[SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

oneleaf · 2016-04-14 00:25:04

Hello,
I really like the way Openbox menus work regarding manually editing the xml file. I have always had issues with other desktop environments with auto-generating menus, not behaving the way I want it to. So it is nice to be able to just edit it directly.

However, there is one simple question I had regarding the actual commands that you put in the xml file: basically, how do I find out the correct command to put in there?

An example is Synaptic. The .desktop file that is in usr/share/applications has an entry for Exec=synaptic-pkexec, and so my instinct is to put "synaptic-pkexec" in the menu.xml file if I want to have a menu entry for Synaptic. But that doesn't work and in fact, Bunsenlabs uses "gksudo synaptic".

What is the best way to find the correct command? I know in most cases, the name of the program is all you need, but sometimes it is not as obvious. Thanks!

Last edited by oneleaf (2016-04-14 07:11:47)

vasa1 · 2016-04-14 06:59:44

So does gksudo synaptic work for you in menu.xml or doesn't it?

As for finding the correct command for other applications, if you run into trouble, just ask

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-04-14 07:03:02

oneleaf wrote:

An example is Synaptic. The .desktop file that is in usr/share/applications has an entry for Exec=synaptic-pkexec, and so my instinct is to put "synaptic-pkexec" in the menu.xml file if I want to have a menu entry for Synaptic. But that doesn't work and in fact, Bunsenlabs uses "gksudo synaptic".

I would always refer to the .desktop files so it's a bit surprising that doesn't work for synapic.

I've just broken my BLVM so I can't check but `synaptic-pkexec` is a script:

#!/bin/sh
pkexec "/usr/sbin/synaptic" "$@"

So try using:

pkexec /usr/bin/synaptic

oneleaf · 2016-04-14 07:11:33

Thanks for the replies, guys! (and yea, "gksudo synaptic" always worked fine... was just curious why it did not use the same command as in the synaptic.desktop file).

Apparently, I must have had a weird hiccup, because I rechecked it, and synaptic-pkexec actually works (it does not dim the desktop as "gksudo synaptic" does, when prompting for password, but it works. Not sure what was wrong earlier!

In any case, I am glad checking the .desktop file is the best way to refer. I will simply continue using that method. This Synaptic situation seemed to have been a mistyping or something.

damo · 2016-04-14 09:45:19

Deep in the system depths there is a setting which allows synaptic to run with admin privileges, using `pkexec` (graphical frontend for PolicyKit). You can also run synaptic with the graphical sudo command, `gksudo`. So in this case two commands are possible.

gksudo seems to grab the desktop, hence the dimming effect the OP found.

vasa1 · 2016-04-14 10:20:11

damo wrote:

...
gksudo seems to grab the desktop, hence the dimming effect the OP found.

And if you don't want that effect: http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic. … 08#p289808

#1 2016-04-14 00:25:04

[SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

#2 2016-04-14 06:59:44

Re: [SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

#3 2016-04-14 07:03:02

Re: [SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

#4 2016-04-14 07:11:33

Re: [SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

#5 2016-04-14 09:45:19

Re: [SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

#6 2016-04-14 10:20:11

Re: [SOLVED] A newbie question regarding Openbox menu commands

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