Live KDE Wallpaper

drdroid · 01-30-2006, 12:55 PM

Is it possible to set up live kde wallpaper? I was intending to utilize either a perl script that downloads a live image from the web and changes the .jpg file for the background. Is there another, better way?

egghead · 01-30-2006, 01:21 PM

There's an option for rotating the wallpaper in KDE itself, I think that would be better. You can specify the duration n stuff. It's in the same place where you set your wallpaper - Desktop -> RightClick -> Configure Desktop -> Background- > Wallpapers -> Multiple Wallpapers-> Setup multiple.

RedShirt · 01-30-2006, 01:21 PM

With X you could set literally anything as a "background". I have seen people use multiple images, layered transparent images, even video.

As for how directly in KDE... I would say the easiest way(unless there are pre-existing scripts/software) would be having a shell script or even a php script, whatever that constantly overwrote the file you have set in KDE as a background, then refreshing the desktop.

drdroid · 01-30-2006, 04:59 PM

how can I set to refresh on timer, though?
edit: or will it do this automatically?

egghead · 01-30-2006, 05:09 PM

Are you asking me or RedShirt?

With KDE, there's probably an option to set the duration after which the wallpaper should change.

If you're using a script, you can add a crontab entry that should be periodically executed... But then, how will the screen be refreshed?? Just modifying the image file ain't going to help!

drdroid · 01-30-2006, 05:26 PM

mmm, my kde probably isn't up to date... it's from the redhat 9 disks from a few years ago. I should probably update it then.

egghead · 01-30-2006, 05:45 PM

This option is probably there in KDE 2... If your KDE is version 2 or above, check again. Maybe this feature is already there, but probably with some other name

mtndew · 01-30-2006, 06:32 PM

If you end up using the perl script you can use dcop to change the wallpaper...

Example: (shell command)

dcop kdesktop KBackgroundIface setWallpaper /path/to/wallpaper.png 6

The 6 is the mode, in this case scaled. (1 = Center, 2 = Tiled, 3 = Center Tiled, 4 = Centered Max. Aspect, 5 = Tiled Max. Aspect, 6 = Scaled, 7 = Center Autofit, 8 = Scale Crop)

This will immediately update the wallpaper instead of waiting for KDE to reread the background image.