Simple lxde lubuntu aero snap with working obkey keyboard editor

[ronniew]

Aero snap is actually pretty cool, and I despise Windows so that says a lot for the feature... In lxde / lubuntu its not really available.

So after scouring the internet again I came up with a pretty cool solution.

OBKEY is optional if you don't wish to install it you can skip over this section and jump down to the "time for aero snap feature"

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Editing keyboard shortcuts is easy in lxde with obkey.. however obkey doesn't work out of the box with lubuntu... but a minor tweak gets it going.

download the best version for you from here or maybe try sudo apt-get install obkey ... it might be in there... depending on your system and repos.

After install go to your run menu or in the terminal and paste the following

gksu leafpad /usr/bin/obkey

find the line

/.config/openbox/rc.xml

change it to

/.config/openbox/lubuntu-rc.xml

save file and close

*****

OK now although obkey is install and working.. we are not actually going to use it to setup aerosnap.... why not? because its a bit too hard to explain but its nice to have and you will use it at the end. (kinda)

*****

Time for the aero snap feature

open run or a terminal and enter the following

gksu leafpad ~/.config/openbox/lubuntu-rc.xml

find the line

<chainQuitKey>C-g</chainQuitKey>

underneath that line copy and paste the following

<!-- Aero Snap for Openbox Begin Code-->
    <keybind key="W-Left">        # HalfLeftScreen
      <action name="UnmaximizeFull"/>
      <action name="MoveResizeTo">
        <x>0</x>
        <y>0</y>
        <height>97%</height>
        <width>50%</width>
      </action>
    </keybind>
    <keybind key="W-Right">        # HalfRightScreen
      <action name="UnmaximizeFull"/>
      <action name="MoveResizeTo">
        <x>-0</x>
        <y>0</y>
        <height>97%</height>
        <width>50%</width>
      </action>
    </keybind>
    <keybind key="W-Up">        # HalfUpperScreen
      <action name="UnmaximizeFull"/>
      <action name="MoveResizeTo">
        <x>0</x>
        <y>0</y>
        <width>100%</width>
        <height>50%</height>
      </action>
    </keybind>
    <keybind key="W-Down">        # HalfLowerScreen
      <action name="UnmaximizeFull"/>
      <action name="MoveResizeTo">
        <x>0</x>
        <y>-0</y>
        <width>100%</width>
        <height>50%</height>
      </action>
    </keybind>
<!-- Aero Snap for Openbox End Code-->

*****Minor update applied so the panel does not cover any portion of the expanded windows, code above has been updated*****


save and close

now open up obkey (preferences menu) and you will notice four new entries for the super key and arrows..

go ahead and close it,,, (obkey is really easy to edit your shortcuts although we really didn't use it in this situation but it is nice to have)

*****

Now open run or copy and paste this in the terminal: openbox --restart

Now how do you use it?? Well you can't drag you windows to a corner and expect them to snap in place... It won't work but what you can do is pretty sweet even though it manual

Select any window and hold the super key (windows key) and press either left, right, up or down...

and you'll get the hint immediately..

work very well,

ad no extra bloat to the system either..

enjoy.



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I will be providing a series of easy solutions and linking to them below

lxde simple weather
lxde wallpaper changer
expose feature for lubuntu