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Argus Overview User Guide

Complete reference for all features in Argus Overview v3.2.

Table of Contents

  1. Getting Started
  2. Main Interface
  3. Overview Tab
  4. Characters & Teams Tab
  5. Layouts Tab
  6. Cycle Control Tab
  7. Settings Sync Tab
  8. Settings Tab
  9. Intel Tab
  10. Focus Mode
  11. Replay Strip
  12. System Tray
  13. Keyboard Shortcuts
  14. Configuration Files
  15. Troubleshooting

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Linux with X11 or Wayland (XWayland)
  • EVE Online installed via Steam or standalone
  • System tools: wmctrl, xdotool

Installation

# Recommended: Install via pipx
pipx install argus-overview

# Run
argus-overview

First Launch

  1. Start your EVE clients and log in to your characters
  2. Launch Argus Overview
  3. Go to Overview tab → Click Import All to add all EVE windows
  4. Arrange previews by dragging them
  5. Save your layout in the Layouts tab

Main Interface

Argus Overview uses a tabbed interface:

Tab Purpose
Overview Live window previews, capture settings
Characters & Teams Character database, team management
Layouts Window arrangement presets
Cycle Control Hotkeys, cycling groups
Settings Sync EVE settings synchronization
Settings Application configuration

Window Controls

  • Always on Top: Keep Argus above other windows
  • Minimize to Tray: Close button minimizes to system tray
  • Position Lock: Prevent accidental preview movement

Overview Tab

The Overview tab is your main workspace for managing EVE window previews.

Toolbar Actions

Button Action
Import All Scan and add all EVE windows
Refresh Re-scan window list
Lock Toggle position lock (Ctrl+Shift+L)
Low Power Reduce FPS to 5 for power saving
Disable Previews Stop capture entirely

Preview Filter

The search box filters visible previews by character name. Type to filter, clear to show all.

Preview Thumbnails

Each preview shows:

  • Character name or custom label
  • Activity indicator: Green (focused), Yellow (recent), Gray (idle)
  • Session timer (optional): How long the character has been active
  • Status border: Shows window state

Preview Controls

  • Left-click: Activate the EVE window
  • Right-click: Context menu
  • Drag title bar: Move preview
  • Drag corner: Resize preview

Context Menu Options

Option Description
Focus Window Bring EVE window to front
Minimize Minimize the EVE window
Set Label Custom display name (e.g., "Scout", "Logi")
Zoom Level Adjust preview size
Remove Remove from preview list

Keyboard Window Control

When the Overview tab is focused, press 1-9 to activate windows by position (left-to-right, top-to-bottom order).

Characters & Teams Tab

Manage your entire EVE roster, including offline characters.

Character Database

Add characters even when not logged in:

  1. Click Add Character
  2. Enter character name
  3. Optionally set account group and role

Character Properties:

  • Name: Character name (must match EVE window title)
  • Account: Group by Omega account (3 chars per account)
  • Role: Miner, Scout, DPS, Logi, Hauler, Trader
  • Notes: Personal notes

Team Management

Teams group characters for activities:

  1. Click New Team
  2. Name your team (e.g., "Mining Fleet", "PvP Squad")
  3. Drag characters into the team
  4. Link team to a layout preset (optional)

Team Features:

  • Auto-add windows when team members log in
  • Apply layouts to entire team
  • Sync settings to team members

Account Grouping

Group characters by Omega account:

  • Visual separation in character list
  • Quick-select all characters from one account
  • Track which accounts are logged in

Layouts Tab

Save and restore window arrangements.

Creating Layouts

  1. Arrange EVE windows on your screen
  2. Position previews in Argus Overview
  3. Click Save Layout
  4. Enter a descriptive name

Applying Layouts

  • Select layout from list → Click Apply
  • Or use the tray menu quick-access
  • Or bind to a hotkey

Auto-Tiling Patterns

One-click arrangements:

Pattern Description
2x2 Grid 4 windows in a square
3x1 Row 3 windows horizontal
1x3 Column 3 windows vertical
4x1 Wide 4 windows horizontal (ultrawide)
Main + Sides 1 large center, 3 small sides
Cascade Overlapping diagonal

Drag-Drop Layout

  1. Select a grid pattern
  2. Drag previews from the preview area to grid positions
  3. Click Apply to move actual windows

Multi-Monitor Layouts

  • Layouts remember which monitor each window belongs to
  • Use "Send to Monitor X" in context menu
  • Different layouts can span different monitors

Cycle Control Tab

Configure hotkeys and window cycling.

Global Hotkeys

Window Cycling:

  • F13: Next window
  • F14: Previous window
  • Cycles through all active EVE windows
  • Works even when EVE has focus

Per-Character Hotkeys:

  • Bind specific keys to specific characters
  • Example: Ctrl+1 → "Main Character"
  • Configure in the character hotkey list

Cycling Groups

Create custom cycling groups:

  • Group specific characters together
  • Cycle through only group members
  • Useful for separating fleets/activities

Settings Sync Tab

Synchronize EVE settings between characters.

What Gets Synced

  • Keybindings and shortcuts
  • UI layouts and window positions
  • Overview settings and columns
  • Chat window configurations
  • D-scan and probe settings
  • All client preferences

Sync Process

  1. Click Scan EVE Settings to find character profiles
  2. Select Source Character (your main with perfect settings)
  3. Select Target Characters (alts to receive settings)
  4. Click Sync Settings

Sync takes ~6 seconds per character vs hours of manual copying.

EVE Installation Path

If characters aren't found:

  1. Click Add Custom Path
  2. Browse to your EVE installation
  3. Common locations:
    • Steam: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/8500/...
    • Standalone: ~/.eve/

Backup

Settings are backed up before sync:

  • Location: ~/.config/argus-overview/backups/
  • Restore manually if needed

Settings Tab

Application configuration.

Performance Settings

Setting Description Default
Preview FPS Refresh rate (1-60) 30
Low Power FPS FPS when in low power mode 5
Auto-Minimize Inactive Minimize previous window when cycling Off
Disable Previews Stop all capture Off

Appearance Settings

Setting Description Default
Theme Dark, Light, EVE Dark
Hover Opacity Transparency on mouse hover 30%
Show Session Timers Display play time on previews Off
Show Activity Dots Display status indicators On

Behavior Settings

Setting Description Default
Start Minimized Launch to system tray Off
Minimize to Tray Close button minimizes On
Auto-Discovery Scan for new EVE windows On
Discovery Interval Seconds between scans 5

Intel Tab

The Intel tab provides real-time threat detection by monitoring EVE Online chat logs.

Threat Detection

  • Log Watcher: Monitors Chatlogs/ directory for new messages
  • Parser: Extracts system names, ship types, and pilot counts from chat
  • Alert Engine: Highlights hostile presence based on configured rules
  • Threat Chrome: Visual overlay on the Overview tab showing current threat level

Configuration

Threat filters are configured in ~/.config/argus-overview/settings.json:

{
  "alert_sensitivity": 50,
  "intel_enabled": true
}

Data Files

  • intel/data/systems.json — EVE system database
  • intel/data/jumpbridges.json — Jump bridge connections

Focus Mode

Focus Mode minimizes distractions by dimming inactive windows and highlighting the active EVE client.

  • Activation: Toggle via hotkey or tray menu
  • Behavior: Active window stays bright; inactive windows dim to configurable opacity
  • Opacity Control: Adjustable in Settings (default 0.3)

Replay Strip

The Replay Strip shows a timeline of recent window captures for quick review.

  • Navigation: Scroll or click thumbnails to jump to specific moments
  • Cache: Frames cached in memory; configurable retention
  • Export: Right-click to save a frame to disk

Platform Notes

Linux X11

Fully supported. Uses wmctrl, xdotool, and xwd/convert for window operations.

Linux Wayland

Best-effort support via wlroots protocols and grim/slurp. Some features (window activation, precise positioning) may be limited depending on compositor.

Windows

Supported via Win32 API (EnumWindows, SetForegroundWindow, PrintWindow). Install from the Windows installer or run from source with Python 3.10+.

System Tray

The orange "V" icon provides quick access:

Tray Menu

Option Action
Show/Hide Toggle main window
Layouts Quick-switch submenu
Low Power Mode Toggle power saving
Settings Open settings tab
Reload Config Apply settings.json changes
Quit Exit application

Tray Actions

  • Double-click: Show/hide main window
  • Right-click: Open menu

Notifications

The tray shows notifications for:

  • New characters detected
  • Sync completion

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global (work anywhere)

Shortcut Action
F13 Cycle to next EVE window
F14 Cycle to previous EVE window
Ctrl+Shift+M Minimize all EVE windows
Ctrl+Shift+R Restore all EVE windows

Application (Argus focused)

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+Tab Next preview
Ctrl+Shift+Tab Previous preview
Ctrl+Shift+L Toggle position lock
1-9 Activate window by position
Escape Clear preview filter

Configurable

Per-character hotkeys and cycling groups are user-configurable in the Cycle Control tab.

Configuration Files

All configuration is stored in ~/.config/argus-overview/:

File Purpose
settings.json Application settings
characters.json Character database
teams.json Team definitions
layouts.json Saved layouts
hotkeys.json Hotkey bindings
argus-overview.log Application log

Hot Reload

Edit settings.json while running, then use Tray → Reload Config to apply changes without restart.

Troubleshooting

Characters not found in Settings Sync

Cause: EVE installation path not detected

Fix:

  1. Open Settings Sync tab
  2. Click "Add Custom Path"
  3. Navigate to your EVE settings folder
  4. Steam path: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/8500/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/CCP/EVE/

High CPU usage

Cause: Too many previews at high FPS

Fix:

  1. Reduce Preview FPS in Settings (15-20 is usually sufficient)
  2. Use Low Power Mode when not actively playing
  3. Disable previews entirely if only using hotkeys

Windows not auto-arranging

Cause: Character names don't match

Fix:

  1. Ensure character names in Argus match EVE window titles exactly
  2. EVE window title format: "EVE - CharacterName"
  3. Re-import windows with Import All

Preview not updating

Cause: Window capture issue

Fix (X11):

  1. Click Refresh in Overview toolbar
  2. Re-add the window
  3. Check that xdotool and wmctrl are installed

Fix (Wayland):

  1. Ensure compositor supports wlr-screenshot or grim
  2. Try XWayland fallback mode
  3. Some compositors do not support window-level capture

Fix (Windows):

  1. Ensure EVE is not running elevated (Admin) while Argus is not
  2. Try the "Compatibility Capture" mode in Settings

Hotkeys not working

Cause: Key conflict or EVE has exclusive focus

Fix:

  1. Check for conflicting system hotkeys
  2. Try different key combinations
  3. Ensure Argus has permission to grab global hotkeys

Wayland-specific issues

Cause: Wayland compositors vary in protocol support

Fix:

  1. Check compositor supports wlroots protocols
  2. Use XWayland for EVE client if native capture fails
  3. Window activation may require manual focus on some compositors

Windows-specific issues

Cause: Win32 API differences, UAC elevation

Fix:

  1. Run Argus and EVE at same privilege level
  2. Disable "Game Mode" if it interferes with window detection
  3. Check Windows Defender exclusions for Python/PySide6

Logs

Check the log file for detailed error messages:

cat ~/.config/argus-overview/argus-overview.log

Getting Help

  • GitHub Issues: Report bugs
  • Discussions: Ask questions in GitHub Discussions
  • In-Game: Contact AreteDriver

Fly safe, capsuleers! o7