#868 Please, fix SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN in startlxde

[Vladimir Valeyev]

When both GTK+2 and GTK+3 installed there's a problem with theming -- with SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk manually set LibreOffice uses unthemed GTK+2, while the main toolkit in the system is GTK+3.
Since LibreOffice (and perhaps OpenOffice too) automatically detects toolkit libraries in the order gtk3 -> gtk -> kde4 -> generic, I think it would be ok to remove this variable at all (startlxde.in.diff.2) or to obey system-wide settings (startlxde.in.diff.1)

---

lxde-common-0.99.2

[Lonely Stranger]

Thank you for a report. Could you clarify your suggestion more, please? It's not clear from your patches. Do you suggest to eliminate 'export SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk' line?

[Vladimir Valeyev]

I think it would be better to remove the line. I'm not sure about OpenOffice, but recent versions of LibreOffice are fine without SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN environment variable. I have tested with LibreOffice versions 5.2.6.2 and 5.3.1.2 -- both of them correctly detect graphical toolkit (with the variable unset).

The startlxde.in.diff.1 patch is an alternative method to keep SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN variable, perhaps, for compatibility with older versions of Open/LibreOffice that do not automatically detect toolkit libraries. But I think it's not necessary any more.

[Loye Young]

Here's a rewrite of startlxde that will fix this issue and others, because it uses a user configuration file.

=========== UPDATE =================
Code below updated from original post. Separated configuration files openbox/environment and openbox/lxde-environment, with a few other minor corrections.

Consideration might also be given to using this script for creating a default $HOME/.config/lxsession/LXDE/desktop.conf if it does not already exist, and populating with intelligent guesses based on what is installed on the system.
=========== / UPDATE =================

#!/bin/sh

# startlxde
# This was rewritten by Loye Young <loye.young@iycc.net> 
# based on the original by Hong Jen Yee.
#

LOGFILE="$HOME/.startlxde.log"
echo > "$LOGFILE"
cat <<EOF >> "$LOGFILE"
$(date) START startlxde
EOF

# Set local system-wide configuration variables in $OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE
# Set user configuration overrides in $OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE, using syntax of:
## export NAME="value"

# =================== Default variables =======================================

## System settings -- You probably do not need to change these
OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_DIR="/etc/xdg/openbox"
OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_DIR/environment"
OPENBOX_LXDE_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_DIR/LXDE/rc.xml"
XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE="/etc/xdg/user-dirs.defaults"
## User settings -- You probably do not need to change these, either.
export XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
export XDG_CONFIG_HOME="$HOME/.config"
export XDG_USER_DIRS="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/user-dirs.dirs"
export XDG_DATA_HOME="$HOME/.local/share"
export XDG_MENU_PREFIX="lxde-"
export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="LXDE"
export USER_APPS_DIR="$XDG_DATA_HOME/applications"
export OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openbox"
export OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/environment"
export OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/lxde-environment"
export OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/lxde-rc.xml"

# SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN might be something you want to tweak
# To force the use of a certain VCL UI interface, use one of:
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=kde4
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk3
# Enable GTK3 integration for OpenOffice.org / LibreOffice, if available.
export SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN="gtk3"

# =================== Default environment file =======================================
# If no OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE, create one.
if [ ! -f "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE" ] ; then
    if [ -f "$OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE" ] ; then
        cp "$OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE" "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE"
    fi
fi

# Tell OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE to source the OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE
if ! grep -q "source $OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE" ; then
    echo "source $OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" >> "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE"
fi

# If no OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE, create and populate it.
if [ ! -f "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" ] ; then
    cat <<EOF >> "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE"
# The following were automatically populated by /usr/bin/startlxde

## System settings -- You probably do not need to change these
OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_DIR="/etc/xdg/openbox"
OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE="/etc/xdg/openbox/environment"
OPENBOX_LXDE_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_SYSTEM_CONF_DIR/LXDE/rc.xml"
XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE="/etc/xdg/user-dirs.defaults"
## User settings -- You probably do not need to change these, either.
export XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
export XDG_CONFIG_HOME="$HOME/.config"
export XDG_USER_DIRS="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/user-dirs.dirs"
export XDG_DATA_HOME="$HOME/.local/share"
export XDG_MENU_PREFIX="lxde-"
export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP="LXDE"
export USER_APPS_DIR="$XDG_DATA_HOME/applications"
export OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openbox"
export OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/environment"
export OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/lxde-environment"
export OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE="$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR/lxde-rc.xml"
# SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN might be something you want to tweak
# To force the use of a certain VCL UI interface, use one of:
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=kde4
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk
## SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk3
# Enable GTK3 integration for OpenOffice.org / LibreOffice, if available.
export SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN="gtk3"
EOF

fi

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
echo "$(date) This tests the variables in the environment file. Nothing done yet." >> "$LOGFILE"
cat "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- /Logging -----------------------------------

# =================== WORK =======================================

# Ensure the existence of the directories mentioned above
mkdir -p \
    "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" \
    "$XDG_DATA_HOME" \
    "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_DIR" \
    "$USER_APPS_DIR"

# If user's user-dir.dirs file does not exist, create it
if [ ! -f "$XDG_USER_DIRS" ]; then
    if [ -f "$XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE" ]; then
        source "$XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE"

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
        echo -e "\n$(date) $XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE says the following:" >> "$LOGFILE"
        cat "$XDG_SYSTEM_USER_DIR_DEFAULT_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

        touch "$XDG_USER_DIRS"
# Populate "$XDG_USER_DIRS"
        cat <<EOF > "$XDG_USER_DIRS"
XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/$DESKTOP"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/$DOWNLOADS"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/$TEMPLATES"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="$HOME/$PUBLIC"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/$DOCUMENTS"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/$MUSIC"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/$PICTURES"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/$VIDEOS"
EOF
    fi
fi
#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
echo -e "\n$(date) Contents of $XDG_USER_DIRS :" >> "$LOGFILE"
cat "$XDG_USER_DIRS" >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

# Source the user dirs
source "$XDG_USER_DIRS"

# Ensure user dirs exist
mkdir -p \
    "$XDG_DESKTOP_DIR" \
    "$XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR" \
    "$XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR" \
    "$XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR" \
    "$XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR" \
    "$XDG_MUSIC_DIR" \
    "$XDG_PICTURES_DIR" \
    "$XDG_VIDEOS_DIR"

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
echo -e "\n$(date) USER DIRS created" >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

# Source user configuration overrides.
# Note: If the user configuration override did not exist,
#       we fixed that in the "Default configuration file" section,
#       so we can reliably source it here. But even if it does not
#       exist, we already set the default variables, so no harm
#       is done.
if [ -f "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE" ] ; then
    source "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE"
fi

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
echo -e "\n$(date) Contents of $OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
cat "$OPENBOX_USER_CONF_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
echo -e "\n$(date) Contents of $OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
cat "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_ENVIRONMENT_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

# Ensure the existence of openbox config file
if [ ! -f "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE" ] ; then
    cp "$OPENBOX_LXDE_SYSTEM_CONF_FILE" "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE"
fi

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
if [ -f "$OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE" ] ; then
    echo -e "\n$(date) $OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE exists" >> "$LOGFILE"
else
    echo -e "\n$(date) No buedo: $OPENBOX_LXDE_USER_CONF_FILE" >> "$LOGFILE"
fi
echo -e "Next is clean up of GDM, using xprop. If error message, maybe it does not work. . . ." >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

# Clean up after GDM (GDM sets the number of desktops to one)
# Does this still work?
xprop -root -remove _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS -remove _NET_DESKTOP_NAMES -remove _NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP 2>> "$LOGFILE"

# Launch DBus if needed
if which dbus-launch >/dev/null && test -z "$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS"; then
    if test -z "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR" -o ! -S "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/bus" -o ! -O "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/bus"; then
        eval "$(dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session)"
    fi
fi

#--------------- Logging -----------------------------------
echo "Jiggy which debus-launch voodoo did or did not do something" >> "$LOGFILE"
echo "Now starting LXDE session. Good luck everybody." >> "$LOGFILE"
#--------------- / Logging -----------------------------------

# Start the LXDE session
exec /usr/bin/lxsession -s "$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP" -e "$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP"

[Sebastiaan Lokhorst]

Please remove the 'export SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gtk' line. GTK+2 support was removed in LibreOffice 6.4, released on 29 January 2020. commit