HOW-TO: Compile Avant Window Navigator

[FunnyLookinHat]

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ATTENTION!! This post is no longer being updated, please see the following post instead:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2307772
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Many of you saw the digg post recently for avant window navigator and wanted to know how to compile it and get it working on ubuntu. It's actually quite useful and very neat eye-candy. : )

NOTE: You will need to be running either XGL or AIGLX along with a composite window manager (usually beryl or compiz). I am running AIGLX and beryl, in case you were wondering.

UPDATE: Someone has posted a .deb file to make it easier for you all to install, see the bottom of my post.

Here's how I got it to compile on my edgy-eft installation. (These should work for dapper-drake as well)

UPDATE 2: I saw that several people posted that the svn checkout works much better, this is so true! So I've added two sections, Option 1 for stable code, and Option 2 for svn (read: better) code.
I strongly recommend using the SVN code, and it's still easy to do for all of you who may be new to linux! Just follow the Option 2 instructions

UPDATE 3: The latest code release (at least as far as SVN goes) requires a few extra packages to be installed: libgnome2-dev libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-desktop-dev

Option 1:
Download the latest code release from the official product page:
http://code.google.com/p/avant-windo...downloads/list
The file that I used was:
http://avant-window-navigator.google...0.1.1-2.tar.gz

You should save this file to your home directory for easy access in your console. If not, locate the file and put it there.

Open a terminal and type the following:

tar -zxvf avant-window-navigator-0.1.1-2.tar.gz

This might be different if you used a different version of the code. Just type up to the avant part and hit tab and the rest of the file name should be completed.

After you have extracted (or checked out) all of the files, change to the new directory that you have created:

cd avant-window-navigator-0.1.1/

Again, this will be easiest if you just type cd avant-window and then hit tab.

Now we have to install the essential build dependencies and programs.

sudo apt-get install build-essential

Next we have to install a few dependent packages for the compiler that are not installed by default:

sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-dev libwnck-dev libwnck-common libgconf2-dev libglib2.0-dev libgnome2-dev libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-desktop-dev

Now we go through the basic compile steps...

First we configure:

./configure

Now we compile (make):

make

Then we have to make install, which we have to run as root to properly complete:

sudo make install

Option 2:
Compile from SVN:
First we need to install subversion:

sudo apt-get install subversion

We'll also need a few additional libraries (Note: You also need gnome-common which was not required for the .tar.gz code source)

sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-dev libwnck-dev libwnck-common libgconf2-dev libglib2.0-dev gnome-common libgnome2-dev libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-desktop-dev

Now we check out the code:

svn checkout http://avant-window-navigator.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ avant-window-navigator

Change into the directory the code is in:

cd avant-window-navigator

Use his auto-gen script (instead of ./configure):

./autogen.sh

Compile:

make

And install binaries:

sudo make install

IMPORTANT!
There is one last step which many people will miss! In order to avoid a seg-fault do the following:

cd data gconftool-2 --install-schema-file=avant-window-navigator.schemas

Now you can type the following command to start it:

avant-window-navigator

You can also add this line to your startup script list under System - Preferences - Sessions

Also, on my system I found a link to start it on my menu: Applications - Accessories - Avant Window Manager

To change any preferences with the program you will have to do the following in a console:

avant-preferences

Let me know if you guys have any problems! I'll be watching this thread for the next week or so and try to give you all help! Please post comments as well, my first tutorial.

Cheers,
FunnyLookinHat

***EDIT***
I listed this on digg, please digg it for the other ubuntu users who will want to use this!
http://www.digg.com/linux_unix/Ubunt...ager_Eye_Candy


******EDIT 2*********
Bugz (I think that's his name) posted a link to a .deb for all of you who would rather not compile:
http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.p...6&d=1170430951

[patrickjst]

Nice post. I tried this myself before reading and was one those dopes who got the segfault. Working now though. Thanks!

[xxzeenoxx]

i got past the step which installs the dependent packages, but where or how do i compile it. i was putting in ./configure but it was saying no such file or directory. sorry, i'm VERY new to linux. i was just copying and pasting the commands.


NEVEVRMIND...im dumb, i wasnt even in the directory. Sorry guys, i'm slowly learning. I'm just kicking myself in the a** for not trying linux sooner....I LOVE IT!

[FunnyLookinHat]

Sorry zeeno, I left out a step!

After you unpack the file (The line that starts with tar -zxvf) you will have to change into the directory that all the files went into.

cd avant-window-navigator-0.1.1/

[Grog140]

I got it compiled alright, but all the icons in it seem buggy. I am not sure if it is just a bug because it is an early release or what.

But as far as I can tell, the active icon glow seems to be on top of the icon, making the acon disappear and leaving just a blank looking space.

[pinkpanther_bc]

This looks great, but cant get it to work!

frank@frank-laptop:~$ avant-window-navigator
Floating point exception (core dumped)

Avant-preferences -- the folder contents could not be displayed
error accessing 'file:///usr/local/share/avant-window-navigator/active': File not found

[glabouni]

for those sith segmentation fault or other difficulties, you'll find workarounds at: http://code.google.com/p/avant-windo...?id=5&can=2&q=

be sure to report any bugs you may encounter.

[GForce0617]

WOW!!

Great application. Great write up Funny!

Only a few suggestion (if anyone can answer them as well),,,

Any way that it could move to any side of the desktop (top, bottom, left, right)?

Good job and keep up the great work.

[wormeyman]

checking for AWN... configure: error: Package requirements ( glib-2.0 gobject-2.0 gtk+-2.0 gdk-2.0 libwnck-1.0 gconf-2.0) were not met:

No package 'libwnck-1.0' found
No package 'gconf-2.0' found

Consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if you
installed software in a non-standard prefix.

Alternatively, you may set the environment variables AWN_CFLAGS
and AWN_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
See the pkg-config man page for more details.

eric@ubuntu:~/avant-window-navigator-0.1.1$ sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-dev libwnck-dev libwnck-common libgconf2-dev libglib2.0-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
libgtk2.0-dev is already the newest version.
libwnck-common is already the newest version.
libglib2.0-dev is already the newest version.
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  libwnck-dev: Depends: libwnck18 (= 2.16.1-0ubuntu1) but 2.16.1-0ubuntu1.1 is to be installed
E: Broken packages
eric@ubuntu:~/avant-window-navigator-0.1.1$

doh!

[KiwiWifi]

After following this great guide, I get this error every time I execute "avant-windows-navigator

(avant-window-navigator:19953): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_cairo_create: assertion `GDK_IS_DRAWABLE (drawable)' failed

(avant-window-navigator:19953): GdkPixbuf-CRITICAL **: gdk_pixbuf_composite: assertion `dest_x >= 0 && dest_x + dest_width <= dest->width' failed

Whats this?

Please advice, and keep in mind I'm a complete newbie