Cannot Change Window Color

miltonx · 2020-10-09 07:52:24

I've just started using BL lithium. Very happy with its leanness and the openbox-jgmenu functionality. But the dark window color is not my thing. I tried every openbox theme build in Lithium, and also installed 3 themes from box-looks. Surprisingly, that only makes changes in TITLE BAR colors. The windows' color remains the same. I want the free space within a window and tool bars (ex. in Thunar, the background for all the files) to be lighter color. What should I do to change that?

BTW, lx-appearance cannot modify colors, it says "setting color scheme is not available without lxsession as session manager".

rbh · 2020-10-09 09:43:40

Jgmenu => Preferences => Appearance, starts LXAppeance
Jgmenu => Preferences => Openbox => WM Preferences, starts ObConf
Start both obconf and lxappearance.

Choose a theme that is available in both applications. Maybe, you would prefer Clearlooks-3.4?

Do not try to change only colors in lxappearance.

damo · 2020-10-09 12:04:41

@miltonx:

Openbox themes affect the windows' frame area, titlebar: set using obconf;
GTK themes affect the windows' content, plus notification pop-ups etc.: set using lxappearance.

You must change both to matching themes, as mentioned above.

(The joys of a lightweight window manager, instead of a full integrated Desktop Environment!)

hhh · 2020-10-10 00:41:34

damo wrote:

(The joys of a lightweight window manager, instead of a full integrated Desktop Environment!)

To be fair, it's the same in DEs only the settings are usually under just one GUI. For example, in Cinnamon on Buster the 'Themes' GUI has settings for Borders (the window manager), Controls (GTK) and Desktop (the panel, notifications, main menu, run dialog, etc...)

miltonx · 2020-10-10 12:08:18

Thank you! All the answers are helpful. I tried rbh's method. Works! Though, later i decided to just uninstall lxappearance to make it simple.

damo · 2020-10-10 15:09:23

miltonx wrote:

... i decided to just uninstall lxappearance to make it simple.

lxappearance is the gui for setting gtk theme, icon, cursor and font. How does uninstalling it make it simpler?!!

Did you read this before asking a basic question about window colours: Getting Started->Introduction to the Bunsenlabs Lithium Desktop?

hhh · 2020-10-10 23:42:59

damo wrote:

miltonx wrote:
... i decided to just uninstall lxappearance to make it simple.
lxappearance is the gui for setting gtk theme, icon, cursor and font. How does uninstalling it make it simpler?!!

I'm guessing he means that the manual config is easier for him via, what is it, ~/.gtkrc-2.O and whatever the gtk3 *.ini file is?

damo · 2020-10-11 06:39:27

...and bl-rc.xml.

dbvolvox · 2020-10-11 09:50:58

I have started using Rainforest Find it at Preferences>Appearance

Enjoy.

rbh · 2020-10-11 10:44:28

dbvolvox wrote:

I have started using Rainforest Find it at Preferences>Appearance
Enjoy.

That makes no sense. You wrote that you had uninstalled lxappearance. Then you can not start lxappearance (Menu => Preferences => Appearance).

And unistalling lxappearance, does not make it simpler to manage themes.

damo · 2020-10-11 11:31:07

rbh wrote:

dbvolvox wrote:
I have started using Rainforest Find it at Preferences>Appearance
Enjoy.
That makes no sense. You wrote that you had uninstalled lxappearance. Then you can not start lxappearance (Menu => Preferences => Appearance).
And unistalling lxappearance, does not make it simpler to manage themes.

It wasn't him who uninstalled lxappearance, it was the OP.

miltonx · 2020-10-11 14:10:26

rbh wrote:

And unistalling lxappearance, does not make it simpler to manage themes.

Well, it is simpler for me because i no longer have to "manager" themes. The win98-ish grey/white window content bg is what i want. Anyway, that's just me.

damo · 2020-10-11 15:47:35

miltonx wrote:

rbh wrote:
And unistalling lxappearance, does not make it simpler to manage themes.
Well, it is simpler for me because i no longer have to "manager" themes. The win98-ish grey/white window content bg is what i want. Anyway, that's just me.

That sounds like the default theme imposed when all else has failed. If it suits you then no problem, but now you will have to manually edit various files to set a GTK theme.

Don't forget the BLOB themes manager, which saves collections of settings for windows, conky, tint2, wallpaper etc. You can change everything in one go.

rbh · 2020-10-11 17:31:01

damo wrote:

rbh wrote:
That makes no sense.
It wasn't him who uninstalled lxappearance, it was the OP.

Ah, understand.

#1 2020-10-09 07:52:24

Cannot Change Window Color

#2 2020-10-09 09:43:40

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#3 2020-10-09 12:04:41

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#4 2020-10-10 00:41:34

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#5 2020-10-10 12:08:18

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#6 2020-10-10 15:09:23

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#7 2020-10-10 23:42:59

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#8 2020-10-11 06:39:27

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#9 2020-10-11 09:50:58

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#10 2020-10-11 10:44:28

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#11 2020-10-11 11:31:07

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#12 2020-10-11 14:10:26

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#13 2020-10-11 15:47:35

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

#14 2020-10-11 17:31:01

Re: Cannot Change Window Color

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