Use Conky as Panel Replacement/Always on Top of Windows

[jakfish]

My goal is to have conky act as a Linux substitute for Serious Samurize. In MS Windows, Samurize will run itself across a maximized window, inside its title bar. So far, I can not effect this in Mate 18.3 (or Xubuntu 16.04). This is my conky script (which produces only weather at this point), and I run it alongside a Mate panel. The conky stays visible always, except when a window is maximized.

Is there a way to set conky at the top right screen, visible on any window, which would allow me to delete all other panels in any given Linux:

conky.config = {
alignment = 'top_right',
background = true,
border_width = 1,
cpu_avg_samples = 2,
default_color = 'white',
default_outline_color = 'white',
default_shade_color = 'white',
double_buffer = true,
draw_borders = false,
draw_graph_borders = true,
draw_outline = false,
draw_shades = false,
use_xft = true,
font = 'Robo Black:style=Bold:size=11',
gap_x = 0,
gap_y = 8,
minimum_height = 5,
minimum_width = 5,
net_avg_samples = 2,
no_buffers = true,
out_to_console = false,
out_to_stderr = false,
extra_newline = false,
own_window = yes,
own_window_class = 'Conky',
own_window_type = 'override',
own_window_transparent = true,
own_window_hints = 'undecorated,below,skip_taskbar,sticky,skip_pager' ,
own_window_transparent = true,
stippled_borders = 0,
update_interval = 1.0,
uppercase = false,
use_spacer = 'none',
show_graph_scale = false,
show_graph_range = false
}


conky.text = [[
${color web maroon}${execi 300 /home/jake/Scripts_Icons/weather 20902}
]]

Thanks for any advice,
Jake

[again?]

Make use of the conky manual pages...

man conky
or for large manual pages I prefer an online version for easier searching...
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/xenial/en/man1/conky.1.html

The key settings here are....

own_window_type
if own_window is yes, you may specify type normal, desktop,
dock, panel or override (default: normal). Desktop windows are
special windows that have no window decorations; are always
visible on your desktop; do not appear in your pager or taskbar;
and are sticky across all workspaces. Panel windows reserve
space along a desktop edge, just like panels and taskbars,
preventing maximized windows from overlapping them. The edge is
chosen based on the alignment option. Override windows are not
under the control of the window manager. Hints are ignored. This
type of window can be useful for certain situations.

own_window_hints undecorated,below,above,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_p ager
If own_window is yes, you may use these window manager hints to
affect the way Conky displays. Notes: Use own_window_type
desktop as another way to implement many of these hints
implicitly. If you use own_window_type override, window manager
hints have no meaning and are ignored.


You are using own_window_type = 'override', which ignores own_window_hints so you cannot set the conky window "above".
If you use own_window_type = 'normal', you can set it above
eg

own_window_type = 'normal',
own_window_hints = 'undecorated,above,skip_taskbar,sticky,skip_pager' ,

Alternatively you could reserve screen area by using

own_window_type = 'panel',

How the conky window behaves can also depend on the window manager.

[vasa1]

... How the conky window behaves can also depends on the window manager.
+1. I use the window manager to keep the conky window always on top.

[jakfish]

I very much appreciate the both of you weighing in. I had played with 'panel,' 'normal,' and other settings, including 'hints,' and 'override' was the most effective in keeping conky visible when returning to the desktop. But no setting worked for maximized windows.

So through conky itself, there appears to be no way to run its output across the titlebar of a maximized window.

Here is what I'd like to have:

https://imgur.com/a/IMfBZ

That's Serious Samurize in Win10.

As for effecting this through a windows manager, I don't see a handle to jiggle in Linux Mate's Marco or the WM of Xubuntu 16.04. Could you point me in the right direction?

Again, I was very glad to see your responses.

Jake

[again?]

You won't find an option to show conky in the titlebar.

[vasa1]

Mine is a weird set-up which no one else uses but my conky covers part of the title bar in a maximized window. This is in Kubuntu 16.04 and I set conky to be always on top using KWin's rules.

[jakfish]

@vasa1--that's as close to success as I've ever seen. Would you mind posting your conky script? I understand that your conky has to work in tandem with KWin, but I might try to switch over, or at least to a Kubuntu desktop.

Many thanks.

[vasa1]

Here it is:
-- vim: ts=4 sw=4 noet ai cindent syntax=lua
--[[
# Conky, a system monitor, based on torsmo
# left out ${memperc}
]]

conky.config = {
alignment = 'top_left',
background = true, --was false true seems to work
default_color = '888888',
double_buffer = true,
draw_shades = false,
extra_newline = false,
font = 'Cousine:size=11.6',
gap_x = 0,
gap_y = 11,
minimum_width = 400,
minimum_height = 17,
out_to_console = false,
out_to_stderr = false,
own_window_class = 'Conky',
own_window_hints = 'undecorated,above,sticky,skip_pager',--dont use below
own_window = true,
own_window_argb_visual = true,
own_window_argb_value = 254,
own_window_colour = '252525',
own_window_type = 'normal',
own_window_transparent = false,
short_units = true,
text_buffer_size = 256,
update_interval = 2.0,
uppercase = false,
use_spacer = 'right',
use_xft = true
}

conky.text = [[${time %a %d %b} ${color 058188}${time %H:%M}$color ${utime %H:%M} ${tztime America/New_York %H:%M} ${execpi 360 bash curl-aes}|${execpi 300 bash curl-neg} T${hwmon 2 temp 1}R${memperc} C${cpu cpu0}
]]
The "0|0" is for checking my mail accounts.

[jakfish]

My gosh, that's it! You found the way! No matter where you put it, conky remains visible.
I'm able to get a visible conky without any jiggling of a windows manager, Mate Marco 18.3 or Xubuntu 16.04.

One question about your script: is it possible to stop conky from showing its window on the taskbar/panel, or is that part of the trade-off?

Thank you, thank you.

[vasa1]

... is it possible to stop conky from showing its window on the taskbar/panel, or is that part of the trade-off?
...
I don't know what you mean. You can position a conky window wherever you want. In XFCE, I think you can reduce the width of the panel to accommodate the conky window (https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2199804&p=12901688#post12901688).

[jakfish]

I was not clear, I apologize. What I was trying to say is: with your script, conky runs where it's supposed to, but it does have a minimized window on the taskbar. I was wondering if there was a way to remove that minimized window and simply have conky across any window. But conky may have to be its own window, hence its icon display in the bar along with the icons of any other minimized program.

[jakfish]

I think I solved that issue, along with the issue of losing conky with "show desktop" command--change "normal" to "dock"

Pic is worth a thousand words: https://imgur.com/a/JxV3M

Thanks again for your help.

[again?]

I think I solved that issue, along with the issue of losing conky with "show desktop" command--change "normal" to "dock"

Pic is worth a thousand words: https://imgur.com/a/JxV3M

Thanks again for your help.
"own_window_type = normal" observes "own_window_hints" so if using vasa1's config you need to add
skip_taskbar to "own_window_hints"

Depending on your window manager "own_window_type = dock" may work just as effectively.

[jakfish]

Thanks, I hadn't known that. Will check the difference between "dock," "normal," and "skip_taskbar"

[again?]

Thanks, I hadn't known that. Will check the difference between "dock," "normal," and "skip_taskbar"
If conky is running when you edit, after saving the config use this command in another terminal to reload.

killall -SIGUSR1 conky
The command reloads any currently running instances of conky.
You could also bind the command to a shortcut key while testing different config settings.

[jakfish]

I've never used the -SIGUSR1 command. Usually, conky will incorporate user changes simply after .conkyrc is saved, but now always. Good to know a more permanent approach.