xfce4-panel TOTALLY transparent??? (window buttons, too) (customize via ~/.gtkrc-2.0)

[ohnonot]

hello,
i just spent 2 hours searching for documentation on this...
:-(

right now i have a transparent panel background, but the window buttons still have an opaque background when focused. i'd like them to be TOTALLY transparent all the time.
i guess there must be a way of adding some lines to gtkrc-2.0 that achieve that.

also, if someone knows where to find documentation on this - how gtk is being used in xfce, particularly the panel. all i found is -this- (http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-panel/theming).

thanks.
.
.
.

[zombifier25]

This tutorial solves the same problem in GNOME, I don't know if it will work with XFCE considering the fact that both of them uses gtkrc-2.0. (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/43673/how-to-make-the-gnome-panels-in-ubuntu-totally-transparent/)

[Toz]

If you're using xfce 4.8, then in the Window Buttons properties, check off "Show Flat Buttons".

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

If you're using xfce 4.8, then in the Window Buttons properties, check off "Show Flat Buttons".

Where ? Can't find that

[Toz]

Try: Settings Manager -> Panel -> Select the correct panel -> Items tab -> Window Buttons -> Edit button.

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

Ah - the panel has to have "Window Buttons" on it, I looked at one of my panels without this, hence I couldn't find it. ;)

[brainwash]

You should be able to set a transparent background for all window buttons (regardless of state) by using the pixmap theme engine. First, check if the package gtk2-engines-pixbuf is already installed on your system. Then visit this website:

http://live.gnome.org/GnomeArt/Tutorials/GtkEngines/PixmapEngine

Use GIMP to create the needed transparent png/xpm file(s). :)

[ohnonot]

[thanx toz, flat buttons helps but not 100%]

thanks brainwash, that was a nudge in the right direction!

i found a theme that's using pixmap and copied the relevant part (the theme has a separate panel.rc) into some already existing xfce-panel customizations in ~/.gtkrc-2.0.
plus, i copied the folder with the Panel pixmaps/png's into my homefolder and made all the png's totally transparent (that was just a job of copying & renaming one that already was transparent).

this added to ~/.gtkrc-2.0:
style "xfcepanel"
{
xthickness = 0 # from here until "Modd 10" is not relevant for this forum thread...
ythickness = 0
GtkButton::inner-border = {3,1,1,1}
#XfcePanelWindow::autohide-size = 1
font_name = "Modd 10" # ...but i left it here to show how these things work.
engine "pixmap" {
image {
function = BOX
recolorable = TRUE
state = NORMAL
}
image {
function = BOX
recolorable = TRUE
state = PRELIGHT
file = "Panel/panel-button-hover.png"
border = { 3, 1, 1, 1 }
stretch = TRUE
}
image {
function = BOX
recolorable = TRUE
state = ACTIVE
file = "Panel/panel-button-active.png"
border = { 3, 1, 1, 1 }
stretch = TRUE
}
image {
function = BOX
recolorable = TRUE
state = SELECTED
file = "Panel/panel-button-active.png"
border = { 3, 1, 1, 1 }
stretch = TRUE
}
image {
function = BOX
recolorable = TRUE
state = INSENSITIVE
}
image {
function = ARROW
recolorable = TRUE
arrow_direction = DOWN
}
}
}
widget_class "XfcePanelWindow*" style "xfcepanel"
and the window buttons are totally transparent, it's just the letters. for all themes. but the colors of the letters change according to the theme.
:guitar:solved!
see it here. (http://dasbaer.deviantart.com/art/creamy-chocolate-moon-tied-tickled-298137314)