Discussion, talk and tips
https://forum.puppylinux.com/
Haven't been able to find any information on this in the forum.
Has anyone been able to change the jwm config like wallpaper and icons etc without having to commit a save everytime.?
I would assume it involves symlinking the jwm file from ./mnt in someway but has anyone achieved this or know a method to do this.?
What Puppy version?
You want the config to be the default setup of the original setup that is in the Puppy version ISO?
You will have to save it somehow. You can save the configuration to an adrv or ydrv instead of using the savefile.
Fossapup 9.5.
I was contemplating just moving the jwm file into a mnt directory and linking back in again...
@amethyst.
How do i achieve such a thing.?
@xenial - Well it all depends how you want to run your Puppy. If you do want to use a savefile my suggestion would be just to save the configuration the usual way to the savefile. If you want to run without a savefile, the configuration changes can be saved to a ydrv or adrv instead. So first decide what you want to do before we go further. If you want to go the adrv/ydrv route, report if you are currently using a savefile.
@xenial :-
'Kay... Yes, it can be done.....depending on what you're trying to do. I assume - by what you're asking - that what you want to do is to save "your" desktop set-up "as-is".....yes?
To the best of my knowledge, the exact file that actually controls all this is the PuppyPin file, at /root/Choices/ROX-Filer/PuppyPin. This is what records - in real-time - the exact positioning of every icon (down to the individual X-Y pixel co-ordinates), what that icon is, where it's being read from, what executable action it controls, what background wallpaper you're using (and where it's being read from), etc, etc. And it's ROX that controls this BTW, not JWM.
ROX controls the actual desktop, because the grid where you locate the icons on the desktop is in fact a ROX-Filer 'pinboard'.....so in that respect it's an extension of the file-manager. This gives the ability to 'link' to other items in ROX, and this is, of course, what enables the drag'n'drop functionality of the Puppy "desktop".
JWM, on the other hand, controls things like the appearance/layout of the 'tray' at the bottom or top, and from that it follows that JWM also controls the appearance of the Menu.....though it is of course linked to ROX to make it actually execute anything.
Wallpaper selection is controlled by resources at /usr/share/backgrounds, and the switcher script is usually at /usr/bin/wallpaper.
Icon selection, mm.....never used this one myself, 'cos it would never work with MY setups, so not sure where icon themes are located - but are usually administered via the script at /usr/sbin/icon_switcher, along with the theme being recorded at /etc/desktop_icon_theme. (EDIT:- /usr/local/lib/X11/themes, it seems).
It's a wee bit more inter-connected than you might think. You have to remember, Puppy's "desktop" is not a 'single-entity' DE, like most distros.....it's a combo of multiple items, each chosen for their lightness & ability to work well together.
So, again; what exactly is it that you want to do? A little more "flesh on the bones" would be good.... 
You can save this config stuff externally - outside of Puppy completely - followed by linking it back-in to the appropriate location. This way, it's NOT dependent on any form of Puppy 'save' behaviour at all, since it's in a 'permanent' external location (untouched by canine paws!)
Is any of this making sense? 
Mike. 
Incredible replies and thank you. 
My intention is to just change the background occasionally or the icon theme without saving all the time as i like a change of scenary occasionally. 
@xenial :-
You should be able to 'share' a common directory of backgrounds, a second one of icon themes, and a third one of cursor themes between Puppies. Copy these three externally, then sym-link them back into the correct place in each Puppy.
The switcher scripts are fine where they are, because they're standard to every Pup. What will need to be maintained separately will be the PuppyPin files - this is unique to each Puppy - because this is what records any changes you make, in real-time, as you make them. And if you're like most of us, each Puppy will have its own different look.....
I had a spell, some years ago, when my Pups kept losing their PuppyPin files; they kept going AWOL. Since my desktops are so highly customized, it's a real PITA having to set them all up again from scratch. So I devised a set of scripts that would save each Puppy's PuppyPin file to an external location at shutdown/re-boot. An entry under Menu->Desktop allows me to "reset" the PuppyPin file should this ever go wrong, or go missing again.
Touch wood, it's been working perfectly for the last few years.
Mike.