Hey guys,
I’m newbie in here (just installed Ubuntu-MATE yesterday) and I’m happy with this distro. This distro and DE are what I want and what I was searching for . But unfortunately, I’ve a little problem. I can’t make advanced menu become transparent (change the opacity). Of course, I already knew how to make right click popup menu transparent and old menu with compiz setting the opacity, brightness, and saturation. But, I’ve had no luck with advanced menu. Is there any chance of making advanced menu become transparent ?
and I’ve a got another problem, some time I couldn’t click with my mouse (left click), but I can solve it with touch pad, it’s a bit weird.
I’m sorry for bad, bad english. I’m not native speaker.
Thanks !
You’ll be pleased to hear this is easy to achieve.
Advanced menu opacity change
Right click on Menu and select preferences
In Menu preferences window, select Plug-ins tab, at the bottom you should find the opacity setting
All done!
As for your mouse issue, having never encountered what you describe, I’m not sure. Does the mouse function normally while using Ubuntu MATE as a live session, could the left mouse button be failing? Other than using the touch pad, do you have another mouse you could test next time this happens?
@Wimpy: looks like we have a problem in GTK+3 builds of MATE (that is, in Ubuntu 16.10 and 17.04). At least in 17.04 I found out that changing the opacity in prefs dialog does nothing. I guess there’s some original mintMenu code left that works only for GTK+2…
Native install with nVidia driver on 16.04w/1.16
Transparency works on all Marco/Compiz WMs.
VBox 5.1.18 VMs for 16.04/1.12, 16.04/1.16, 16.10, 17.04.
Transparency fails to work in any of these on any Marco but select Compiz and transparency works. All using the VBox driver. Host is the box in 1).
My point is, there may be more than GTK+3 involved. The menu transparency does work in a 17.04 VM but I have to select Compiz.
EDIT: Just went through a strange sequence with 17.04 VM. It turns out transparency started working in Marco (Software Compositor) if and only if I power up (not reboot) into it set that way. No other Marco WMs behave that way.
VBox graphics drivers aren’t the best in the world but this tells me something isn’t getting initialized, and it could be VBox adding too much mud to this equation.
But it still may be significant transparency CAN work in 17.04.
@monsta, What happens if you power up into 17.04 set Marco (Software Compositor) or switch to Compiz? Does transparency magically start working? That’s basically what I’m seeing.
LAST EDIT
A clue I can’t resist. When I power up into Marco (Software compositor) the menu is transparent per the established setting. HOWEVER, I CANNOT CHANGE IT - the preferences control does nothing, even to 100%.
Transparency works with Compiz, and it also can be adjusted in prefs dialog. Weird. Neither of that works with Marco (Software Compositor). Maybe it’s just VirtualBox. Need someone to test on baremetal.
For some reason it suddenly worked after I restarted the session… looks like mate-tweak doesn’t do what’s needed to properly change the compositing mode on-the-fly.
Only transparency itself worked though. Adjustment in prefs dialog didn’t.
Only trouble with this is that it makes the text and icons transparent. Is there a way to just reduce the transparency of the menu without reducing the text, icons?
Ouch! Fat chance
It's a standard design choice over the years and across multiple systems to make the whole menu transparent, much like titles bars or entire windows, all which don't or can't differentiate between the containers and their contents.
But the main reason is mostly technical. It's theoretically possible to do what you want. But it falls flat on the face of what Composition Window Managers like Compton or Marco are. The effects they provide are performed on a screen buffer, and only then rendered on the actual screen. Don't quote me on that, but to me this means that the change in code required to give something like Compton the ability to distinguish between windows and their individual contents I'm sure would involve more than just changing Compton. X itself -- and probably also the WM? -- would need to contribute new code.
Maybe with Wayland. I wouldn't know because I have not been following it. But I do know that it does include a much richer context class for windows, although I don't know yet what that means exactly. But I wouldn't place my bets on it, since I expect compositors will still pretty much try to adhere to the traditional way of doing things.
. But unfortunately, I’ve a little problem. I can’t make advanced menu become transparent (change the opacity). Of course, I already knew how to make right click popup menu transparent and old menu with compiz setting the opacity, brightness, and saturation. But, I’ve had no luck with advanced menu. Is there any chance of making advanced menu become transparent ?
