SliTaz Forum

HDS

Member

Registered: 2025-09-22

Posts: 22

openbox and lxde

I tried to fix the window-position of an application by adding something like this

<application name="Icon Browser">

   <position force="Yes">

      <x>x-pos<\x>

      <y>y-pos<\y>

   <\position>

<\application>

between <applications>..<\applications>

in the files .config/openbox/rc.xml and .config/openbox/lxde_rc.xml.

It doesn't work for any application and any position-data but the files are read as messages about syntax errors show.

Possibly not all openbox options are accepted by lxde (Key-Bindings work!).

(By the way: In looking for a solution I noticed that the name-space for the xml-files is no longer accessible.)

Ceel

Administrator

Registered: 2011-04-02

Posts: 1,424

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi HDS,

I don't know if what you want to do is possible to do.

The only settings I know about windows position are in section [c]<placement>[/c]

The Application settings of the OpenBox documentation doesn' mention any settings that would allow to give the position of a window for an application. This could explain the syntax error messages you got.

By the way: In looking for a solution I noticed that the name-space for the xml-files is no longer accessible.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean.

HDS

Member

Registered: 2025-09-22

Posts: 22

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi Ceel,

many thanks for the quick reaction.

I have found the settings I mentioned in some Internet-links and as an example in the bottom of /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml.

Also in rc.xml is the line

<openbox_config xmlns="http://openbox.org/3.4/rc">

which in my undestanding defines the namespace for the used xml-tags. But I'm really not an expert in XML.

Ceel

Administrator

Registered: 2011-04-02

Posts: 1,424

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi HDS,

I think I found the syntax you are looking for in the OpenBox documentation (http://openbox.org/help/Contents > section rc.xml, 1.3.2 Actions): http://openbox.org/help/Actions#ShowMenu

In my understanding, [c]name[/c] is the name of a window, not the one of an application. Like you I'm far to be an expert with xml.

Concerning the link in the header of the file, maybe it should be updated

gibor

Moderator

Registered: 2011-04-30

Posts: 1,067

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi HDS, Ceel,

I'm not sure if I understand what you want to do, but to force the positioning of an app when it starts up, use this syntax:

es xterm

<applications><application name="xterm"><desktop>1</desktop><position force="yes"><x>25</x><y>15</y></position></application>

</applications>

To be inserted in /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml at the end before </openbox_config>

after this then openbox --reload or logout/login

Tested on current, it always runs xterm on desk1 at coordinates 25,15.

Confirmation is obtained by opening it several times, which results in the windows overlapping.

I hope you find it useful...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ciao HDS, Ceel

Non so se ho capito bene l'intento, ma per forzare il posizionamento di una app al suo avvio vale questa sintassi:

es xterm

<applications><application name="xterm"><desktop>1</desktop><position force="yes"><x>25</x><y>15</y></position></application>

</applications>

Da inserire in /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml al termine prima di </openbox_config>

dopo la modifca dai openbox --reload o logout/login

testato su current esegue sempre xterm sul desk1 alle coordinate 25,15.

La conferma si ha aprendo più volte si ottiene la sovrapposizione delle finestre.

Spero vi sia utile...

HDS

Member

Registered: 2025-09-22

Posts: 22

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi Ceel,Gibor

due to your contriubtions I come to the following conclusion:

the inline documentation of rc.xml doesn't match the documentation at openbox.org!

The inline documentation allows positioning by the application tag as Gibor and I tried; the documentation at openbox.org doesn-t mentioned the appllication tag or something comparable. It looks like a version mismatch.

In consequence I will try to realize my requirement by some scripting using tools like xwininfo and xdotool.

Thank You for clarification of the topic.

gibor

Moderator

Registered: 2011-04-30

Posts: 1,067

Re: openbox and lxde

In a nutshell, I would like to point out something in the post: https://forum.slitaz.org/topic/openbox-and-lxde#post-53457

I don't know if you only did this in the topic or also in the tests, but you used a backslash instead of a slash.

In the rc.xml file, there are lines suggesting how to modify it.

----------------------------------------------------------

In due parole faccio notare un punto del post : https://forum.slitaz.org/topic/openbox-and-lxde#post-53457

Non so se l'hai fatto solo nel topic o anche nelle prove, ma hai usato il backslash al posto dello slash.

Nel file  rc.xml ci sono le righe di suggerimento per modificarlo

<!--

  # this is an example with comments through out. use these to make your

  # own rules, but without the comments of course.

  # you may use one or more of the name/class/role/title/type rules to specify

  # windows to match

  <application name="the window's _OB_APP_NAME property (see obxprop)"

              class="the window's _OB_APP_CLASS property (see obxprop)"

          groupname="the window's _OB_APP_GROUP_NAME property (see obxprop)"

         groupclass="the window's _OB_APP_GROUP_CLASS property (see obxprop)"

               role="the window's _OB_APP_ROLE property (see obxprop)"

              title="the window's _OB_APP_TITLE property (see obxprop)"

               type="the window's _OB_APP_TYPE property (see obxprob)..

                      (if unspecified, then it is 'dialog' for child windows)">

  # you may set only one of name/class/role/title/type, or you may use more

  # than one together to restrict your matches.

  # the name, class, role, and title use simple wildcard matching such as those

  # used by a shell. you can use * to match any characters and ? to match

  # any single character.

  # the type is one of: normal, dialog, splash, utility, menu, toolbar, dock,

  #    or desktop

  # when multiple rules match a window, they will all be applied, in the

  # order that they appear in this list

    # each rule element can be left out or set to 'default' to specify to not

    # change that attribute of the window

    <decor>yes</decor>

    # enable or disable window decorations

    <shade>no</shade>

    # make the window shaded when it appears, or not

    <position force="no">

      # the position is only used if both an x and y coordinate are provided

      # (and not set to 'default')

      # when force is "yes", then the window will be placed here even if it

      # says you want it placed elsewhere.  this is to override buggy

      # applications who refuse to behave

      <x>center</x>

      # a number like 50, or 'center' to center on screen. use a negative number

      # to start from the right (or bottom for <y>), ie -50 is 50 pixels from

      # the right edge (or bottom). use 'default' to specify using value

      # provided by the application, or chosen by openbox, instead.

      <y>200</y>

      <monitor>1</monitor>

      # specifies the monitor in a xinerama setup.

      # 1 is the first head, or 'mouse' for wherever the mouse is

    </position>

    <size>

      # the size to make the window.

      <width>20</width>

      # a number like 20, or 'default' to use the size given by the application.

      # you can use fractions such as 1/2 or percentages such as 75% in which

      # case the value is relative to the size of the monitor that the window

      # appears on.

      <height>30%</height>

    </size>

    <focus>yes</focus>

    # if the window should try be given focus when it appears. if this is set

    # to yes it doesn't guarantee the window will be given focus. some

    # restrictions may apply, but Openbox will try to

    <desktop>1</desktop>

    # 1 is the first desktop, 'all' for all desktops

    <layer>normal</layer>

    # 'above', 'normal', or 'below'

    <iconic>no</iconic>

    # make the window iconified when it appears, or not

    <skip_pager>no</skip_pager>

    # asks to not be shown in pagers

    <skip_taskbar>no</skip_taskbar>

    # asks to not be shown in taskbars. window cycling actions will also

    # skip past such windows

    <fullscreen>yes</fullscreen>

    # make the window in fullscreen mode when it appears

    <maximized>true</maximized>

    # 'Horizontal', 'Vertical' or boolean (yes/no)

  </application>

  # end of the example

-->

HDS

Member

Registered: 2025-09-22

Posts: 22

Re: openbox and lxde

Hi Gibor,

that's really embarrassing. I used backslashes only in the post since I wasn't able at this time to copy something out of the virtual machine where I have run the tests. It is a human paste and copy error.

Thank you for noticing and reporting.