Get wallpaper engine to work/get help with setting up an alternative

[coarse kraken]

Alright, so i was told wallpaper engine doesn't work, and i don't use KDE plasma so that's also a no. Problem is, i want to have functionality of dynamic wallpapers, not just a video. Like f.e. wallpaper also showing time or something else. Is there anything that i can do to achieve this? i will show a link to what i want to try to do under this description. Also, if possible, i'd like it if i could use wallpaper engines files (like downloaded from workshop) things in there, one way or another

P.S. Hidamari probably will not cut it for me, cuz it is just a video if i understood correctly how it works

edit: yes i feel picky, just wanted to have some retro style things on my laptop

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323573109

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3122339805

examples of what i wanted to do

[wind jungle]

You are not the first to ask for this, but I have not yet seen a Linux equivalent to Wallpaper Engine. There is Hidamari for video wallpapers, but you said you want more than that. Looking for "wallpaper" in Software Manager turns up a few hits, though:

• HydraPaper
• Wallpaper Selector
• Colorwall
• Wonderwall
• WSelector
• Wardrobe
• Variety
  Have fun exploring.

[fervent basin]

I use variety in gnome: it's fun! 😀

[coarse kraken]

Yeah I did check support for similar threads but Hidamari was recommended

[coarse kraken]

Ty, I'll check it out tomorrow :3

[coarse kraken]

I don't use gnome AFAIK, so this prolly wouldn't work

I use Cinnamon-x11

[wind jungle]

Cinnamon is GTK-based, so lots of gnome stuff should work. Worth a try at any rate.

[coarse kraken]

Alright, ill check it out then, ty for correcting

[coarse kraken]

I thought it was like totally different, cuz of hatred I've seen for gnome

[coarse kraken]

Checked all of them, if I understood it correctly most (except hydra paper) are just rotating wallpaper thingies

Just images

[coarse kraken]

I have found something promising, yet, sadly, it is only for KDE plasma

[coarse kraken]

Also if I understood correctly, it's actually native on cinnamon and GNOME support is official plugin (checked description page)

Hidamari seems the only one to be even close -- it supports video fully

[quartz temple]

You can try https://github.com/Almamu/linux-wallpaperengine

Although that's building from source territory

[coarse kraken]

that's scary... ty tho, ill check it out

[coarse kraken]

so uh, may i ask for help about how to actually open that thing after i built it?

[wind jungle]

While I have no idea about this particular one, when you compile something from source, the result will be a binary and probably some additional files. You want to look for the binary and run it.

[coarse kraken]

oh yeah i've had a binary file i think

[coarse kraken]

are binary files supposed to be without file extensions?

[wind jungle]

They usually have no extension. Sometimes, somebody tries to be helpful and adds .bin. If you want to know the type of a file, there is the terminal application file. You literally just type file <filename> and it will tell you what it is.

[coarse kraken]

oh alright

well, there is a .bin file

[coarse kraken]

do i rename extension?

[coarse kraken]

i guess i was wrong with my theory

[wind jungle]

Are you sure it compiled correctly?

[coarse kraken]

idk, i've followed a guide from the github page

i geniunely have no god-damn idea what i'm doing, or even where is the so-mentioned "output" folder is supposed to be in

[wind jungle]

I compile so rarely that I forgot where to look. Perhaps somebody else can help.

[coarse kraken]

do i create another ticket or is it still for this one?

nvm title of this ticket says it already

[quartz temple]

If you did everything per instrictions, executable file should be in linux-wallpaperengine/build/output

executable name is linux-wallpaperengine

[coarse kraken]

i have a suspicion text object aren't really supported

uh what

[quartz temple]

If you have steam version of wallpaper engine in one of these locations

~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common
~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common
~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common
~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common

program should detect it. Then you should launch it as

./linux-wallpaperengine 1845706469

number being the background id

according to the github anyway

[coarse kraken]

that's exactly what i've done

[coarse kraken]

also i noticed you cant just use it lke that, i needed to type out full pating to file

alright il try a normal wallpaper

am i stupid or it's not supposed to be a window

it also has no sounds and has no background

either i'm not understanding something (more likely course) or something is fucked up

[quartz temple]

If you don't get "Cannot find a valid assets folder, resolved to 'assets'" message that means it sees the steam version. If you do, you'll need to copy assets folder from steam version to the folder you're launching the program from

[coarse kraken]

what is this supposed to mean

[coarse kraken]

that is certainly not the problem in here

[coarse kraken]

it def sees the assets, and it even uses them

like it launches the app, but it's fucked past that

[quartz temple]

You can try something like

./linux-wallpaperengine --window 0x0x1280x720 1845706469

Also, show the output of

xrandr

[coarse kraken]

one sec

[coarse kraken]

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1366 x 768, maximum 16384 x 16384
LVDS-1 connected primary 1366x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 309mm x 174mm
1366x768 59.99 + 39.94*
1280x720 59.99
1024x768 59.99
960x720 59.99
928x696 59.99
896x672 59.99
1024x576 59.99
960x600 59.99
960x540 59.99
800x600 59.99
840x525 59.99
864x486 59.99
700x525 59.99
800x450 59.99
640x512 59.99
700x450 59.99
640x480 59.99
720x405 59.99
684x384 59.99
640x360 59.98
512x384 59.99
512x288 59.99
480x270 59.99
400x300 59.98
432x243 59.98
320x240 59.99
360x202 59.98
320x180 59.98
VGA-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

[coarse kraken]

note: i use it like [insert full path here]/linux-wallpaper

[quartz temple]

Also try

./linux-wallpaperengine --screen-root LVDS-1 --window 0x0x1280x720 1845706469

[coarse kraken]

ill try 1366x768 cuz thats my resolution

[coarse kraken]

id can be replaced, right?

[quartz temple]

yes

[quartz temple]

There's this warning, but I don't really know what it means

Seems like people are recommending Hidamari for video wallpapers from wallpaper engine

There are some alternatives https://alternativeto.net/software/wallpaper-engine/?platform=linux

[coarse kraken]

same

[coarse kraken]

AFAIK hidamari does not support dynamic wallpapers

like it can not be customized to react to clicks and stuff

or like f.e. showing current time

if it is and i'm stupid, please teach me

[quartz temple]

Hidamari seems to handle videos as wallpapers

[coarse kraken]

that's what im talking about

seems like it is only videos

ive heard of a thing called pywall

oh wait no

swaybg and feh

and somehow with pywall someone connected it with scripts

[quartz temple]

There are alternatives and half working hacks https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1hz54rm/wallpaper_engine_alternatives/

Maybe you're better off finding dynamic wallpaper app made for linux

https://youtu.be/Jo0mACSeY0A?si=pucajW8tuSAPkDkJ

[coarse kraken]

alright so after trying to do my research i think im stupid