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List:       kde-user
Subject:    re: using kfm to set up new application
From:       Bruce Sass <bsass () freenet ! edmonton ! ab ! ca>
Date:       2000-04-12 23:19:05
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Hi,

This may be a failure to communicate issue.
I know I have been at a loss to figure out what you are doing (aside
from the obvious, `trying to make a desktop shortcut').

On Wed, 12 Apr 2000, Norman de Groot wrote:

> Several of you have responded to my question about using kfm to create an icon
> by which I can run a script, and I thank you.   I suspect that my
> continuing problem is more Linux than kde, but my excuse for asking the kde
> list is that I am using kfm to do the job.

> In my directory /home/user/netscape/package there is a script called netscape.

Ok, but strange.  Directories under /home are usually the home
directories for users and are named for the user they belong to.
e.g.  I have /home/bsass, /home/me, and /home/guest; each corresponds to
a login name (bsass, me, and guest respectively).  I would never
consider placing files or directories in /home that were specific to an
application because it would confuse others if I had a problem and
needed help, also there may be permission problems (the permissions of
an upper level directory are often more important than the permissions
on a file or directory itself).

>  (This has to do with the beta of netscape 6.)  If I  am in the ~package
> directory and invoke ./netscape things work correctly.

When I, or most other unix/linux people see "~package" we think
"/home/package" because "~" is shorthand for $HOME (the user's home
directory) and "~some-text" is a shortform for the home directory of a
specific user (namely the user whose login ID is "some-text").

The "." in "./netscape" represents the current working directory.
So, doing "./netscape" when in /home/user/netscape/package is equivalent
to typing "/home/user/netscape/package/netscape", the same sequence of
characters means /usr/bin/netscape if you type it on a commandline
when in the /usr/bin directory.

> I have copied the netscape script into /usr/bin, which is on my path.  I have
> also altered the PATH to include the directory (~package) that contains all the
> stuff needed to bring up netscape 6.  I then use kfm to create an icon and
> link to .usr/bin/netscape.
         ^^^
The "." is a typo, right.  It should be "/usr/bin/netscape"
As someone else pointed out, if the "netscape" script uses relative
paths to access other files then it will look in /usr/bin for those
files.

> No luck.  Clicking on the icon does nothing.  Trying to  run "netscape"
> from a terminal and while I am in any directory other than ~package gives an
> error message claiming that a needed file can't be found even though it is in
> the directory (~package) that is on path..

This means that the "netscape" script is not in your path <period>; 
well, ok, it could also mean that the script is not executable, but
"./netscape" works so it must be executable. What does this command
print to the screen: "echo $PATH".  If you change the PATH environment
variable you need to logout, then back in for the change to take effect. 
If you added "~package" to your PATH then the system will look for a
/~package directory (that is, a directory named "~package" in the /
directory. 

> I'm sure that I am simply missing or misunderstanding something. 

I agree.

> As an aside, I
> am struck with the amount of Unix-like screwing around is necessary with kde to
> get things to work.  In the much maligned windows world I haven't had to mess
> with DOS for years.

Well, KDE is not an OS!
It is just a bunch of processes running on your machine.
All unix/linux systems are built in layers.  At the bottom you have the
kernel, it knows how to communicate with tty's (which are text based); 
on top of that you have the X-windows system, it knows how to talk to
the kernel directly and provided the basic routines needed to display
graphics; next comes the window managers, session manager, etc., the
stuff that mediates between applications and X; next comes actual
applications programs. KDE is an integrated collection of programs that
provide window and session management, and all the little bits you
expect a GUI to do (drag'n'drop, click-to-open, etc.).

I sounds confusing and looks overly complicated, but it is a very
flexible way of doing things.  The trade off is that it can be a PITA to
configure everything if the developers didn't provide the necessary docs
or tools to address their special needs; it probably doesn't help that
netscape6 is a beta release.

> I would appreciate your help in making a kde icon to click to run netscape 6.

I would be interested in seeing what the .kdelnk files you are creating
look like.  .kdelnk files are text and can be included in an email.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask me questions; but please respond
with the output of "echo $PATH", "ls -lR /home/user", and the actual
.kdelnk file that is not working for you if you want me to repond to
this specific problem with netscape.


- Bruce

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