[solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

acnelson12 · 2016-01-18 21:06:32

Okay, so this is my first experience with Arch, and I regret to be asking for help so soon, but everything I find seems to give the same advice.

I have installed Openbox and Tint2, no other desktop environment stuff. I would like to have tint2 autostart. When I enter

tint2

at the terminal prompt, the taskbar shows up perfectly. I have created

~/.config/openbox/autostart

All it does is tell the computer to start tint2:

#
# These things are run when an Openbox X Session is started.
# You may place a similar script in $HOME/.config/openbox/autostart
# to run user-specific things.
#

# If you want to use GNOME config tools...
#
#if test -x /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null; then
#  /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon &
#elif which gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null 2>&1; then
#  gnome-settings-daemon &
#fi

# If you want to use XFCE config tools...
#
#xfce-mcs-manager &
tint2 &

The computer has been rebooted (twice, actually). No luck. Nothing seems to say I need to do anymore than I've already done which makes it frustrating. I've also looked at the corresponding file from my old #! installation, and it doesn't seem to suggest I need any more than I already have.
Any help is welcome.
Thanks

=============================
The problem was that I was only starting openbox in my .xinitrc file instead of openbox-session. Correcting this solved the problem.

Last edited by acnelson12 (2016-01-18 22:05:22)

ayekat · 2016-01-18 21:21:03

You may want to check whether the autostart script is actually executed - try adding something like this:

echo 'autostart executed!' > $HOME/autostart_success

and see if that file gets created upon start.

If so, redirecting tint's output to a file might be helpful:

tint2 >$HOME/tint2_log 2>&1 &

Perhaps it tells you the reason why it cannot correctly start.

If not, check if it's executable. I'm not familiar with those autostart files, though, so I'm not sure whether that's really an issue.

Last edited by ayekat (2016-01-18 21:22:21)

ewaller · 2016-01-18 21:28:14

As ayekat points out, I too think it needs to be executable. I also think the file name is supposed to be autostart.sh

acnelson12 · 2016-01-18 21:33:54

ayekat wrote:

You may want to check whether the autostart script is actually executed - try adding something like this:
echo 'autostart executed!' > $HOME/autostart_success
and see if that file gets created upon start.
...
If not, check if it's executable. I'm not familiar with those autostart files, though, so I'm not sure whether that's really an issue.

That's a really elegant idea.
Here is my current autostart file:

#
# These things are run when an Openbox X Session is started.
# You may place a similar script in $HOME/.config/openbox/autostart
# to run user-specific things.
#

# If you want to use GNOME config tools...
#
#if test -x /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null; then
#  /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon &
#elif which gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null 2>&1; then
#  gnome-settings-daemon &
#fi

# If you want to use XFCE config tools...
#
#xfce-mcs-manager &
tint2 &
echo 'autostart executed!' > $HOME/autostart_success

No file got created. I checked the permissions on autostart, and anyone has permission to execute it.

ewaller · 2016-01-18 21:35:38

Try changing the name to autostart.sh (I think we had been posting at the same time)

Edit: If that does not work, add

#!/bin/bash

as the first line in the file.

Last edited by ewaller (2016-01-18 21:37:40)

satanselbow · 2016-01-18 21:43:03

acnelson12 wrote:

Okay, so this is my first experience with Arch, and I regret to be asking for help so soon, but everything I find seems to give the same advice.

Might be useful to let us know what that advice was?

... Are the autostart file permissions correct? autostart should be flagged executable <-- redundant

Last edited by satanselbow (2016-01-18 21:44:02)

WorMzy · 2016-01-18 21:45:30

How are you starting openbox?

Just for the record, my autostart script is non-executable, has no shebang, and doesn't have the .sh extension, and it works.

acnelson12 · 2016-01-18 21:48:59

ewaller wrote:

Try changing the name to autostart.sh (I think we had been posting at the same time)

Edit: If that does not work, add
#!/bin/bash
as the first line in the file.

I was actually just trying that! haha (the first thing you said)
The first part you said did not work, although I went back and manually executed it. The script runs fine.
The second part, both by itself and together with the first part, does not work.
It still won't execute on its own.
Here is the current state of the file:

#!/bin/bash
# These things are run when an Openbox X Session is started.
# You may place a similar script in $HOME/.config/openbox/autostart
# to run user-specific things.
#

# If you want to use GNOME config tools...
#
#if test -x /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null; then
#  /usr/lib/openbox/gnome-settings-daemon &
#elif which gnome-settings-daemon >/dev/null 2>&1; then
#  gnome-settings-daemon &
#fi

# If you want to use XFCE config tools...
#
#xfce-mcs-manager &
tint2 &
echo 'autostart executed!' > $HOME/autostart_success

satanselbow · 2016-01-18 21:51:00

WorMzy wrote:

Just for the record, my autostart script is non-executable, has no shebang, and doesn't have the .sh extension, and it works.

And mine is, none, no .sh ... and works...

Is the test file created if you remove tint2 from the config file? ... ie creating the file is the only operation autostart performs.

Trilby · 2016-01-18 21:54:45

Openbox's autostart is does *not* need to be executable nor have a shebang.

Have you specified yet how you start openbox? Do you use openbox itself, or openbox-session? I'm not sure if the former reads the autostart file.

But on that note, I'm not a fan of openbox's autostart file - it's poorly handled. Just put tint2 in your xinitrc.

acnelson12 · 2016-01-18 21:57:00

Lots of replies here. haha

satanselbow wrote:

acnelson12 wrote:
Okay, so this is my first experience with Arch, and I regret to be asking for help so soon, but everything I find seems to give the same advice.
Might be useful to let us know what that advice was?

The advice was simply "add the following line to autostart". The line was "tint2 &".

WorMzy wrote:

How are you starting openbox?
Just for the record, my autostart script is non-executable, has no shebang, and doesn't have the .sh extension, and it works.

I edited the .xinitrc file:

setxkbmap -layout us -variant dvorak
exec openbox

(yes, I like my weird keyboard)

satanselbow wrote:

Is the test file created if you remove tint2 from the config file? ... ie creating the file is the only operation autostart performs.

No it is not.

ewaller · 2016-01-18 21:57:23

Trilby, WorMzy -- Okay, okay... Mine autostart.sh is executable, has the shebang and it works It was a just shot in the dark

acnelson12 · 2016-01-18 22:01:09

Trilby wrote:

Openbox's autostart is does *not* need to be executable nor have a shebang.
Have you specified yet how you start openbox? Do you use openbox itself, or openbox-session? I'm not sure if the former reads the autostart file.
But on that note, I'm not a fan of openbox's autostart file - it's poorly handled. Just put tint2 in your xinitrc.

That's it.
Use openbox-session instead of just openbox. #$%@#! that was simple. Thanks, guys!

Last edited by acnelson12 (2016-01-18 22:02:06)

WorMzy · 2016-01-18 22:02:59

acnelson12 wrote:

I edited the .xinitrc file:
setxkbmap -layout us -variant dvorak
exec openbox

Try "openbox-session", as Trilby mentioned.

acnelson12 wrote:

(yes, I like my weird keyboard)

Same, though I use the UK variant.

@ewaller: The manpages and "example" say different things regarding the naming, it's not very well documented. Apparently both work, so I guess either's good.

EDIT: glad that was it.

Last edited by WorMzy (2016-01-18 22:04:39)

Arch Linux

#1 2016-01-18 21:06:32

[solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#2 2016-01-18 21:21:03

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#3 2016-01-18 21:28:14

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#4 2016-01-18 21:33:54

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#5 2016-01-18 21:35:38

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#6 2016-01-18 21:43:03

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#7 2016-01-18 21:45:30

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#8 2016-01-18 21:48:59

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#9 2016-01-18 21:51:00

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#10 2016-01-18 21:54:45

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#11 2016-01-18 21:57:00

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#12 2016-01-18 21:57:23

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#13 2016-01-18 22:01:09

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

#14 2016-01-18 22:02:59

Re: [solved] Tint2 autostart fails. Fresh install

Board footer