LinuxQuestions.org - Startup Applications/services in Swami versus Settings Panel: when to use settings in which location?

- Bodhi (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/bodhi-92/)

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Startup Applications/services in Swami versus Settings Panel: when to use settings in which location?

There seem to be (at least?) two places to activate such programs or services, and I am confused as to which/what should go where.

For example, Timeshift doesn't seem to put it's autostart into the right place in Bodhi, so the daily backup wasn't running as expected. I assumed that one must do this manually, so I went looking for the right 'spot' for this entry.

I found two places:
One is in the Settings panel -> Apps -> Startup Applications
Nothing under System, although I thought this would be more appropriate for something that's supposed to start and run in the background. However, it is under Applications.
But, I didn't want it to start up at each reboot with a window asking for a password -- I just wanted it to start silently and run in the background.

The other place is in the Swami Control Panel - Startup Applications
Here its line may be 'highlighted' and 'Apply' clicked. But as far as I can see, this screen gives no indication that a startup application was activated, after doing this (there are no 'buttons'). Since I see no graphic indication that something was selected, if one wishes to undo this action, how could this be done?

So, which location is correct for an application such as Timeshift? Also, are these two locations supposed to interact? If a program is "applied' in Swami, should it then show up as selected if viewed in the other location, coming from the Settings Panel?

Or, should one be directly editing a listing of startup programs in some directory?

For apps that already have a launcher (so already listed there), I use the settings panel/apps/startup panel. There is a tab for removing them. By default I think there's three things there, elaptop which I removed on my desktops, network which seems to be the nm-applet which you don't seem to need running anymore once everythings configured anyway so I removed that too, I can run on demand if need to connect to a new wifi or something. There was one other thing I think, maybe not, can't remember cuz if it was there I removed it.

I use this file startup commands: ~/.e/e/applications/startup/startupcommands
The file exists but is blank by default...

I don't know what's best, just saying what I use. In bodhi 4.5 the swami startup commands where somewhere else, I didn't even realize they were still here in 5.0, but anyways now that I know the startupcommands file, I find that the easiest to use anyway and wouldn't go back to swami.

You can also create a personal application launcher so that you can add something to the settings/apps/startup apps... but again once I found the startup commands file I found that a simpler/easier method.

Hello

Swami control is an settings interface made by Jeff. The goal was a creation of alternative settings dialogs to make settings better for understanding. Some people considered the Moksha/E menu confusing. So, it is up to you which way you prefer.

Stefan

Swami control panel, file names and locations

Quote:

Originally Posted by enigma9o7 (Post 5905983)

For apps that already have a launcher (so already listed there), I use the settings panel/apps/startup panel.

That seems to be putting them, or at least some of them, into ~/.config/autostart. I think, the difference is that these start when the OS starts, before Moksha does. But ... I don't see all the autostarts there.

Does anyone have another location where the rest may be?? Timeshift 'seems' to be auto-starting now, but I'd be more comfortable (its starting is critical) if I could see from where it does this.

Quote:

I use this file startup commands: ~/.e/e/applications/startup/startupcommands
The file exists but is blank by default...

Looking at the 'documentation' (the source code) for the Swami Control Panel, Swami is using this same directory, as you have found.

Do a DDG on the terms 'Hoogland GitHub Swami' open the first entry on the result page, open swami_startupapps.py, and look at this, giving the files and directories it uses:

Code:

UserHome = os.path.expanduser("~")

StartupApplicationsFile = "%s/.e/e/applications/startup/.order"%UserHome

StartupCommandsFile = "%s/.e/e/applications/startup/startupcommands"%UserHome

ApplicationPaths = [ "/usr/share/applications/",

"%s/.local/share/applications/"%UserHome]

Quote:

... but again once I found the startup commands file I found that a simpler/easier method.

I agree. This may be a problem of not understanding how to correctly use Swami, but once having 'put things into it' I don't know how to 1) see that they are, in fact, there, and 2) get them out again. Looking at the code, this seems to be possible, but looking at the GUI, I don't see how to do it. The workaround, that you are using, is just to look at the file itself ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_waiter (Post 5906045)

@Stefan, these two ways seem to be putting startups at two different locations, the second to start with Moksha and the first, to start with the operating system.

That's actually a question -- is there agreement that this is what's happening, and if this is the case, should one method be preferred over the other, depending upon the type of startup application?

I now have F.lux starting with the OS and my xrandr command (fixes L701 screen resolution) starting with Moksha. I had no idea what I was doing but just 'had' to get a usable screen at reboots, ASAP, but now seeing the results, starting with the OS seems a bit 'snappier' and if it can be done, I'll likely move the resolution shift earlier for a better effect.

autoexec.bat was easier to understand. It ran at bootup, in order. I have no idea when things are actually executed in linux, nor do I fully understand kernals/os/desktop/xserver/lightdm/moksha/wtfelse is actually running, but I'm slowly learning.... nor do I understand this gnome/kde/x11/wtf type stuff when I install aps. Seems like everything just works. You seem to know a lot more than the average user, checking the source code to actually understand.

Although I have certainly looked at source code for work related stuff to tell the firmware engineers wtf is going wrong (as I was a hardware engineer), I never really got into hardcore programming, and never even thought to possibly look at source code to figure out what was going on with linux. @Roncam I'm impressed. You win.

You got me thinking too. The startup commands I use, apparently load with moksha os user login related. This is no problem for me cuz I have autologin enabled and don't use any other user accounts. But I realize if I were to logout and login again, things would get re-executed, so I dunno how that would work cuz I dunno what happens when you logout. And it seems if I did have other users, my startup command wouldn't get executed. So yeah this is not a solution for a multi-user system, maybe there's another startupcommands file somewhere that happens before login. For people, even on a single user system, that want a login with password, this wouldn't be ideal either cuz it'd slow down their login cuz even if it were in their folder it wouldn't run til login. So there must be a startupcommands file before user login somewhere.... if you find it, let me know.