Mac-style Menu Bar for GTK and Java/Swing applications!

[AqD]

Edit 071204: the links provided in this post are not valid any longer. Please see the wiki page
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JAVA/SWING HACK has been removed becasue it's not ready for real apps
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Hi all!

I hacked gtk2 to use mac-style menubars, and added panel applets for xfce (4.4+) and gnome.

GTK Patches: for gtk 2.10.x | 2.8.x | AUR
GNOME Panel Applet: see post http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1593123
Xfce Panel Applet (xfce 4.4): see post http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1586951 (need libwnck>=2.16)

Ubuntu Edgy Packages #1: Cwiiis's http://chrislord.net/files/gtkmenubar/
Ubuntu Edgy Packages #2: flargen's, see post http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1600937
Gentoo Packages: see post http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1672912
Lunar Linux Packages: see post http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1612710
Official Arch Linux packages (.tar.gz format): http://aquila.deus.googlepages.com/archlinuxpackages
(names are gtk2-aqd, gnome-macmenu-applet, xfce4-macmenu-plugin and xfce4-corner-plugin)

Screenshots (official):

Screenshots from zammi (left 2) and Cimi86 (right 1):


Environment variable GTK_MENUBAR_NO_MAC let you set a list app executable names to disable mac menubar for, separated by space (default "gnome-panel acroread"). Set it to 1 to completely disable mac menubar.

If you have KDE apps, set mac-style menubar [control center -> desktop -> behavior] and you will see it appearing in gnome or xfce panel applet. (be careful - the menubars will die when panel/applet quits)

To move/remove the panel applets, move mouse to the rightmost place, where you'll see a flat button with no text inside, left-click on it to bring up the applet menu (right-click in xfce's panel plugin). If you have turned on the title label, you can also get the menu by right-click on it.

Application compatibility:
- Perfect: Azuerus, Eclipse, Epiphany, Evince, Gaim, gFTP, GMPC, Listen, Nautilus, Terminal, Thunar, VMware, ...
- Small problems: Bluefish, Evolution
- Big problems (need patch): all wxGTK-based programs, you would need my patches in here
- Crash: Acrobat Reader 7 (mac menubar disabled by default)

All the Alt+[A-Z] menu hotkeys cannot work with mac menubar - no fix yet.

To patch gtk2 manually:
0.Get gtk2 source
1.cd ...../..../gtk+-2.10.X (X means the version number)
2.patch -p0 < ......./..../gtkmenubar.diff (gtkmenubar-2.8.diff)
3.configure and make & install

To build the panel applets:
0.Go to AUR entries: Xfce | GNOME
1.Download the files under "Source" box
2.See PKGBUILD for gcc arguments and install locations

My modifed GT4_white theme (gtk2, metacity, xfce) => http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40625220/

For other themes, you can make the menubar thin (more accessible) by edit the /usr/share/themes/THEME_NAME/gtk-2.0/gtkrc, find the line style "menubar" {, and change the ythickness = XXX below it (inside the { and }) to ythickness = 0

[kpolice]

Wow, trully amazing.

[andlinux21]

Will this work on Breezy or just dapper I would love to try this

[kpolice]

Actually it's for edgy because Dapper GTK+ 2.8 not 2.10 but maybe the patch could work with other versions, I just don't know which source package should I get, is it libgtk2.0?

[AqD]

yes, libgtk2.0 (version 2.10). It should work for older versions as well even if you have to patch manually, since there is nothing specific about 2.10.

BTW the patch has just been updated to fix critical bugs. Changelogs are here

PS: if you have never used gtk 2.10 before and going to upgrade, you may get some theme-related problems listed there (with solutions)

[sciurus]

It would be nice if the Gnome developers offered this as an option like KDE does.

[AqD]

I created a feature request with this patch => http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=353076

[Ptero-4]

I created a feature request with this patch => http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=353076

Don't hold your breath just yet. The mere fact of having gotten as far as actually getting a functional mac menubar in gnome is too much asking knowing how much resistance the gtk/gnome devs opposed against this. Asking to get this into gnome directly is just wasting time. They DON'T want this done, period.

P.D: if this could be done so that it floats over the gnome-panel and can be made to start just next to the "Applications" icon in the gnome menubar applet (but covering the "Applications" label so that only the icon is visible) it would trully be Mac-like (the mac have the main menu placed at the left of the menubar thingie).

[zammi]

Any chance of getting debs for Dapper

[mejy]

Don't hold your breath just yet. The mere fact of having gotten as far as actually getting a functional mac menubar in gnome is too much asking knowing how much resistance the gtk/gnome devs opposed against this. Asking to get this into gnome directly is just wasting time. They DON'T want this done, period.

P.D: if this could be done so that it floats over the gnome-panel and can be made to start just next to the "Applications" icon in the gnome menubar applet (but covering the "Applications" label so that only the icon is visible) it would trully be Mac-like (the mac have the main menu placed at the left of the menubar thingie).

Well I know from my own experience how... resistant the gnome devs can be, but wouldn't this have a chance if it was disabled untill an enviromental variable or gtkrc line was set? Also, I think the problem with you Applications menu suggestion is that many users don't have it in the default location.

Would it be possible to have this hack pass information to a panel-applet that can be put in the top panel, to act like the Apple menu in a less 'hackish' way?