[Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 08:25:31

Hello everybody. I am running Debian 7.6 with XFCE 4.8.
I am using the Pulse Glass curser theme.

Whenever I move the mouse over certain objects (panel, applications menu, mouse settings window) the mouse pointer reverts back to the little default curser. This happens no matter which curser theme I'm using. Here's a couple screenies so you can see what it's supposed to look like, and what it reverts to.

Pulse Glass Pointer Pointer Reverts

ToZ · 2014-09-25 10:25:45

I don't use Debian so I'm not sure how transferable this is, but we got it to work on Xubuntu 13.10, save the cursor size. See this link.

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 11:10:41

Okay, I tried following your steps on that thread. I got the following error at step 2:

stretch@debian-lappy:~$ sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for x-cursor-theme

ToZ · 2014-09-25 12:41:01

That's probably because you don't already have an alternatives link for x-cursor-theme. You can try creating one:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme </path/to/cursor.theme> 51

...where "</path/to/cursor.theme>" is the actual path to your cursor theme's .theme file.

This assumes that your cursor theme has a cursor.theme file in the format of:

[Icon Theme]
Inherits=<NameOfTheme>

...where <NameofTheme> is the name of your cursor theme.

After this, re-run the update-alternatives --config command to make sure that it is selected.

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 12:48:27

Yeah, I tried that too...

stretch@debian-lappy:~$ sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme </usr/share/themes/Mouse-Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme> 51
[sudo] password for stretch: 
update-alternatives: --install needs <link> <name> <path> <priority>

Looks like it needs the <name> part...

ToZ · 2014-09-25 12:58:27

Sorry, the name would be x-cursor-theme. Try:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme </path/to/cursor.theme> 51

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 13:11:20

stretch@debian-lappy:~$ sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/themes/Mouse-Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme 51
update-alternatives: using /usr/share/themes/Mouse-Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme to provide /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme (x-cursor-theme) in auto mode
update-alternatives: error: error creating symbolic link `/usr/share/icons/default/index.theme.dpkg-tmp': No such file or directory

ToZ · 2014-09-25 13:26:28

Here is what worked for me installing and setting up the Pulse Glass cursor theme (Xubuntu 14.04).

1. Download and extract the Pulse Glass cursor theme (http://gnome-look.org/content/download. … 3ec09a706d).
2. With root privileges, copy the Pulse-Glass folder to /usr/share/icons
3. Settings Manager >> Mouse and Touchpad >> Theme, and select the Pulse-Glass theme.
4. Create an alternatives link. From a terminal window:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/icons/Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme 51

5. Select Pulse-Glass as the default X cursor theme:

sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme

...and select the Pulse-Glass theme.

6. Log out and back in again for it to take effect everywhere.

----------------------------------------------------------------

That being said, you are getting a strange error:

update-alternatives: error: error creating symbolic link `/usr/share/icons/default/index.theme.dpkg-tmp': No such file or directory

...I'm not sure whether this is related to Debian or not.

Do you have a /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme file? If so, what are its contents?
You might be able to bypass the whole "alternatives" thing by editing this file to read:

[Icon Theme]
Inherits=Pulse-Glass

...which is in effect, what alternatives does using symlinks.

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 13:56:28

There is no 'default' folder in '/usr/share/icons'

stretch@debian-lappy:/usr/share/icons$ ls -a
.            Faenza           Faenza-Darkest   HighContrast         scalable
..           Faenza-Ambiance  Faenza-Radiance  HighContrastInverse  Tango
Adwaita      Faenza-Dark      gnome            locolor              xchat.xpm
asunder.png  Faenza-Darker    hicolor          LowContrast

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 14:11:53

I tried creating the file /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme containing...

[Icon Theme]
Inherits=Pulse-Glass

... but it didn't seem to make a difference.

BTW I noticed that it only uses the Pulse Glass theme inside of Firefox and Thunderbird.

Last edited by SlickStretch (2014-09-25 14:13:46)

ToZ · 2014-09-25 14:28:51

SlickStretch wrote:

I tried creating the file /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme containing...
[Icon Theme]
Inherits=Pulse-Glass
... but it didn't seem to make a difference.
BTW I noticed that it only uses the Pulse Glass theme inside of Firefox and Thunderbird.

Did you log out and back in again?

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 14:37:00

I rebooted.

ToZ · 2014-09-25 14:58:02

Hmmm. Does the "Pulse-Glass" folder exist in /usr/share/icons?

ls -l /usr/share/icons/Pulse-Glass

ToZ · 2014-09-25 18:12:10

I downloaded and installed the Debian 7.6 Xfce cd into a VM and gave it a try. You are right in that the /usr/share/icons/default directory didn't exist. I created it, ran the install command and it worked. Here are the steps (specific for Debian 7.6):

1. Download and extract the Pulse Glass cursor theme (http://gnome-look.org/content/download. … 3ec09a706d).
2. With root privileges, copy the Pulse-Glass folder to /usr/share/icons
3. With root privileges, create the /usr/share/icons/default directory.
3. Settings Manager >> Mouse >> Theme, and select the Pulse-Glass theme.
4. Create an alternatives link. From a terminal window:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/icons/Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme 51

5. Select Pulse-Glass as the default X cursor theme:

sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme

...and select the Pulse-Glass theme.

6. Log out and back in again for it to take effect everywhere.

SlickStretch · 2014-09-25 21:06:22

That did it! Now It's working as intended. Thank you for your help ToZ!

cmcanulty · 2015-05-06 15:04:28

I have the same issue trying to make DMZ-Black-Large (size is 48) as universal. I switched to xubuntu to get rid of this long standing ubuntu bug now it has reverted to small white everywhere except fire fox I am having no luck doing your fix I have carefully tried to follow the steps with no luck can you please explain for dummies? I don't know what file to use or what number to use for DMZ-Black-Large as you used theme #51

Here is what I tried

[cmcanulty@ubuntu1:~$ sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/icons/DMZ-Black-Large/cursor.theme
[sudo] password for cmcanulty:
update-alternatives: --install needs <link> <name> <path> <priority>

Use 'update-alternatives --help' for program usage information.

Here is the output

cmcanulty@ubuntu1:~$ sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme
[sudo] password for cmcanulty:
update-alternatives: warning: alternative /usr/share/icons/DMZ-Black/cursor.theme (part of link group x-cursor-theme) doesn't exist; removing from list of alternatives
There are 6 choices for the alternative x-cursor-theme (providing /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme).

Selection Path Priority Status
------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursor.theme 100 auto mode
1 /etc/X11/cursors/core.theme 30 manual mode
2 /etc/X11/cursors/handhelds.theme 20 manual mode
3 /etc/X11/cursors/redglass.theme 20 manual mode
4 /etc/X11/cursors/whiteglass.theme 20 manual mode
5 /usr/share/icons/Adwaita/cursor.theme 90 manual mode
6 /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursor.theme 100 manual mode

Press enter to keep the current choice[*/], or type selection number:

Here is what I have in /usr/share/icons/
many including DMZ-Black-Large I would post a screenshot but there seems to be no option for attaching or pasting an image here]

Last edited by cmcanulty (2015-05-06 15:11:45)

GeneBenson · 2015-05-07 05:59:16

Hi cmcanulty,

I use galternatives for this as I much prefer a GUI solution. After choosing which cursor them you want to use start galternatives and in the left hand column scroll down to x-cursor-theme. Select it and in the right hand window select which cursor theme you want. When done logout/in and you should be good to go.

cmcanulty · 2015-05-07 12:39:32

i think my issue is i can't get the dmz-black-large to ever show up as an option

eugen-b · 2015-09-17 18:18:11

ToZ wrote:

I downloaded and installed the Debian 7.6 Xfce cd into a VM and gave it a try. You are right in that the /usr/share/icons/default directory didn't exist. I created it, ran the install command and it worked. Here are the steps (specific for Debian 7.6):
1. Download and extract the Pulse Glass cursor theme (http://gnome-look.org/content/download. … 3ec09a706d).
2. With root privileges, copy the Pulse-Glass folder to /usr/share/icons
3. With root privileges, create the /usr/share/icons/default directory.
3. Settings Manager >> Mouse >> Theme, and select the Pulse-Glass theme.
4. Create an alternatives link. From a terminal window:
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/icons/Pulse-Glass/cursor.theme 51
5. Select Pulse-Glass as the default X cursor theme:
sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme
...and select the Pulse-Glass theme.
6. Log out and back in again for it to take effect everywhere.

Hi ToZ!
I did the first 3 steps but the fourth step gives following error message:

$ sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme x-cursor-theme /usr/share/icons/oxy-orchid/cursor.theme 51
update-alternatives: error: cannot stat file '/etc/alternatives/x-cursor-theme': Too many levels of symbolic links

The same error occurs with other mouse themes.
This is happening on my MX-14 machine. There are really some symlinks in the theme folder, but this seems to be normal.
Ok, I checked the file /etc/alternatives/x-cursor-theme and it is a damaged symlink accordding to rightclick->Properties.
How is the file supposed to be when it's not broken?

I [SOLVED] the problem! I checked that the symlink /etc/alternatives/x-cursor-theme points to either cursor.theme or index.theme file in the chosen icon theme folder. So I backed it up and created a new symlink. Then issued the command in point 4 which gave some errors, s.th. about broken link and manual mode (I didn't save, sorry!), then issued the command in point 5 which asked me to choose the theme. I chose the manually created file for my preferred theme. The correct file was created /etc/alternatives/x-cursor-theme was created. After reboot I got the right cursor everywhere on the screen!
I hope this helps others with a similar problem.
And thank you, ToZ!

Last edited by eugen-b (2015-09-17 19:08:16)

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#1 2014-09-25 08:25:31

[Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#2 2014-09-25 10:25:45

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#3 2014-09-25 11:10:41

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#4 2014-09-25 12:41:01

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#5 2014-09-25 12:48:27

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#6 2014-09-25 12:58:27

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#7 2014-09-25 13:11:20

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#8 2014-09-25 13:26:28

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#9 2014-09-25 13:56:28

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#10 2014-09-25 14:11:53

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#11 2014-09-25 14:28:51

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#12 2014-09-25 14:37:00

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#13 2014-09-25 14:58:02

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#14 2014-09-25 18:12:10

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#15 2014-09-25 21:06:22

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#16 2015-05-06 15:04:28

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#17 2015-05-07 05:59:16

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#18 2015-05-07 12:39:32

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

#19 2015-09-17 18:18:11

Re: [Solved] Mouse pointer reverts to default when over certain objects.

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