jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

johnraff · 2021-01-18 08:00:28

On a newly installed system, or a live system, the initial display of jgmenu will be that which is configured by running the gtk sync script, ie the background colour is too dark and the red separator text is gone. (This is the best a GTK sync can do.) The original theme specified in ~/.config/jgmenu/jgmenurc is overwritten, though it can be restored by running an OpenBox sync.

This seems to be because the cache file ~/.cache/jgmenu/.last-gtktheme is empty until jgmenu has been run at least once. (Off-topic, but why the dot filename?)

There is an easy workaround: ship ~/.cache/jgmenu/.last-gtktheme in the installed config set with a preseeded content of 'BL-Lithium', the default GTK theme. That will inhibit the unwanted GTK sync from running.

@Johan does that strike you as reasonable?

malm · 2021-01-18 22:13:59

John

It would be better if jgmenu-gtktheme didn’t sync if there is no cache file (but just creates the cache file so that it can detect future changes).

We should NOT ship cache files.

And yes, the dot is a bit silly really!

--EDIT add NOT ---

Last edited by malm (2021-01-19 11:25:23)

johnraff · 2021-01-20 06:39:19

On reflection, I agree about the cache. It's not something that should be pre-installed.

This version of ~/.config/jgmenu/startup might do what is needed:

#!/bin/sh

gtktheme_cache=~/.cache/jgmenu/.last-gtktheme
mkdir -p ~/.cache/jgmenu

gtktheme () {
	while IFS='=' read -r key value; do
		key=${key#"${key%%[![:blank:]]*}"} # strip any leading spaces
		key=${key%"${key##*[![:blank:]]}"} # " " trailing " "
		if [ "${key}" = 'gtk-theme-name' ]; then
			value=${value%%#*} # strip trailing comments
			value=${value#"${value%%[![:blank:]]*}"}
			value=${value%"${value##*[![:blank:]]}"}
			printf '%s' "${value}"
			return 0
		fi
	done < "$HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini"
}

old=$(cat "$gtktheme_cache")
new=$(gtktheme)

if [ -n "${old}" ]; then
	if ! [ "${old}" = "${new}" ]; then
	printf '%b\n' "info: change gtk theme from ${old} to ${new}"
	jgmenu_run gtktheme
	fi
else
	printf '%s' "$new" > "$gtktheme_cache"
fi

That might be enough for now?

---
But, actually I'm starting to regret my strong advocacy of GTK syncing last year ( PM starting 2020-4-1 https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/pms_view. … 338#p12338 )
OpenBox syncing is definitely richer, the issues that came up then have been fixed, and while nearly all our users are using OB it might be a bit perverse to force GTK syncing every time the GTK theme changes.

Maybe at some point - before the split with OB becomes unavoidable - we could consider switching from GTK auto-syncing to OB auto-syncing? Since both mechanisms already exist it would just mean changing ~/.config/jgmenu/startup and hooks I guess?

Even further down the road, what would you think of some day adding a new jgmenurc option eg sync_theme with optional values of gtk,ob,0(or NULL)? Then startup and hooks could be dropped from the user directory altogether and the user could control things via that jgmenurc entry.

EDIT: added
mkdir -p ~/.cache/jgmenu

Last edited by johnraff (2021-01-23 05:46:42)

malm · 2021-01-23 16:26:23

^ John - I have tried + reviewed the startup scripts. Looks fine and works well.

johnraff · 2021-01-24 02:02:28

^Thanks for checking!
I'll push that today.
The other stuff we can consider at leisure...

#1 2021-01-18 08:00:28

jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

#2 2021-01-18 22:13:59

Re: jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

#3 2021-01-20 06:39:19

Re: jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

#4 2021-01-23 16:26:23

Re: jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

#5 2021-01-24 02:02:28

Re: jgmenu first run jumps to GTK sync

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