The default panel found with the LXDE desktop is the lightweight LXPanel. This panel is fairly similar to the Gnome panel or the KDE panel and configuration is just as easy.
LXPanel Customization
There is a simple graphical user interface that you can use to customize your LXDE panel any way you want it. And along with the convenient graphical user interface provided for your settings LXDE also offers lots of options to choose from.
Panel Location
Users can easily move their panel to an appropriate locations, or change the look of the panel.
Although LXDE is a lightweight desktop environment there are still lots of fun features. Choose from several of the available applets for your LXPanel, here are a few.
Volume Control
The volume control applet will place a small icon in your panel that you can quickly use to adjust the system volume.
CPU Frequency
This applet will display a small icon in your dock, when you move the mouse over this applet you can see your CPU frequency.
Battery Monitor
A battery monitor icon for your panel, this is excellent for laptops.
Keyboard Layout Switcher
If you use alternative keyboard layouts you can switch quickly between them with this applet.
Network Status Monitor
With this applet you can check your network upload and download speed.
Keyboard LED
You can use this applet to toggle your keyboard LED lights, the caps lock, num lock, and scroll lock lights can all be toggled on or off.
Desktop Number Workspace Name
This applet works like a workspace switcher for LXDE, it will always display the current desktop number, or name if one is given.
Temperature Monitor
Check the temperature of core system components with this applet.
CPU Usage Monitor
This applet will display the status of your CPU.
Spacer
Use spacer’s to separate your applets into categories.
Menu
With this applet you can display a standard LXDE menu icon in the panel.
Desktop Pager
Here is a common workspace switcher for your panel, you can also use it to access your LXDE workspace settings.
Task Bar Window List
This applet will display a list of all open windows inside the panel.
Directory Menu
You can use this menu to display a menu with all of your bookmarked directories.
Minimize All Windows
Use this applet to instantly minimize all windows and display the desktop.
Digital Clock
A simple digital clock applet for your LXPanel.
Application Launch Bar
With this applet you can add all of your favorite application launchers to your panel.
Separator
separators can also be added to your panel, they work just like spacer’s.
LXDE Offers a few simple commands to help you get more information about LXPanel, or change some simple settings.
Default Syntax
Here is the default syntax for using LXPanel from the command line, this shows long and short option formats.
$ lxpanel -o --option
LXPanel Profile
Use the following command to select a profile to be loaded. Each profile will reflect different panel settings.
$ lxpanel -p name
Profile names are stored in the following location.
~/.config/lxpanel/
Logging Level
Use the following commands to change the logging level. Use numbers from 0-5 to set the desired logging level. 0 for silent logging, 5 for verbose logging.
$ lxpanel --log 0
LXPanel Version
The next command will display the LXPanel version information.
$ lxpanel -v
LXPanel Help
This command will display the LXPanel help information
$ lxpanel -h
Now lets have some fun ripping apart the LXDE Panel configuration file. Manually editing the configuration file is said to be not recommended. This is intended simply to point out which optioins may be available, though I am not sure about all of the options and variables. The configuration file can be seen below.
~./config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels
Global Settings
The following options are contained inside the global settings section of the LXDE panel configuration file.
Screen Edge
The next option will allow you to change the screen edge for your panel, top or bottom.
edge=bottom
Screen Alignment
Change the alignment of the panel on the desktop with the next option, left or right.
allign=left
Panel Margins
I’m not sure if this is an offset from the screen edge to the panel, or a spacing between panel applets.
margin=0
Width Type
You can change the type of width you wish you use, the default is percent. I’m not sure what options are available, probable pixels.
widthtype=percent
Panel Width
Set the panel width with this option.
width=100
Panel Height
You can set the panel height with the next option
height=26
Transparent Panel
The next option will let you toggle panel transparency, I would imaging 0 for false 1 for true.
transparent=0
Panel Tint Color
Change the LXDE panel tint color with the following option.
tintcolor=#000000
Panel Alpha
You can toggle alpha on or off, it has something to do with the contrast or coloring I would imagine.
alpha=0
Panel Auto-Hide
If you want to auto-hide your LXDE panel when not in use you can with this option. 0 for false 1 for true.
autohide=1
Height When Hidden
Set the height of the LXDE panel in pixels when the panel is hidden, then the mouse moves over this area the pane becomes active.
heightwhenhidden=2
Dock Type
Apperantly you can change the dock type, I’m not sure exactly what this does, but here is the default option.
setdocktype=1
Use Font Color
Toggle the LXDE panel font color with this option. First toggle this option on, then set the panel color next.
usefontcolor=1
Panel Font Color
This option will set the LXDE panel font color.
fontcolor=#ffffff
Use Panel Background
You can also use a background for your LXDE panel, toggle the background image on with the next option.
background=1
Panel Background Image
Next you can choose the background file for your LXDE panel with this option.
backgroundfile=/usr/share/lxpanel/images/background.png
Panel Icon Size
This option will set the LXDE panel icon size.
iconsize=24
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Tags: customization, desktop, dock, LXDE, panel, settings | Posted in Desktop
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