Re: [GTK] Suggestion: make panels graggable

[Michael Ekstrand <mekstran scl ameslab gov>]

On Oct 8, 2006, at 11:01 PM, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Sun, 2006-10-08 at 02:31 -0400, Philip Ganchev wrote:
> > I would like to have panels draggable, similar to Apple iTunes.  That
> > is, you click on the panel and drag the mouse to move the window.  It
> > makes it very easy to move windows using just the mouse, because it
> > eliminates the need to aim the mouse at the title bar. Most
> > applications have empty panel space, for example in the menu bar that
> > is not occupied by the menu itself.
> >
> > How feasible is this?  Probably this would require tight coupling  
> > with
> > the window manager?  If it is possible, I guess it would be
> > implemented in GTKBox or GTK
>
> this has nothing to do with GTK. it is controlled 100% by the window
> manager (although you could undermine that and move the window from
> within the app).
>
> just choose a window manager that allows this kind of behaviour. i  
> don't
> happen to like the specific behaviour you are describing, but i do  
> have
> icewm set up so that Alt-F7 lets me start dragging the window directly
> under the mouse. there are other models for doing this, and i am sure
> that there is at least 1 window manager that implements each model.

In my experience, it appears that it is possible for a window manager  
to control mouse action based on the event mask for a particular X  
window.  For example, if you have a drawing area widget that doesn't  
have the event mask set to receive left mouse events, the window  
manager can then, if it wants, allow the window to be moved by  
dragging that area of the window.  The only window manager I've seen  
that does this is wmii.  In my experience with that WM, it does seem  
that various non-interactive regions drawn by GTK (such as empty  
toolbar regions, panels, etc.) have their event masks set  
appropriately to allow this.

That then does cast this feature firmly into the realm of window  
manager implementation.  And it does seem to be possible for a WM to  
do this for non-interactive areas (providing the application is good  
about how it sets event masks), and not just by overriding a modifier.

- Michael