OpenBOX Openbox Configuration Manager

mt_subnet · Feb 15, 2025

FreeBSD, Openbox, LXDE not sure which Forum to ask but will try all three in order.
I would be grateful for advice or a steer in the right direction.
I have a running LXDE desktop on FreeBSD which seems fine however "/home/USER/.config/openbox/lxde-rc.xml" file was created empty apparently without any obvious ill effects.
I populated the file with the contents of one from my Debian12 laptop which took effect on the desktop however any attempt to configure openbox using "Openbox Configuration Manager" causes the Manager to
crash and the "lxde-rc.xml" file to be made empty again.

Installed the following on FreeBSD virtual machine running on Virtualbox:
pkg install xorg
pkg install lxde-meta
pkg install lightdm
pkg install lightdm-gtk-greeter
CONFIGURE GUI STARTUP
ee /home/borg/.xinitrc

Code:

 #EDIT ADD
#!/bin/sh
exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch --exit-with-session startlxde
#END SAVE EXIT

ee /etc/rc.conf

Code:

 #EDIT ADD
dbus_enable="YES"
lightdm_enable="YES"
#END SAVE EXIT

ee /etc/fstab

Code:

 #EDIT ADD OR CONFIRM PRESENT
proc    /proc   procfs  rw  0   0
#END SAVE EXIT

VIRTUALBOX GUEST ADDITIONS INSTALL

  pkg install -y virtualbox-ose-additions

sysrc vboxguest_enable="YES"

sysrc vboxservice_enable="YES"

reboot

================================================================================
Seems to me like a permission issue but I'm not sure where to look.
/usr/local/share/applications/obconf.desktop -rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 718 Feb 11 03:28 obconf.desktop
/usr/local/bin/obconf -r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 70840 Feb 11 03:28 obconf

T-Daemon · Feb 15, 2025

I've noticed it as well, probably it's broken. I have not used it much, I configure manually.

Try x11-wm/obconf-qt. See

N

Solved Thread 'obconf deletes my rc.xml file'

Jun 5, 2024

I got a strange problem every time i run obconf to change any settings and i hit apply it crashes and it deletes my rc.xml file.
Anyone had this issue before?

mt_subnet · Feb 15, 2025

Don't use LXQt because I don't but I will trail this around elsewhere and post a solution if I find one.

fernandel · Feb 18, 2025

mt_subnet said:
Don't use LXQt because I don't but I will trail this around elsewhere and post a solution if I find one.

I am using
x-wm/obconf-qt on Openbox and you don't need LXQt.

mt_subnet · Feb 18, 2025

Sounds like a plan, thanks I'll give it a go. Still grappling with the new to BSD environment.

mt_subnet · Feb 20, 2025

Well that works........................

Code:

pkg install obconf-qt
pkg delete obconf
lxpanelctl restart

I could not find anything wrong with permissions which makes me think that there is a problem in opconf arising from the porting from Linux.
I'll try a bug report.

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:10:39+0100

obconf is broken for me. When I try and save a settings change it 'core dumps'.

Is there a bug report open?

I see this as a command line option:

--config-file FILE Specify the path to the config file to use

And it makes me wonder. Is it finding the config file it expects. It may be using wrong paths or needs fixup from Linux directory structure....

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:12:56+0100

T-Daemon said:
I configure manually.

What file for "Active Title Bar" fonts settings? I need to enlarge Title Bar at top and bigger fonts is the trick.

POSIX.1 · 2025-10-21T21:17:33+0100

Phishfry obconf-2.0.4_7 works well here. What is broken with you?

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:21:22+0100

Segmentation Fault Core Dumped on saving settings.
13.5-RELEASE
obconf 2.04

This is all I need. I do menus already.
~/.config/openbox/rc.xml

Touchscreen needs bigger things.

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:34:01+0100

My guess it is crashing because file/path it is saving to does not exist.
Just a wild guess.
I guess it is saving it to a theme? Maybe it does not know where user profile is?
cp -vr /usr/local/etc/xdg/openbox/ /user/.config/openbox

I am not sure why the Openbox prototype resides in /usr/local/etc/xdg/. I would have thought that goes in /usr/local/share/xdg/
Tell me. Is that the 'right' path? Many others programs use /usr/local/etc/share/
Why is xdg different?

POSIX.1 · 2025-10-21T21:40:00+0100

Confirm that core dumps when attempting to change settings.
~/.config/openbox/rc.xml after crash:

cat .config/openbox/rc.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<openbox_config xmlns="http://openbox.org/3.4/rc" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude">
<An error occured while saving the config file 'An error occured while saving the co'/>
</openbox_config>

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:45:11+0100

It works fine opening and browsing settings. Only when I change a setting does it crash.

I dont see a config file in /.config/

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:48:27+0100

I am firing obconf from xterm

Segmentation fault (core dumped)

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T21:51:02+0100

Well you are on to something.
rc.xml is different size than rc.xml.sample
I did not mod yet and they should be the same size.
Will restore sample and recheck

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T22:16:31+0100

Same result with sample config file restored. Obconf works until you change a setting then coredump.

I am trying to chase down the path idea.
I will run explicitly stating path to rc.xml with flag.

Need to see whether core dump is causing the size change of rc.xml.

I don't see the error message shown above but my file grows.

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Do not edit this file, it will be overwritten on install.
        Copy the file to $HOME/.config/openbox/ instead. -->
<openbox_config xmlns="http://openbox.org/3.4/rc" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude">
  <resistance>

SNIP

Code:

  </application>
    
  # end of the example
-->
  </applications>
</openbox_config>

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T22:29:34+0100

It has nothing to do with the path.

obconf --config-file /user/.config/openbox/rc.xml

Crashes just the same.

I did check that rc.xml size does not change when simply running obconf. Only when changing a setting does it grow along with a core dump.

I need to run a diff to spot the changes to rc.xml.

Phishfry · 2025-10-21T22:51:24+0100

Changing this in rc.xml solved my issue. I have usable window buttons on touchsceen.

Code:

  <font place="ActiveWindow">
    <name>sans</name>
    <size>24</size>

bsdcode · 2025-10-22T09:29:26+0100

I can confirm x11-wm/obconf segfaults after changing settings in the GUI on 14.3-RELEASE. Running it through the debugger lldb(1) shows:

Code:

$ lldb obconf
(lldb) target create "obconf"
Current executable set to '/usr/local/bin/obconf' (x86_64).
(lldb) r
Process 96346 launched: '/usr/local/bin/obconf' (x86_64)
Process 96346 stopped
* thread #1, name = 'obconf', stop reason = signal SIGSEGV: address not mapped to object (fault address: 0xfffffffffffffff3)
    frame #0: 0x000000082de67505 libxml2.so.16`___lldb_unnamed_symbol2441 + 69
libxml2.so.16`___lldb_unnamed_symbol2441:
->  0x82de67505 <+69>: cmpb   $0x0, (%r15)
    0x82de67509 <+73>: je     0x82de67549    ; <+137>
    0x82de6750b <+75>: movq   %rdi, -0x60(%rbp)
    0x82de6750f <+79>: movq   %rsi, -0x68(%rbp)
(lldb) bt
* thread #1, name = 'obconf', stop reason = signal SIGSEGV: address not mapped to object (fault address: 0xfffffffffffffff3)
  * frame #0: 0x000000082de67505 libxml2.so.16`___lldb_unnamed_symbol2441 + 69
    frame #1: 0x000000082de6d0ee libxml2.so.16`___lldb_unnamed_symbol2456 + 94
    frame #2: 0x00000000002104db obconf`tree_set_string + 27
(lldb) c
Process 96346 resuming
Process 96346 exited with status = 11 (0x0000000b)
(lldb) q

x11-wm/obconf-qt is not affected. This should be reported on https://bugs.freebsd.org.

vermaden · 2025-10-22T11:16:42+0100

Openbox Configuration Manager

After using Openbox for more then a decade I can tell you that your favorite ${EDITOR} is the best Openbox Configuration Manager. Period.

Just keep an order in the config and you will notice after some time how much better it is.