	engine "murrine" {
		textstyle = 5
		text_shade = 0.05
	}
}

Do you see anything wrong ?

debasish patra · 2014-12-14 15:02:29

Ok if I add the below code in
style "xfdesktop-icon-view"
in the Numix theme then I am able to get the same look.

	XfdesktopIconView::shadow-x-offset = 1
	XfdesktopIconView::shadow-y-offset = 1
	XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-x-offset = 1
	XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-y-offset = 1

But how mate is rendering it fine without any tweaks ?

sixsixfive · 2014-12-14 16:52:17

>But how mate is rendering it fine without any tweaks ?

MATE uses caja to to render the desktop.

the murrine engine has it's own textshadows just like xfdesktop, so they will conflict and create 2 textshadows which leads to this weird text

debasish patra · 2014-12-14 17:02:37

sixsixfive wrote:

>But how mate is rendering it fine without any tweaks ?
MATE uses caja to to render the desktop.
the murrine engine has it's own textshadows just like xfdesktop, so they will conflict and create 2 textshadows which leads to this weird text

Actually if we see in the screenshot, there is no shadow to begin with, which is the problem. If the text and background is of same color e.g. white as in screenshot, it is not very pleasing to the eye. big_smile

sixsixfive · 2014-12-14 20:28:54

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=42755

- New option: textstyle = 1 for a shadow at the bottom of the text.
textstyle = 2 for a shadow at the top of the text.
textstyle = 3 for a shadow at the bottom right of the text.
textstyle = 4 for a shadow at the top left of the text.
- New option: text_shade = 1.0 to specify the shade effect of the text’s shadow.

I never used the murrine engine, so i have really no idea how a text shade of 0.05 would look like, but there is also no textstyle 5 according to the settings wink

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#1 2014-12-13 14:24:37

text in xfce desktop does not look good

#2 2014-12-13 15:08:13

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#3 2014-12-14 08:46:26

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#4 2014-12-14 11:39:27

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#5 2014-12-14 13:32:20

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#6 2014-12-14 14:27:37

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#7 2014-12-14 14:45:57

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#8 2014-12-14 15:02:29

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#9 2014-12-14 16:52:17

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#10 2014-12-14 17:02:37

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

#11 2014-12-14 20:28:54

Re: text in xfce desktop does not look good

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