ne1 know if theres a tool or something to convert the debian menu to something wmaker can use cuz when i try to convert with wmakerconf or wprefs it says cant and starts a new menu.

The menu editing tools for wmaker are incompatible with Debian menu. You can choose one or the other but you cannot use both.

If you choose the Debian menu, you can add keybindings for launching apps by copying the menu files you want to modify from /usr/lib/menu or /usr/share/menu to /etc/menu where you can edit them. Then do "update-menus" as root.

For example, I use the Debian menu with wmaker and I want to start aterm with the keybinding "Shift+F1". I copied the aterm file from /usr/lib/menu to /etc/menu and made it look like this:

?package(aterm):needs="X11" section="XShells"\
title="Aterm" command="/usr/bin/aterm"\
shortcut="Shift+F1"

Then I ran "update-menus" as root and that's all there is to it. Of course, I could have edited the section="XShells" part of the menu file to make aterm appear somewhere else in the menu, but where Debian wants to place it is fine with me.

I always replace the Debian-generated windowmaker menu. Then I create all the common entries myself and add the "Debian Menu" from "Sample Submenus". That way I can easily modify the menu to my liking and still have menu access to all installed programs.

Hey, that works great! Funny that I've been using Window Maker for almost two years but I never thought of that myself. I just took it for granted that Debian menu is incompatible with the menu editing tools that are available in WMaker. Thanks basileus for an excellent tip that helped me to get rid of one of the very few gripes that I have against Window Maker.

In case you don't have the default Window Maker menu, "plmenu", under ~/GNUstep/Library/WindowMaker/ , you copy it from /usr/share/WindowMaker/ . In order to add the Debian menu to Window Maker's default menu, add "External Submenu" in WPrefs or wmakerconf and point it to "/etc/X11/WindowMaker/menu.hook" (that is updated every time you add or remove programs).

Hey, just wanted to give 'thanks' for this thread! The info is exactly what I needed!