Avant Window Navigator is a dock-like bar for Linux, which sits on an edge of a user's screen and tracks open windows.

Avant Window Navigator (abbreviated AWN or Awn) is a dock-like bar for Linux, which sits on an edge of a user's screen and tracks open windows. Instead of representing open windows as buttons or segments on a bar, it uses icons to minimize screen space and add visual appeal. Avant Window Navigator was created by Neil J. Patel and is currently in the beta stages of development.

Both the appearance and functionality of Avant Window Navigator may be customized, and plugins and applets are available, such as to display the progress of a download in Mozilla Firefox or to control a music player like Rhythmbox. The plugins use the D-Bus IPC system, and applets can be written in C, Python, or Vala. There is a sister project, AWN Extras, which is a collection of community-contributed applets and plugins. Its releases are usually kept in sync with AWN

One of the major requirements to run older versions of Avant Window Navigator is a composited environment. Therefore, the user was required to install a compositor, such as Compiz, which could tax performance on low-end systems. Some alternatives were to use Xfce, which has a compositing manager since version 4.2.0, or to enable compositing in Metacity when using GNOME. However, support for non-composited environments is available in version 0.4.0.

Prerequisites.

    You need to figure out whether your computer is capable of running AWN. Your computer needs to be capable of compositing support, which allows for "real" transparency, among other things. This means, for example, that you should be able to make translucent/transparent any window, and be able to see the windows that are behind it. There are currently two ways to get these effects: Xgl and AIGLX. Your distribution may have documentation (either official or user-generated) on which method you can use and how to install/configure it. Here is information for several distributions:

        Gentoo: Xgl, AIGLX
        Ubuntu: Xgl, AIGLX
        openSUSE: Xgl, AIGLX
        Fedora: AIGLX

    Make sure that your X installation has the "Composite" extension enabled. Again, the links above and/or your distribution's documentation/user support will help you with this, as this is beyond the scope of this document.

    You need to install a compositing manager. There are several currently available:

        Beryl/Compiz/Compiz Fusion: This group tends to be the most popular among compositing managers, because of the number of effects you can achieve with it, such as "wobbly windows", minimize/maximize effects, workspaces laid out on a three-dimensional cube, etc. The Beryl project has merged with the Compiz window manager to form the Compiz Fusion project. It is compatible with both Gtk+ and KDE environments.

        Xfce: Recent versions of the Xfce desktop environment (starting from version 4.2.0) have added support for compositing in its window manager, xfwm4. However, this feature is configurable at compile-time with a ./configure switch, so if you are running a binary package-based distribution (such as Debian or Fedora), you may or may not have this feature.

        Metacity: The default window manager for Gnome. Compositing support was started for this WM in November 2003 (around version 2.7.0), but it has never been very stable. Because of this, it is not enabled in most distributions. Recently though, work has started on a new implementation for compositing support that will most likely be in version 2.22.0, barring any showstoppers.

        Cairo Compositing Manager: According to its website, it is "a versatile and extensible composite manager which [uses] cairo for rendering. Rendering can be done in 2D or 3D, using Xrender and Glitz backends." At the time of this writing (2007-11-25), the project is in its infancy and under heavy development, so your mileage may vary.

        xcompmgr: Back before Compiz was created or Xfce had compositing support, this was the way to make windows translucent and have drop-shadows. It was more of a proof-of-concept application for the new (at the time) Composite extension for X. Unfortunately, this application hasn't been updated since 2005, and doesn't have an official release. It is not recommended that you use this.

Installation Type.

Now that you've determined that your computer can run AWN, it is time to install the software. There are two methods to install the software:

    Binary packages (recommended)
    Compiling/installing the source code (if there are no binary packages for your distribution, or if you wish to test one of the many development branches)

Post-Installation.

Now that you've installed AWN, you probably want some applets (mini programs associated with AWN) to add more functionality to your dock.

You can also customize how the dock looks with themes.

Applet List

Animal Farm
Displays fortune messages.
Python
0.3.2

Awn Notification-Daemon
An awn implementation of the libnotify notification daemon (note: there is no icon).
C
0.2.1

Bandwidth Monitor
A network bandwidth monitor
Python
0.3.9

Battery Applet
This applet displays your computer's current power status
Python
0.2.1

Cairo Clock
Displays an analog clock. Provides 3 themes and can optionally use MacSlow's Cairo-Clock's themes.
Python
0.3.2

Cairo Menu
Displays a list of all the applications on your computer in a standard menu format
C
0.2.4

Clock/Calendar Applet
Displays a clock and calendar on the bar, and integrates w/ several external calendar applications to display appointments.
Python
0.2.4

Comics!
View your favourite comics on your desktop
Python
0.3.2

Common Folder Launcher
Launcher for common folders and bookmarks
Python
bzr (0.4.1)

CPU Frequency Monitor
Monitors and controls the CPU frequency.
Python
0.3.2

Dialect Applet
Change your keyboard input layout.
Python
0.3.9

Digital Clock
A digital clock and calendar applet.
Python
0.2.4

Dropper Applet
Shows actions overlay when you drag something over the applet.
Python
?

Feeds Applet
Monitors web feeds.
Python
0.3.9

File Browser Launcher
Launches the user's file manager or opens bookmarks.
Python
0.2.4

Garbage
A lightweight, cross-desktop trash applet
Vala
0.3.9

Indicator Applet
An applet to hold all of the system indicators.
C
bzr (0.4.1)

Mail Applet
The Mail Applet lets you check your mail from AWN.
Python
0.2.1

Hardware Sensors
Shows the hardware sensor readouts
Python
0.3.9

Main Menu
Displays a list of all the applications on your computer in a AWN dialog window
C
0.2.1

Media Control Applet
This applet displays album art in an AWN dialog while allowing you to control your favorite media players
Python
0.2.1

Media Icons Applet
This applet allows you to add media icons like play, pause, and next/back to your awn bar, and control a list of media players
Python
0.2.1

Media Player
Plays any media files you drop on it
Python
0.3.2

Mount Applet
Displays mounts from /etc/fstab and allows one to mount/unmount them.
Python
0.2.4

Notification Area Applet
Replaces the gnome-panel notification area and shows it right on your dock
C
0.2.1

Pandora Applet
Plays Pandora internet radio.
Python
0.2.4

Places
Launch your folder bookmarks
C
0.2.4

Quit applet
A simple gnome-quit launcher
Python
0.2.1

Related Applet
Applet displaying related items by talking to Zeitgeist
Vala
?

RTM Applet
Use Remember The Milk from AWN.
Python
0.3.2

Shiny Switcher
A workspace switcher supporting compiz and other WMs. Its main design goals include an appearance compatible with awn and single click workspace switching. Has many features including grabbing images of application windows and desktop backgrounds. It is extremely configurable, though the current release does not have a preferences dialog.
C
0.2.4

Showdesktop Applet
Hides/shows all of the windows of the current viewport, similar to the showdesktop icon of gnome-panel.
Python
0.2.1

SlickSwitcher
A visual workspace switcher.
Python
0.3.9

Stacks Applet
A stacks applet. Provides a convenient location to place commonly used files.
Python
0.2.1

System Monitor
Manage system activity
C
0.2.1

Terminal Applet
A pop-up terminal that lives in AWN.
C
0.2.4

ThinkHDAPS Applet
Displays the status of HDAPS.
Python
0.3.2

To-Do List Applet
Manage a simple To-Do list.
Python
0.3.2

Tomboy Applet
Control Tomboy with D-Bus
Python
0.3.2

Volume Control
A fancy volume changing applet that works much like the gnome panel version.
Python
0.2.1

Weather Applet
This applet downloads and displays the current weather conditions and weather forecast from weather.com.
Python
0.2.1

Web Applet
A generic web applet
C
(bzr)

Wobblyzini
Displays a simple animation.
C
0.2.1a

Yet Another Menu Applet
Main menu with places and recent documents
Python
0.3.9

Discontinued Applets

Affinity Applet
Search your computer via Affinity.
Python
0.2.4 – 0.3.2.1

aRSS Applet
Watch your feeds.
Python
0.2.4 – 0.4

Comic Applet
Fetches your favorite comics from the internet, such as Dilbert or xkcd.
Python
0.2.4 – 0.4

DesktopManager
Manages the desktop Wallpaper
Python
0.3.2 – 0.4

File Browser
Displays the contents of a directory and allows you to navigate folders.
C
0.2.1 – 0.4

Last.fm Applet
Stream any of the Last.Fm radio stations.
Python
0.2.4 – 0.3.2.1

MiMenu (Main Menu) Applet
Another applet for the Menu.
Python
0.2.4 – 0.4

Mobile Meebo
Access to the Meebo Instant Messenger
Python
? – 0.4

Separator
Displays a thin line to separate applets. Moved to Awn Core.
C
0.2.1 – ?

Stacks Plugger
Displays mounted volumes and allows you to browse them through stacks.
C
0.2.1 – 0.4

Trash Applet
This applet allows you to display and empty your trash can. Like the gnome panel trash applet.
C
0.2.1 – ?

Trasher Applet
Like the trash applet, but uses stacks to allow you to preview your trash.
C
0.2.1 – 0.4

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