"Create New" from text editor does not work when xmgrace is launched from the GNOME menu

[Nicola Ferralis]

Binary package hint: grace

In xmgrace a new dataset can be created from en external text editor. To do so, the text editor is accessed through Edit->In Text Editor, or Create New->in text editor. Two different behaviors are observed though, depending if xmgrace is launched through the GNOME menu or from the terminal.

Xmgrace launched from the terminal: the text editor (nano) opens correctly in the terminal.

Xmgrace opened from the GNOME menu: the text editor does not open, although it is expected to.

The bug has been reported upstream, but qualified as a distro specific misconfiguration.

http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/Grace/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1962

But present in grace-5.1.22-5, on lucid.

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

The problem is in the fact that when the text-editor is launched within grace, the command:

sensible-editor

is issued. If grace itself was launched through the terminal, nano opens fine. However, when grace was opened through the GNOME menu, nothing happens. So the problem is related to the fact that nano can only be launched from the terminal. When launched as a regular, non-terminal application a new terminal should open with nano running in it, which does not happen.

I attach two patches, with two different workarounds:

1. text_editor_gnome.diff: I modified the gnome launcher (grace.desktop) to launch xmgrace as an application in the terminal (rather than a regular application). This allows nano to run.

2. text_editor.diff: I revert the debian configuration to the upstream default. Basically I removed the line:

--with-editor=sensible-editor \

from debian/rules. In this case, the editor (vim) opens with no problems, and regardless on how grace was launched. I personally like #2 better...

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Test builds (with patch text_editor.diff) available here:

https://launchpad.net/~grace-extended/+archive/ppa

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

From a brief discussion with Debian maintainer, a better solution is to use:

--with-editor="x-terminal-emulator -e sensible-editor" \

which preserve the USER preference for the text-editor. New patch available, as well as test builds.

[Alex Valavanis (valavanisalex)]

Forwarded upstream: http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/Grace/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1962

Marked as invalid upstream

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Attached debdiff. Subscribed sponsors.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package grace - 1:5.1.22-6

---------------
grace (1:5.1.22-6) unstable; urgency=low

  * rules: Run sensible-editor inside x-terminal-emulator.
    (Closes: #582154) (LP: #582399)
  * New patches:
    - non-resizable-dialogs.patch: Set certain dialog boxes to fixed sizes,
      preventing display errors and possible concealment of action buttons.
      (Closes: #253087)
    - superscript-subscript-scale.patch: Adjust {sub,super}script scaling to
      bring them more in line with LaTeX's style. (Closes: #279359)
    - nonlinfit_lorentzian_gaussian_2.diff: Add support for non-linear
      Lorentzian and Gaussian fitting. Written and contributed by Nicola
      Ferralis. (Closes: #578435) (LP: #535459)
  * control: Add Build-Depends on texlive-latex-{base,recommended} for
    regeneration of DVI documentation.
 -- Ubuntu Archive Auto-Sync <email address hidden> Fri, 28 May 2010 11:22:55 +0100