[SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

esuhl · 2011-01-24 02:35:24

After installing some updates a few days ago, I couldn't open the XFCE application menu on my netbook. When I clicked the menu icon on the panel, this message appears: Failed to load the applications menu / File "menus/applications.menu" not found. Right-clicking the desktop produces the usual menu, but without "Applications" at the bottom.

I found (what appeared to be) the menu file at /etc/xdg/menus/xfce-applications.menu, so I just created a symbolic link to it with the name that XFCE seems to be looking for (..../applications.menu) and this seems to work.

BUT... is this the right way to fix it? Is it likely to cause any problems if any subsequent updates try to create/overwrite/modify the file? Would I be better moving the file to the new location instead? Should I report this as a bug?

I had a similar (but not identical) problem on another PC - the Application menu appeared, but was missing all non-application-category items (i.e. "Run program...", pinned applications, "Settings", "Help", "About Xfce" and "Log Out") - so it doesn't seem like an isolated issue. Perhaps a problem with the menu migration process that occurred after the update.

Last edited by esuhl (2011-01-27 00:33:51)

anonymous_user · 2011-01-24 02:49:15

How are you starting xfce? For ~/.xinitrc try:

exec dbus-launch ck-launch-session startxfce4

Also try logging in, then out, and then back in again see if it still happens.

esuhl · 2011-01-24 04:34:17

anonymous_user wrote:

How are you starting xfce? For ~/.xinitrc try:
exec dbus-launch ck-launch-session startxfce4
Also try logging in, then out, and then back in again see if it still happens.

I start it with "startx", with the following in ~/.xinitrc:

## test for an existing bus daemon, just to be safe
if test -z "$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS" ; then
    ## if not found, launch a new one
    eval 'dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session'
    echo "D-Bus per-session daemon address is: $DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS"
fi
exec ck-launch-session startxfce4

I tried "exec dbus-launch ck-launch-session startxfce4" (and logging in/out) when I had the problem, but it didn't affect the menu. I read the dbus-launch man pages and xamaco's comments on this thread which seemed to suggest that using the "if" statement and omitting "dbus-launch" from the exec line was the best way to start XFCE... For some reason the value of $DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS is empty unless X is running, so... I'm not really sure how I should be starting XFCE, to be honest!

Anyway, I managed to the fix the problem on both PCs by doing this:

# ln /etc/xdg/menus/xfce-applications.menu /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu

But is that the right way to fix it? Will it cause problems later? Is there a better way to fix it?

Thanks for your help :-)

anonymous_user · 2011-01-24 04:40:48

I found a post where a user supposedly solved the menu problem by using:

exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session startxfce4

Also creating links is not the right way to fix it.

Last edited by anonymous_user (2011-01-24 04:41:09)

esuhl · 2011-01-24 04:59:53

anonymous_user wrote:

I found a post where a user supposedly solved the menu problem by using:
exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session startxfce4

Ah, yes - I saw that thread too. Unfortunately, the extra dbus-launch parameters didn't make any difference to the menu.

anonymous_user wrote:

Also creating links is not the right way to fix it.

Since I was able to fix the problem by creating the link... is it safe to assume that the way that dbus sessions are started shouldn't matter (for this issue) and that the menu migration process (that ran after starting XFCE for the first time after the update) corrupted the menu file?

If creating the link isn't the right way... What should I do? Would it be better to copy xfce-applications.menu to the location where XFCE is looking (applications.menu) or will that cause problems when the menu needs to be changed after (un)installing applications?

anonymous_user · 2011-01-24 05:46:50

Unless you want to continue troubleshooting, you can just use your link or copy the file.

The only other thing I can think of is to delete your xfce settings and logout/re-login.

esuhl · 2011-01-25 00:15:08

anonymous_user wrote:

...creating links is not the right way to fix it.

anonymous_user wrote:

Unless you want to continue troubleshooting, you can just use your link or copy the file.

I'm confused. So... you're saying that creating the link was the right way to fix it...?

If your system is up-to-date, can I ask what files you have in the /etc/xdg/menus/ directory?

If an update (via pacman) tries to change the menu, will it matter whether the update expects the menu to be called xfce-applications.menu or applications.menu?

Thanks again :-)

anonymous_user · 2011-01-25 00:26:46

It is not the "right" way but I honestly don't know what the right way is. I had the same the same error when I tried Xfce 4.8 but it eventually went away, I don't know what fixed it though.

Also I don't have xfce4 on this machine so I don't even have /etc/xdg/menus/.

esuhl · 2011-01-25 00:34:32

Ah, okay - no worries! I'll just stop worrying about it now it's working!

scue · 2013-12-28 10:28:22

xfce4:
mv ~/.config/menus/xfce-applications.menu{,.bak}

Last edited by scue (2013-12-28 10:28:49)

fsckd · 2013-12-28 15:19:12

Forum Etiquette: Old Threads / Necro-Bumping
Closing.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-01-24 02:35:24

[SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#2 2011-01-24 02:49:15

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#3 2011-01-24 04:34:17

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#4 2011-01-24 04:40:48

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#5 2011-01-24 04:59:53

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#6 2011-01-24 05:46:50

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#7 2011-01-25 00:15:08

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#8 2011-01-25 00:26:46

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#9 2011-01-25 00:34:32

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#10 2013-12-28 10:28:22

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

#11 2013-12-28 15:19:12

Re: [SOLVED] "Failed to load the applications menu" - fixed correctly?

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