gnome-panel fails to load Workspace Switcher, Window List, and Show Desktop applets

[Eliah Kagan]

Binary package hint: gnome-panel

On a Natty i386 system with gnome-panel 1:2.32.1-0ubuntu6, without graphics acceleration (so it is a classic desktop, even though the session type in GDM is "Ubuntu Desktop Edition", I logged on, and received messages indicating that all of the applets in my bottom panel were unable to load, except for the Trash Applet. That is, the applets that could not load were the Workspace Switcher, the Window List, and the Show Desktop applets. Here were the exact error messages, each in its own window (with "Error" as the title):

The panel encountered a problem while loading "WnckletFactory::WorkspaceSwitcherApplet".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

The panel encountered a problem while loading "WnckletFactory::WindowListApplet".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

The panel encountered a problem while loading "WnckletFactory::ShowDesktopApplet".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

I've attached a screenshot, showing the desktop with these message boxes, as well as the mostly unpopulated bottom panel.

This bug looks like bug 716714; perhaps this is a duplicate of that bug. I wasn't sure, so I decided to report it separately. There are a number of other bugs involving the failure of panel applets to load (a couple recent examples are bug 715706 and bug 727660), but as far as I can tell only bug 716714 involves the failure of these specific three panel applets to load. Two possibly notable differences between bug 716714 and this one are that (1) bug 716714 took place with the live CD, and this is with an installed system, and (2) the reporter of bug 716714 can reproduce the bug, but it's not always those specific panels that are unable to load (he indicates that in a previous run, it was the Notification Area that failed to load). I have not yet attempted to reproduce this.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: gnome-panel 1:2.32.1-0ubuntu6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-5.32-generic 2.6.38-rc6
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-5-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Mon Mar 7 06:46:01 2011
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/gnome-panel
GConfNonDefault:
 /apps/panel/general/applet_id_list=[indicator_appmenu_screen0,trashapplet_screen0,workspace_switcher_screen0,window_list_screen0,show_desktop_button_screen0,indicator_applet_screen0,notification_area_screen0]
 /apps/panel/general/object_id_list=[menu_bar_screen0,object_2,object_4]
 /apps/panel/general/toplevel_id_list=[bottom_panel_screen0,top_panel_screen0]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha i386 (20110304)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-panel
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
XsessionErrors: (nautilus:5653): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

Here's my ~/.xsession-errors file. (I renamed it so that I could see it in the file upload dialog box.)

The part that seems most relevant is:

** (gnome-panel:5657): WARNING **: Failed to load applet WnckletFactory::ShowDesktopApplet:
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: No such interface `org.gnome.panel.applet.AppletFactory' on object at path /org/gnome/panel/applet/WnckletFactory

** (gnome-panel:5657): WARNING **: Failed to load applet WnckletFactory::WindowListApplet:
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: No such interface `org.gnome.panel.applet.AppletFactory' on object at path /org/gnome/panel/applet/WnckletFactory

** (gnome-panel:5657): WARNING **: Failed to load applet WnckletFactory::WorkspaceSwitcherApplet:
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: No such interface `org.gnome.panel.applet.AppletFactory' on object at path /org/gnome/panel/applet/WnckletFactory

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

Like in bug 716714, when I clicked Don't Delete in all three windows and then logged out and back in, I got a similar error, but in a different panel applet (the Indicator Applet). The message box's contents now are:

The panel encountered a problem while loading "IndicatorAppletAppmenuFactory::IndicatorAppletAppmenu".
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

And the relevant entry in ~/.xsession-errors says:

** (gnome-panel:6994): WARNING **: Failed to load applet IndicatorAppletAppmenuFactory::IndicatorAppletAppmenu:
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: No such interface `org.gnome.panel.applet.AppletFactory' on object at path /org/gnome/panel/applet/IndicatorAppletAppmenuFactory

A screenshot of the new variation of the error message (and the desktop without its Indicator Applet) is attached.

After a bit more testing, if I don't see anything to indicate differently, I'll mark this as a duplicate of bug 716714.

[Carla Sella (carla-sella)]

It happens to me during the live test (non persistent one) of Natty Beta 1 20110328 iso

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

@Carla
Since this is a duplicate of bug 716714 (plus, what you've experienced more closely resembles what was reported there, anyway), you should post that information there, and also indicate that bug 716714 affects you by using the green "This bug affects ..." link at the top of the page, if you have not done so already. You may also want to subscribe to that bug. (Also, please note that Natty will not be in Beta 1 until March 31st; see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/NattyReleaseSchedule.)

Since you are not subscribed to this bug or that one, perhaps you will not see this message--therefore, I will also send a private message.

[AnushaSameer (always-happy-abhi)]

go to your home folder

press cntl + h

then your home folder will display hidden files

check whether any of the folders is locked

right click on the folder then click "properties". In that Click "permissions".

In owner, change folder access to "create and delete files."

And then click "Apply Permissions to Enclosed files"

If you cannot see any locked folders then select all folders and do the above