Help me understand Alt-F2 or the LXDE Run Command

[utu]

.
I would expect to be able to put an executable command like
mc, ifconfig, vrms, or even less /var/log/syslog into the
little applet that appears either with Alt-F2 or the LXDE
menu choice 'Run'. But neither of these work for me.

Can anyone help me with this?

[Werner P. Schulz]

The starter from LXDE can only run GUI tools, not CLI tools because it doesn't offer the ability to run an application in a terminal. It's another thing with the starters from Gnome, KDE or XFCE4.

Greetings Werner

[utu]

Hi, Werner

I don't see how Alt-F2 or the 'Run' choice are even useful in LXDE.

[Werner P. Schulz]

With 'Run' from LXDE (http://www.wp-schulz.de/grafiken/run-lxde.png) you can only start GUI-tools (which are in the users path)!

With 'Run' from Gnome you can start GUI-tools (http://www.wp-schulz.de/grafiken/run-gnome.png) and CLI-tools (http://www.wp-schulz.de/grafiken/run-gnome-terminal.png).

Greetings Werner * http://www.wp-schulz.de/knoppix/summary.html
Own Rescue-CD (Knoppix V6.7.1 remaster)

[utu]

I understand that, but the GUI tools are already menu choices.
Moreover, the LXDE MENUs allow cli entries as well as gui entries.

And, confusingly, the Run/Alt-F2 gui OFFERS a lot of cli choices that don't work,
and even one, alsamixer, that causes a cpu problem;
at least it does on my dual-cpu laptop.

The forum has identified (and corrected) several small flaws in 6.7.1 this year.
I think Run/Alt-F2 may be another area worth a critique.

[Werner P. Schulz]

It is not a flaw from Knoppix!

LXDE

lxpanelctl rundon't offer this feature to start CLI tools in a terminal. Please ask in the LXDE forum why not.

[utu]

Hi again, Werner

I greatly respect and appreciate your comments.

I'm not suggesting that irregularities in Run/Alt-F2 are KK's fault,
except, possibly, in the choice of LXDE as the desktop.

I was hoping when I started this thread to discover a better way of
handling several LXDE Run/Alt-F2 idiosyncracies which I've identified.
Just tolerating these imperfections is not what I had in mind.

I get the feeling that change comes very slowly in LXDE, at least in this
Debian adaptation. I would wonder if Knoppix might do as well or better
with XFCE, which seems to me to be a more actively developed product.

Staying with LXDE, I am inclined to edit my LXDE menu to delete the
Run alternative, and to add a new separate submenu of my own
populated with a dozen or so of my favorite cli choices.
Being lazy as I am, I was hoping there might be an easier way.

[klaus2008]

Hi, utu!

If you must run a program in a terminal like mc you can press Alt-F2 and issue
lxterminal -e mcGreetings

[Werner P. Schulz]

Why this detour over "Alt F2"? I start a terminal immediatly with the panel-button.

[klaus2008]

The terminal closes automatically when the program ends. :)

[utu]

@ Klaus2008

Greetings, Klaus; thanks for your comments.

I've also noted that lxterminal -e (in either Run or Alt-F2)
works for mc, alsamixer and less /var/log/syslog
but does not work for vrms, ifconfig, dmesg


@ Werner & Klaus

I just ran across an interesting gui editor for the LXDE menu,
or at least the apps part of the menu. Looks neat. Installs
very painlessly. Find this at

http://lxmed.sourceforge.net/

Doing away with 'Run' isn't a capability of this editor, unfortunately.

[kl522]

I've also noted that lxterminal -e (in either Run or Alt-F2)
works for mc, alsamixer and less /var/log/syslog
but does not work for vrms, ifconfig, dmesg


You need to emulate "keep the window open" behaviour by doing something like this :-



lxterminal -l -e "dmesg | less"
lxterminal -l -e "ifconfig ; read INP "
It's quite painful to need to issue such commands. Maybe the GUI should be the one which encapsulate all this, with an option to run program in a terminal window and "keep the window open". Should probably be suggested to the author of lxpanelctl, perhaps.

Cheers.

[utu]

@ kl522

Thanks for your comments.

I suppose one could, with your help, tailor each command this way, but it's
still much easier to just to call up a 'real' lxterminal and enter the cli command.

My point here is the action of LXDE's Alt-F2/Run is just weird in the absolute,
let alone compared to several other well-established alternative standards.


@ To all concerned

I've spent a few minutes only with lxmed, but I already see a caveat to my
initial enthusiasm. lxmed does not seem to be an editor, but a composer.

The initial configuration which one edits is one based on one of four basic
linuxes: Debian, Red Hat, and (two others, but I forget which). This Debian
configuration does not exactly match Knoppix 6.7.1, notably missing out on
Knoppix's Universal Access submenu altogether.

lxmed may serve the purpose, but I'd make a copy of all relevant files before
applying any changes made by lxmed to a working Knoppix install.
We'd all probably do that anyway, I know.

[kl522]

@ kl522

Thanks for your comments.

I suppose one could, with your help, tailor each command this way, but it's
still much easier to just to call up a 'real' lxterminal and enter the cli command.

My point here is the action of LXDE's Alt-F2/Run is just weird in the absolute,
let alone compared to several other well-established alternative standards.


This is not something I put emphasis on and I have no experience using other desktops in this 'run' dialog. So I can't compare the "other well-establish alternative standards".

But for the minimum, I noticed that you get the same thing in Windows XP. Try to enter 'ipconfig', 'route' etc into Windows Start->run. It will not work properly !

On the other hand, I think it's a trivial source code change to add two checkboxes, one checkbox for 'run program in terminal emulator' and another checkbox for 'keep terminal emulator window open'. It's a matter of whether the author feels like wanting to add this into the 'run' dialog.