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Starting GUI on specific workspace from CLI or shell script

Is it possible to launch an app via CLI or a shell script and tell it to open on a specific workspace??

I am trying to write a script that will launch several apps after boot/login and place them each on different workspaces.

The script looks like:-

Code:

#!/bin/sh



sleep 10 && guake &

nautilus &

transmission-gtk &

firefox &

opera &

banshee &

conky -c /home/gregg/.conky/conkyForecast.imagebasedtemplate.conkyrc &

conky -c /home/gregg/.conky/conkyrc_grey

exit

so far.

It seems to be doing what I want, if I run:-

Code:

$ bash -x ./startuptasks.sh

the output looks like:-

Code:

+ conky -c /home/gregg/.conky/conkyrc_grey

+ firefox

+ opera

+ nautilus

+ banshee

+ conky -c /home/gregg/.conky/conkyForecast.imagebasedtemplate.conkyrc

+ transmission-gtk

+ sleep 10

Conky: /home/gregg/.conky/conkyrc_grey: 26: config file error

Conky: /home/gregg/.conky/conkyForecast.imagebasedtemplate.conkyrc: 64: config file error

Conky: desktop window (e00089) is subwindow of root window (15d)

Conky: window type - normal

Conky: drawing to created window (0x2000001)

Conky: drawing to double buffer

Conky: desktop window (e00089) is subwindow of root window (15d)

Conky: window type - normal

Conky: drawing to created window (0x3c00001)

Conky: drawing to double buffer

[Info  17:14:56.375] Running Banshee 2.0.0: [Ubuntu Natty (development branch) (linux-gnu, i686) @ 2011-04-18 16:21:33 UTC]



(firefox-bin:14145): LIBDBUSMENU-GTK-CRITICAL **: dbusmenu_menuitem_property_set_shortcut: assertion `gtk_accelerator_valid(key, modifier)' failed

+ guake

[Warn  17:15:03.991] Caught an exception - System.ApplicationException: Invalid frame dimensions (in `Hyena.Gui')

  at Hyena.Widgets.AnimatedImage.ExtractFrames () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Hyena.Widgets.AnimatedImage.Load () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Banshee.Gui.Widgets.TaskStatusIcon..ctor () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

[Info  17:15:05.798] Updating web proxy from GConf

[Info  17:15:06.285] All services are started 7.956078

[Info  17:15:20.219] nereid Client Started

[Info  17:15:20.351] GStreamer version 0.10.32.0, gapless: True, replaygain: True

[Warn  17:17:49.238] Forcefully breaking out of RCS loop b/c change in total_width less than 1.0

[Warn  17:17:52.819] Forcefully breaking out of RCS loop b/c change in total_width less than 1.0

This seems to indicate some errors and it looks like things are happening in a different order to my script, any clues on what they are and how to fix them??

The answer is yes, but it's not as simple as you might imagine. In a Gnome2 or Gnome3 fallback environment, you can easily switch to specific workspaces.

I use this script, called 'desktop' to select the workspace:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#

# desktop

# 

# Author:  Mace Moneta, mmoneta@optonline.net

# Version:  1.1

# Created:  01/13/2010

# Modified: 10/04/2010

#

# Description: Switch to the requested desktop, in metacity or compiz

# 

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#      ************************** Variables **************************

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Desktop number passed?

dt=$1

if [ "$dt" == "" ]

then

  echo "Error: missing desktop number"

  exit

fi



#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#      ************************* Subroutines *************************

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

function dsktop () {

  if [ $COMPIZ -eq 1 ]

  then

      # The target desktop number (begins with 0)

      TVPN=$(( $1 % ${NF} ))

      # The X coordinate of the target viewport

      TVPX=$(( ${TVPN} * ${WW} ))

      # Change to the target viewport

      /usr/bin/wmctrl -o ${TVPX},0

  else

      /usr/bin/wmctrl -s $1

  fi

}



#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#      ************************* Mainline ****************************

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



# Disable globbing

set -f noglob



# Is compiz running?

COMPIZ=0

window_manager="`/usr/bin/wmctrl -m | /bin/grep -i compiz`"

if [ "$window_manager" != "" ]

then

  COMPIZ=1

fi



# The information about the desktop

INFO=$(/usr/bin/wmctrl -d | /bin/grep "\*")



# The width of the desktop

DW=$(echo "${INFO}" | /bin/awk '{sub(/x[0-9]+/, "", $4); print $4}')



# The width of the workarea

WW=$(echo "${INFO}" | /bin/awk '{sub(/x[0-9]+/, "", $9); print $9}')



# The number of faces on the cube

NF=$(($DW/$WW))



dsktop $dt

/bin/sleep 2

exit

You call it with 'desktop 0' to switch to the first desktop, 'desktop 1' for the second, etc.

You also have the issue of synchronizing applications launched as background tasks. For example, Firefox can take a long time to launch. As a result, you need to wait for the window to actually appear. For example:

Code:

/usr/bin/firefox "$@" &

FFPID=$!

FFWINDOW=`/usr/bin/wmctrl -l |/bin/grep "Mozilla Firefox" | /usr/bin/awk '{print $1}'`

COUNT=0

while [ "$FFWINDOW" == "" ]; do

  /bin/sleep .1

  FFWINDOW=`/usr/bin/wmctrl -l |/bin/grep "Mozilla Firefox" | /usr/bin/awk '{print $1}'`

  if [ $((COUNT++)) -ge 100 ]; then exit ; fi

done

On a system with gnome-shell with its dynamic workspaces, all you can do it switch to the last (free) workspace, since you can't preallocate them. You can do this with, for example:

Code:

/usr/bin/wmctrl -s `/usr/bin/wmctrl -d | /usr/bin/tail -n1 | /bin/awk '{print $1}'`

/bin/sleep 1

I am using Unity on Ubuntu 11.04, so would either of the above work???

Sorry, I haven't tried Ubuntu Unity. There's no harm in trying them out. If Unity gives you preallocated workspaces, try the 'desktop' script. If it dynamically allocates them, try the wmctrl. If neither work, then Unity isn't a EWMH (Extended Window Manager Hints) compatible X Window Manager.

OK, too tired to try now but will have a go another day and see what happens.

I'll try the gnome shell script first as I believe Unity works in a similar way(?) Do i just insert that bit of code before/after the line that launches the app in my script??

Yes, if you have preallocated workspaces, you can do something like:

Code:

# application1 on first workspace

desktop 0

application1 &



# application2 on second workspace

desktop 1

application2 &



...

If it ends up switching workspaces before the application window appears, you'll need to add code similar to the Firefox example to wait for the window to appear.