[SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

Minsc · 2018-11-15 01:45:26

The latest update (i3-wm-4.15-1 -> i3-wm-4.16-1) ~~breaks~~ ignores the previous config file due to the $XDG_CONFIG_HOME being set. [1]

If this variable is not set, your previous config won't work.... setting the variable also breaks a bunch of other stuff (browsers, etc.)

I never had this variable set before, not sure why it's necessary now? :-\

[1] https://i3wm.org/downloads/RELEASE-NOTES-4.16.txt

---

Solution:

Latest update changes the default config path

~/.i3

to

~/.config/i3

This can be overriden with the global

XDG_CONFIG_HOME

environment variable. If this is unset, move or symlink your i3 config dir to ~/.config

Cheers.

Last edited by Minsc (2018-11-15 02:40:01)

Trilby · 2018-11-15 01:49:42

Minsc wrote:

The latest update (i3-wm-4.15-1 -> i3-wm-4.16-1) breaks the previous config file due to the $XDG_CONFIG_HOME being set.

No, according to the release notes, it will use XDG_CONFIG_HOME if it is set. It most certainly shouldn't set that variable itself. You just now have the option to set that variable if you want to. If you want to, do so; if you don't, don't.

Minsc wrote:

setting the variable also breaks a bunch of other stuff (browsers, etc.)

That should also not be the case. Can you provide a specific example? What/where are you setting that variable?

Minsc wrote:

I never had this variable set before, not sure why it's necessary now?

It isn't.

Minsc · 2018-11-15 02:00:01

OK, so I tested -

Previous config, XDG_CONFIG_HOME unset, not reading my config (~/.i3/config) - set the var - config works.

I was setting the var in ~/.xinitrc

Last edited by Minsc (2018-11-15 02:02:02)

Minsc · 2018-11-15 02:22:29

OK, so I did some more tests:

$ grep i3 .xinitrc
exec i3 --shmlog-size 512000000

---
$ i3 --version
i3 version 4.15 (2018-03-10) © 2009 Michael Stapelberg and contributors

// startx ...

$ i3-dump-log | grep config | head
...
11/15/2018 11:12:38 AM - Parsing configfile /home/xxx/.i3/config

---
$ i3 --version
i3 version 4.16 (2018-11-04) © 2009 Michael Stapelberg and contributors

$ i3-dump-log | grep config | head
11/15/2018 11:17:38 AM - Parsing configfile /home/xxx/.config/i3/config

So the default config file path has changed. Apologies for the numerous edits.

Last edited by Minsc (2018-11-15 02:27:05)

Trilby · 2018-11-15 02:26:45

Is XDG_CONFIG_HOME set elsewhere (what does "echo $XDG_CONFIG_HOME" return without it specified in your xinitrc)? If you don't set it in your xinitrc is it set to ~/.config (which is the "normal" value for it)?

If so, there's your problem. If not, then the changelong of i3 seems a bit imprecise, but the solution would still be obvious: move your i3 config to ~/.config/i3/

EDIT: I just checked the code, and the changelog is accurate: if $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/i3/config exists, it is used, but if that does not exist, then it next checks ~/.i3/config.

Last edited by Trilby (2018-11-15 02:32:55)

Minsc · 2018-11-15 02:29:10

Trilby wrote:

Is XDG_CONFIG_HOME set elsewhere (what does "echo $XDG_CONFIG_HOME" return without it specified in your xinitrc)? If you don't set it in your xinitrc is it set to ~/.config (which is the "normal" value for it)?
If so, there's your problem. If not, then the changelong of i3 seems a bit imprecise, but the solution would still be obvious: move your i3 config to ~/.config/i3/

Meh I can symlink .i3 to .config/i3 but it's weird that they didn't mention that in the release notes - and I suspect this var has something to do with it. I've not the time to read through the code just now, but I am guessing it is defaulting to ~/.config/i3 instead of the previous ~/.i3 if that var is unset.

Trilby · 2018-11-15 02:35:51

It uses ~/.config/i3/config if that file exists whether or not XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set. But if that file does not exist, it will still use ~/.i3/config.

Why would you create a file at ~/.config/i3/config if you didn't want it used as a config for i3? Don't symlink, just remove that file if you don't want to use it.

Minsc · 2018-11-15 02:41:38

Trilby wrote:

It uses ~/.config/i3/config if that file exists whether or not XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set. But if that file does not exist, it will still use ~/.i3/config.
Why would you create a file at ~/.config/i3/config if you didn't want it used as a config for i3? Don't symlink, just remove that file if you don't want to use it.

Not quite sure why you're being nasty ...

I didn't create ~/.config/i3 - default config path has changed. i3 has always used ~/.i3 for it's config path.

Minsc · 2018-11-15 02:48:54

Meh, I'm also wrong - it does default to ~/.config/i3/config if it exists. I never had the issue of overriding iit with my normal ~/.i3/config until this update.

Trilby · 2018-11-15 04:00:02

Minsc wrote:

Not quite sure why you're being nasty ...

I am occasionally. But I most certainly haven't been in this thread. If I ever bother to respond to you in the future, though, I will be. More likely I'll just not bother with you at all.

Arch Linux

#1 2018-11-15 01:45:26

[SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#2 2018-11-15 01:49:42

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#3 2018-11-15 02:00:01

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#4 2018-11-15 02:22:29

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#5 2018-11-15 02:26:45

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#6 2018-11-15 02:29:10

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#7 2018-11-15 02:35:51

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#8 2018-11-15 02:41:38

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#9 2018-11-15 02:48:54

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

#10 2018-11-15 04:00:02

Re: [SOLVED] i3-wm: config broken after latest update

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