xfconf dbus service doesn't know about XDG user variables

I think I might have a better solution than our current patching of libxfce4util: drop a 70xubuntu_session (from xubuntu-default-settings) in /etc/X11/Xsession.d that exports XDG_CONFIG_DIRS and XDG_DATA_DIRS. This will be sourced before 75dbus_dbus-launch, which therefore should be spawned with the correct environment. And for mythbuntu, you can add a 71mythbuntu_session in mythbuntu-default-settings if you want to override xubuntu's settings again.

What do you think? I'll try to play with that in a vm to see if it works as expected.

On 12/07/2009 10:18 AM, Lionel Le Folgoc wrote:
> I think I might have a better solution than our current patching of
> libxfce4util: drop a 70xubuntu_session (from xubuntu-default-settings)
> in /etc/X11/Xsession.d that exports XDG_CONFIG_DIRS and XDG_DATA_DIRS.
> This will be sourced before 75dbus_dbus-launch, which therefore should
> be spawned with the correct environment. And for mythbuntu, you can add
> a 71mythbuntu_session in mythbuntu-default-settings if you want to
> override xubuntu's settings again.
>
> What do you think? I'll try to play with that in a vm to see if it works
> as expected.
>
> ** Changed in: xfconf (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
>
If that works, it sounds sensible to me.

--
Mario Limonciello
<email address hidden>

I played a bit with it, and it doesn't seem to work. I still don't understand why...

Ok, I'll commit a patch (discussed with upstream) for xfconf (it was merging channel is the wrong order, thus overriding settings). I'm going to upload soon. After that, I think we can ship /etc/X11/Xsession.d/70xubuntu_session and /etc/X11/Xsession.d/71mythbuntu_session (probably similar to /etc/X11/Xsession.d/60xdg_path-on-session from gdm) in xubuntu-default-settings and mythbuntu-default-settings, and eventually drop our patch that hardcodes these values from libxfce4util.

This bug was fixed in the package xfconf - 4.6.1-2ubuntu1

---------------
xfconf (4.6.1-2ubuntu1) lucid; urgency=low

  * debian/patches/01_respect-xdg-basedir-priority.patch: respect xdg base
    dirs' priority when merging channels. lp: #327926
  * debian/patches/series: add this patch.
  * debian/control:
    - build-depends on quilt (>= 0.46-7)
    - use our Vcs-* fields.
  * debian/rules: enable quilt.
 -- Lionel Le Folgoc <email address hidden> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:59:14 +0100

I have added a similar functionality recently to be able to install more than one GNOME (or other) session with gdm:
- UNE is using that
- gnome-stracciatella is currently converted to it

The idea is simply to take the .desktop file name exported by GDM and add it to the xdg path with something like /etc/xdg/xdg-<session filename>.
For instance, I currently have: XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-gnome:/etc/xdg
If I boot on my une session, I'll have: XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-une:/etc/xdg

The script keep user's xdg path if he tweaked it. It is at /etc/X11/Xsession.d/60xdg_path-on-session and is shipped on the gdm package.

The drawback of that solution is that you'll have to move your conffiles to the new path /etc/xdg/xdg-<session filename>/autostart (for autostart desktop files)

To add some problems (found by Didier) about my proposed approach:
- clutter /etc/X11/Xsession.d with two mores files (maybe not so grave)
- difficult to enable selectively (our files would be sourced unconditionally, even on gnome sessions) without checking GDMSESSION (which is already done by 60xdg_path-on-session, so duplicate work here...)

The biggest drawback is that xdg dirs will change from /etc/xdg/{xu,myth}buntu to /etc/xdg/xdg-{xu,myth}buntu, so we'll have to do lots of conffiles' moves in {pre,post}inst...

I've no strong opinion on that. TBH, Didier's idea looks cleaner (but that's just me :p).

Mario, what do you think?

I'm indifferent upon either approach. I'm happy to make either set of
changes as long as it's functional.

On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 15:51, Lionel Le Folgoc <email address hidden> wrote:

> To add some problems (found by Didier) about my proposed approach:
> - clutter /etc/X11/Xsession.d with two mores files (maybe not so grave)
> - difficult to enable selectively (our files would be sourced
> unconditionally, even on gnome sessions) without checking GDMSESSION (which
> is already done by 60xdg_path-on-session, so duplicate work here...)
>
> The biggest drawback is that xdg dirs will change from
> /etc/xdg/{xu,myth}buntu to /etc/xdg/xdg-{xu,myth}buntu, so we'll have to
> do lots of conffiles' moves in {pre,post}inst...
>
> I've no strong opinion on that. TBH, Didier's idea looks cleaner (but
> that's just me :p).
>
> Mario, what do you think?
>
> --
> xfconf dbus service doesn't know about XDG user variables
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/327926
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

--
Mario Limonciello
<email address hidden>

This bug was fixed in the package xubuntu-default-settings - 10.04.0

---------------
xubuntu-default-settings (10.04.0) lucid; urgency=low

  * New versioning scheme, includes the release version.
  * Rename etc/xdg/xubuntu to etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu, to use the new "feature"
    added in gdm by Didier lp: #327926
    - etc/xdg/xubuntu => etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu
    - Makefile,etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu/xfce4/panel/{launcher-2,xfce4-menu-1}.rc.in:
      update paths
    - debian/p{re,ost}inst: handle conffiles' moves.
  * Change default session to xubuntu (xfce will be a vanilla xfce session)
    - usr/share/{xsessions/xubuntu.desktop,xubuntu/session.sh}: added
    - debian/post{inst,rm}: set new default session to 'xubuntu'.
 -- Lionel Le Folgoc <email address hidden> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:44:35 +0100

This bug was fixed in the package libxfce4util - 4.6.1-2ubuntu2

---------------
libxfce4util (4.6.1-2ubuntu2) lucid; urgency=low

  * debian/patches/01_add-xubuntu-in-config-dirs.patch,
    debian/patches/02_add-mythbuntu-in-config-dirs.patch: dropped, workaround
    not needed anymore. lp: #327926
  * debian/patches/series: disable them.
 -- Lionel Le Folgoc <email address hidden> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:24:39 +0100

This bug was fixed in the package mythbuntu-default-settings - 0.87-0ubuntu1

---------------
mythbuntu-default-settings (0.87-0ubuntu1) lucid; urgency=low

  * Rename etc/xdg/mythbuntu to etc/xdg/xdg-mythbuntu lp: #327926
    - etc/xdg/mythbuntu => etc/xdg/xdg-mythbuntu
    - etc/xdg/xdg-mythbuntu/xfce4/panel/xfce4-menu-1.rc,
      usr/share/mythbuntu/session.sh: update paths
    - debian/p{re,ost}inst: handle conffiles' moves.
 -- Lionel Le Folgoc <email address hidden> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:39:14 +0100

I'm trying to create a separate session for Qimo, based on xfce, but I want to keep it's settings separate from xfce's settings (not just separate defaults). I setup /etc/xdg/xdg-qimo, and /usr/share/qimo/session that sets XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.qimo, XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-qimo, but still whenever I log in to the Qimo Session, it puts xfconf in $HOME/.config/xfce4/, not #HOME/.qimo/xfce4/ like I would expect, and where the rest of the Xfce settings (desktop, panel, xfwm) are being put.