Gnome

This page stores useful information related to the Gnome desktop environment for Linux.

Links

• Gnome
• Gnome-Flasback], a lightweight 2D alternative to Gnome (previously Gnome Fallback).

General

Relevant applications (launchable from Gnome):

• Tweaks
• Extensions

Configuration

• Check the nice utility GNOME Configuration Editor (eg. gconf-editor /apps/gnome-terminal )
• Editing a file Open With list in Nautilus: right click on file → properties → go to Open With panel. Add new applications and/or select default application. Some relevant files ([1]):
  • /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache (global list)
  • ~/.local/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache (custom list)
  • ~/.local/share/applications/defaults.list (default action)

Edit home menu (apps, icons...)

Use Gnome application alacarte. Alacarte is an easy-to-use menu editor for GNOME that can add and edit new entries and menus.

Show Home Icons (and others) on Desktop

This tip can be used to show miscellaneous icons on the desktop:

• Open gconf-editor → apps → nautilus → check the appropriate boxes.

Configuring the Window List Panel

To configure the Window List Panel, one must right-click on the bottom left corner, right in the space that separates the Show Desktop button and the first window button. Interesting options are:

• Window List Content → Show windows from all workspaces
• Restoring Minimized Windows → Restore to native workspace

An alternate solution is to use the GNOME Configuration Editor (gconf-editor) in folder /apps/panel/applets/window_list_screen0/prefs/display_all_workspaces

Configuring Alt-Tab

Currently Gnome only allow Alt-Tab to scroll through Windows on the current workspace. This limitation is a known bug (see [2] and [3]). However this limitation can be circumvented using Compiz (see below).

Editing preferences of root

• To edit Appearance Preferences: gksudo gnome-appearance-properties

Move Min,Max,Close button to the right / left

Check this guide on HowToGeek or idea #23899:

• Open Gnome Config Editor
• Go to /apps/metacity/general, edit field button_layout
• Lucid default is maximize,minimize,close:menu
• Macbuntu default is close,minimize,maximize:menu

Restore defaults

E.g. for Compiz::

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz

Install / manage extensions

Extensions are installed via a web browser (ideally chrome).

First install the package

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

Then visit an extension page (https://extensions.gnome.org/), and install the browser extension. From that point on, extensions can be installed with a single click.

Using dconf and gsettings

gsettings

gsettings is the higher level command-line interface, on top of dconf.

mouse

gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse
# org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse natural-scroll false
# org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse speed 0.0
# org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse accel-profile 'adaptive'
# org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse left-handed false

dconf

Edit gnome setings via command line using dconf:

# List content - DIR must END WITH a bloody / !
dconf list /org/gnome/
# Set some values
dconf write '/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/profiles:/:b1dcc9dd-5262-4d8d-a863-c897e6d979b9/custom-command' "'env TERM=gnome-256color /bin/bash'"
dconf write '/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/profiles:/:b1dcc9dd-5262-4d8d-a863-c897e6d979b9/use-custom-command' "true"
# Dump a key
dconf dump /org/gnome/terminal/legacy/profiles:/
# Erase a key or folder
dconf reset '/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/profiles:/[:b1dcc9dd-5262-4d8d-a863-c897e6d979b9]/custom-command'

One advantage of dconf over gsettings is that it doesn't dump defaults. Very useful to list all custom changes in current sessions:

dconf /org/gnome/                 # List changes in current session

Mouse

dconf list /org/gnome/desktop/peripherals/
# touchpad/
# mouse/
dconf dump /org/gnome/desktop/peripherals/mouse/
# [/]
# accel-profile='adaptive'
dconf monitor /org/gnome/desktop/peripherals/mouse/

dconf-editor

Or there is also the GUI dconf-editor.

Desktop Theme

Macbuntu

A all-in-one package to customize Gnome desktop like a Mac. Amazing results!!!

• Macbuntu on SourceForge
• Macbuntu 10.04 GNOME-Look.org
• Mac OS X Lion Theme for Ubuntu 12.04

Complementary themes:

• GTK themes for Chrome

Mac4Lin

A all-in-one package to customize Gnome desktop like a Mac. Very similar to Macbuntu, but a bit too dark to my taste (+ has some issue with Opera input boxes...)

• Tutorial on MakeTechEasier for installing Mac4Lin on Ubuntu Lucid
• Official SVN repo with latest version
• long forum thread on Mac4Lin

Troubleshooting

• Opera — html input boxes have no border meaning they are not visible in most cases. To fix this, create a user stylesheet (Preferences → Content → Style Options...):

input {
	border-style: solid;
	border-width: 1px;
	border-bottom-color: #cccccc;
	border-left-color: #cccccc;
	border-right-color: #cccccc;
	border-top-color: #999999; 
}

textarea {
	border-style: solid;
	border-width: 1px;
	border-bottom-color: #cccccc;
	border-left-color: #cccccc;
	border-right-color: #cccccc;
	border-top-color: #999999; 
}

• Error message — when launching gvim in console:
(gvim:27586): WARNING **: Invalid borders specified for theme pixmap: /home/beq06659/.themes/Mac4Lin_GTK_Aqua_v1.0/gtk-2.0/Shadows/shadow-out.png, borders don't fit within the image

Other Mac OS-like themes

• GTK_Leopard_for_Linux_by_eamon63
• Apple OS X Tiger HOWTO on Flickr (very old though)

GDM

Reference documentation [4]

To hide face browser of known users in the login window (see also [5]):

sudo -u gdm gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list 'true'

Note that gdm settings are configured with user gdm.

GTK

Broadway

• https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/broadway.html

The GDK Broadway backend provides support for displaying GTK applications in a web browser, using HTML5 and web sockets.

Startup programs

See also .desktop.

• To edit startup programs in Gnome, go to menu System → System → Sessions → Startup programs.
• One can also create a script to wait a certain amount of time before launching the program (script command sleep).
• Startup programs are also listed in user home, in folder ~/.config/autostart. A typical entry looks like this:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=1.0
Name=No Name
Name[en_US]=Firefox
Comment[en_US]=Web Browser Firefox
Comment=Web Browser Firefox
Exec=firefox-2
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true

Change the last line to false to disable an autostart entry, or even override an system-wide auto-start entry.

Applications

Gnome DO

• My Gnome+launcher bookmarks on Delicious.
• Added 2 new repositories (to get latest version on openSUSE):
  • http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Mono:/Community/openSUSE_11.0+Mono/
  • http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Mono/openSUSE_11.0/
• To index Firefox bookmarks, they must be exported to .html. Type about:config in Firefox address bar, and change the settings browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML ← true.
• To add kde3 applications to catalog:

 sudo ln -s /opt/kde3/share/applications/kde /usr/share/applications/kde

• My default configuration:
  • Start Gnome DO at login
  • Hide window on first launch (quiet mode)
  • Show notification icon
  • Launch key: <alt>+space
    But 1st disable Gnome shortcut for Activate the window menu (System → Preferences → Keyboard shortcut - restart Gnome DO afterwards for change to take effect)
• Alternatives to Gnome Do:
  • Synapse
  • Kupfer (or [6])

Gnome Terminal

My default configuration

• Set default window size (per user) to 150x43
• Disabled keyboard shortcuts that conflict with midnight commander (see below)
• Set scrollback to unlimited lines

How to change default window size

• Per user (since Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid):
  Click on menu Edit → Profile Preferences..., in tab General, set Default size.

• System-wide:

sudo gedit /usr/share/vte/termcap/xterm
# Edit :co / :li to change the default width / height. E.g.:
#    :co#80:it#8:li#24:\

• Via Panel launcher:
  Right-click on launcher, Properties, change command to gnome-terminal --geometry=150x50+100+100.
• Via Application Menu:
  Same as above, but need to edit Application Menu (use Main Menu - System View).
• Via Terminal preferred application:
  Open GNOME Configuration Editor. Go to desktop/gnome/applications/terminal, edit value exec-args=-x --geometry=150x50+100+100.
  This is same as changing the settings in System → Preferred Applications → Terminal.
• Q? Is there any use to change the file /usr/share/applications/gnome-terminal.desktop? I hoped that it would change the default settings in Gnome DO, but it doesn't :-(...

Keyboard shortcuts

Disable the following shortcuts to avoid conflicts with Midnight Commander:

• menu shortcut key (F10)
• menu access keys (Alt+F)
• help (F1)

Gnome Keyring

Change password

• Only alternative is to change via the gnome control center. Found no CLI way.

Force reset password

• To force the password of the keyring (hence losing the keyring content), delete ~/.local/share/keyrings [7].

Nautilus

• To change icon size:
  • Change the zoom level (in the preference window, or in the toolbar)
  • Or right click on an icon, select Stretch icon, and drag icon corner to desired size ([8]).
• To prevent Nautilus to draw the desktop, use Configuration Editor [9]:

gconftool -t bool /apps/nautilus/preferences/show_desktop -s false

• To change default file association (Open With...) (see [10]),
  1. Right-click on a file of the type you wish to set a default application to open it with
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select the Open With tab (all makes sense, now, doesn’t it??)
  4. Select the application you want associated with that file-type
  5. Click OK

Nautilus Terminal

Nautilus Terminal is an integrated terminal for Nautilus.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:flozz/flozz
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nautilus-terminal

Gnome Screenshot

Use gnome-screenshot to take screenshot from the CLI [11]:

gnome-screenshot
gnome-screenshot --delay=3

Extensions

Caffeine

• https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/517/caffeine/

Custom Corners (DISCONTINUED)

• https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1037/customcorner/
• Discontinued.

Custom Hot Corners - Extended

• https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/4167/custom-hot-corners-extended/

Troubleshooting

Looking Glass

Looking Glass is GNOME Shell's integrated debugger and inspector tool.

To launch it, Alt-F2, then lg.

Uses:

• Debug extension issues (view error messages).
• Visually select any object from the shell's scene.
• ...

Journalctl log

sudo journalctl /usr/bin/gnome-shell

Restart Gnome

Alt-F2, then r. This will restart the Gnome Shell.

Bugs

• Wish [12] on Indicator-applet (Add action when double-clicking on an indicator applet)