Drop files from TUI into GUI

[GiorgosXou]

We need to figure out, how to drop a file from terminal into GUIs (especially browsers) [...]

[GiorgosXou]

"mimic drag and drop behavior of: GUI file-managers, like nautilus"

[GiorgosXou]

Ok, i think i found a solution for linux:

• https://github.com/mwh/dragon

[GiorgosXou]

meh

[GiorgosXou]

I think it's possible without dragon by using xdtools to get the window and pid of proccess and then invoking somehow the events of DND or something? https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/drag-and-drop.html

[GiorgosXou]

So there's something called XDND (X Drag-and-Drop) protocol for x11, I've no idea how it works but I asked chat-GPT for help and it gave me plenty of intresting but unusefull example using the xpybutil module....

[GiorgosXou]

It also gave me this example (that obviously is completly wrong) that has some interesting elements ...

from Xlib import X, display
from Xlib.protocol.event import ClientMessage
from Xlib import Xatom

# Connect to the X server
d = display.Display()

# Get the root window
root = d.screen().root

# Create a window for the drag source
source_window = root.create_window(
    100, 100, 100, 100,  # x, y, width, height
    1,  # border width
    X.CopyFromParent,  # depth
    X.InputOutput,  # class
    X.CopyFromParent,  # visual
    background_pixel=d.screen().black_pixel
)

# Create a window for the drop target
target_window = root.create_window(
    200, 200, 200, 200,  # x, y, width, height
    1,  # border width
    X.CopyFromParent,  # depth
    X.InputOutput,  # class
    X.CopyFromParent,  # visual
    background_pixel=d.screen().white_pixel
)

# Map the windows
source_window.map()
target_window.map()

# Simulate the drag and drop action
text_to_send = "Hello, world!"  # Modify this line to change the text to be sent
source_data = [
    d.intern_atom('XdndSelection'),  # selection atom
    Xatom.STRING,  # target atom
    0,  # timestamp
    source_window.id,  # source window
    X.CurrentTime  # time
]
source_event = ClientMessage(
    display=d,
    window=target_window.id,
    client_type=d.intern_atom('XdndEnter'),
    data=(32, source_data)  # 32 is the data format
)
source_window.send_event(source_event)

target_data = [
    source_window.id,  # source window
    target_window.id,  # target window
    X.CurrentTime  # time
]
target_event = ClientMessage(
    display=d,
    window=target_window.id,
    client_type=d.intern_atom('XdndDrop'),
    data=(32, source_data)  # 32 is the data format
)
target_window.send_event(target_event)

# Flush the event queue and wait for events
d.flush()
while True:
    event = d.next_event()
    if event.type == X.ClientMessage:
        message_type = d.get_atom_name(event.client_type)
        print(f"Received message of type: {message_type}")
        print(event)
        # break

# Close the display connection
d.close()

PS. use xwininfo and convert the hex id to a decimical if you want to use another winndow instead of the one window created?

[GiorgosXou]

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76523336/simulate-drag-and-drop-from-terminal-in-x11

[GiorgosXou]

(Ok at least there's some progress) I think that something along those steps would work for X11:

• catch kxOUT kxIN with ncurses
• Obtain Active window under cursor
• some external mouse library
• https://github.com/PhilPotter/xlib_xdnd

[GiorgosXou]

https://github.com/GiorgosXou/TUIFIManager/discussions/92