Conky's Text Is Blurred And The Window Is Not Transparent

English Applications
#1

Hello,

I have a DELL Inspiron 5520 laptop; and the text in conky is blurred and the window is not transparent. I have been using the following .conkyrc file in Ubuntu 14.04 without issues. Can someone please take a look at my rc and tell me what I need to change? I would like to keep the window borderless and transparent:

# UBUNTU-CONKY
# A comprehensive conky script, configured for use on
# Ubuntu / Debian Gnome, without the need for any external scripts.
#
# Based on conky-jc and the default .conkyrc.
# INCLUDES:
# - tail of /var/log/messages ############################(TRY USING TAIL VARIABLE INSTEAD OF SHELL TAIL)############################################# ######
# - netstat connections to your computer
#
# -- Pengo (conky@pengo.us)


#GENERAL STUFF
double_buffer yes
use_spacer yes
update_interval 2.0
#background yes
#out_to_console no
#total_run_times 0
#${execi 30 wmctrl -a conky}


#WINDOW STUFF
own_window yes
own_window_type normal #override
own_window_transparent yes
own_window_hints undecorated,below,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_pager
#own_window_hints skip_taskbar,skip_pager
#own_window skip_taskbar

#COLOR STUFF
own_window_colour brown
default_color white #Text #Default colors and also border colors, grey90 == #e5e5e5
default_shade_color black
default_outline_color black


#TEXT AREA STUFF
#minimum_size 250 5 #Minimum size of text area
minimum_size 320 5


#BORDER STUFF
draw_outline no
draw_borders no
draw_shades no
stippled_borders 3
border_margin 9
border_width 10


#FONT STUFF
#font -*-newspaper-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
use_xft yes
xftfont Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=8
xftalpha 0.8
uppercase no


#TEXT ALIGNMENT STUFF
#alignment top_left
alignment top_right
#alignment bottom_left
#alignment bottom_right
gap_x 10 #Horizontal Gap between borders of screen and text
gap_y 10 #10 #Vertical Gap between borders of screen and text


#TEXT TO BE DISPLAYED IN CONKY WINDOW
################################################## ################

TEXT
$color
${color magenta}SYSTEM ${hr 2}$color
$nodename $sysname $kernel on $machine
Maximum Operating Temperature: CPU 95 C, HDD 60 C
CPU Temp: ${acpitemp} #HDD Temp: ${hddtemp} 
Load: ${loadavg}

${color yellow}Core 0: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 1}MHz
${cpubar cpu1 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu1 000000 ffffff}
${color red}Core 1: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 2}MHz
${cpubar cpu2 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu2 000000 ffffff}
${color yellow}Core 2: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 3}MHz
${cpubar cpu3 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu3 000000 ffffff}
${color red}Core 3: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 4}MHz
${cpubar cpu4 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu4 000000 ffffff}
NAME             PID     CPU%   MEM%
${top name 1} ${top pid 1} ${top cpu 1} ${top mem 1}
${top name 2} ${top pid 2} ${top cpu 2} ${top mem 2}
${top name 3} ${top pid 3} ${top cpu 3} ${top mem 3}
${top name 4} ${top pid 4} ${top cpu 4} ${top mem 4}
${top name 5} ${top pid 5} ${top cpu 5} ${top mem 5}
${top name 6} ${top pid 6} ${top cpu 6} ${top mem 6}
${top name 7} ${top pid 7} ${top cpu 7} ${top mem 7}
${top name 8} ${top pid 8} ${top cpu 8} ${top mem 8}
${top name 9} ${top pid 9} ${top cpu 9} ${top mem 9}
${top name 10} ${top pid 10} ${top cpu 10} ${top mem 10}

${color yellow}MEMORY / DISK ${hr 2}$color
RAM: $memperc% ${membar 6}$color
Swap: $swapperc% ${swapbar 6}$color

${color yellow}NETWORK (${addr wlan0}) ${hr 2}$color
Down: $color${downspeed wlan0}                  Up: ${upspeed wlan0}
${downspeedgraph wlan0 25,140 000000 ff0000} ${alignr}${upspeedgraph wlan0 25,140 000000 00ff00}$color
Total: ${totaldown wlan0}                Total: ${totalup wlan0} #${alignr}

Inbound: ${tcp_portmon 1 32767 count}  Outbound: ${tcp_portmon 32768 61000 count}${alignr}  Total:${tcp_portmon 1 65535 count}



#${color yellow}LOGGING ${hr 2}$color
#${execi 30 tail -n3 /var/log/messages | fold -w50}

#wlan0 eth0 wlan1 eth1
#2

Hi
Two things, you need to update your conky config to the new lua type, run;


/etc/conky/convert.lua ~/.conkyrc

If you fire up the tweak tool and under Fonts, play with the Hinting and Antialiasing settings (I use Full and Rgba) The other place to play with is via YaST -> System -> Fonts again options to tweak are Font Antialiasing, Force Autohinting On, Force Hint Style, Subpixel Rendering and LCD Filter. For this I have the first two checked, hint style none, rendering rgb and lcddefault.

#3

Thank you,

The conversion to lua was successful; and I selected Full and Rgba in tweak. I was also able to select Font Antialiasing and Force Autohinting. When I tried to select rgb rendering and lcddefault I got the following message:

Warning

You have set LCD filter type (lcddefault). This needs subpixel rendering capability
compiled in FreeType library. Unfortunately, we cannot ship it due to patent reasons.

See README.subpixel-patents from yast2-fonts package documentation.

This seems a bit beyond my experience level. Can you please explain how to add this?

Thanks, Grace

#4

BTW, when the conky screen is refreshed it just writes over the old text without clearing it first. This eventually piles up and the text gets continuously harder to read.

#5

Hi
How does it look without the YaST changes that cause the error, acceptable for you?

If not the look at adding this repo;


zypper ar -f http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/namtrac:/subpixel/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/ Subpixel
zypper ref
zypper in libfreetype6 --from Subpixel
#6

Hi
Can you post the updated config, sounds like something is looping…

#7

Maybe the case or not,
Your later problems may or may not be related to software, but your initial problems (lack of transparency and blurring in general) are things I typically associate with hardware and driver problems… You need to have capable hardware to support that kind of visual effect in the first place, and then you need drivers that are capable of accessing that effect. I’ve found that less common after that is software that knows how to utilize drivers properly to make use of that effect.

Probably these problems are most commonly encountered when viewing games (particularly visuals that are fast moving, 3D and utilize textures and transparencies) using different GPU, you’ll often see big differences how graphics are rendered.

There are various websites that can test a GPU’s capabilities, recommend you look for them and run tests. Although you might or might not be able to recognize what works or doesn’t, tests often will give you a final score that you can use.

TSU

#8

Little bit of a problem with that last step:

me@linux-a50f:~> sudo zypper in libfreetype6 --from Subpixel
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
'-from' is not a package name or capability.
sophie@linux-a50f:~>
#9

Here you are, thanks:

conky.config = {
-- UBUNTU-CONKY
-- A comprehensive conky script, configured for use on
-- Ubuntu / Debian Gnome, without the need for any external scripts.

-- Based on conky-jc and the default .conkyrc.
-- INCLUDES:
-- - tail of /var/log/messages ############################(TRY USING TAIL VARIABLE INSTEAD OF SHELL TAIL)############################################# ######
-- - netstat connections to your computer

-- -- Pengo (conky@pengo.us)


--GENERAL STUFF
    double_buffer = true,
    use_spacer = 'yes',
    update_interval = 2.0,
--background yes
--out_to_console no
--total_run_times 0
--${execi 30 wmctrl -a conky}


--WINDOW STUFF
    own_window = true,
    own_window_type = 'normal',--override
    own_window_transparent = true,
    own_window_hints = 'undecorated,below,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_pager',
--own_window_hints skip_taskbar,skip_pager
--own_window skip_taskbar

--COLOR STUFF
    own_window_colour = 'brown',
    default_color = 'white',--Text #Default colors and also border colors, grey90 == #e5e5e5
    default_shade_color = 'black',
    default_outline_color = 'black',


--TEXT AREA STUFF
--minimum_size 250 5 #Minimum size of text area
    minimum_width = 320, minimum_height = 5,


--BORDER STUFF
    draw_outline = false,
    draw_borders = false,
    draw_shades = false,
    stippled_borders = 3,
    border_margin = '9',
    border_width = 10,


--FONT STUFF
--font -*-newspaper-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
    use_xft = true,
    font = 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=8',
    xftalpha = 0.8,
    uppercase = false,


--TEXT ALIGNMENT STUFF
--alignment top_left
    alignment = 'top_right',
--alignment bottom_left
--alignment bottom_right
    gap_x = 10,--Horizontal Gap between borders of screen and text
    gap_y = 10,--10 #Vertical Gap between borders of screen and text


--TEXT TO BE DISPLAYED IN CONKY WINDOW
--################################################# ################

};

conky.text = 
$color
${color magenta}SYSTEM ${hr 2}$color
$nodename $sysname $kernel on $machine
Maximum Operating Temperature: CPU 95 C, HDD 60 C
CPU Temp: ${acpitemp} #HDD Temp: ${hddtemp} 
Load: ${loadavg}

${color yellow}Core 0: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 1}MHz
${cpubar cpu1 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu1 000000 ffffff}
${color red}Core 1: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 2}MHz
${cpubar cpu2 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu2 000000 ffffff}
${color yellow}Core 2: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 3}MHz
${cpubar cpu3 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu3 000000 ffffff}
${color red}Core 3: ${hr 2}$color
Freq: ${freq 4}MHz
${cpubar cpu4 8,70}
${cpugraph cpu4 000000 ffffff}
NAME             PID     CPU%   MEM%
${top name 1} ${top pid 1} ${top cpu 1} ${top mem 1}
${top name 2} ${top pid 2} ${top cpu 2} ${top mem 2}
${top name 3} ${top pid 3} ${top cpu 3} ${top mem 3}
${top name 4} ${top pid 4} ${top cpu 4} ${top mem 4}
${top name 5} ${top pid 5} ${top cpu 5} ${top mem 5}
${top name 6} ${top pid 6} ${top cpu 6} ${top mem 6}
${top name 7} ${top pid 7} ${top cpu 7} ${top mem 7}
${top name 8} ${top pid 8} ${top cpu 8} ${top mem 8}
${top name 9} ${top pid 9} ${top cpu 9} ${top mem 9}
${top name 10} ${top pid 10} ${top cpu 10} ${top mem 10}

${color yellow}MEMORY / DISK ${hr 2}$color
RAM: $memperc% ${membar 6}$color
Swap: $swapperc% ${swapbar 6}$color

${color yellow}NETWORK (${addr wlan0}) ${hr 2}$color
Down: $color${downspeed wlan0}                  Up: ${upspeed wlan0}
${downspeedgraph wlan0 25,140 000000 ff0000} ${alignr}${upspeedgraph wlan0 25,140 000000 00ff00}$color
Total: ${totaldown wlan0}                Total: ${totalup wlan0} #${alignr}

Inbound: ${tcp_portmon 1 32767 count}  Outbound: ${tcp_portmon 32768 61000 count}${alignr}  Total:${tcp_portmon 1 65535 count}



#${color yellow}LOGGING ${hr 2}$color
#${execi 30 tail -n3 /var/log/messages | fold -w50}

#wlan0 eth0 wlan1 eth1










]];
#10

Thanks for the reply,

The hardware’s not the issue. I have a DELL Inspiron 5520 quad. Conky runs fine in Ubuntu 14.04 on the same box.

#11

Hi
OK, so change the following;


use_spacer = <left right or none> <-- needs to be one of these...

own_window_transparent = false,

--border_margin = '9', <-- I think this is deprecated? It throws an error...

See how that goes.

#12

Ok, now it refreshes properly with own_window_transparent=false.

If I get rid of --border_margin = ‘9’, it throws even more errors.

Is there a way to get the transparency effect back with some other setting? I really like this feature.

BTW, this command:

zypper in libfreetype6 --from Subpixel

Produced this:

me@linux-a50f:~> sudo zypper in libfreetype6 --from Subpixel
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
'-from' is not a package name or capability.
me@linux-a50f:~>

Can the command be written differently, so that it completes?

Thanks, Grace

#13

Hi
To your conky config add;


own_window_argb_visual = true,
own_window_argb_value = 0,

Move the from location;


zypper in --from Subpixel libfreetype6
#14

Beautiful, it’s transparent now, thanks.

How do I get rid of the background color; I think it’s brown now?

#15

Hi
Set to black;


own_window_colour = 'black',
#16

It looks gorgeous. Thank you sir.:slight_smile: