[clug] Centos 5 gnome .desktop app df -k

[Brenton Ross]

The problem is that the terminal only gets displayed while the program
is running. You need to have something for the user to dismiss when
they have finished with it. Zenity is one option, perhaps have a read
command at the end of your script so they can just hit Enter to dismiss
it.

Brenton

On Wed, 2019-07-31 at 21:25 +1000, Neil Pickford via linux wrote:
> I am just starting to get familiar with gnome on Centos 5.1 (Yes I know 
> its old but this is what the machine in question is running)
> I am more of a command line admin. In this case it is a gnome desktop 
> for operators.
> 
> What I am trying to do is create gnome App Link Icons for the operators 
> to assist them in the workflow they are performing with the Centos 
> machine that is importing large media archives from magnetic tape (LTO).
> Primarily the App Link is for allowing operators to see that the 
> destination volume is empty, full or half full.
> 
> The particular app function I am trying to replicate is a non 
> interactive Disk Free - or simply df -k to std output in a gnome window 
> that can then be closed by the operator or automatically closes after 10 
> seconds.
> 
> I have placed a file FreeDisk.desktop in the operational users ~/Desktop 
> directory which contains:
> 
>            [Desktop Entry]
>            Version=1.0
>            Encoding=UTF-8
>            Type=Application
>            Terminal=true
>            Exec='df -k'
>            Name=Free Disk
>            Comment=Show Free Disk Space on mounted file-systems
> 
> A new App Link Icon named 'Free Disk' appears in the gnome desktop when 
> I save the file - as expected.
> However when I activate the new desktop App Link lcon I get a quick 
> flash of a black terminal command window and then it disappears.
> I tested df -k as the operator user in a gnome-terminal and it works as 
> expected.
> 
> I changed the Exec= line to a number of variants below: - all did not work.
> df
> df -k
> df -k ; sleep 10
> /bin/bash 'df -k'
> 'df -k' ; sleep 10
> /bin/bash -c 'df -k'
> '/bin/bash -c df -k'
> 
> I even tried writing a bash script "FreeDisk.sh"  in the home directory:
> chmod +x FreeDisk.sh
> and executing that:
> 
> ./FreeDisk.sh
> works as expected
> 
> Exec=/bin/bash -c '~/FreeDisk.sh'
> results in the previously experienced terminal flash.
> 
> I have also changed Terminal=True to False
> - no change.
> 
> I also tried using:
> Exec=gnome-open '~/FreeDisk.txt'
> where FreeDisk.txt contains the std output of df -k
> 
> I suppose I could use Exec=gnome-terminal however I was really not 
> wanting to present an interactive terminal session rather an automated 
> macro that displays the data from df.
> 
> Looking at other previously placed operator desktop app icons such as a 
> log monitor the Exec line contains:
> Exec=tail -f /mountpoint/log/logfile
> 
> This seems to work as expected and is functionally similar to the 
> FreeDisk app link.
> The .desktop file has the same permissions and I even tried copying the 
> log monitor .desktop file and modifying the appropriate parameters.
> 
> What I am trying to do is pretty basic and simple - I can expand it 
> later when I make the basics work.
> 
> I am obviously missing some vital piece of the puzzle here, can anyone 
> help me out?
> 
> An yes I have googled this subject extensively and read many man pages, 
> btw there appears not to be a man page for gnome-open.
> 
> NeilP
> 
> 
> 
>