[workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

synthead · 2013-12-29 08:54:11

I put a few exports in ~/.profile, but when logging in to XFCE4 via slim, the exports aren't present (tested by echo'ing the variables in Bash). If I source it manually, it works, but they're there to establish proxy settings and is useless unless it's in the environment.

Last edited by synthead (2014-01-02 01:53:51)

jasonwryan · 2013-12-29 09:18:55

DM (and DE's) have different and "helpful" ways of dealing with this. Xfce uses ~/.config/xfce4/xinitrc, apparently.

You could also try putting your proxy settings in ~/.pam_environment and see if either, or both, respect that.

vorbote · 2013-12-29 14:54:43

The usual way DMs and DEs deal with user variables is by using ~/.xprofile

What I do is to link (*not* symlink!) ~/.profile to ~/.xprofile if my login shell is bash or ~/.zprofile to ~/.xprofile if using zsh. Notice that I do not modify ~/.profile because it sources .bashrc. I do all modifications in .bashrc so that they are sourced by virtual terminal sessions. The same goes for .zprofile (a modified copy of .profile) and .zshrc.

jasonwryan · 2013-12-29 17:47:32

So that means all of your env variables are sourced for every term you open?

vorbote · 2013-12-29 18:39:57

@jasonwryan That's correct. It may sound crazy from a memory consumption point of view but it depends on use case. I keep my environment configuration to a minimum (something I learned the hard way when running out of stack space in Ultrix's sh and csh). The only thing consuming memory in my shell processes is the file completion code, that I want there anyway, but that could be turned off guarding it with a test againt $- in /etc/bash.bashrc or the equivalent in my local .zshrc so that it doesn't load in non-interactive shells.

If I understood your question wrongly, the answer would be "yes, the whole graphical session inherits the environment in my shell files". I guess. :-)

Last edited by vorbote (2013-12-29 18:41:25)

jasonwryan · 2013-12-29 19:07:53

Thanks for clarifying. I haven't used a DE for a long time so I wasn't sure. Is there no more elegant way to manage that? It sounds sort of broken by default™

vorbote · 2013-12-29 19:30:32

Broken since times immemorial. Brings me memories of trying to setup my twm sessions back in college. All well erased with hard grain alcohol. :-)

jasonwryan · 2013-12-29 19:33:33

So, a net win then?

vorbote · 2013-12-29 20:18:11

Absolutely. ;-P

synthead · 2013-12-30 06:10:03

I didn't want to maintain XFCE4's xinitrc junk in my own file, so I ended up just adding "source ~/.profile" in ~/.xinitrc.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-12-29 08:54:11

[workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#2 2013-12-29 09:18:55

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#3 2013-12-29 14:54:43

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#4 2013-12-29 17:47:32

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#5 2013-12-29 18:39:57

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#6 2013-12-29 19:07:53

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#7 2013-12-29 19:30:32

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#8 2013-12-29 19:33:33

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#9 2013-12-29 20:18:11

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

#10 2013-12-30 06:10:03

Re: [workaround] ~/.profile doesn't get read with slim & XFCE4?

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