Xpad autostarts with login even if not configured to do so

[Matias de la Cruz]

After updating Xpad from 4.5 (4.5.0-3 Arch) to 4.6 (4.6.0-1 Arch) I noticed that the program autostarts after login.
I checked both in Openbox and XFCE.

I checked 'Preferences' in case somehow the related option had been reset but it was still unchecked.

[Arthur Borsboom (arthurborsboom)]

Hi Matias,

After implementing a defaulting autostart setting, I can image the existing autostart option in the preferences does not work as it should. This needs to be fixed somehow.

As a workaround, you can delete the file: /etc/xdg/autostart/xpad.desktop

After that, the setting in the preferences should work as before.

[Matias de la Cruz (matness)]

Hi Arthur,

in order to implement a default autostart wouldn't it have been easier to simply set the preferences autostart setting to 'checked' by default?
Even though I haven't figured out by now where that setting is written to (default-style file doesn't seem to list a standalone autostart setting) that could be a potential approach to solve the current situation.

[Arthur Borsboom (arthurborsboom)]

The preference setting in Xpad should write a file to ~/.config/autostart/xpad.desktop which is a personal preference.
The /etc/xdg/autostart/xpad.desktop is a system-wide (and privileged) setting.

I need to think of a way to deal with the combination of these two.

[Matias de la Cruz (matness)]

The file is indeed written as far as I have been able to check. This, though, makes the system-wide setting a bit confusing.
Unless, of course, you want to allow the system administrator to enforce the start of the program for all users due to its privileged nature.
If so, still, especially in order to provide (visual) feedback to the logged user, the startup option should appear checked.
The user-wide file be created too? In my humble opinion, no. At least not as it works right now.
I would create it as a sort of 'non autostart setting' if you want to keep the system-wide one at all cost but allow a user-wide setting to override it. This would also avoid the redundancy of 'autostart files', especially the user-wide one.

In my humble opinion and if no 'enforcement' idea is on your mind, that should do the trick.
Even though, on my behalf, I like the 'only user-wide setting' approach more than dealing with a single, system-wide and privileged file.

My .02 cents.

[Arthur Borsboom (arthurborsboom)]

You are right. I am going to revert the change that introduced the system wide autostart of Xpad.
After giving this some more thought, I believe this is a decision for the Linux distribution makers.

However, I will enable the default autostart at the user level, which the user can change in the preferences.
I will schedule this for the Xpad 4.7.0 release.

[Arthur Borsboom (arthurborsboom)]

And maybe I should add a check for a system wide setting.
If this is the case, then the preference should be greyed out with a comment or so.

[Matias de la Cruz (matness)]

Any hint on what the comitted fix will look like (#5 and/or #6)?

[Arthur Borsboom (arthurborsboom)]

"I am going to revert the change that introduced the system wide autostart of Xpad."
http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~xpad-team/xpad/trunk/revision/780

"However, I will enable the default autostart at the user level, which the user can change in the preferences."
http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~xpad-team/xpad/trunk/revision/781

[Matias de la Cruz (matness)]

Thanks Arthur.

Regards