system-config-printer not reachable in menus of GNOME shell

[Martin-Éric Racine]

/usr/share/applications/system-config-printer.desktop has the hidden option enabled, which prevents users from locating the tool from within GNOME 3, now that the System menu is gone as of GNOME 3.2. It needs to be enabled.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: system-config-printer-gnome 1.3.6+20110831-0ubuntu9 [modified: usr/share/applications/system-config-printer.desktop]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
CupsErrorLog:
 W [14/Oct/2011:01:57:44 +0300] failed to AddProfile: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.Failed:profile object path '/org/freedesktop/ColorManager/profiles/PDF_Gray__' has already been added
 W [14/Oct/2011:01:57:44 +0300] failed to AddProfile: org.freedesktop.ColorManager.Failed:profile object path '/org/freedesktop/ColorManager/profiles/PDF_RGB__' has already been added
Date: Fri Oct 14 17:14:54 2011
Lpstat: device for PDF: cups-pdf:/
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude D430
PackageArchitecture: all
Papersize: a4
PpdFiles: PDF: Generic CUPS-PDF Printer
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=fi:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=fi_FI.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=cd9a1998-9fb2-4208-aba6-bc2ba8f5e36a ro panic=15 quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: system-config-printer
UdevDb: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei ole
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 06/20/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A01
dmi.board.name: 000007
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA01:bd06/20/2007:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeD430:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn000007:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude D430
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

system-config-printer is accessible via clicking the gear/log out button at the upper right and choosing "Printers" in the menu or choosing "System Settings" in the menu and after that clicking "Printing" in the Control Center.

Which desktop type are you using? Is system-config-printer not available there?

[JaSauders (jasauders)]

The above bug is in regard to Gnome Shell in Ubuntu 11.10. I too am having this same issue and it is driving me crazy. The advanced printer preferences are gone, so I cannot add a printer based on IPP or LPD or anything like that.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

I think that the many issue is that with all the options having changed location since GNOME 3.2, nobody knows where to find it.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

I think that the many issue is that with all the options having changed location since GNOME 3.2, nobody knows where to find it. Anyhow, while it's there, it talks about requiring ipp-client or samba-client components to locate printers. These components are either missing or not functioning properly.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Note that this was an upstream GNOME design decision: they wanted to have their simplified printer setup tool in the control center, so we set things up that Unity would use system-config-printer, and GNOME shell/classic the upstream GNOME tool.

So it's technically behaving as intended.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

We could show it in the application search only (not in control-center) by providing a second .desktop file with OnlyShowIn=GNOME and the control-center keys dropped, I believe.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Martin-Éric, I do not get any complaints about missing ipp-client or samba-client components. Can you tell me how you get them? By the way, the smbclient package is installed by default and the IPP client part is provided by CUPS, also installed by default.

[JaSauders (jasauders)]

While it may be "technically" behaving as intended, the bottom line is this change has stripped features I normally use.

Case and point:

My network printer was not automatically discovered. Therefore, I wanted to add it via IP using LPD as I always have in the past. Where do I go for that now? I see zero accessibility for end users to handle this task. This is why it's so frustrating. Features that once existed and were heavily utilized are now either misplaced or gone.

Logic would suggest adding an "Advanced" menu for users to manually put in the settings they need for their printers. Why can't we have that? Just an Advanced button that calls for system-config-printer or something along those lines. It would solve so many headaches, as several relatives of mine already on 11.10/Gnome Shell are already running into this.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

GNOME shell is intended to get a GNOME 3 behaving exactly as upstream, Unity is intended to get the best user experience for Ubuntu users.

To make system-config-printer at least accessible through the menus like a desktop application. I will add a GNOME shell menu entry for it and make the updated system-config-printer package available as an SRU. Please test it when we announce its availability here.

[JaSauders (jasauders)]

I understand it's behaving as intended. I just have to disagree with the reasoning behind it as I've already ran into several questions regarding this exact scenario, and Ubuntu 11.10 w/ Gnome Shell hasn't even been out for two days yet.

What exactly is an SRU? Also, if you make a change to Gnome Shell would that package effect Ubuntu users only or would it be the same for Fedora users as well? Reason I ask is I know it was a concern with two Fedora colleagues of mine as well. If this is something we should take up with Gnome developers so EVERYBODY gets the same update (if they push one) I'm all for it. Patching Gnome Shell for Ubuntu only patches it for Ubuntu users... Which... would be nice... but I don't view it as a real "fix" in some regard.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

I also prefer that system-config-printer is made the default printer tool in GNOME shell/classic ...

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Having the Printer setup applet appear in control-center is fine, I suppose, except that it fails at detecting printers right now.

[ebvigmo (erik-vigmostad)]

When I click + to add a printer, I get the message about ipp, ippclient, samba client also. But it finds my printer. When I click on it and click Add it seems to hang (Add button looks like it is still depressed). Printer doesn't get added. Suggestions?

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

ebvigmo, please report a second bug (for the package gnome-control-center) for this issue, as this is a problem of the printer setup tool in gnome-control-center.

Martin-Éric, your messages about missing ipp-client and samba-client are not from system-config-printer, but from gnome-control-center (the new printer setup tool is a part of gnome-control-center). Please report a separate bug, for the package gnome-control-center.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

Rodrigo, pitti, it seems that the new printer setup tool of GNOME 3 does not work at all under Ubuntu. Should this tool get fixed or should we switch over to system-config-printer to work around the problem?

[ebvigmo (erik-vigmostad)]

I got it to work by choosing LPD instead of IPP protocol.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

For Oneiric we will leave gnome-shell with the GNOME printer tool. An SRU for fixing it is uploaded. See bug 877367.

[Till Kamppeter (till-kamppeter)]

For Precise we will work on enhanciong GNOME's tool with functionality of system-config-printer. Therefore I am closing this bug now.

[Brett Sutton (bsutton)]

This needs to be re-opened as it is still a problem 12.04.
The system settings still has a dicky printer configuration tool.
I had a problem where I couldn't print due to an authentication problem (samba)
The only solution was to launch the system config printer tool from the command line so I could authorise the job.
I understand and agree with the need to provide a simplifed user experience but removing core functionality is not the way to achive this.

[Peter Maunder (peter-maunder)]

I would have been helped if the installation notes had drawn attention to this printer definition problem. It is not immediately obvious that system-config-printer in a terminal would bypass this basic bug. Luckily it was my machine, not one of my older users who discovered that series-2 was simpler than duplex, and series-4 meant -photo-tray.
  of course it is easy for me to criticise, I am not fixing the problem...

[Henry H. Snow (hhsnow)]

Confirming in Ubuntu 13.04 with gnome-classic (no-effects).

[Paál, Balázs (paalb)]

Ubuntu 14.04 gnome affected