Tray Icons Suddenly Stop Working in Unity

[Seyed Mohammad Ghaffarian]

I use some application with tray icons, including StarDict (from standard repos), StarCal (installed from third-party) and some Java programs that have tray icons. The problem is that after awhile working, the tray icon of these programs stop responding! Although the program itself is working fine!

One thing to note is that this doesn't happen with the native "indicators", like "indicator-multiload". I use many indicators and all of them always work fine, but the tray icon of applications such as StarDict and Java programs suddenly stop working.

I wasn't sure what information to provide; so if any of the developers needs additional information, just let me know about it.

Hope this can be fixed soon, cause it's really annoying ...

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: unity 4.24.0-0ubuntu2b1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 280.13 Wed Jul 27 16:53:56 PDT 2011
 GCC version: gcc version 4.6.1 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.1-9ubuntu3)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,place,compiztoolbox,gnomecompat,imgpng,vpswitch,unitymtgrabhandles,session,mousepoll,grid,resize,move,regex,wall,wobbly,animation,workarounds,expo,fade,ezoom,scale,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sat Dec 17 23:51:14 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation GT216 [GeForce GT 320M] [10de:0a2d] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Sony Corporation Device [104d:9072]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
JockeyStatus:
 xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
 xorg:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (post-release updates) (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
MachineType: Sony Corporation VPCCW2QGX
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-14-generic root=UUID=b9d8b073-12f7-4979-8b73-fe57e7da9a2e ro vga=792 quiet splash pcie_aspm=force vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/14/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R0170Y7
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR0170Y7:bd05/14/2010:svnSonyCorporation:pnVPCCW2QGX:pvrR5846069:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: VPCCW2QGX
dmi.product.version: R5846069
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu6
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu26
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20110811.g93fc084-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

[Bilal Akhtar (bilalakhtar)]

Does this happen only with Java programs or with all apps using the old systray?

[Seyed Mohammad Ghaffarian (s-m-ghaffarian)]

Hey Bilal;

As I mentioned in the bug description, this also happens with other applications using system tray, such as the "StarDict" package from Ubuntu's standard repos and another example is "StarCal" from which you can acquire from the following link:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/starcal/

[Seyed Mohammad Ghaffarian (s-m-ghaffarian)]

Hey Bilal;

As I mentioned in the bug description, this also happens with other
applications using system tray, such as the "StarDict" package from
Ubuntu's standard repos and another example is "StarCal" from which you can
acquire from the following link:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/starcal/

On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 3:35 AM, Bilal Akhtar <email address hidden>wrote:

> Does this happen only with Java programs or with all apps using the old
> systray?
>
> ** Changed in: unity (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[Aaron Roydhouse (aaron-roydhouse)]

I started noticing the same problem with system tray icons in 11.10 in January. At some point in my session all the system try icons stop responding. The applications still work, however the system tray icons do not respond to any mouse clicks. The native/indicator element are not affected. All the system tray icons stop working at the same time. The particular apps for me are: Skype, Remmina, Empathy, and Chrome.

If I quit/kil an app, e.g. Remmina, the Remmina system try icon will disappear. If I re-run the app, the system tray icon will appear again, in the left-most location, but it still won't respond to clicks.

Restarting the panel service ( killall unity-panel-service ) does not fix the problem, the panel comes back but system try icons still don't work.

A complete unity restart via ( unity --replace ) does work, but that's not much of a fix because usually Unity loses windows, stuffs up window/unity stack orders, loses the launcher, or does all the not-wonderful things Unity does on multi-monitor set-up. So in the end the only fix I have right now it to log out completely.

I have yet to work out the exact trigger than cause system tray failure. I only started getting is this month, but others have reported the same thing back to June 2011.
http://askubuntu.com/questions/46788/is-it-possible-to-restart-the-unity-panel-without-restarting-compiz

[Seyed Mohammad Ghaffarian (s-m-ghaffarian)]

I was pretty busy lately, and didn't had time to find the cause. But in the following week I'm going to spend some good time finding the exact trigger to this problem. I will report this as soon as I find out the cause.

One thing to note is that my Unity settings are different from default.

Using CCSM I have changed some Unity settings as follows :
    1- "Hide Launcher" is set to "Never".
    2- "Backlight Mode" is set to "Backlight and Edge Illumination Toggles".
    3- I have also enabled "Wobbly Windows".

Also, using "gnome-tweak-tool" I have turned OFF "File Manager Handle Desktop" (Files in the Desktop folder are not shown on my desktop).

[Vladimir Lushpenko (vladimir-lushpenko)]

i have had exactly same problem, but i was unable to find steps to reproduce it. this problem has gone several time ago - i think after update to unity 5, but instead i've got https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/932769

can anyone with unity 4 try to perform steps described in https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/932769 ? i believe this bug and my have same roots

[Aaron Roydhouse (aaron-roydhouse)]

I still get this problem with stock 11.10 almost every day. It occurs more often when I am using just one screen (laptop). For me the trigger appears either related to suspending and resuming (as it is after resuming that I most often note the system tray icons have stopped working) or to using Remina full-screen.

I guess I'll try what comes with 12.04, but that is the last chance for me. My 6-month experiment with using Unity full-time continues to be miserable. If all the major Unity problems with the task bar and with multi-monitor support aren't sorted with 12.04 it's sadly time to move on from Ubuntu :-(

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

is that still an issue in Ubuntu 12.04?

[Vladimir Lushpenko (vladimir-lushpenko)]

for me this bug has gone away long time ago, as i described above. so for me this is not an issue in 12.04 (but #932769 still is)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for unity (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Unity because there has been no activity for 60 days.]