[pygtk] Embedding external xwindow apps in top level window

[Nathaniel Smith]

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 11:11:22PM -0700, Newell Jensen wrote:
>    Is there a way to embed/nest other xwindow guit apps within a top level
>    window in pygtk?  I have been searching all over and have not figured out
>    how to do this.
>    Thanks.

The real problem with doing this is that if you don't have some sort
of cooperation from the embedded window, then life is Difficult.  For
instance, if you want the embedded window to receive keystroke events,
how are you going to arrange for it to get focus?  (Your answer will
involve details of the X core protocol, and the ICCCM window manager
spec.)

But anyway, there are two basic things you can do:
  -- if the app you want to embed is designed to be embedded, you just
     need to give it the XID of the window where you want it to live.
     Xephyr, for instance, has an argument "-parent", which you would
     use like:
        window = gtk.gdk.Window(myparent, ...)
        spawn(["Xephyr", "-parent", str(window.xid)])
  -- if you want to just grab some other app's window and jam it into
     your app, then you first need to figure out the XID of *that*
     window ("xwininfo" will do this, for instance), then do something
     like
        win = gtk.gdk.window_foreign_new(the_xid)
        win.reparent(my_window)

But your best bet is still probably to find another approach.

-- Nathaniel

-- 
Electrons find their paths in subtle ways.