IceWM Background

**bryansmith** · 09-12-2005

Is there anyway to change the IceWM desktop background?

Bryan

***Dapper Dan*** · 09-12-2005

Very easy:

Code:

icewmgb /path/to/your/background.jpg

Open ~/.icewm/preferences and look toward the bottom of the file. There is a place there where you can enter the background and it will boot to it until you change it. Here's mine as a reference...

Code:

#  Desktop background image
   DesktopBackgroundImage="/home/dapper/Pictures/greerwestontruck/photo0119.jpeg"

#  Color to announce for semi-transparent windows
# DesktopTransparencyColor=""

#  Image to announce for semi-transparent windows
# DesktopTransparencyImage=""

#

Also, be sure to un-comment the line.

**bryansmith** · 09-12-2005

Originally Posted by Dapper Dan

Very easy:

Code:

icewmgb /path/to/your/background.jpg

Should that not be icewmbg? :P

Also, my background is still the default VectorLinux one. Here is the bottom of my preferences file:

Code:

#
# icewmbg preferences
#
# IMPORTANT&#58; You MUST run icewmbg &#40;probably before icewm&#41;
#            to set the background!
#

#  Display desktop background centered and not tiled
DesktopBackgroundCenter=1 # 0/1

###  Support for semitransparent terminals like Eterm or gnome-terminal
SupportSemitransparency=1 # 0/1

###  Desktop background scaled to full screen
DesktopBackgroundScaled=1 # 0/1

###  Desktop background color
DesktopBackgroundColor = "midnightBlue"

###  Desktop background image
DesktopBackgroundImage = /home/bryan/pictures/ccr.jpg

###  Color to announce for semi-transparent windows
DesktopTransparencyColor="darkblue"

#  Image to announce for semi-transparent windows
# DesktopTransparencyImage=""

My preferences seem to be in order.

Also, at the top it says to run icewmbg probably before icewm, should I be concerned with this?

Bryan

***Dapper Dan*** · 09-12-2005

Originally Posted by bryansmith

Should that not be icewmbg? :P

Yes, sorry. I was bleary eyed tired when I posted. When IceWM loads, it runs icewmbg in the process. Also, make sure your DesktopBackgroundImage is in quotes...

Code:

##  Desktop background image
DesktopBackgroundImage ="/home/bryan/pictures/ccr.jpg"

Also, at the top [of the preference file] it says to run icewmbg probably before icewm, should I be concerned with this?

It's not going to hurt anything to run it after icewm is up and running. I do it all the time to check out new backgrounds. I think they have that there in case you want the bg up when IceWM comes up. Just in case, it took me a while to figure out the command to invoke IceWM correctly is:

Code:

icewm-session

instead of just "icewm." If you prefer, Vadim Khohlov has made a neat IceWM configurator called Icecc.

**bryansmith** · 09-12-2005

Okay, it still isn't working. I put the picture in quotes in my preferences file. I ran icewmbg but it just comes up saying:

Code:

icewmbg&#58; using /home/bryan/.icewm for private configuration files

It says this with no sign of the computer actually doing anything.

Any more ideas?

Bryan

oz · 09-12-2005

Any time I run icewm, I start it and the background tool "icewmbg" in the .xinitrc file, like this:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
icewmbg &
exec icewm

**bryansmith** · 09-12-2005

Originally Posted by Ozar

Any time I run icewm, I start it and the background tool "icewmbg" in the .xinitrc file, like this:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
icewmbg &
exec icewm

That sort of worked

. This time, the wallpaper started as the one I wanted then quickly changed back to the default VectorLinux one. Any ideas?

Bryan

oz · 09-12-2005

Maybe you can try commenting out any background entry in the vector theme, if that's where it's coming from. Otherwise, check your preferences file to see if it's listed there. Once you find it, comment it out.

That should allow your personal background to work.

***Dapper Dan*** · 09-13-2005

At any rate, When you edit your preference file as mentioned above, and give the path to your prefered background, it should come up when you re-start IceWM. I just tested it on Slackware, Debian and Mepis, and it worked all three times I tried it.

I found with SuSE 9.1, that the command used to start IceWM is, "icewm." If that is used, it won't put up the desktop. Can you get to a failsafe terminal? If so, use,

Code:

icewm-session

and that should get your prefered desktop picture up, provided you have it listed correctly in the .icewm/preference file.

Where is the "sessions" folder in Vector? On Slackware it's at /opt/kde/share/apps/kdm/sessions. There should be a file there - icewm.desktop. Edit this and change the command within the file from "icewm" to "icewm-session" if it isn't that already. Here's mine as a reference...

Code:

&#91;Desktop Entry&#93;
Encoding=UTF-8
Type=XSession
Exec=icewm-session
TryExec=icewm-session
Name=IceWM
Name&#91;af&#93;=Icewm
Name&#91;eo&#93;=GlaciFA
&#123;etc...&#125;

**bryansmith** · 09-14-2005

I have since removed VectorLinux from my HD. It proved pointless to have it along side Suse which I use most of the time. Thanks anyway guys for your help. I appreciate it.

Bryan

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