How to use it as a screensaver on Linux?

[hrqmonteiro]

I am on Gnome, and i can open it and close it, ok, but this is not screensaver behavior.

How can i set it as a screensaver? Like setting it to open if the screen is going to be blacked in x minutes or so.

[sebastian-65]

@hrqmonteiro I'm afraid that won't be possible in terms of flipclock package.

However, it should be fairly easy to emulate this behavior using custom background script that under some circumstances (e.g. no keyboard was pressed for some time and no media is playing), opens up flipclock, and also kills it when some button is pressed.

I could also mention xtrlock screenlock which is a transparent screenlock and will work well together with flipclock.

[AlynxZhou]

I am on GNOME too, and you should notice that GNOME does not support screensaver, so I don't know how to make it a screensaver (is there really a general standard for screensaver under Wayland? I don't care about xscreensaver because I use Wayland.).

[rosoau]

Sorry I don't use Wayland; I run Xorg instead
This info may still be useful for non-Wayland users
I'm on Gnome Flashback and installed all xscreensaver packages

We need this file in: /usr/share/applications/screensavers

one.alynx.FlipClock.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=FlipClock
Comment=A flip clock screensaver supported by SDL2
Icon=one.alynx.FlipClock
Exec=/usr/bin/flipclock
#TryExec=/usr/bin/flipclock
StartupNotify=false
Terminal=false
Categories=Screensaver

And it is essential to add this line in ~/.xscreensaver
near the end, before line with: pointerHysteresis

GL: "Flip Clock" /usr/bin/flipclock \n\

Colours, fonts and more can be configured
by un-commenting lines in: /etc/flipclock.conf
I gave it chmod 666 so it can be configured without root permission

To exit it we use the Esc key

I created an edge binding in Compiz, requires: xdotool
to point the mouse to the left screen edge to shut it down
Command: /usr/bin/xdotool key Escape
Edge Bindings > Run command: Left

It may possibly interfere with games that use Esc

[AlynxZhou]

Colours, fonts and more can be configured
by un-commenting lines in: /etc/flipclock.conf
I gave it chmod 666 so it can be configured without root permission

You can use ~/.config/flipclock.conf which does not require root.