[Feature] Add tag preview (WIP)

[siduck]

show a floating picture like thingy for tags when their icons on dwmbar is hovered, something like this

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/635625917623828520/829478089469329438/gif_2021-04-07032620.gif (awesomewm)

[siduck]

so far I was able to preview an image with rofi and align it properly.

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127742682-861304c5-c081-426b-ae3e-4674ee5a0cf9.mp4

[siduck]

#!/bin/sh

preview_dir="$HOME/.dwm/tag_previews/"

current_tag=$(wmctrl -d | grep '*' | cut -d ' ' -f1)

save_Screenshot() {
  file="${preview_dir}${current_tag}.png"
  maim -u "${file}"
}

$(save_Screenshot)

[siduck]

The above script should be excuted by dwm before the user switches to another workspace. (this is for saving the screenshots )

maim will overwrite the screenshots itself too.

[siduck]

Basic Concept

1. Run the above save_screenshot script before switching tags
   • suppose there are 5 workspaces ( 0 to 4 according to wmctrl )

2. When you hover on the tag icon , it should execute 2 things :

• (Note : tag_previews is the folder where we say our screenshots and the 1.png here is uncertain so when we hover a tag , its number will be saved in a variable and that variable will be used instead of 1.png)

  
  screenshot=".dwm/tag_previews/1.png" 

sed -i "s:/home/sid/.*.png:/home/sid/$screenshot:" ~/.config/rofi/tag.rasi

And 

-  run [tag_preview script](https://paste.sh/HX3tOdA_#Pv67BPdzQ_IgoVzsMM5w_rH-)

I shouldnt worry about the alignment , I'll manage it in the tag_preview script.

[siduck]

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127776548-f5c22a36-8801-46a2-bbea-b687e8a86eef.mp4

works kinda ( but switching tags adds 100ms ~ delay ) :(

[siduck]

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127789831-81e0a856-8032-4241-b180-29c3a5aacba5.mp4

after using jpeg for image format , it feels faster than before!

[siduck]

using feh instead of rofi is much faster!

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127867063-ba7572fd-bdb6-413e-98c1-ce348395f5b0.mp4

[siduck]

1. So we dont need some hooks stuff , since the tag preview is accurate (but not for current tag). the rest of the tags already have accurate previews ,since we're taking screenshot before switching the tag.

look

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127945072-45f1bd3b-9b34-4d86-8a49-4bb4d9fb29e7.mp4

[siduck]

Issue 2 :

If there's an inactive tag , do not show its tag preview.

behaviour :

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/127945471-32eb62d6-6935-4cde-8620-ebea330f759c.mp4

Solution :

just delete its image from the ~/.dwm/tag_previews dir soo in our case 3 was the inactive tag , so remove 3.jpeg :)

if we hover an empty tag

[siduck]

finally my friend made a patch for this! so no external scripts xD

https://github.com/siduck76/chadwm/commit/0372264f1de4aa3487a0c1643051dd5746e0e581

[siduck]

stuff needs to be fixed : tag preview doesnt update the current workspace screenshot

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/128020404-0938f06f-75d9-490f-8cc0-bb28b873691e.mp4

solution : whenever we hover current tag icon , take screenshot + do tag preview

[siduck]

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/128049070-338f3cec-ac21-4a4a-ae42-ca23ef035839.mp4

[siduck]

https://github.com/siduck76/chadwm/commit/75168cc5d5efe9d34b00318259244ff60ccafd20

[siduck]

dwm ram usage keeps increasing if I switch to a different tag

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/59060246/128053620-632f043b-b037-4a3b-a5c1-f2cb9241d620.mp4

[siduck]

dwm ram usage keeps increasing if I switch to a different tag

simplescreenrecorder-2021-08-03_21.49.19.mp4

temp fix https://pastebin.com/raw/rThCDTZ6

[siduck]

dwm ram usage keeps increasing if I switch to a different tag

simplescreenrecorder-2021-08-03_21.49.19.mp4

fixed here https://github.com/siduck76/chadwm/commit/a10d00f9e0329e787b490e54182f15394e41b583

[siduck]

dwm will know take around 11mb to 32~ mb , since its storing the images in ram rather than disk . I'll test it the other way around ( saving images on disk).

[siduck]

FINALLY DONE https://github.com/siduck76/chadwm/commit/f397a51a8e9b093994bc663be4d98cc7150bdb81

thanks a lot to /u/eProTaLT83 for helping with this feature!!

[explosion-mental]

Hi, made a patch for this, which of course I can maintain.

Let me suggest to put it on the patches section since I know some are too comfy on their builds to switch.

[siduck]

Hi, made a patch for this, which of course I can maintain.

Let me suggest to put it on the patches section since I know some are too comfy on their builds to switch.

Thanks for this! if you don't mind then you could add the tabbed with colored buttons patch too.

[explosion-mental]

Thanks for this! if you don't mind then you could add the tabbed with colored buttons patch too.

You mean this ?

[siduck]

Thanks for this! if you don't mind then you could add the tabbed with colored buttons patch too.

You mean this ?

yes

[explosion-mental]

Sorry for the late response but the patch finally got pushed. Also by

Let me suggest to put it on the patches section since I know some are too comfy on their builds to switch.

I meant to the readme of your repo lol. Anyway it's now pushed on the link above.

As for

if you don't mind then you could add the tabbed with colored buttons patch too.

I could but I wouln't be able to keep it up to date.

Maybe the author of the patch is interested on it? see

[siduck]

@explosion-mental The author of the patch is /u/eProTaLT83 on reddit . I came up with this idea and he made a patch for it!

[renanwp2]

At least in my build of DWM, with the patch of explosion-mental, I have some problem with scaling variable. If I set it to 2 (static const int scalepreview= 2), the window size does not increase, but it still zooms the image. It would be better if the window size increases together. Probably an error in the calculation of XCopyArea.

[baizeyv]

At least in my build of DWM, with the patch of explosion-mental, I have some problem with scaling variable. If I set it to 2 (static const int scalepreview= 4), the window size does not increase, but it still zooms the image. It would be better if the window size still increases. Probably an error in the calculation of XCopyArea.

you can modify this function

+void
+updatepreview(void)
+{
+   Monitor *m;
+
+   XSetWindowAttributes wa = {
+       .override_redirect = True,
+       .background_pixmap = ParentRelative,
+       .event_mask = ButtonPressMask|ExposureMask
+   };
+   for (m = mons; m; m = m->next) {
+       m->tagwin = XCreateWindow(dpy, root, m->wx, m->by + bh, m->mw / 4, m->mh / 4, 0,
+               DefaultDepth(dpy, screen), CopyFromParent, DefaultVisual(dpy, screen),
+               CWOverrideRedirect|CWBackPixmap|CWEventMask, &wa);
+       XDefineCursor(dpy, m->tagwin, cursor[CurNormal]->cursor);
+       XMapRaised(dpy, m->tagwin);
+       XUnmapWindow(dpy, m->tagwin);
+   }
+}
+

modify this to

+void
+updatepreview(void)
+{
+   Monitor *m;
+
+   XSetWindowAttributes wa = {
+       .override_redirect = True,
+       .background_pixmap = ParentRelative,
+       .event_mask = ButtonPressMask|ExposureMask
+   };
+   for (m = mons; m; m = m->next) {
+       m->tagwin = XCreateWindow(dpy, root, m->wx, m->by + bh, m->mw / scalepreview, m->mh / scalepreview, 0,
+               DefaultDepth(dpy, screen), CopyFromParent, DefaultVisual(dpy, screen),
+               CWOverrideRedirect|CWBackPixmap|CWEventMask, &wa);
+       XDefineCursor(dpy, m->tagwin, cursor[CurNormal]->cursor);
+       XMapRaised(dpy, m->tagwin);
+       XUnmapWindow(dpy, m->tagwin);
+   }
+}
+

This solution maybe will handle your problem.

[renanwp2]

At least in my build of DWM, with the patch of explosion-mental, I have some problem with scaling variable. If I set it to 2 (static const int scalepreview= 4), the window size does not increase, but it still zooms the image. It would be better if the window size still increases. Probably an error in the calculation of XCopyArea.

you can modify this function

+void
+updatepreview(void)
+{
+ Monitor *m;
+
+ XSetWindowAttributes wa = {
+     .override_redirect = True,
+     .background_pixmap = ParentRelative,
+     .event_mask = ButtonPressMask|ExposureMask
+ };
+ for (m = mons; m; m = m->next) {
+     m->tagwin = XCreateWindow(dpy, root, m->wx, m->by + bh, m->mw / 4, m->mh / 4, 0,
+             DefaultDepth(dpy, screen), CopyFromParent, DefaultVisual(dpy, screen),
+             CWOverrideRedirect|CWBackPixmap|CWEventMask, &wa);
+     XDefineCursor(dpy, m->tagwin, cursor[CurNormal]->cursor);
+     XMapRaised(dpy, m->tagwin);
+     XUnmapWindow(dpy, m->tagwin);
+ }
+}
+

modify this to

+void
+updatepreview(void)
+{
+ Monitor *m;
+
+ XSetWindowAttributes wa = {
+     .override_redirect = True,
+     .background_pixmap = ParentRelative,
+     .event_mask = ButtonPressMask|ExposureMask
+ };
+ for (m = mons; m; m = m->next) {
+     m->tagwin = XCreateWindow(dpy, root, m->wx, m->by + bh, m->mw / scalepreview, m->mh / scalepreview, 0,
+             DefaultDepth(dpy, screen), CopyFromParent, DefaultVisual(dpy, screen),
+             CWOverrideRedirect|CWBackPixmap|CWEventMask, &wa);
+     XDefineCursor(dpy, m->tagwin, cursor[CurNormal]->cursor);
+     XMapRaised(dpy, m->tagwin);
+     XUnmapWindow(dpy, m->tagwin);
+ }
+}
+

This solution maybe will handle your problem.

I don't believe that it was only it! Just exchange a four by the variable. I think this bug fix should be on dwm suckless site as well.

[baizeyv]

@renanwp2 This patch is not mine, I just found this little bug during debugging. The creator of this patch is explosion-mental.