Disappearing Volume Setting Launcher (Solved)

[mikeslr]

I remastered Xenialpup32. The remaster captured all my installed applications, customizations and settings with one exception: the Volume Settings Launcher which AFAIK appears on the far-right of the Taskbar/default-main panel of every Puppy.

Volume Setting Launcher.png (8.96 KiB) Viewed 587 times

It may be a timing thing. For a moment it does appear. But then when Wifi configuration is started it disappears and after Wifi setting are established it does not reappear.

What is it? It's not just retrovol or alsa-sound-wizard. What creates it? How do I get it back?

[williams2]

AFAIK, the sound volume icon in the tray is retrovol -hide

What happens if you type:
killall retrovol
retrovol -hide

[mikeslr]

Thanks williams2,

Your instructions do re-establish the Volume Launcher. Per lxterminal:

root# killall retrovol
killall: retrovol: no process killed
root# retrovol -hide
Cannot read file: /root/.retrovolrc
Using defaults...

And the launcher appeared on the panel. Only to disappear once the lxterminal was closed. However, it appeared again once I restarted-x. Curious about "Cannot read file: /root/.retrovolrc", I examined /root/ with 'show hidden files' and even after all the above there was no .retrovolrc. Even changing the color of the icon didn't create that file.

P.S. I examined several puppy_version_#.sfses, including the original

I'll Save, reboot and see what happens.

Edit: Posting after reboot. It didn't exactly survive a reboot. The launcher didn't appear. But when the above terminal commands were repeated it did, and even had the above mentioned change of color. Still no /root/.retrovolrc.
Searching revealed that .retrovolrc is exists as /usr/share/retrovol/dot.retrovolrc.

What are your thoughts about placing a script in /root/Startup? With some timing delay? There is already this -- /root/Startup/autostart/retrovol.desktop -- but that's just retrovol without such other things as being able to change the launcher's color or bring up the Multiple Sound Card Wizard; and it doesn't generate the launcher.

p.s. I examined several puppy_version_#.sfses, including the original puppy_xenialpup_7.5.sfs and the SaveFile incorporated into the remaster. None have a /root/.retrovolrc.

[williams2]

killall: retrovol: no process killed

means that retrovol wasn't running (but it should have been)

Cannot read file: /root/.retrovolrc
Using defaults...

you don't have a config file. It's ok, you don't need one.
You may have had .retrovolrc before, but the remaster script didn't save it.
Just running retrovol once should create a .retrovolrc file.

If retrovol is runing in the terminal window, it will be killed if the term window is closed.
If you start retrovol like this you can close the term window without killing retrovol:
retrovol -hide &
or better still:
retrovol -hide &disown

if you want, you could work around the problem by putting a script in /root/Startup, something like:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
sleep 10
killall -q retrovol
retrovol -hide

which does not fix the problem and is very crude, but would probably be effective.

[williams2]

What are your thoughts about placing a script in /root/Startup?

We seem to have the same kind of devious minds.
Or maybe "great minds think alike"?

Do you have a menu when you right click the retrovol icon?
I think maybe you should.

this might be better:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/ash
sleep 10
killall -q retrovol
exec retrovol -hide

EDIT: .retrovolrc is automatically created the first time retrovol runs.

[williams2]

FWIW, retrovol seems to be started in the script /etc/init.d/10alsa (in BionicPup64)

[PipzDex]

I remastered Xenialpup32. The remaster captured all my installed applications, customizations and settings with one exception: the Volume Settings Launcher which AFAIK appears on the far-right of the Taskbar/default-main panel of every Puppy.
Volume Setting Launcher.png

It may be a timing thing. For a moment it does appear. But then when Wifi configuration is started it disappears and after Wifi setting are established it does not reappear.

What is it? It's not just retrovol or alsa-sound-wizard. What creates it? How do I get it back?

Hi @mikeslr

In Xenialpup retrovol 0.14 is used if I'm not mistaken and for it to work or boot normally it needs a "boot" file located in /root/.config/autostart (retrovol.desktop)
If not, it simply won't start with the system, this option was previously executed from / usr / sbin / delayrun and said file did not occupy
I attach the complete pet, you can replace the retrovol version completely or copy only the desired files

[bigpup]

This is what is in retrovol.desktop file.

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Type=Application
NoDisplay=true
Name=retrovol
Exec=retrovol -hide

[PipzDex]

This is what is in retrovol.desktop file.

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Type=Application
NoDisplay=true
Name=retrovol
Exec=retrovol -hide

Hi @bigpup
Indeed, that is the information that the file must carry that allows retrovol 0.14 to start with the system.
In version 0.15 of retrovol, that file is no longer there and apparently you no longer need it to start the system (this version is the one I use)
It should be located in the /root/.config/autostart folder and it should start without problems

I hope this works properly

Note: Inside / bin, there must be a file called "xdg_autostart.sh"
In my case at first it gave me problems since it did not activate the accesses that were within autostart until I could solve it

[amethyst]

@mikeslr - As far as the remaster process and remaster script goes: I did a clean frugal install of Xenial 32, made a few configuration changes (including some volume changes) and saved changes to a savefile. Rebooted and did a remaster using my remaster script. I did not encounter any of the problems with the remaster with regards to things disappearing or otherwise. So you can rule out the remaster script.

[mikeslr]

@ Pipdez, thanks for the pet. I'll dissemble it and see what parts may be needed in the remaster --mount, copy, dir2sfs-- hopefully avoiding the need to remaster from scratch.
@ amethyst no criticism of NicOS-Utilities-Suite Remaster was intended. I've used it many times without a problem. But for things to work 'all the stars must align', including my not somehow screwing it up.

[amethyst]

@ Pipdez, thanks for the pet. I'll dissemble it and see what parts may be needed in the remaster --mount, copy, dir2sfs-- hopefully avoiding the need to remaster from scratch.
@ amethyst no criticism of NicOS-Utilities-Suite Remaster was intended. I've used it many times without a problem. But for things to work 'all the stars must align', including my not somehow screwing it up.

I know but I just wanted to test it for myself to rule out any possible problems with the remaster.

[mikeslr]

Just wanted to say thank you again to PipzDex who provided a pet earlier in this thread which solved the problem.
But TBH, I don't know why. I mounted the remastered puppy_xenialpup_7.5.sfs, copied its file into a folder. Then extracted PipzDex's pet and examined each of its files against the corresponding files in that folder. The folder already had each file in the pet. But, I took the opportunity to replace the files in the folder with those from the pet. Then dir2sfs the folder and substituted the new puppy_xenialpup_7.5.sfs for the original remaster. On bootup the Volumn Setting Launcher appeared and remained on the taskbar even after wifi was established.
My best guess is that there must of been some slight error in the files in the initial remaster. I'll call it 'a fluke'.
Finally, let me thank williams2 again for his efforts. I'm pleased that we share the same kind of devious mind. It's served me well in the past. I'm sure it will serve of both well in the future.

[PipzDex]

Just wanted to say thank you again to PipzDex who provided a pet earlier in this thread which solved the problem.
But TBH, I don't know why. I mounted the remastered puppy_xenialpup_7.5.sfs, copied its file into a folder. Then extracted PipzDex's pet and examined each of its files against the corresponding files in that folder. The folder already had each file in the pet. But, I took the opportunity to replace the files in the folder with those from the pet. Then dir2sfs the folder and substituted the new puppy_xenialpup_7.5.sfs for the original remaster. On bootup the Volumn Setting Launcher appeared and remained on the taskbar even after wifi was established.
My best guess is that there must of been some slight error in the files in the initial remaster. I'll call it 'a fluke'.
Finally, let me thank williams2 again for his efforts. I'm pleased that we share the same kind of devious mind. It's served me well in the past. I'm sure it will serve of both well in the future.

Hi @mikeslr

I am grateful that my pet has helped you to solve your problem, at least in part ...

This is supposed to be the "retrovol -hide" option but somehow it's not working

At least I have another option made in my own version of puppy

I add this entry in / usr / bin / delayedrun

Code: Select all

retrovol -hide ${BGOPT} &

and with that I don't need the file "retrovol.desktop" to start

Maybe you can try this option since you are remastering xenial

Cheers!!

[mikeslr]

Hi again PipzDex,

Your pet solved the problem; but after a reboot it didn't. What was supposed to place the retrovol launcher on the task bar was /root/Startup/autostart/retrovol.desktop, where the forgoing autostart folder in /root/Startup/ is a symlink to /root/.config/autostart.
[My guess is that while fiddling during remastering I failed to add the latter. @ amethyst: your remaster-classic does a much better job if I don't do a final check and modify things. ].
At any rate, for whatever reason, ".../autostart/retrovol.desktop" was being ignored. So I added a bash-script ala williams2 earlier on this thread in the /Startup folder itself.

I have no idea how many remasters preceded the last. Trying to track-down when and what interferes with the original functioning system would be a waste of time. You really can't appreciate how great a job our Devs do with their original publications until --trying to permanently add some 'Bells & Whistles'-- you've broken stuff.

[amethyst]

your remaster-classic does a much better job if I don't do a final check and modify things.