From Newsgroup: comp.windows.x

I know that a Window Manager usually reparents the top-level window(s) of
an application, in order to wrap the window with various Window Manager controls (resize, minimize, move, etc).

But, can an X application do that as well? If so, how?

The hypothetical scenario I'm looking at is an X11-based email client
that only displays text emails must now display html emails. Instead
of incorporating a full html parser and display painter, the email
client invokes an external application (a web browser) to present
the html content. BUT, rather than have the web browser pop up as
it's own window, the email client needs the browser to paint within
one of the email application windows. How does the email client
invoke the web browser, and capture it's top-level window?
--
Lew Pitcher
"In Skills We Trust"
Not LLM output - I'm just like this.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.windows.x

On 2026-03-02, Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

I know that a Window Manager usually reparents the top-level window(s) of
an application, in order to wrap the window with various Window Manager controls (resize, minimize, move, etc).

But, can an X application do that as well? If so, how?

With XReparentWindow() (see the man page).

You can use xdotool to experiment before changing code. I occasionally
did this in Covid days to play video "within" the PDF slides I was
sharing via Zoom.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.windows.x

On Mon, 2 Mar 2026 20:32:50 -0000 (UTC), Julian Bradfield wrote:

On 2026-03-02, Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

I know that a Window Manager usually reparents the top-level
window(s) of an application, in order to wrap the window with
various Window Manager controls (resize, minimize, move, etc).

But, can an X application do that as well? If so, how?

With XReparentWindow() (see the man page).

As I understand it, in X11, it is not just windows that are rCLwindowsrCY,
but every widget within a window is also technically a rCLwindowrCY. So
you have a hierarchy of windows within windows.

Given that, is it possible to reparent one applicationrCOs entire
top-level window to be within just one area of another applicationrCOs
window?
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.windows.x

In comp.windows.x, Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

I know that a Window Manager usually reparents the top-level window(s) of
an application, in order to wrap the window with various Window Manager controls (resize, minimize, move, etc).

But, can an X application do that as well? If so, how?

The hypothetical scenario I'm looking at is an X11-based email client
that only displays text emails must now display html emails. Instead
of incorporating a full html parser and display painter, the email
client invokes an external application (a web browser) to present
the html content. BUT, rather than have the web browser pop up as
it's own window, the email client needs the browser to paint within
one of the email application windows. How does the email client
invoke the web browser, and capture it's top-level window?

The 'surf' browser is designed to be embeded, and the 'tabbed' tool is
designed to let you run multiple embedable tools in one window, with
tabs, so you can emulate the tab experience of a more common browser.

https://surf.suckless.org/
https://tools.suckless.org/tabbed/

Might be useful for your project.

Elijah
------
has not looked hard at either, nor tried them in several years
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.windows.x

On Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:11:39 +0000, Eli the Bearded wrote:

In comp.windows.x, Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

I know that a Window Manager usually reparents the top-level window(s) of
an application, in order to wrap the window with various Window Manager
controls (resize, minimize, move, etc).

But, can an X application do that as well? If so, how?

The hypothetical scenario I'm looking at is an X11-based email client
that only displays text emails must now display html emails. Instead
of incorporating a full html parser and display painter, the email
client invokes an external application (a web browser) to present
the html content. BUT, rather than have the web browser pop up as
it's own window, the email client needs the browser to paint within
one of the email application windows. How does the email client
invoke the web browser, and capture it's top-level window?

The 'surf' browser is designed to be embeded, and the 'tabbed' tool is designed to let you run multiple embedable tools in one window, with
tabs, so you can emulate the tab experience of a more common browser.

https://surf.suckless.org/
https://tools.suckless.org/tabbed/

Might be useful for your project.

Thanks, Eli

Those links look useful.

I don't have a project, yet. It's more of a thought-experiment at the
moment. But, I'm gathering the techniques together, so that I can
gauge the effort to make that hypothetical scenario into a reality.

The surf.suckless.org link gave me another hint; the XEmbed protocol.
That, and the XReparentWindow() Xlib call, seems to be the key to
my goal.


Thanks again
--
Lew Pitcher
"In Skills We Trust"
Not LLM output - I'm just like this.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2