Fildem Global Menu & HUD

Fildem is a global menu system and HUD for the GNOME desktop. This project allows you to have a menu bar integrated into the GNOME top panel, similar to macOS or Unity, and a HUD (Heads-Up Display) searcher to quickly access menu options.

This version has been adapted to be fully compatible with GNOME 48, 49, and 50, migrating the extension to ESM and updating D-Bus communication.

Requirements and Components

Fildem consists of two parts that must be installed and running simultaneously:

1. GNOME Shell Extension (fildem@inled.es): Manages the interface in the GNOME panel.
2. Companion App (Python): Manages menu extraction from applications and HUD logic.

Installation

1. Companion App Installation

The companion app is required for the extension to receive menus from active windows.

Dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt install python3-gi python3-dbus bamfdaemon libbamf3-dev libkeybinder-3.0-dev appmenu-gtk2-module appmenu-gtk3-module unity-gtk-module-common

Quick Installation (Recommended)

If you want to install everything automatically (Extension + App + Service), run the following command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/InledGroup/Fildem/main/install.sh | bash

This command will download the installer, request superuser permissions for dependencies, and configure everything, including the auto-start service.

Manual Installation (Step by step)

If you prefer to install components separately or you are in the repository directory:

1. Install the Companion App and Service:

   ./install_app.sh

2. Install the GNOME Shell Extension:

   ./install_extension.sh

GTK Module Configuration

• Create or edit the file ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and add:

  gtk-modules="appmenu-gtk-module"
  

• Create or edit the file ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini and add under the [Settings] section:

  [Settings]
  gtk-modules="appmenu-gtk-module"

3. Extension Installation

1. Copy the extension folder to your local extensions directory:

   cp -r fildem@inled.es ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/

2. Restart GNOME Shell (Alt+F2, type r and press Enter on X11, or log out and back in on Wayland).
3. Enable the extension using the "Extensions" or "Tweaks" app.

Usage

Running the service

For the global menu to work, the Fildem service must be running. You can start it manually with:

fildem

(It is recommended to add fildem to your GNOME startup applications).

HUD (Heads-Up Display)

The HUD allows you to search for menu actions by pressing a key combination.

• On Xorg: Press Alt + Space.
• On Wayland: You must create a custom keyboard shortcut in GNOME settings that executes the command fildem-hud.

Customization

You can configure the extension's behavior from its preferences:

• Button paddings: Adjust the spacing between menu buttons.
• Show menu only when hover: Hides the menu unless you hover over the panel.
• Hide app menu: Hides the active application's name to give more space to the global menu.

Credits

Originally created by Gonzalo. Adapted and maintained for modern GNOME versions by Inled.