#280 Executing text files is broken

[Mikael Löfgren]

It is not possible to execute scripts anymore by double clicking on them in XFE when the following dialog box is unchecked: 'Edit/Preferences/Dialogs/Confirm execute text files'
The expected behavior is that when the option is checked a dialog should pop-up when an executable is double clicked and when the option is unchecked double clicking on executables should silently run them.

I really hope this is a bug and not a change of concept. If it is a change of concept please reconsider it. Why not make the safe option of having the option activated the default on new installations, but still let users decide if they want to be able to silently execute scripts by double clicking.

The last version where this behavior works as expected is v1.43.2. It does not work as expected in v1.45.

[Roland Baudin]

Hi, I can't reproduce the issue with Xfe 1.46. Could you give me some test case?

[Mikael Löfgren]

Thank you for investigating the report.
I will test in 1.46 and if I am able to reproduce it in this new version I will try to provide you with a test case.

[Gary Ludwig]

Version 1.4.6.2

Confirming Issue:
If Edit>Preferences>Dialogs>Confirm execute text files, is unchecked bash script programs will not execute.

Here is a test script you can use to confirm, it requires that YAD is installed on the system. Save and make executable.

Thanks

[Roland Baudin]

Thanks for the test script. That's strange because I still can't reproduce the bug. I tested with Xfe 1.46.2 in Ubuntu 24.04.1 and a fresh ~/.config/xfe profile.
What is your system? What does Xfe do when you double click on the script?

[Mikael Löfgren]

Late response to this one.

I have tested on Debian stable (both Debian 12 and 13) with XFE v2.1.13.

With the following settings I expect XFE to silently execute executable text files when I double click them, but nothing happens:
Edit/Preferences/General/'Don't execute script files' is 'Unchecked'.
and
Edit/Preferences/Dialogs/'Confirm execute text files' is 'Unchecked'.

With the following settings XFE will ask what to do when I double click executable text files (the expected behavior) and execute them if I click that option in the pop-up:
Edit/Preferences/General/'Don't execute script files' is 'Unchecked'.
and
Edit/Preferences/Dialogs/'Confirm execute text files' is 'Checked'.

The possibility to configure XFE to silently execute executable text files is broken on recent versions of XFE. At least on Debian. But it was working with older versions, like v1.43.2.

My workaround right now is to use the following settings:
Edit/Preferences/General/'Don't execute script files' is 'Checked'.
and
Edit/Preferences/Dialogs/'Confirm execute text files' will be grayed out (not available).
and
Edit/Preferences/Programs/'Text editor' set to 'openstudio-txtexec'

With these settings XFE will open all text files, executable or not, with the shell script I set as default text editor. The script '/usr/bin/openstudio-txtexec' (see the attached script) will silently execute executable text files inside directory '~/Applictions' and open all other text files, executable or not, in the text editor i selected in the shell script: Geany in my case.

Fell free to use and modify the script as you want. This workaround solves the issue for me, so that I can use XFE the way I want :)

[Roland Baudin]

OK, I reproduced and fixed the issue. Thanks for the feedback.
The fix will be available in the next release.

[Mikael Löfgren]

Thank you.
This ticket can be closed now.