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faq [2010/09/05 16:08] – rephrase 193.52.24.125faq [2018/03/30 23:05] – [Keyboard] vdicarlo
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 Xfce is a desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms (such as Linux, Solaris or BSD). Xfce is "Designed for productivity. It loads and executes applications fast, while conserving system resources." (Olivier Fourdan). This philosophy should appeal to anyone looking for a fast, modern, and efficient working environment for a *NIX box. Xfce is a desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms (such as Linux, Solaris or BSD). Xfce is "Designed for productivity. It loads and executes applications fast, while conserving system resources." (Olivier Fourdan). This philosophy should appeal to anyone looking for a fast, modern, and efficient working environment for a *NIX box.
  
-=== How to pronounce Xfce and what it means === +=== How to pronounce Xfce and what does it mean? === 
-"Ecks Eff See Eee". The name Xfce originally stood for XForms Common Environment, but since then, Xfce was rewritten twice and doesn't use XForms toolkit anymore. The name survived, but the F is nolonger capitalized (not "XFce", but "Xfce"). Currently the acronym doesn't stand for anything (suggestion: X Freakin' Cool Environment).+"Ecks Eff See Eee". The name Xfce originally stood for XForms Common Environment, but since then, Xfce was rewritten twice and doesn't use XForms toolkit anymore. The name survived, but the F is no longer capitalized (not "XFce", but "Xfce"). Currently the abbreviation doesn't stand for anything (suggestion: X Freakin' Cool Environment)
 +It's not pronounced “X-Face”. There is no “a” in it.
  
 === What does the logo mean? === === What does the logo mean? ===
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 ====== Installation ====== ====== Installation ======
-===== Installation Options ===== 
  
-Xfce can be installed in at least three different ways: +Xfce can be installed in at least two different ways: 
-  * From source code - build the environment by yourself. +  * From the package manager of your distro. It's preferred way, because you can go back, leaving no trace, if the environment Xfce is not for you (But is it possible?): 
-  * From the package manager of your distro - it will provide you the pre-compiled binaries or install instructions to build from source. +    [[http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfce|Arch]] 
-         Arch:   pacman -S xfce4 (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfce#How_to_Install_Xfce) +    [[http://wiki.debian.org/Xfce|Debian]] 
-         Fedora: sudo yum groupinstall XFCE (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Xfce) +    * [[http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Xfce|Fedora]] 
-         Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop ([[http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=xubuntu-desktop|package description]][[apt://xubuntu-desktop|direct install]]) +    * [[http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/x11-wm.html#X11-WM-XFCE|FreeBSD]] 
-         Debian: su -c "apt-get install xfce4 xfce4-goodies" +    [[http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xfce-config.xml|Gentoo]] 
-         * Gentoo: emerge -avt xfce4-meta (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xfce-config.xml) +    * Mageia: Mageia Control Center (add the package task-xfce) or, as root, urpmi task-xfce (http://www.mageia.org
-         FreeBSD: pkg_add -r xfce4 (http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x11-wm.html) +    MidnightBSD: pkg_add -r xfce4 
-  From the graphical installer provided by os-cillation just follow the instructions on [[http://www.xfce.org/documentation/installers/xfce/index.html|this page]]. +    * Mythbuntu: sudo apt-get install mythbuntu-desktop 
-  * From the Shaman GUI provided by The Chakra Project - just follow the information found at [[http://www.chakra-project.org/tools-shaman.html|this page]].+    * [[http://www.netbsd.org/docs/guide/en/chap-x.html#chap-x-other-window-managers|NetBSD]] (pkg_add xfce4
 +    Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop ([[http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=xubuntu-desktop|package description]]; [[apt://xubuntu-desktop|direct install]]) 
 +  * [[http://www.xfce.org/download/building|From source code]]. Using this way you can build your own environment. Also you can try latest features and bug fixes.
  
-===== Xfce Installer ===== +====== Starting Xfce ======
-=== The installer reports I'm missing dependencies === +
-Some distributions have separate -devel packages for libraries. The Xfce installer needs those package for compiling the Xfce desktop environment. When, for example, the dependency for glib is missing, make sure you have both the glib and the glib-devel package installed.+
  
-=== The graphical installer fails with "C++ preprocessor fails sanity check" === +==== Is it possible to start Xfce when I login on the console? ====
-This error message tells you that the configure script was unable to verify that the C++ preprocessor is setup properly on your system. You can most probably fix this problem by installing the g++ package for your distribution. +
- +
-=== The graphical installer fails with "Unable to connect to Xserver" === +
-For some reason the installation wizard is not able to connect to an Xserver, which is required for the installer. This usually happens when you use su, and su in turn doesn't pass the DISPLAY environment variable properly. Try to use the commands: +
- +
-  $ xhost +localhost +
-  $ su --preserve-environment +
-  # ./xfce4-4.2.1.1-installer.bin +
- +
-or +
- +
-  $ xhost +localhost +
-  $ su +
-  # env DISPLAY=:0 ./xfce4-4.2.1.1-installer.bin +
- +
-Instead (replace :0 with your display name if required).  +
- +
-===== Starting Xfce ===== +
- +
-=== Is it possible to start Xfce when I login on the console? ===+
 There are three different ways to do this: There are three different ways to do this:
   * You can just login with the command ''startxfce4''   * You can just login with the command ''startxfce4''
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   fi   fi
  
-=== Is it possible to use Xfce with DMs? ===+==== Is it possible to use Xfce with DMs? ===
 +Oh yes. And probably it is the default behavior of most distributions. 
 + 
 +=== Setting up LXDM === 
 +LXDM is the display manager of LXDE. But it is universal. I (Paiiou) think that it is an excellent manager for Xfce: no dependencies on GNOME or KDE, nice interface, very complete. Most distributions have a package to install. Regarding the configuration, check the presence of a file (or add) /usr/share/xsessions/06xfce4.desktop (the location may differ depending on the distributions), such as: 
 + 
 +  [Desktop Entry] 
 +  Encoding=UTF-8 
 +  Name=Xfce4 
 +  Comment=Use this session to run Xfce4 as your desktop environment 
 +  TryExec=/usr/bin/startxfce4 
 +  Exec=/usr/bin/startxfce4 
 +  Icon=/usr/local/share/pixmaps/xfce4_xicon1.png 
 +  Type=Application 
 + 
 +Lines TryExec and Exec may also differ between distributions.
  
-== Setting up SLiM ==+=== Setting up SLiM ===
 If you want to avoid Gnome or KDE dependencies and a more attractive interface than XDM, you can give [[http://slim.berlios.de|SLiM]] a try. Read the SLiM [[http://slim.berlios.de/manual.php|manual]] for more information. If you want to avoid Gnome or KDE dependencies and a more attractive interface than XDM, you can give [[http://slim.berlios.de|SLiM]] a try. Read the SLiM [[http://slim.berlios.de/manual.php|manual]] for more information.
  
-== Setting up GDM ==+=== Setting up GDM ===
 If you installed Xfce system-wide and you want to use the GNOME Display Manager (gdm) to start your Xfce session, you will have to create a .desktop file to teach gdm how to start the Xfce session. This is a sample desktop file, Xfce.desktop: If you installed Xfce system-wide and you want to use the GNOME Display Manager (gdm) to start your Xfce session, you will have to create a .desktop file to teach gdm how to start the Xfce session. This is a sample desktop file, Xfce.desktop:
  
     [Desktop Entry]     [Desktop Entry]
     Encoding=UTF-8     Encoding=UTF-8
-    Name=Xfce 4.4 Session+    Name=Xfce4
     Comment=Use this session to run Xfce 4.4 as your desktop environment     Comment=Use this session to run Xfce 4.4 as your desktop environment
     Exec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4     Exec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4
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 It is usually enough to simply copy the example file to the Session directory used by gdm; this directory is usually located in /etc/dm/Sessions, /etc/X11/gdm/Sessions, /usr/share/xsessions, /usr/X11/share/gnome/xsessions or some other location, refer to the documentation of your system for details. You need to restart gdm after you created the file. It is usually enough to simply copy the example file to the Session directory used by gdm; this directory is usually located in /etc/dm/Sessions, /etc/X11/gdm/Sessions, /usr/share/xsessions, /usr/X11/share/gnome/xsessions or some other location, refer to the documentation of your system for details. You need to restart gdm after you created the file.
  
-== Setting up KDM  ==+=== Setting up KDM  ===
 If you installed Xfce system-wide and you want to use the KDE Display Manager (kdm) to start your Xfce session, you will have to create a .desktop file to teach kdm how to start the Xfce session. If you installed Xfce system-wide and you want to use the KDE Display Manager (kdm) to start your Xfce session, you will have to create a .desktop file to teach kdm how to start the Xfce session.
  
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     Exec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4     Exec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4
     TryExec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4     TryExec=/usr/local/bin/startxfce4
-    Name=Xfce 4.4 +    Name=Xfce4 
-    Comment=The Xfce 4.4 Desktop Environment+    Comment=The Xfce4 Desktop Environment
  
  
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 ===== Keyboard ===== ===== Keyboard =====
 === Is there some way to call the menu with the keyboard in the xfce? === === Is there some way to call the menu with the keyboard in the xfce? ===
-Assign a key with the Keyboard Settings -> Shortcuts to the command ''xfdesktop -menu''. (This does not work reliable since Linux Kernel is tickless, so xfdesktop -menu needs a fix) The menu will popup where your mouse is located. You can also use ''xfce4-popup-menu'' to popup the panel menu (also provided by xfdesktop and make sure you have the plugin in your panel ^_~).+Assign a key with the Keyboard Settings -> Shortcuts to the command ''xfdesktop -menu''. (This does not work reliably since Linux Kernel is tickless, so xfdesktop -menu needs a fix) The menu will popup where your mouse is located. You can also use ''xfce4-popup-applicationsmenu'' to popup the panel menu (also provided by xfdesktop and make sure you have the plugin in your panel ^_~).
  
 === Is it possible to focus the Verve plugin with a key? === === Is it possible to focus the Verve plugin with a key? ===
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 === How do I get numlock to start on login? === === How do I get numlock to start on login? ===
-There are two possibilities to achieve this. Or you should use a display manager that turns the numlock on (eg. gdm, check the settings) or you can use a little program called [[http://ktown.kde.org/~seli/numlockx/|numlockx]],  adding ''numlockx'' on in your .xinitrc will do the job.+There are two possibilities to achieve this. Or you should use a display manager that turns the numlock on (eg. gdm, check the settings) or you can use a little program called [[http://freshmeat.net/projects/numlockx|numlockx]],  adding ''numlockx'' on in your .xinitrc will do the job.
  
 === Is it possible to use Media keys in the Shortcut Editor? === === Is it possible to use Media keys in the Shortcut Editor? ===
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 Note: Several problems with auto-loading of .Xmodmap files at xfce startup have been reported (also when issued as autostart command). Search the xfce bugzilla sites for current problems. As a workaround, run ''xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap'' by hand every time, or try out Note: Several problems with auto-loading of .Xmodmap files at xfce startup have been reported (also when issued as autostart command). Search the xfce bugzilla sites for current problems. As a workaround, run ''xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap'' by hand every time, or try out
 editing the somewhat less straightforward xkb configuration files. editing the somewhat less straightforward xkb configuration files.
 +
 +===How to determine keycodes with ''xev''===
 +
 +All keyboards are different, keycodes can differ(eg. my keyboard with few keycodes above, not working) and of course not everyone has time to search XKeysymDB file. You can acquire keycodes from your keyboard with xev.
 +In terminal type:
 +
 +
 +    xev | grep -A2 --line-buffered '^KeyRelease' | sed -n '/keycode /s/^.*keycode \([0-9]*\).* (.*, \(.*\)).*$/\1 \2/p'
 +then press key of which keycode you need, eg. I press "Stop" and got output "174 XF86AudioStop".
 +
  
 ===What should I do to change keyboard layout?=== ===What should I do to change keyboard layout?===
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 ===Is it possible to change the default shortcut keys?=== ===Is it possible to change the default shortcut keys?===
 Yes, of course... Keyboard shortcuts are defined on two locations. The shortcuts to handle the window manager are defined in the Settings Manager > Window Manager Settings > Keyboard. The ''Default'' theme can not be changed, but when you add a theme you can change that one. More global keyboard shortcuts, like volume adjustements, can be found in Settings Manager > Keyboard Preferences > Shortcuts. Again you need to add a new theme before you can start customizing it. Yes, of course... Keyboard shortcuts are defined on two locations. The shortcuts to handle the window manager are defined in the Settings Manager > Window Manager Settings > Keyboard. The ''Default'' theme can not be changed, but when you add a theme you can change that one. More global keyboard shortcuts, like volume adjustements, can be found in Settings Manager > Keyboard Preferences > Shortcuts. Again you need to add a new theme before you can start customizing it.
 +
 +===How can I see a list of all the shortcut keys?===
 +Use the following command, which will produce a nicely formatted text list to standard output:
 +  xfconf-query -c xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts -l -v | cut -d'/' -f4 | awk '{printf "%30s", $2; print "\t" $1}' | sort | uniq
 +If you want to put this list into a file, add ''> filename'' at the end of command.
  
 ===How do I make a shortcut that doesn't steal focus?=== ===How do I make a shortcut that doesn't steal focus?===
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 ===== File Manager ===== ===== File Manager =====
-You can find more information about Thunar on the [[http://thunar.xfce.org|homepage]] or in the [[http://thunar.xfce.org/pwiki/|wiki]].+You can find more information about Thunar in the [[http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/|Docs section]].
  
 === Can I disable the trash? === === Can I disable the trash? ===
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   - use 'SHIFT + del' to bypass the trash bin and immediately delete something for real.   - use 'SHIFT + del' to bypass the trash bin and immediately delete something for real.
   - use cron to clean the trash every now and then.   - use cron to clean the trash every now and then.
 +  - or create custom action for permanent delete(like in gnome) with action: ''rm %f'' then in context menu you'll have button "permanent delete"
  
 === I want to assign a keyboard shortcut in Thunar to "whatever action" in the menus === === I want to assign a keyboard shortcut in Thunar to "whatever action" in the menus ===
-Thunar allows you to edit menu accelerators by simply hovering over the chosen action and by clicking the new keyboard shortcut you want to assign.+Thunar allows you to edit menu accelerators by simply hovering over the chosen action and by pressing the new keyboard shortcut you want to assign.
 To activate the editable menu accelerators select the "Editable menu accelerators" entry in the User Interface Settings plugin. To activate the editable menu accelerators select the "Editable menu accelerators" entry in the User Interface Settings plugin.
  
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 === When will it support samba/network browsing? === === When will it support samba/network browsing? ===
-It already does! Just mount your shares and go to them with Thunar! Just kidding. +Thunar has had the ability to browse remote network shares (such as Samba and FTP) since Xfce 4.8/Thunar 1.2.
- +
-You are obviously asking about Thunar being able to discover remote machines on a network and mount/unmount shares from them. What you are asking for is nice, but there is no common framework for it yet that Thunar can build on. +
- +
-Thunar is designed to be a file manager, not a network file system manager. Once such a beast exists, Thunar and all other applications will be able to use it, and you can browse your samba or NFS shares in firefox or emacs, whatever. +
- +
-Short answer: not any time soon unless you write it yourself. +
- +
-For Linux users, and especially Xubuntu users, the following thread can help: Xubuntu How to: Thunar Native Windows Network BrowsingYou will need fusesmb. For me it worked like a charm with Feisty. You should read the post from EatMorePie, as it avoids unnecessary steps.+
  
 ===== Desktop Manager ===== ===== Desktop Manager =====
 === I want to disable the trash, home and filesystem icons on my desktop, is that possible? === === I want to disable the trash, home and filesystem icons on my desktop, is that possible? ===
  
-Yes, in Xfce 4.4 you can hide some of the desktop icons. You can read more about those hidden settings [[http://svn.xfce.org/svn/xfce/xfdesktop/branches/xfce_4_4/README|here]].+Yes. In Settings > Desktop > Icons > Appearanceselect 'None'. 
  
 === My Xfce Desktop doesn't have any shortcut icons, why? === === My Xfce Desktop doesn't have any shortcut icons, why? ===
-  * **Xfce 4.2**: You will need a third party program to provide you the icons. Suggestions are: pcmanfm, rox, nautilus etc etc... Beware that those programs will kill xfdesktop and the ability to use the right click menu. +  
-  * **Xfce 4.4**: You can enable the icons in : Settings > Desktop Preferences Behavior Desktop Icons. You will need to build xfdesktop with thunar-vfs and dbus support. (''./configure --enable-thunar-vfs --enable-exo'')+You can adjust this via Settings > Desktop > Icons Appearance.
  
-=== I have more questions about xfdesktop === 
-[[http://spuriousinterrupt.org/projects/xfce4#faq|Xfdesktop faq @ spuriousinterrupt]] 
  
 ===== Window Manager ===== ===== Window Manager =====
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     activate_action=bring|switch|none     activate_action=bring|switch|none
  
-For Xfce 4.6 you can go to //Xfce Menu > Settings > Window Manager Tweaks// and go to the tab Focus, or you need to use the //xfconf-query// tool to change the setting:+For Xfce 4.6 and 4.8 you can go to //Xfce Menu > Settings > Window Manager Tweaks// and go to the tab Focus, or you need to use the //xfconf-query// tool to change the setting:
  
     xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/activate_action -s bring|switch|none     xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/activate_action -s bring|switch|none
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 As the name suggests, the "bring" option moves the window requesting to be raised to the current As the name suggests, the "bring" option moves the window requesting to be raised to the current
 workspace, the "switch" option switches workspaces, and the "none" option takes no action. workspace, the "switch" option switches workspaces, and the "none" option takes no action.
 +
 +The above command edits the file "~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfwm4.xml" by adding or modifying this line:
 +   <property name="activate_action" type="string" value="switch"/>    "
  
 === Some of the windows are always centered, why? === === Some of the windows are always centered, why? ===
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 If display compositing is enabled, the Xfce Window Manager allows you to adjust the opacity of a window by hovering your mouse over the title bar, holding down the Alt key, and using the scroll wheel (down lowers the opacity, and up raises it). So use Alt+ScrollWheelUp to reset the transparency. If display compositing is enabled, the Xfce Window Manager allows you to adjust the opacity of a window by hovering your mouse over the title bar, holding down the Alt key, and using the scroll wheel (down lowers the opacity, and up raises it). So use Alt+ScrollWheelUp to reset the transparency.
  
 +=== I have only one desktop and can't move my windows anymore! HELP! ===
 +If you have no window borders anymore and can't focus windows, xfwm4 probably closed itself. This happens sometimes and due to the random nature of this annoying bug it's hard to track. But there are workarounds available.
 +== Start xfwm4 again ==
 +Sounds like the simpliest solution. You need a terminal and a command executioner (like xfrun4 (alt + f2)) with focus. In the terminal you enter following command:
 +<code>xfwm4 --sm-client-id=${SESSION_MANAGER##*/} & disown</code>
 +And you're done, xfwm4 should be now in your session again. If this doesn't work, stick with method 2 or 3 below.
 +== The easy solution for every xfce (not for people loving their sessions) ==
 +Because xfwm4 goes fishy most times at start up it isn't bad if you have to log out. You hadn't done anything important until than. So log out, remove ~/.cache/sessions/* (probably with <code>rm -rf ~/.cache/sessions/*</code> and login back again. Don't do this while you're logged in to xfce! Don't do this if you love the xfce session feature (because you delete all sessions, duh)!
 +== The cool new xfce4.10 solution (again, not for people loving their sessions) ==
 +If you already use xfce4.10 you have the possibility to use the GUI to delete the sessions cache (as you can see, the devs are annoyed, too). Open xfce4-sessions-settings → Session and click »Clear saved sessions«, than log out and in again. This should be all.
 ===== Session Manager ===== ===== Session Manager =====
  
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 == Using sudo == == Using sudo ==
-You have to allow the user(s) to execute ''$installdir/libexec/xfsm-shutdown-helper'' with sudo. Install sudo and run ''visudo'' (root) and add the following line (replace prefix with the correct path):+You have to allow the user(s) to execute ''<prefix>/libexec/xfsm-shutdown-helper'' with sudo. ''<prefix>/libexec/'' may be changed on your distribution, i.e. ''/usr/lib/xfce4/session/''. Install sudo and run ''visudo'' (root) and add the following line (replace prefix with the correct path):
  
    %users ALL = NOPASSWD:<prefix>/libexec/xfsm-shutdown-helper    %users ALL = NOPASSWD:<prefix>/libexec/xfsm-shutdown-helper
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    gpasswd -a <username> users    gpasswd -a <username> users
 +
 +Add the user to the ''power'' group:
 +
 +   gpasswd -a <username> power
  
 When you logout and login again, the shutdown and restart buttons should be sensitive. For more information you can referrer to the xfce4-session and sudo documentation. When you logout and login again, the shutdown and restart buttons should be sensitive. For more information you can referrer to the xfce4-session and sudo documentation.
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 ===== Panels ===== ===== Panels =====
 +
 === How do I disable the taskbar in Xfce 4.2? === === How do I disable the taskbar in Xfce 4.2? ===
 +
 Just don't run it at startup... Just don't run it at startup...
   * If you use the session manager, kill the taskbar, save your session on logout, and the taskbar will be gone when you'll log back in.   * If you use the session manager, kill the taskbar, save your session on logout, and the taskbar will be gone when you'll log back in.
   * If you don't use the session manager, comment out the ''xftaskbar4'' line in your ''$sysconfdir/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc'' or ''~/.config/xfce4/xinitrc''.   * If you don't use the session manager, comment out the ''xftaskbar4'' line in your ''$sysconfdir/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc'' or ''~/.config/xfce4/xinitrc''.
-  * If you use the session manager and want to remove the taskbar system-wide, comment out the taskbar line in the ''$sysconfdir/xgd/xfce4-session/xfce4-session.rc'' file.+ 
  
 === What is the "use startup notification" option? === === What is the "use startup notification" option? ===