Re: Spec to define the default terminal?
Jerome Leclanche wrote on 10/20/2015 01:21 PM: > This is something I tried solving quite a few times. There was an > intents spec (a la android) in the works I assume you are referring tot (sorry, I didn't do my homework earlier): http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xdg/2014-January/013068.html I didn't have time to read the whole thread so far, I'll have to go through it in more depth tonight. > which was subsequently picked > up by GNOME, I don't know where it's at now but it's the more correct > fix. All I was able to find In terms of actual implementation for gnome was a section in the glib sources using a hardcoded list of terminals: https://git.gnome.org/browse/glib/tree/gio/gdesktopappinfo.c#n2434 (but I admit, I didn't look too long, so I'm not entirely sure that's the code being used for gvfs-open) signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature ___ xdg mailing list xdg@lists.freedesktop.org http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg
Re: Spec to define the default terminal?
Thomas Gläßle wrote on 10/20/2015 12:23 PM: > 1 a) invent a new variable e.g. $TERMINAL or similar that works like > $BROWSER, i.e. something of the form TERMINAL=urxvt:gnome-terminal:xterm > > 1 b) invent a new variable e.g. $TERMINAL or similar that works like the > one used by mimeopen, i.e. TERMINAL="xterm -e" > > 2) encourage the use of (and possibly semi-mandatory dependency on) > gvfs-open/kde-open > > 3). invent a mimetype for terminal applications so available terminals > can be iterated via .desktop files and a default can be requested in the > mimeapps.list file, e.g.: I forgot to mention option 4 which I saw lurking around: 4) use the binary x-terminal-emulator which is to be symlinked to whatever terminal one wants to use. - [+] nice and simple - [+] possibly already supported by several subsystems? - [-] system-wide config (you have to modify PATH in order to change it for users) > concerning 1 a) > > - [+] nice and simple > - [-] have to hardcode command line options, e.g. terminator uses "-x" > rather than "-e" > - considering $TERMINAL is already used in a different fashion by > mimeopen (and mimeopen is used as fallback by xdg-open), I'd rather tend > towards a different name for the variable, e.g. $TERMCMD which would be > upward compatible to how its used by terminator > > > concerning 1 b) > > - [+] no need to hardcode command line options > - [+] compatible with existing mimeopen behaviour > - [-] contains more than just a executable name, may be less simple to > analyze > > > concerning 2) > > - [+] easy out without much coding for xdg-open > - [-] doesn't really solve the problem that "everyone uses their own > mechanism" > - [-] I didn't look at gvfs-open/kde-open so far, but I'm afraid, they > don't allow the user to specify their preferred terminal as easily > - [-] seems like a heavy dependency > > > concerning 3) > > - [+] uses an established config format > - [+] can configure multiple terminals with correct command line > options and the default > - [-] not sure if the mimetype concept applies to this problem very well > - [-] maybe too complex for such a simple goal signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature ___ xdg mailing list xdg@lists.freedesktop.org http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg
Spec to define the default terminal?
Hello freedesktop.org, This is a follow up on a bug to xdg-utils about xdg-open not spawning terminals for .desktop files with Terminal=true entry [1]. Rex Dieter suggested to start a discussion here before taking further steps. [1] https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=92514 To summarize the issue: There is currently no uniform way to set the default terminal across the system and so everyone seems to be doing their own thing: - xdg-open does not know how to spawn terminals (leading to the application aborting or even worse: suppressed output) - mimeopen uses an environment variable $TERMINAL in the form TERMINAL="xterm -e" - rifle (file opener, part of the ranger file manager) uses an environment variable $TERMCMD in the form TERMCMD="xterm" - in awesome (window manager), you usually configure the terminal in your lua.rc file - not sure what desktop environments are doing in their code base, maybe hardcoding their own terminals - xdg-terminal (unreleased, part of xdg-utils) currently even looks at $TERM and uses xterm as hardcoded fallback - probably tons of others... In the thread attached to the bug report we had several (not necessarily exclusive) thoughts about how to tackle the issue: 1 a) invent a new variable e.g. $TERMINAL or similar that works like $BROWSER, i.e. something of the form TERMINAL=urxvt:gnome-terminal:xterm 1 b) invent a new variable e.g. $TERMINAL or similar that works like the one used by mimeopen, i.e. TERMINAL="xterm -e" 2) encourage the use of (and possibly semi-mandatory dependency on) gvfs-open/kde-open 3). invent a mimetype for terminal applications so available terminals can be iterated via .desktop files and a default can be requested in the mimeapps.list file, e.g.: [Desktop Entry] name=terminator GenericName=X Terminal Emulator Exec=terminator -x %F MimeType=x-terminal-emulator My personal opinions: concerning 1 a) - [+] nice and simple - [-] have to hardcode command line options, e.g. terminator uses "-x" rather than "-e" - considering $TERMINAL is already used in a different fashion by mimeopen (and mimeopen is used as fallback by xdg-open), I'd rather tend towards a different name for the variable, e.g. $TERMCMD which would be upward compatible to how its used by terminator concerning 1 b) - [+] no need to hardcode command line options - [+] compatible with existing mimeopen behaviour - [-] contains more than just a executable name, may be less simple to analyze concerning 2) - [+] easy out without much coding for xdg-open - [-] doesn't really solve the problem that "everyone uses their own mechanism" - [-] I didn't look at gvfs-open/kde-open so far, but I'm afraid, they don't allow the user to specify their preferred terminal as easily - [-] seems like a heavy dependency concerning 3) - [+] uses an established config format - [+] can configure multiple terminals with correct command line options and the default - [-] not sure if the mimetype concept applies to this problem very well - [-] maybe too complex for such a simple goal signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature ___ xdg mailing list xdg@lists.freedesktop.org http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg
