Re: [Java-gnome-developer] minimize-maxmize windows

[Andrew C. <an...@op...>]

On Wed, 2006-01-02 at 14:47 +0100, Antonio Riva wrote:
> I would like to build an applet application that minimize the current
> maximized windows. Is there a way to do this with java-gnome?

Not at the moment.

Your interest seems to break down into two tasks:

1. Write an applet
2. Access all open windows and command them to minimize.

(I'm actually wondering if you're mis-using the term "minimize" here;
the opposite of Window.maximize() is Window.unmaximize(), aka restore.
To minimize is to iconify out of view)

The second part is tricky because it implies talking to the window
manager and using it to command all open windows (not just the ones in
your program) to minimize.

As for the first part, I spent quite a bit of time at linux.conf.au last
week talking to Davyd Madeley (gnome-applet maintainer) about applets
and it turns out a) they are really rather complex due to the fact that
the panel has bonobo get a factory which then creates instances, and b)
the applet library & API really needs a rewrite, as they know language
bindings around it has been really tough.

I have some thoughts on the topic (look for a blog posting from me
sometime this week on the subject) but the immediate answer is that we
don't have a language binding around "lib panel applet" at this time.

However if you want an applet to minimize all windows, there already is
one - the "Show Desktop" applet. If you know about that and it doesn't
quite do what you want, you may find a few lines of C code may get you
your heart's desire... or you could join java-gnome-hackers and help us
write a libpanelapplet-java binding :)

AfC
Sydney

-- 
Andrew Frederick Cowie
A management consultant helping IT people, if you can believe it...

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