Awesome-WM hangs on startup if ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua exists

[Victor Engmark]

As the title says, when pressing Mod4+Control+r or logging in after restarting, awesome-WM hangs indefinitely. How to reproduce:
1. Log in to awesome-WM without *any* custom configuration
2. mkdir ~/.config/awesome/
3. vim ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua
4. Add a configuration directive
5. Mod4+Control+r

This resulted in an empty desktop and no application windows anymore. I tried first to reboot and log in again, but that didn't work (it hung with just the background image from the login screen showing).

5. Ctrl+Alt+F1
6. vim ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua
7. Removed the only line in the file, and saved.
8. Mod4+Control+r

Hung again.

9. Ctrl+Alt+F1
10. rm ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua
11. killall awesome
12. Log in again

This worked. I've tried to add other configuration directives afterwards, but no go. It *always* hangs if ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua exists.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: awesome 3.4.5-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-30.61-generic 2.6.35.13
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-30-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia wl
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Nov 4 15:09:26 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64+mac (20101008)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: awesome

[Joshua Downer (joshua-downer)]

I use awesome on Ubuntu 10.10 with a ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua file. It works fine. I suspect that the problem is in the rc.lua file itself. What you are describing is something that I have often seen when I have made an invalid change to the rc.lua -- are you using a custom rc.lua or a copy of /etc/xdg/awesome/rc.lua? I can't remember if you have to set it up manually, but errors in my rc.lua are usually logged in ~/.xsession-errors, so you might want to bring up a text terminal (<ctrl><alt><f1>) and take a look for any clues. Otherwise, it would be useful to attach a copy of your rc.lua file to this bug.