[Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

mfseeker · 2015-01-06 20:36:00

I have the following simple script running on my desktop XFCE debian Wheezy box:

#!/bin/sh
while true; do
xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path -s "$(find /media/Wheezy/home/stan/Desktop/Backgrounds-1/ -type f -iregex '.*\.$bmp\|gif\|jpg\|png$$' | sort -R | head -1)"
sleep 120
done

It recently stopped working. I have the same installation on another system, and it works there.

The strange thing is that if I run the script and then run

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop -m

The monitor shows the path changing every two minutes as instructed, but the image being displayed as the background doesn't change.

I have tried eliminating the finding of a random image and just specifying a single image whose path is given. The display background remains the same.

MountainDewManiac · 2015-01-07 00:46:35

You're using that to change your desktop background image every two minutes? If so, why not simply right-click on your desktop, select "Desktop Settings," and set the options on the bottom of the "Background" tab to Change the background (check the box to its left) "in minutes" 2 (the poor phrase order isn't mine, lol - that's how it's set up by the developer), random order (check the box to its left)?

Is it because the native XFCE procedure only allows for one folder to choose desktop images from? I can't decode scripts, but if yours pulls images from multiple images, that would make sense. If so... Is there any way to do that thing where you "create a folder" that's actually a link to another folder, only in this case it would link to multiple folders instead of one? IDK if that's even possible, but if so, it would allow a user to use the native process to pick images from more than one folder/directory/whatever.

Regards,
MDM

ToZ · 2015-01-07 05:16:06

Which version of Xfce and more importantly, which version of xfdesktop are you running? There was a significant change in backdrop processing that happened in 4.11.

Other things to check:

1. Is xfdesktop managing the desktop or something else? "ps -ef | grep xfdesktop" should help to tell if it is.

2. Run "xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop -m" and change the background using the regular Xfce desktop-settings dialog. Note the xfconf path that changes. Is it the same path as the one in your script?

mfseeker · 2015-01-07 15:21:40

I am running xfce4 4.8.0-3 and xfdesktop 4.8.3-2.

My versions do not give me a choice of changing backgrounds after a time interval.

When I right click the desktop and choose "Change Desktop Background", I do not have an option to set a time interval for changes. There is one background thumbnail that appears on the list that has a small circle with a checkmark overlaying the lower right corner. No other thumbnail shows this icon. The bottom of the main part of the control window has the same icon followed by "Changes throughout the day". There is nothing I can find to interact with this. Only the upper left thumbnail has the icon.

There appear to be two different ways of changing the desktop image. (1) I can right click on the desktop, choose "Change Desktop Background", select "Pictures Folder", and double click the desired thumbnail. (2) I can select Applications Menu|Settings|Desktop and see a limited range of predetermined images. However, single or double clicking on any of these does nothing. If I select "Image list" rather than "Single image", I get an empty list with no means of populating it short of adding one image at a time. (The instructions in "help" for doing this haven't given me enough information to create the list with the desired files in the right place.)

Are these two methods interfering with each other?

I need method (2) to work because I have two monitors, which I want to give different rotating backgrounds.

At the root of all this may be the failure of the command line xfconf-query to change the displayed image, even though it thinks that it has done so.

Running "xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop -m" and using method 2, double clicking a new icon does generate a new line in the "monitoring channel 'xfce4-desktop'" output, but it does not change the desktop image.

mfseeker · 2015-01-07 15:52:17

If I log in under Gnome Classic rather than xfce, I get the same inability of the screen to recognize a change in image created by

"xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path -s /home/stan/Desktop/Backgrounds-1/Chrysanthemums.jpg".

If I run this and then run

"xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path",

the result is "Chrysanthemums.jpg", but the background does not actually change.

This misbehavior is the same whether I am using Gnome Classic or xfce. Also, it does not matter whether I use GDM3 or LightDM.

ToZ · 2015-01-07 19:35:33

1. When you log in under Xfce, what is the result of the following command:

ps -ef | grep -i xfdesktop

2. In a terminal window, run the following command:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop -m

...then run go to Application Menu >> Settings >> Desktop and try to change the background. What exactly appears in the terminal window and does the background change?

It is possible that something else other than xfdesktop is managing your desktop which would explain why the background doesn't change (the first test will determine that for us). Its also possible that you have the wrong property in your script (the second test will check on that).

mfseeker · 2015-01-07 20:34:00

1. I get:

stan@ssd-deb:~$ ps -ef | grep -i xfdesktop
stan 16139 16123 0 11:42 ? 00:00:02 xfdesktop --display :0.0 --sm-client-id 2e456670e-ec9e-4dac-9104-2d837368cfe1
stan 20664 20621 0 16:25 pts/1 00:00:00 grep -i xfdesktop

2. I get

Start monitoring channel 'xfce4-desktop':
------------------------------------------------

Property '/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-image' changed
Property '/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-single-image' changed
Property '/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path' changed
Property '/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-single-image' changed

[The duplication here is likely due to double clicking rather than single clicking the new image choice.]

Here is the verification that the new image was selected, even though not displayed:

stan@ssd-deb:~$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path
/usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/Forrest.jpg

So, if something else is managing my desktop how to I find what it is?

ToZ · 2015-01-07 23:18:05

mfseeker wrote:

So, if something else is managing my desktop how to I find what it is?

It looks like xfdesktop is managing your desktop (since its running).

Can I see your whole xfce4-desktop xfconf tree:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv

Sideburns · 2015-01-08 02:01:56

I'm using whatever version of Xfce comes with Fedora 19. (Will be moving to Fedora 20 RSN.) In Desktop Settings, the Background tab has a + and a - sign to add or remove images. If you click on the +, you get a normal file selection window that allows you to select images from whatever directory you want.

mfseeker · 2015-01-08 12:26:13

ToZ wrote:

mfseeker wrote:
So, if something else is managing my desktop how to I find what it is?
It looks like xfdesktop is managing your desktop (since its running).
Can I see your whole xfce4-desktop xfconf tree:
xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv

stan@ssd-deb:~$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/brightness 0
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/color1 <<UNSUPPORTED>>
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/color2 <<UNSUPPORTED>>
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/color-style 0
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/Forrest.jpg
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-show true
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-image /home/stan/Desktop/Backgrounds-1/Chrysanthemums.jpg
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-image-list /home/stan/.config/xfce4/desktop/backdrop.list
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-single-image /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/Forrest.jpg
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/image-path /home/stan/.config/xfce4/desktop/backdrop.list
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/last-image /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/Crow.jpg
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/last-image-list /home/stan/.config/xfce4/desktop/backdrop.list
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/last-single-image /usr/share/xfce4/backdrops/Crow.jpg
/windowlist-menu/show-submenus false

sixsixfive · 2015-01-08 14:17:45

whats your output of "ps ux"? are you 100% sure that there is no other file-manager(nautilus, caja, pcmanfm, etc.) or application(feh, nitrogen, fbdesk) running that can handle desktops?

mfseeker · 2015-01-08 15:57:59

Nautilus is the source of the problem. Thanks so much for your careful attention.

I have been using Debian for many years, but I have only recently switched from Gnome to XFCE. I'm not going back. Finally, when I want to find something, I can. Dealing with settings in Gnome was a pain for me.

Warmest regards,

Stan

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#1 2015-01-06 20:36:00

[Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#2 2015-01-07 00:46:35

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#3 2015-01-07 05:16:06

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#4 2015-01-07 15:21:40

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#5 2015-01-07 15:52:17

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#6 2015-01-07 19:35:33

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#7 2015-01-07 20:34:00

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#8 2015-01-07 23:18:05

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#9 2015-01-08 02:01:56

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#10 2015-01-08 12:26:13

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#11 2015-01-08 14:17:45

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

#12 2015-01-08 15:57:59

Re: [Solved] xfce4-desktop works but doesn't change the background

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