Weird problem: Thunar + Gedit

[hunger]

Background: Running the Fedora 16 Xfce spin. In Applications > Settings > Preferred Applications, Gedit is set as my default text editor, while Thunar is set as my default file manager.

gedit-3.2.6-1.fc16.x86_64
Thunar-1.3.0-4.fc16.x86_64

Problem: When, from Thunar, I try double clicking to open text files, nothing happens. On the next immediate attempt, the file opens in Gedit, but the mouse turns into a spinning wheel for a while. On the other hand, if i select the file, right click, and select "Open with 'gedit'" the file opens immediately without any spinning wheels.

No problems whatsoever opening text files from Pcmanfm, which makes me think that there's something wrong with Thunar.

I've tried right clicking files from Thunar, selecting Properties. The files do show they are supposed to open with Gedit. I've even tried using a custom command ("gedit") but that does not fully resolve the problem either; makes it so that on first attempt nothing happens, but on second attempt the file opens without a spinning wheel.

Anybody have any ideas?

[BBQdave]

Originally Posted by hunger

Anybody have any ideas?

I ran into the same thing. Ultimately I would open gedit first, then select the file to open. No delay or sluggish response opening a file through gedit.

[stoat]

Originally Posted by hunger

No problems whatsoever opening text files from Pcmanfm, which makes me think that there's something wrong with Thunar.

Did you try that immediately after a reboot and before trying with Thunar?

This won't help any, but I first noticed this issue with Thunar and Gedit maybe six or seven months ago. It made its way onto my little list of irritating things while I was trying Fedora 15 with XFCE. At the time, I noticed that nobody else was posting about it. I eventually gave up on Fedora 15 altogether, but soon the Thunar-Gedit thing started in my Arch Linux system which also uses XFCE. It still happens today. But it also happens the first time I double-click a file associated with Gedit in the Xfe file manager. After the first delayed opening in either file manager, both file managers open files with Gedit normally (until the first try after the next reboot). So I still sort of think it's a Gedit thing which is why I tend to reach for Xfe and associate text files in it with Xfw (X File Write) in Arch. My other Linux system doesn't even have Gedit, so this is not really a big deal to me any more. I only wrote this because this is the first post I've seen about anybody else noticing this issue.

[hunger]

Originally Posted by stoat

Did you try that immediately after a reboot and before trying with Thunar?

Don't believe I rebooted before trying it with PCManFM. Think I just went back and forth during testing.

I found a related bug report:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=785497

[secipolla]

I suspect it's passing a wrong parameter to gedit.
Right-click>open with uses gedit's desktop file so it works properly, direct click uses exo-open's (preferred applications) 'helper' file.
I don't have gedit here but this is what I would do to troubleshoot:
Search for all gedit desktop files in /usr/share/applications. Look at the Exec keys they use (if more than one desktop file).
Also check gedit's command-line options.
Now open ~/.local/share/xfce4/helpers/<filemanager> and compare then correct if needed.

[mmix]

manually, compiled XFCE 4.10 in F17, it works fine.

Thunar 1.4.0
Gedit 3.4.2

[hunger]

Originally Posted by secipolla

I suspect it's passing a wrong parameter to gedit.
Right-click>open with uses gedit's desktop file so it works properly, direct click uses exo-open's (preferred applications) 'helper' file.
I don't have gedit here but this is what I would do to troubleshoot:
Search for all gedit desktop files in /usr/share/applications. Look at the Exec keys they use (if more than one desktop file).
Also check gedit's command-line options.
Now open ~/.local/share/xfce4/helpers/<filemanager> and compare then correct if needed.

Thanks. Actually, "Open with" doesn't work either. I initially thought it did, but I think it just did because I was trying that immediately after double clicking. "Open with," if not preceded by double clicking, does not necessarily work.

I've looked at the following but am not spotting anything weird:

• ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
• gedit.desktop
• /usr/share/xfce4/helpers/Thunar.desktop

[secipolla]

Basically it looks like gedit is misbehaving. Have you tried to double-click or 'Open with' and wait to see if it eventually opens after some time?
Does it give any warning on ~/.xsession-errors when you try the first time?
What are the contents of gedit.desktop ?

[hunger]

Originally Posted by secipolla

Basically it looks like gedit is misbehaving. Have you tried to double-click or 'Open with' and wait to see if it eventually opens after some time?
Does it give any warning on ~/.xsession-errors when you try the first time?
What are the contents of gedit.desktop ?

Double clicking the first time doesn't seem to work even after waiting. I'm not sure if I've ever had a complete failure with "Open with."

Don't see any errors in ~/.xsession-errors that mention geditm Thunar, or xfdesktop.

Abbreviatd contents of gedit.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]

Exec=gedit %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
StartupNotify=true
MimeType=text/plain;
Icon=accessories-text-editor
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Utility;TextEditor;
X-GNOME-DocPath=gedit/gedit.xml

X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Bugzilla=GNOME
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Product=gedit
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Component=general
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Version=3.2.6
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-ExtraInfoScript=/usr/libexec/gedit/gedit-bugreport.sh
X-Desktop-File-Install-Version=0.18

I can post more parts if you want. I mostly just cut out the names and descriptions.

[secipolla]

And does it open normally if you launch it from the menu (the first time after you login)?(ok, has been answered already)
Also copy gedit.desktop to ~/.local/share/applications/ and change
Exec=gedit %U
for
Exec=gedit %F

or try setting 'StartupNotify=false'.

I just saw that the new gedit, in which this issue is solved, has the same desktop file. Maybe it's trying to open 'gedit --new-window' and since there's no window already opened it fails(?)

Anyway, I use LXDM and I noticed, just mentioning, that when I used GDM and I opened a Thunar window from file-roller, the window would open quickly but the busy cursor would remain for a while.
This was in another installation so other may be the reasons it changed but now file-roller opens a Thunar window without any busy cursor.
So another thing you may try to edit in your local gedit.desktop (maybe the first thing to try) is to remove all X-GNOME entries as (who knows) maybe GDM interferes?

All semi-blind guesses.

[hunger]

Originally Posted by secipolla

And does it open normally if you launch it from the menu (the first time after you login)?(ok, has been answered already)
Also copy gedit.desktop to ~/.local/share/applications/ and change
Exec=gedit %U
for
Exec=gedit %F

This did not work.

or try setting 'StartupNotify=false'.

This appears to get rid of the spinning wheel. But, the general problem persists.

My hunch is that it's something in Xfce or Thunar, since the problem doesn't occur from PCManFM. But, who knows ...

[secipolla]

If you think you have nothing to loose, you can upgrade to Xfce 4.10 http://repos.fedorapeople.org/repos/kevin/xfce-4.10/
It works fine but it's a different version and thus has different issues.
(and in my experience - not only with Xfce - the best is to start with fresh settings for its components)

[hunger]

This problem is persisting after updates.

-- Fedora 17
-- Thunar-1.3.0-6.fc17.x86_64
-- xfdesktop-4.8.3-3.fc17.x86_64
-- Xfce 4.8

[stevea]

Yes, I see this on F17. However emacs as the default editor never fails.

The gedit processor is hung and waiting in background btw.
I *suspect* gedit is doing some dbus chatter and not recognizing the non-gnome peer response.

[hunger]

Originally Posted by stevea

Yes, I see this on F17. However emacs as the default editor never fails.

Haven't seen the problem with Geany either. I have, however, seen the spinning wheel with programs besides Gedit. For example, I think I've seen the spinning wheel at least once with Libre Office. Not sure if those experiences are related to the Gedit problem though.