[Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

Miblo · 2010-12-15 23:58:07

Hi folks, I've got an interesting problem with my freshly installed fluxbox. I was using fluxbox with no problem before I reinstalled my system — all "~/.fluxbox/keys" working, all "~/.fluxbox/apps" working, etc. — and so I transferred my "~/.fluxbox/" directly over to my new system in the hope that I could continue where I left off. However, now my ":Exec" keys cannot generate X applications, nor can my ":RootMenu". The ":Exec" key to open ":RootMenu" (Control Escape) works, but when I select either "xterm" or "Run" — the only two apps I have in there — neither of them open. Fortunately, my "~/.fluxbox/startup" contains `terminal`, and happily that does open when fluxbox starts, and I can open all of my X apps from the command line, but this is a bit of a circuitous way to go about opening, for example, Writer, when I have a shortcut bound to it in "~/.fluxbox/keys".

Has anyone encountered a problem similar to this, or have any suggestions as to how I can solve it?

`xev` provides the following output when I press "Ctrl+w":

KeyPress event, serial 34, synthetic NO, window 0x1800001,
    root 0xaa, subw 0x0, time 153392505, (-171,408), root:(480,425),
    state 0x4, keycode 25 (keysym 0x77, w), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (17) ""
    XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (17) ""
    XFilterEvent returns: False

(Within the quote marks is actually an unknown character, thus:)

while a "w" alone produces this:

KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1800001,
    root 0xaa, subw 0x0, time 153550462, (169,177), root:(820,194),
    state 0x0, keycode 25 (keysym 0x77, w), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (77) "w"
    XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (77) "w"
    XFilterEvent returns: False

if this is relevant.

Thanks in advance.

Last edited by Miblo (2011-01-06 12:12:01)

lagagnon · 2010-12-16 00:43:53

Please show us your ~.fluxbox/keys file (perhaps paste it to pastebin or some such server).

Miblo · 2010-12-16 01:15:05

Here you go, lagagnon. I've highlighted all of the lines which don't work. Don't worry too much about l.65, that's never worked. Also, perhaps note that ll.56-57 & 60-61 do work, despite being ":Exec" commands. The difference with these is that they don't need to draw a window. I forgot to highlight l.58, but, again, I don't think that one has ever worked, and I could do with either removing or correcting it. Incidentally, I haven't yet tried out the keys on l.99 or l.102, because since getting fluxbox "working" I've only rebooted from the command line, so can't be sure whether or not they work.

yvonney · 2010-12-16 06:24:42

Hi Miblo! Took me while to get it in the other post. Yes, MY off-topic in that post and now, sheesh, here too-- sorry all! (i edited that ranger thread post as you were spot-on with my missing to add 'my' -- heheuhhh) .. and anyways was happy to sneak in an Xmonad comment after you did there, and finally find ya here from your subsequent reply. So,,,, whoa! do do do check out Xmonad. taken me around or over a year to get it all rockin'.. I figure by using pbrisbin.com dot files and scripts it would take me only a few weeks start to finish to get to where i am now. really. (i use just about everything there --really--except he uses screen though hoping he will change to tmux someday, plus the people that he follows on his github page are awesome as well) ... nuff said. errr, of course many of us gotta check out everything our own way which I totally get. So, sayin' hi! best wishes and glad to get to this post to cover the ranger one. if that makes enough sense. rushing a bit!

Last edited by yvonney (2010-12-16 07:45:27)

rockin turtle · 2010-12-16 07:41:50

It could be that Mod1 is not the Control key. In my .fluxbox/keys file I have the following comments at the top as I never remember how these get set.

# Shift   : shift   key
# Control : control key
# Mod1    : alt key
# Mod4    : windows key

Thus on my system, with a line like:

Mod1 F1 :Exec xterm

I would have to press Alt-F1 to start an xterm and not Ctrl-F1.

I don't know why you can't start it from the Menu, however.

Miblo · 2011-01-06 12:10:04

Sorry for the delay, folks: I've been a little unwell.

Yeah, you're right, rockin turtle, my keys are setup the same. I've since tried my `sudo poweroff` shortcut (pastebin, l.102) and can confirm that that works, so it seems that it's only the shortcuts which need to draw a window, such as, e.g. firefox (l.152) which don't function. The only exception to this, is that the shortcut for fluxbox's :RootMenu (l.168) does work. I've tried running fluxbox as a fresh user with no configuration, and discovered that, while the :RootMenu does pop up, it cannot spawn xterm. I now think the problem isn't so much with the keyboard shortcuts, but with fluxbox's ability to spawn graphical apps. Would it be possible that fluxbox is having a problem communicating with Xorg and perhaps doesn't know which display to try and draw apps on?

yvonney, I've installed xmonad and tried to boot into it, only to discover that I'll have to create a config before I can make any sense of it. I'll try and do that, and if xmonad fails to spawn apps then I'll assume that the problem is with my Xorg config, and not just fluxbox.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-12-15 23:58:07

[Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

#2 2010-12-16 00:43:53

Re: [Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

#3 2010-12-16 01:15:05

Re: [Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

#4 2010-12-16 06:24:42

Re: [Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

#5 2010-12-16 07:41:50

Re: [Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

#6 2011-01-06 12:10:04

Re: [Fluxbox] Fails to spawn graphical apps

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