sudo exo-open does not open files

[Goyo]

Binary package hint: exo-utils

Using Xubuntu Jaunty beta

Description: Ubuntu jaunty (development branch)
Release: 9.04
exo-utils 0.3.100-1ubuntu1

Create a text file sample.txt, open a terminal in the same directory and type:

user@host:~$ exo-open sample.txt
method return sender=:1.12 -> dest=:1.174 reply_serial=2

Mousepad opens the file as expected. Now type:

user@host:~$ sudo exo-open sample.txt
[sudo] password for user:
method return sender=:1.1 -> dest=:1.42 reply_serial=2

Nothing happens. The same with gksu, gksudo and sudo su.

[Vincent (vinnl)]

Same on Xubuntu 8.10 with latest updates.

vincent@hoera:~$ touch sample.txt
vincent@hoera:~$ exo-open sample.txt
method return sender=:1.6 -> dest=:1.172 reply_serial=2
# Mousepad opens
vincent@hoera:~$ sudo exo-open sample.txt
[sudo] password for vincent:
Error org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1
# Nothing appears
vincent@hoera:~$

Not sure whether this is an upstream issue, or whether it's sudo's fault, or whatever.

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thanks for reporting this bug and any supporting documentation. Since this bug has enough information provided for a developer to begin work, I'm going to mark it as confirmed and let them handle it from here.

I can confirm this behavior in Jaunty up to date as of 2009-04-05. However, I do not know the expected behavior of exo-open. If the file is to opened using mousepad, gksu must be used instead of sudo since mousepad is a GUI application.

Thanks for taking the time to make Ubuntu better!

[Goyo (goyodiaz)]

I think this is related and more of a show-stopper:

Press alt+F2, write gksu thunar, accept. Type your password.
Double-click on a text file or right-click it and select Open with "Mousepad" (or Abiword or whatever). Nothing happens.
The same with image files, didn't try other types.

[Goyo (goyodiaz)]

Charlie, the point is not the ability for opening files and launching programs but exo-open not properly handling urls when invoked as root.
The same behavoir can be observed form a root console (no sudo involved but for opening the terminal) and apparently from Thunar.

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

I do not find any issue with gksu thunar opening any text file. A double click on /etc/fstab opens fstab in Abiword; right-click allows me to open it in mousepad. The same procedure for a text file in ~/home works. I regularly test all associations I can during testing of the pre-release. I have seen no issues other than .png opens in thunderbird.

[Goyo (goyodiaz)]

After a restart all is going well:

user@host:~$ sudo exo-open sample.txt
Error org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1

There is an error message but mousepad opens the file.

I'm puzzled...

[Vincent (vinnl)]

Hmm yeah, if I now run gksudo exo-open blablabla, it works, and after that sudo exo-open blablabla also works... Still the error message though.

[Vincent (vinnl)]

Btw, I also have a custom action set up in Thunar that does gksudo "exo-open %f". When I use that to open a text file as root it sometimes doesn't work, or when I use that to open a folder as root and then double-click a text file it also occasionally doesn't work. It does work atm though.

[Goyo (goyodiaz)]

Maybe related?
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gpicview/+bug/357251

Vincent, I came to this trying that custom action and now I'm experiencing the same erratic behavoir, sometimes it work, sometimes don't --just as gksu exo-open from terminal.

I opened my home folder using the custom action and it worked. Then I tried to open a jpg file from there and got an apport message instead.

[Cody A.W. Somerville (cody-somerville)]

Works just fine for me.

[Thaddaeus Tintenfisch (thad-fisch-deactivatedaccount)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu. Jaunty Jackalope reached EOL on October 23, 2010.
See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Please upgrade to the latest version and re-test.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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