Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

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cathbard

Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by cathbard »

Avant Window Navigator

AWN is a dock that looks a lot like the one in mac osx. (see below). It exists in the Hardy repo but unfortunately the extra applets didn't make it in so I will also explain how to install the version directly from the awn testing team's repo.
For AWN to work you need to have compiz running. I won't go into that here because that is explained elsewhere.

Image

Installation

Standard
To install the standard version from the default repos in mint issue the following command in a terminal:

Code: Select all

apt install avant-window-navigator awn-manager
Most Current
To install the one from the awn team you will have to add their repo to your sources.list. To do that open a terminal and enter:

Code: Select all

gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
and add these lines:
For Mint 5 Elyssa:

Code: Select all

## awn-testing
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu hardy main
For Mint 6 Felicia:

Code: Select all

## awn-testing
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/awn-testing/ubuntu intrepid main
(you can leave the last line out if you like, it's just if you want the source code)
Save it and then type in a terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv 7D2C7A23BF810CD5
sudo gpg --export --armor 7D2C7A23BF810CD5 | sudo apt-key add -
apt update
apt install avant-window-navigator-trunk awn-extras-applets-trunk awn-manager-trunk
You are now ready to run it. You will find it in the Accessories menu in mintmenu. If you want to autostart it right click on the menu entry and check "Launch when I log in".

Configuration

Once running you will want to configure it to your liking. Right click on the awn panel and choose "Dock Preferences"
The awn manager is broken up into four sections accessible from the tabs on the left
1. General
Startup behaviour: This should start awn automatically but doesn't always work. It is easier to do this from the mintmenu as described earlier
The other options in these panels are pretty self explanatory. You should just experiment because they really are just a matter of personal taste. Try some of the Icon Effects, they are pretty cool. My personal favourite is "3D Turn"
2. Applets
This is where the awn-testing repo shines.If you are using that version you will have a lot more applets to choose from. Simply click on the ones you want one at a time and hit the activate button. Similarly, to remove them once activated click on the applet in the bottom panel and hit the deactivate button.
You can change the order by dragging and dropping the icons in the bottom panel.
**If you want to add application launchers to the panel make sure that you add the Launcher/Taskmanager applet.**
3. Launchers
You can add custom application launchers by clicking on the "Add" button and enter the details. The order of the launchers can be changed by simply dragging and dropping the launchers in the list.
There is an easier way but it requires adding the normal gnome menu to the gnome panel (by right clicking on the gnome panel and selecting "Add To Panel" and then selecting "Main Menu" from the list) so you can drag and drop the apps directly onto the awn panel. You could of course do this and then remove the gnome menu once you have finished
4. Themes
There are no themes installed by default but they are easy to add. Simply download the themes you like somewhere and then click the "Add" button in the awn manager and navigate to the folder whee you saved the downloaded themes. Then it is simply a matter of checking the select box for the theme and hitting the Apply button.
Themes can be downloaded from:
The awn wiki
Gnome Look (and search for "awn theme")

Have fun!
Last edited by cathbard on Sat May 16, 2009 9:26 am, edited 8 times in total.
msuggs

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by msuggs »

Thanks cathbard, nice how-to :)

How stable do you find the trunk branch?

Which awn theme do you use? tis nice
cathbard

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by cathbard »

The awn-testing (trunk) branch is pretty stable. I've had one hiccup but it was fixed in a mintupdate the next day. It gets updated quite regularly.
That theme is Simple Glass. I think I made some minor mods to it but not a lot.
msuggs

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by msuggs »

Sweet :)

Image
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newW2
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by newW2 »

Did you check the package manager to see if libawn0 installed?

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
avant-window-navigator: Depends: libawn0 (>= 0.2.1)
E: Broken packages
chowanec
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by chowanec »

Anyone know if it is possible somehow to get the mint main menu running in awn? I've grown SO accustomed to it that the other main menu options via awn just feel awkward... :P

Thanks.

-Chow
cathbard

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by cathbard »

chowanec wrote:Anyone know if it is possible somehow to get the mint main menu running in awn? I've grown SO accustomed to it that the other main menu options via awn just feel awkward... :P
Not so easy but lars did say he might do an awn applet for mintmenu eventually. If I see him in irc I'll remind him.
revdjenk

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by revdjenk »

in Mint 6, with awn extras installed, I have AWN main menu, which when added to the awn menu has the nice 3d good looking menu system I believe you are seeking.

God bless
Doug
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by GrayWizardLinux »

how do I uninstall the new awn trunk - I am having issues and not worth the hassle.
Linux Mint - Pure Bliss!
chowanec
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by chowanec »

Me too, actually. I cannot open awn preferences any longer...?
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by GrayWizardLinux »

tried every way I know to uninstall and nothing - still in menu and even synaptic doesn't recognize awn is loaded, etc.
Linux Mint - Pure Bliss!
Da Chef

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by Da Chef »

I followed all the instructions and when i got to the last code to input in the terminal i got this error message:
Err http://download.tuxfamily.org gutsy/avant-window-navigator Packages
404 Not Found
Hit http://packages.linuxmint.com felicia/import Packages
Err http://download.tuxfamily.org gutsy/avant-window-navigator Sources
404 Not Found
Fetched 40.0kB in 1s (21.3kB/s)
W: GPG error: http://ppa.launchpad.net intrepid Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 7D2C7A23BF810CD5
W: Failed to fetch http://download.tuxfamily.org/syzygy42/ ... ackages.gz 404 Not Found

W: Failed to fetch http://download.tuxfamily.org/syzygy42/ ... Sources.gz 404 Not Found

E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (11 Resource temporarily unavailable)
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), is another process using it?
chef@chef-tech ~ $ apt install avant-window-navigator-trunk awn-extras-applets-trunk awn-manager-trunk
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (11 Resource temporarily unavailable)
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), is another process using it?
whats up with all this? can i just use the package manager?
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GrayWizardLinux
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by GrayWizardLinux »

this AWN is a 'Beware: try it at your own risk' thing! edit: or, 'Good luck sucker!'
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newW2
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by newW2 »

The Awn wiki has an entry on how to adjust the horizontal position, however the vertical position is fixed.
viking777

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by viking777 »

EKMA wrote:is there a way to put AWN at the top of the screen in Mint?
Fraid not, nor on any other distro either. I was reading their website yesterday and it is on their wishlist but not possible at the moment. They also recognise that autohide is buggy, just don't use it.

I have 0.3.2 running on Mint at the moment and it is great, a big improvement on 0.2.6, but I had to install it from source to get it going and it wasn't easy, masses of dependencies. Like you I had problems with 'trunk'.

You have to accept AWN as being under development, not everything works, but when you compare it to the competition (cairo and docky) it is still miles in front as far as I am concerned.
miket

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by miket »

Hi All,

Just a note that you need to add a gpg key to your system for the PPA for Mint 6 that
Cathbard has quoted in the first article, to do this open a terminal and enter the following commands:

Code: Select all

sudo gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv 7D2C7A23BF810CD5
sudo gpg --export --armor 7D2C7A23BF810CD5 | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
Mike.
revdjenk

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by revdjenk »

autohide works for me for the past three months...with little problem....every so often, it doesn't slide back down...but mousing over it sets it back down.

God Bless
Doug
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by fkasmani »

maybe someone can help me with the AWN.

I just installed it and see no themes in the Theme section. I've opened a topic here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 7&p=248550

Regards.
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Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by GrayWizardLinux »

I too was lost - thanks for the question.
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hemimaniac

Re: Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

Post by hemimaniac »

Ask and YE shall receive;

http://www.gnome-look.org/content/search.php -> go to name contains: and put: awn theme

http://wiki.awn-project.org/index.php?title=Themes

Hope that will sort ya for now. ;)

:mrgreen:
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