Add irexec,irxevent,... to session

[Martin von Wittich]

Binary package hint: lirc

irexec (from package lirc) and irxevent (from package lirc-x) are useful tools that enable lirc users execute programs (irexec) or generate keystrokes (irxevent). For these to work, they have to be added to the session (go to System - Preferences - Sessions - Startup Programs and add "irexec -d" and "irxevent -d", but that is not very user-friendly and many people don't seem to get this. If you google for irexec, you will see that many people instead try to hack it into their /etc/init.d/lirc, which is plain wrong because these tools have to run inside the user context.

I propose that the packages lirc and lirc-x should automatically add such tools (I name irexec and irxevent here because these are the ones I use, but there could be more) to the sessions of all users.

A possible drawback: running all these tools when the user has only configured some of them inside his lircrc wastes memory. We could either make this somehow configurable (but I don't know how), or parse /etc/lirc/lircrc and ~/.lircrc for the required programs and only add those to the session. /etc/init.d/lirc could reparse the files whenever neccessary, so when the user edits his .lircrc and adds e.g. irexec, the init script could modify the user's session to run irexec too.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Alec Leamas (leamas-alec)]

That these tools must run under the user session is not completely true. There are pros and cons, and usecases requiring irexec running as root outside the session.

Furthermore, to add session services to all users is not a well-defined task(?) e. g., new users added after package installation. And users which get's a surprise they did not expect.

The new version 0.9.4, currently in zesty - experimental has well-defined semantics: The global irexec service running as root is a standard systemd service, and lirc contains templates for defining a session service. While the details of this could be refined, I think this is the proper strategy to handle irexec and similar tools.

[Alec Leamas (leamas-alec)]

After a second thought I think this is wontfix. Setting up lirc is a complex task, and enabling a service in the standard session GUI tools is a small problem compared to other. Also, the 'parse .lircrc'approach just don't work since applications can store them anywhere. And does so.

[Alec Leamas (leamas-alec)]

So,I'm not allowed set it to wontfix. Setting Incomplete, please change you don't want this bug to be closed.

[Martin von Wittich (martin.von.wittich)]

Hi Alec, thanks for the feedback; I haven't used lirc for years, so I don't really care anymore ^^
Unfortunately I'm also not allowed to set the bug to wontfix, it just says "Doesn't fit with the project plans, sorry".