Deskpad is a small application launcher for X written in
perl tk. It is based loosely on "apwal," a defunct
application launcher that is still in some repositories.
I didn't like how bulky apwal was, especially for setting
up the launcher. I *think* it also had problems with my
occassional use of two monitors.
In reality, deskpad is based on the modern "mobile"
application launching experience. I'm not a huge fan
of the "dumbed-down" interfaces of today, *but* I
can't deny that the model has merit. Consider an ipad,
where you use an application, and when you want to
use a different one, you go "home" to launch it. At
"home" you get a simple set of icons that, with a
single click/touch, let you jump into another program.
Sounds dumb, but it's an out-of-the-way, use-it-when-
you-need-to setup. No menus, no "start buttons," no
floating docks or panels or toolbars. There is a simple
method to bring up the launcher, and when it's done, it
goes away, entirely out of sight and mind.
Deskpad has one "config" file, of which there is a
specimin in this foler. It's ~/.deskpad, and it's just a
text file with lines in this format:
full/path/to/icon.png:program -args:xpos:ypos
(I admit, there aren't many options nor is there much error
checking. Deskpad assumes that you'll figure out your
config file on your own.)
Deskpad doesn't run in the background. You run it when you
want to launch something, and then it goes away. I like to
bind deskpad to a key combination in fluxbox. You could
bind it to a mouse button on the root window in some window
managers, or you could just run it, or you could put it in
as a menu entry.
On my dual-monitor setup, I get one black screen, and my
icons all bundled on the other just as they are on a single
screen. . Perhaps if I put the right numbers in there, I
could have icons on both, but I really haven't tried since
I only do dual-monitor sometimes. I use deskpad daily,
without really thinking about the fact that it exists;
to me, this is the metric for success in this tiny project.
You can use any size icons you like. I use larger icons for
programs that I access more often, and tiny icons for things
that I use for accessing computer "settings." I've included
a screenshot of my current setup (the one the dotfile in
this folder generates.)
As for the programming, this is the first perl tk project I
have done. I won't pretend there is anything impressive
about it; it's just a bunch of buttons on a black full-
screen background that launch things.
Again, I'd love to hear from you if you try it out. I'd
especially love to hear from you if you're a perl guru and
have some thoughts on making it better :)
(added a more minimal version, plus a basic launcher)
