I've downloaded a lua script for conky, but despite putting it tn both/home/.conkrc and /etc/conky/conky.conf, conky is still running from the previous (much smaller) script. I've even used synaptic to 'completely' remove conky and reinstall it then updating the files mentioned above with the script I want to use, but it sill uses the old one. Why? does conky keep a hidden copy of the original script somewhere else? I've included the updater conky.conf as the Attachments only seems to allow one file to be attached
hmmm I personally do not use conky from what I can find...
Here are few things to check.
Default config file locations On most Linux systems, Conky first looks for the configuration file in ~/.config/conky/conky.conf. If that does not exist, it may then look for ~/.conkyrc or /etc/conky/conky.conf. Since you mentioned putting the script in /home/.conkrc, there might be a typo or path issue the correct path is usually ~/.conkyrc (in the user's home directory, a hidden file), or ~/.config/conky/conky.conf.
File permission and ownership When placing config files in system directories like /etc/conky/, you need root privileges. Also, be sure you saved the updated config correctly with proper permissions. Using editors with sudo rights.
How you start Conky matters Sometimes the command running Conky specifies a config file explicitly (e.g., conky -c /path/to/config.conf). If you run Conky without a specified config, it will use the default locations mentioned earlier. It's worth checking how you launch Conky and whether it's using the new config or an explicitly specified old one.
No hidden copies Conky does not keep hidden cached copies of config files. It reads the config at launch or reload. If it still runs an old script, it means the config it's reading is not the updated one, or you are launching from an environment or script that forces a particular config path.
You could try
Verify the config you want is correctly saved at ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or ~/.conkyrc in your home directory.
Test launching Conky explicitly with your config: conky -c ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or wherever the new config is.
Check running processes or any startup scripts that may be launching Conky with an old config.
Consider removing or renaming old config files to avoid confusion
Hopefully that give you some ideas....
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thanks for the prompt reply, I copied the conky.comf file to my documents directory, edited it with mousepad, then (with Thunar opened as root) remaned the original files with a .old extension, copied the updated version back, where it still is. same for the .conkyrc file, I copied it from where conky installed it, edited it, and again with Thunar as root ,remaned the original files with a .old extension copied the new one to the original location, where it still is. There is currently no trace of the old conky.conf or .conkyrc (except with a .old extension), and conky is still starting with the previous configuration. I'm confused and a little frustrated.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I've downloaded a lua script for conky, but despite putting it tn both/home/.conkrc and /etc/conky/conky.conf, conky is still running from the previous (much smaller) script. I've even used synaptic to 'completely' remove conky and reinstall it then updating the files mentioned above with the script I want to use, but it sill uses the old one. Why? does conky keep a hidden copy of the original script somewhere else? I've included the updater conky.conf as the Attachments only seems to allow one file to be attached
Last edit: David J Dunmore 2025-07-29
Here's the updated conky.conf file
hmmm I personally do not use conky from what I can find...
Here are few things to check.
Default config file locations On most Linux systems, Conky first looks for the configuration file in ~/.config/conky/conky.conf. If that does not exist, it may then look for ~/.conkyrc or /etc/conky/conky.conf. Since you mentioned putting the script in /home/.conkrc, there might be a typo or path issue the correct path is usually ~/.conkyrc (in the user's home directory, a hidden file), or ~/.config/conky/conky.conf.
File permission and ownership When placing config files in system directories like /etc/conky/, you need root privileges. Also, be sure you saved the updated config correctly with proper permissions. Using editors with sudo rights.
How you start Conky matters Sometimes the command running Conky specifies a config file explicitly (e.g., conky -c /path/to/config.conf). If you run Conky without a specified config, it will use the default locations mentioned earlier. It's worth checking how you launch Conky and whether it's using the new config or an explicitly specified old one.
No hidden copies Conky does not keep hidden cached copies of config files. It reads the config at launch or reload. If it still runs an old script, it means the config it's reading is not the updated one, or you are launching from an environment or script that forces a particular config path.
You could try
Hopefully that give you some ideas....
Thanks for the prompt reply, I copied the conky.comf file to my documents directory, edited it with mousepad, then (with Thunar opened as root) remaned the original files with a .old extension, copied the updated version back, where it still is. same for the .conkyrc file, I copied it from where conky installed it, edited it, and again with Thunar as root ,remaned the original files with a .old extension copied the new one to the original location, where it still is. There is currently no trace of the old conky.conf or .conkyrc (except with a .old extension), and conky is still starting with the previous configuration. I'm confused and a little frustrated.