Touch support in GTK3 apps on Xfce

Technical Issues and Assistance Hardware
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#1

Hello community,

I'm using a convertible (Thinkpad X200T, Manjaro Xfce) and it has stylus input though no finger touch. Stylus input as such is perfectly working, I can control the mouse cursor and do a right and left mouse button click.

However, since there is no mouse wheel, I cannot scroll in application in a simple way. For Firefox there is an extension for exactly this task, ScrollAnywhere. However, most other apps don't offer "drag to scroll" functionality.

I read that this is dependent on the toolkit in use. GTK3 offers this while GTK2 does not: https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/touchscreen-support-for-atril/14323 However, if I'm not mistaken, the atril package from the community/ repo is build against GTK3 but still I cannot scroll by dragging and don't see a setting to enable this scrolling mode. Even Evince (which is only available for GTK3) doesn't work this way.

So I wonder is some further configuration is required or if I need to wait for Xfce GTK3 to land in the repos?

Thanks for any input and a happy new year!
Photon

#2

xfce4 gtk3 is already in repos, long time ago. I think it's also used in ISOs v.18 series.

#3

Sorry, my bad, what I meant to say was something along the lines "when it gets the default package in the repos and automatically substitutes the gtk2 xfce4 packages which then become xfce4-gtk2". :slight_smile:

Any experience about changing to xfce4-gtk3 by hand (and possibly changing back in case things work not as expected)?

#4

It is easier in GUI like pamac or octopi.
Find if there are packages with two versions, one with -gtk3 and one without. Then install the proper version (for example package-gtk3 ). Some packages don’t have dual versions.

The packages will change naming when they do.. :rofl: Only Devs decision. I assume it will take long, or never.

#5

Maybe you can make use of the package in AUR called touchegg that helps to define some touch gestures. touchegg-gce-git is the GUI for it …

#6

@AgentS: Thanks! What about user config files, are they compatible?

@bogdancovaciu: Thanks, I will give it a go if the GTK3 version of Xfce won't solve the problem automagically. :slight_smile:

#7

I am not sure. You better compare them. I believe you can see some important difference. Check the new (gtk3) skel

/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/*

with the relevant pair at ~/.config/xfce4/*

#8

Now that Xfce 4.14 has been released, I could test the scrolling by dragging and it still does not work. I wonder which magic Ubuntu Mate is using to make it work. :slight_smile:

#9

What about edge scrolling, my TP give me that option.

#10

Which one do you use? Mine is quite old already, an X200T from around 2009-2010.

#11

X1C6, was not a need but a must have. And I'm happy with the 2k screen. Exept fingerprint all is working fine.

#12

Well, that's quite a lot newer than mine. :slight_smile:

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