[SOLVED] SW-15.0 rolling upgrade from 14.2 & xpdf does not open .

babydr · 04-09-2024, 05:19 PM

Hello All , I've just recently updated my workstation to SW-15.0 via rolling upgrade from 14.2 .
And now xpdf does not open . The file selected below does open in Firefox , so the pdf s/b openable .

NEXT odd thing is that using sudo xpdf opens the same file in the same session of the user !?!?!

Code:

$ xpdf vax_doc-20180323a.pdf
xpdf version 4.05 [www.xpdfreader.com]
Copyright 1996-2024 Glyph & Cog, LLC
Usage: xpdf [options] [<PDF-file> [:<page> | +<dest>]] ...
  -open                 : open file using a default remote server
  -rv                   : reverse video
  -papercolor <string>  : color of paper background
  -mattecolor <string>  : color of matte background
  -fsmattecolor <string>: color of matte background in full-screen mode
  -z <string>           : initial zoom level (percent, 'page', 'width')
  -rot <int>            : initial page rotation: 0, 90, 180, or 270
  -aa <string>          : enable font anti-aliasing: yes, no
  -aaVector <string>    : enable vector anti-aliasing: yes, no
  -enc <string>         : output text encoding name
  -pw <string>          : password (for encrypted files)
  -fullscreen           : run in full-screen (presentation) mode
  -remote <string>      : remote server mode - remaining args are commands
  -cmd                  : print commands as they're executed
  -tabstate <string>    : file for saving/loading tab state
  -cfg <string>         : configuration file to use in place of .xpdfrc
  -v                    : print copyright and version info
  -h                    : print usage information
  -help                 : print usage information
  --help                : print usage information
  -?                    : print usage information

Code:

$ sudo xpdf vax_doc-20180323a.pdf
Password: 
QStandardPaths: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR not set, defaulting to '/tmp/runtime-root'
QStandardPaths: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR not set, defaulting to '/tmp/runtime-root'
QStandardPaths: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR not set, defaulting to '/tmp/runtime-root'

Then displays the file ... ???

What the heck is going on here ?

theodore.s · 04-09-2024, 05:46 PM

It looks like xpdf is called with some non-existant option. I get the same "Usage..." output when I run something like 'xpdf --idontexist'.

Try

Code:

which xpdf

... to see what exactly is called (it should be just '/usr/bin/xpdf'). Maybe there is a forgotten alias that calls xpdf with a deprecated option.

babydr · 04-09-2024, 07:55 PM

@theodore.s , Thank You .

alias indeed , Tho the options used were/are acceptable by 14.2's xpdf .
I Will look into options that match .

Code:

$ alias xpdf
alias xpdf='xpdf -g 1600x1900 -z page'

babydr · 04-09-2024, 08:37 PM

@theodore.s , When I execute the furthest below command line the same output is shown .

Hmm , man xpdf of 08 Feb 2024 , shows a '-geometry' option , though the output below sure doesn't .
Hmmm , Reading the manpage a LOT Closer shows that the -geometry is a config file option .

Ok , I've found my work around !

Tho why the -g option disappeared for the command line is disturbing .

Note the '-z' option is still included in the command line options .

Code:

       -geometry geometry
              Set the initial window geometry.

Code:

 /usr/bin/xpdf -g 1600x1900 vax_doc-20180323a.pdf

theodore.s · 04-10-2024, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babydr

Tho why the -g option disappeared for the command line is disturbing .

Note the '-z' option is still included in the command line options .

Code:

       -geometry geometry
              Set the initial window geometry.

Yes, this is a strange (and not backwards compatible) change. In Slackware 14.2 xpdf was in version 3.04 and the option was:

Code:

       -g geometry
              Set the initial window geometry.  (-geometry is equivalent.)  [X
              resource: xpdf.geometry]

Well, at least you have your solution.

allend · 04-10-2024, 07:01 AM

From Wikipedia

Quote:

Xpdf is a free and open-source PDF viewer and toolkit based on the Qt framework.[4] Versions prior to 4.00 were written for the X Window System and Motif.

Perhaps the loss of -g from the command line is not so disturbing/strange.