Xfce XFCE and .xinitrc, need some clarifications

freezr

freezr

Hi guys,

I have some doubts about this passage of the handbook:

Unlike GNOME or KDE, Xfce does not provide its own login manager. In order to start Xfce from the command line by typing startx, first create ~/.xinitrc with this command:

% echo ". /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc" > ~/.xinitrc
Click to expand...

1) Should this command execute as admin?
2) This command populates the file this way:

Code: 
$ cat .xinitrc
. /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc

If I run startx from the TTY the session runs...

3) I do not understand why... There is not "shebang", is not populated, I am confused.

Thanks,

tgl
 
forums.freebsd.org

Xfce - XDM fails to start XFCE4

Hi FreeBSD Community, I installed FreeBSD 13.0-RELEASE-p1 with xfce DE and xdm as a login manager. When I enter my credentials it blinks "successful" but then fails. I followed this Sec 5.7.3 and I was only able to start xfce DE from ttyX by typing startx. This should be good enough for now but...
forums.freebsd.org forums.freebsd.org
 
About shells,
forums.freebsd.org

Default shell?

What is everyone using as there default shell. I currently use zsh, but I wonder if anyone is just using /bin/sh or if tcsh is good enough for daily usage? Just looking for others opinions on the matter. Looks like /bin/sh is Bourne Shell? Hows this differ from Bash?
forums.freebsd.org forums.freebsd.org
 
startxfce4?
last line in either .xinitrc (used by startx) or .xsession (used by most session managers) should probably be something like:
exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4
 
The following .xinitrc is sufficient :
Code: 
exec startxfce4

But which is the default shell as used by .xinitrc is this the user shell as configured in /etc/passwd ?
 
Yes. If I choose to use bash, and have an .xinitrc for say, openbox, when I do startx, my shell will be bash. I imagine you could configure a different shell in .xinitrc if you wished, but I've never tried it.
 
Mmh... I apology for bringing confusion... This is the original file:

Code: 
#!/bin/sh

# fix broken $UID on some system...
if test "x$UID" = "x"; then
  if test -x /usr/xpg4/bin/id; then
    UID=`/usr/xpg4/bin/id -u`;
  else
    UID=`id -u`;
  fi
fi

# set $XDG_MENU_PREFIX to "xfce-" so that "xfce-applications.menu" is picked
# over "applications.menu" in all Xfce applications.
if test "x$XDG_MENU_PREFIX" = "x"; then
  XDG_MENU_PREFIX="xfce-"
  export XDG_MENU_PREFIX
fi

# set DESKTOP_SESSION so that one can detect easily if an Xfce session is running
if test "x$DESKTOP_SESSION" = "x"; then
  DESKTOP_SESSION="xfce"
  export DESKTOP_SESSION
fi

# set XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP so that Qt 5 applications can identify user set Xfce theme
if test "x$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP" = "x"; then
  XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="XFCE"
  export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP
fi

# $XDG_CONFIG_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# configuration files should be stored. If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is either not set
# or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.config should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.config
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"

# $XDG_CACHE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# non-essential data files should be stored. If $XDG_CACHE_HOME is either not
# set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.cache should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CACHE_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CACHE_HOME=$HOME/.cache
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CACHE_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CACHE_HOME"

# set up XDG user directores.  see
# http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs
if command -v xdg-user-dirs-update >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    xdg-user-dirs-update
fi

# For now, start with an empty list
XRESOURCES=""

# Has to go prior to merging Xft.xrdb, as its the "Defaults" file
test -r "/usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb"
test -r $HOME/.Xdefaults && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xdefaults"

BASEDIR=$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/xfce4
if test -r "$BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"; then
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
elif test -r "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb"; then
  mkdir -p "$BASEDIR"
  cp "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb" "$BASEDIR"/
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
fi

# merge in X cursor settings
test -r "$BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb"

# ~/.Xresources contains overrides to the above
test -r "$HOME/.Xresources" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xresources"

# load all X resources (adds /dev/null to avoid an empty list that would hang the process)
cat /dev/null $XRESOURCES | xrdb -merge -

# load local modmap
test -r $HOME/.Xmodmap && xmodmap $HOME/.Xmodmap

# if XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME is not set in systemd user session, starting of xfce4-notifyd, DISPLAY etc. will fail
if command -v systemctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && systemctl --user list-jobs >/dev/null 2>&1; then # user session is running
  dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME=$XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME
fi


# check if we start xfce4-session with ck-launch-session. this is only
# required for starting from a console, not a login manager
if test "x$XFCE4_SESSION_WITH_CK" = "x1"; then
  if command -v ck-launch-session >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    exec ck-launch-session xfce4-session
  else
    echo
    echo "You have tried to start Xfce with consolekit support, but"
    echo "ck-launch-session is not installed."
    echo "Aborted startup..."
    echo
    exit 1
  fi
else
  # start xfce4-session normally
  exec xfce4-session
fi

# if we got here, then exec failed
exit 1

This is the file you get if you follow the handbook content:

Code: 
. /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc
 
Which is correct.

The dot (.) command will execute the commands from the passed file in the current environment within a supported shell.
FreeBSD uses sh for the default user shell.
docs.freebsd.org

FreeBSD Quickstart Guide for Linux® Users

This document is intended to quickly familiarize intermediate to advanced Linux® users with the basics of FreeBSD.
docs.freebsd.org docs.freebsd.org
In fact, Bash is not included in the default installation. Instead, FreeBSD uses tcsh(1) as the default root shell, and the Bourne shell-compatible sh(1) as the default user shell. sh(1) is very similar to Bash but with a much smaller feature-set. Generally shell scripts written for sh(1) will run in Bash, but the reverse is not always true.
Click to expand...
 
It looks like the .xinitrc provided by the xfce4 package has some issues: the first is it doesn't allow you to reboot/shutdown the computer and only allows logging out from the session. while using something like this does:

Code: 
exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4 --with-ck-launch > ~/.xsession-errors 2>&1

The above command is mentioned by an article from the FreeBSD Foundation:

Code: 
$ echo "exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4 --with-ck-launch" > ~/.xinitrc

Installing a Desktop Environment on FreeBSD | FreeBSD Foundation

The FreeBSD ports collection includes a wide range of desktop environments, this how-to guide focuses on how to set up the Xfce desktop environment.
freebsdfoundation.org freebsdfoundation.org

Analyzing better the file, it looks like made with just Linux in mind...

Code: 
#!/bin/sh

# fix broken $UID on some system...
if test "x$UID" = "x"; then
  if test -x /usr/xpg4/bin/id; then
    UID=`/usr/xpg4/bin/id -u`;
  else
    UID=`id -u`;
  fi
fi

/usr/xpg4/bin does not exist... ?

Code: 
# set $XDG_MENU_PREFIX to "xfce-" so that "xfce-applications.menu" is picked
# over "applications.menu" in all Xfce applications.
if test "x$XDG_MENU_PREFIX" = "x"; then
  XDG_MENU_PREFIX="xfce-"
  export XDG_MENU_PREFIX
fi

# set DESKTOP_SESSION so that one can detect easily if an Xfce session is running
if test "x$DESKTOP_SESSION" = "x"; then
  DESKTOP_SESSION="xfce"
  export DESKTOP_SESSION
fi

# set XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP so that Qt 5 applications can identify user set Xfce theme
if test "x$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP" = "x"; then
  XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="XFCE"
  export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP
fi

# $XDG_CONFIG_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# configuration files should be stored. If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is either not set
# or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.config should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.config
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"

# $XDG_CACHE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# non-essential data files should be stored. If $XDG_CACHE_HOME is either not
# set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.cache should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CACHE_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CACHE_HOME=$HOME/.cache
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CACHE_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CACHE_HOME"

# set up XDG user directores.  see
# http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs
if command -v xdg-user-dirs-update >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    xdg-user-dirs-update
fi

This section should work fine... ?

Code: 
# For now, start with an empty list
XRESOURCES=""

# Has to go prior to merging Xft.xrdb, as its the "Defaults" file
test -r "/usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb"
test -r $HOME/.Xdefaults && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xdefaults"

BASEDIR=$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/xfce4
if test -r "$BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"; then
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
elif test -r "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb"; then
  mkdir -p "$BASEDIR"
  cp "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb" "$BASEDIR"/
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
fi

# merge in X cursor settings
test -r "$BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb"

# ~/.Xresources contains overrides to the above
test -r "$HOME/.Xresources" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xresources"

# load all X resources (adds /dev/null to avoid an empty list that would hang the process)
cat /dev/null $XRESOURCES | xrdb -merge -

# load local modmap
test -r $HOME/.Xmodmap && xmodmap $HOME/.Xmodmap

This section should work as well... ?

Code: 
# if XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME is not set in systemd user session, starting of xfce4-notifyd, DISPLAY etc. will fail
if command -v systemctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && systemctl --user list-jobs >/dev/null 2>&1; then # user session is running
  dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME=$XAUTHLOCALHOSTNAME
fi

This section requires systemd ?‍♂️

Code: 
# check if we start xfce4-session with ck-launch-session. this is only
# required for starting from a console, not a login manager
if test "x$XFCE4_SESSION_WITH_CK" = "x1"; then
  if command -v ck-launch-session >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    exec ck-launch-session xfce4-session
  else
    echo
    echo "You have tried to start Xfce with consolekit support, but"
    echo "ck-launch-session is not installed."
    echo "Aborted startup..."
    echo
    exit 1
  fi
else
  # start xfce4-session normally
  exec xfce4-session
fi

# if we got here, then exec failed
exit 1

This is the section that doesn't make working reboot/shutdown... ?

I run the session manually not through a login manager.
 
Replacing this section:

Code: 
# check if we start xfce4-session with ck-launch-session. this is only
# required for starting from a console, not a login manager
if test "x$XFCE4_SESSION_WITH_CK" = "x1"; then
  if command -v ck-launch-session >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    exec ck-launch-session xfce4-session
  else
    echo
    echo "You have tried to start Xfce with consolekit support, but"
    echo "ck-launch-session is not installed."
    echo "Aborted startup..."
    echo
    exit 1
  fi
else
  # start xfce4-session normally
  exec xfce4-session
fi

With this command:

Code: 
# Run the session

exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4 --with-ck-launch > ~/.xsession-errors 2>&1

Makes possible reboot/shutdown the computer again... ?
 
Just to recap:

Code: 
#!/bin/sh

# set $XDG_MENU_PREFIX to "xfce-" so that "xfce-applications.menu" is picked
# over "applications.menu" in all Xfce applications.
if test "x$XDG_MENU_PREFIX" = "x"; then
  XDG_MENU_PREFIX="xfce-"
  export XDG_MENU_PREFIX
fi

# set DESKTOP_SESSION so that one can detect easily if an Xfce session is running
if test "x$DESKTOP_SESSION" = "x"; then
  DESKTOP_SESSION="xfce"
  export DESKTOP_SESSION
fi

# set XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP so that Qt 5 applications can identify user set Xfce theme
if test "x$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP" = "x"; then
  XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="XFCE"
  export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP
fi

# $XDG_CONFIG_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# configuration files should be stored. If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is either not set
# or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.config should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.config
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"

# $XDG_CACHE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific
# non-essential data files should be stored. If $XDG_CACHE_HOME is either not
# set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.cache should be used.
if test "x$XDG_CACHE_HOME" = "x" ; then
  XDG_CACHE_HOME=$HOME/.cache
fi
[ -d "$XDG_CACHE_HOME" ] || mkdir "$XDG_CACHE_HOME"

# set up XDG user directores.  see
# http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs
if command -v xdg-user-dirs-update >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    xdg-user-dirs-update
fi

# For now, start with an empty list
XRESOURCES=""

# Has to go prior to merging Xft.xrdb, as its the "Defaults" file
test -r "/usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/Xft.xrdb"
test -r $HOME/.Xdefaults && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xdefaults"

BASEDIR=$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/xfce4
if test -r "$BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"; then
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
elif test -r "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb"; then
  mkdir -p "$BASEDIR"
  cp "$XFCE4HOME/Xft.xrdb" "$BASEDIR"/
  XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xft.xrdb"
fi

# merge in X cursor settings
test -r "$BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $BASEDIR/Xcursor.xrdb"

# ~/.Xresources contains overrides to the above
test -r "$HOME/.Xresources" && XRESOURCES="$XRESOURCES $HOME/.Xresources"

# load all X resources (adds /dev/null to avoid an empty list that would hang the process)
cat /dev/null $XRESOURCES | xrdb -merge -

# load local modmap
test -r $HOME/.Xmodmap && xmodmap $HOME/.Xmodmap

# Run the session

exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4 --with-ck-launch > ~/.xsession-errors 2>&1

# if we got here, then exec failed
exit 1
 
A cool dude from the XFCE Forum suggested me this other example:

Code: 
[ -f ~/.xsession-errors ] && mv ~/.xsession-errors ~/.xsession-errors.old
exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch > ~/.xsession-errors 2>&1

The reason is the following speaking about --> this <-- :

You don't need all that extra stuff at the top - running startxfce4 will source the content of /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc. From /usr/local/bin/startxfce4:

exec $prog /usr/local/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc $CLIENTRC $SERVERRC

By adding it there, you are running it twice. Not that it would harm the system in any way, just duplicating commands.
Click to expand...

Source: https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?pid=66043#p66043

Maybe the handbook should be updated... ?
 
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