CDE Desktop logins

[Scott E Smith]

We have several users logging into an 11.0 server using DCE. All of the users get the same desktop configuration, icons, actions etc. I now want to add more users but cannot figure out how to give the new user the same desktop environment as everyone else. I did not create the original env and there is no documentation here to explain it. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can map the current configuration to brign it forward? Thanks.

[Pete Randall]

It should happen pretty much automatically but you can guarantee success by copying one of the existing user's ~/.dt subdirectory to new users home.

Pete

[Paul Sperry]

just add the user
then copy an existing users home .dt dir
into the new users home dir

[Scott E Smith]

Copying the source users' .dt directory to the new users had no effect. Is there soemwhere else in the .dt configuation where you can tell the system to get the desktop from some other location other than that of the users $HOME/.dt directory?

[Alex Glennie]

CDE works like this :

it will source customisations on a user basis first then look for system wide resources/defaults.

actions,colours etc can be set in a range of methods so without documentation it may not be so easy ....

my advise is create a new user, do they inherit the required customisations ? if yes all done ,if not we could infer that each user has relied on per user based customisations.

OK if this is the case :

log out of CDE, rm $HOME/.dt
try moving an existing users .dt dir in place (however I don't like the idea) , also check for the existence of a $HOME/.Xresources file, if one exists copy that over too then log into CDE ... result ?

If that fails try looking at xset -q and xrdb -q outputs but you will need to combine it with some knowledge of CDE/Xresources etc : I'd recommend the CDE sys Admin guide .... available on hp.docs ....

Or let us know what customisations you are after ... NB also look into the CDE style manager located on CDE's front panel ... looks like an artists pallette and acts like a gui front end to setting resources/ desktop preferences

[Greg OBarr]

Just in case you might have overlooked this, be sure to change ownership to the target user after you copy another user's ~.dt directory over.... Otherwise, it may not be able to access it and would defer to the system defaults...

-greg

[Scott E Smith]

OK, Here is where I am at. I copied a .dt/* from another (working) users' home directory. When I log in now everything seemd in order. I have correctly named workspaces etc. I discovered I need to have my desktop setting return to the home session each login instead of the last login session. Now there is only one more remaining issue. When I log in there is an application that runs automatically. I want to not have this happen. It also happens on the original working user as well. Thanks

[Alex Glennie]

2 ways to do this :

a) set session to Resume current session, on exit ensure application is still running ... it will most likely be started upon login again = messy

b) create a shell script called sessionetc in $HOME/.dt/sessions/sessionetc

make it executable

add the command line to start you application eg

/opt/netscape/netscape &

exit CDE and test.

fyi you can also create a sessionexit which will run at CDE logout eg to kill your applications gracefully ?