Re: [gdm-list] gok/dasher config settings

["Patrick Shirkey" <pshirkey boosthardware com>]

On Sat, July 31, 2010 1:59 pm, Ray Strode wrote:
> Hi,
>
>> I would like to enable/disable gok and/or dasher using gconftool-2 but I
>> can't find any documentation that specifically shows how to
>> enable/disable
>> them. I have also looked through the system and .gconf folder and I
>> cannot
>> see how they are setup. I suppose it has something to do with the
>> .desktop
>> file and autostart but I cannot find exactly where or how that info is
>> processed. I have seen the .gconf/apps/dasher4 and .gconf/apps/gok
>> folders
>> arrive after the apps have started but I cannot find where the setting
>> to
>> start them is located.
> If you look at the desktop files in
>
>  /usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow
>
> you'll see lines like:
>
> AutostartCondition=GNOME
> /desktop/gnome/applications/at/screen_keyboard_enabledâ?¢
>
> That line shows the gconf key you need to enable.
>

I have set that key with the following command:

gconftool-2 -s -t bool
/desktop/gnome/applications/at/screen_keyboard_enabled  true

and I see the following in the gconf file

more .gconf/desktop/gnome/applications/at/%gconf.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
	<entry name="screen_keyboard_enabled" mtime="1281257645" type="bool"
value="true"/>
	<entry name="screen_magnifier_enabled" mtime="1276012936" type="bool"
 value="true"/>
</gconf>


However gok doesn't start for me at login and the accessibility settings
dialog "system->preferences/assistive technologies->preferred
applications" also doesn't show the setting as enabled. When I manually
check the "enable" checkbox for gok in the preferred applications
interface and grep the .gconf folder nothing shows up as a modification.

I am also missing the setting for dasher as it also does not show up.

So I ran a test whereby I disabled all the accessibility settings in the
assistive technologies panel copied the .gconf folder, enabled specific
settings in the assistive technologies panel and diffed the .gconf folders
each time.

I was surprised to find that when I set "enable assistive technologies"
diff returned empty. When I enabled "orca at startup" diff also returned
empty. When I enabled "gok at startup" diff returned the following:

=======================================
diff -r .gconf/desktop/gnome/applications/at/mobility/%gconf.xml
.gconf-clean/desktop/gnome/applications/at/mobility/%gconf.xml
3c3
< 	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281260785" type="bool" value="true"/>
---
> 	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281260668" type="bool" value="false"/>
diff -r .gconf/desktop/gnome/applications/at/visual/%gconf.xml
.gconf-clean/desktop/gnome/applications/at/visual/%gconf.xml
3c3
< 	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281260766" type="bool" value="true"/>
---
> 	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281259694" type="bool" value="false"/>
diff -r .gconf/desktop/gnome/interface/%gconf.xml
.gconf-clean/desktop/gnome/interface/%gconf.xml
3c3
< 	<entry name="accessibility" mtime="1281260781" type="bool" value="true"/>
---
> 	<entry name="accessibility" mtime="1281260671" type="bool" value="false"/>
diff -r .gconf/desktop/gnome/url-handlers/http/%gconf.xml
.gconf-clean/desktop/gnome/url-handlers/http/%gconf.xml
3c3
< 	<entry name="command" mtime="1281260783" type="string">
---
> 	<entry name="command" mtime="1281260666" type="string">

$ more .gconf/desktop/gnome/applications/at/mobility/%gconf.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281260785" type="bool" value="true"/>
	<entry name="exec" mtime="1281258826" type="string">
		<stringvalue>gok</stringvalue>
	</entry>
</gconf>
$ more .gconf-clean/desktop/gnome/applications/at/mobility/%gconf.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
	<entry name="startup" mtime="1281260668" type="bool" value="false"/>
	<entry name="exec" mtime="1281258826" type="string">
		<stringvalue>gok</stringvalue>
	</entry>
</gconf>
$ more .gconf/desktop/gnome/interface/%gconf.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
	<entry name="accessibility" mtime="1281260781" type="bool" value="tru
e"/>
	<entry name="font_name" mtime="1280556971" type="string">
		<stringvalue>sans 12</stringvalue>
	</entry>
	<entry name="monospace_font_name" mtime="1280556971" type="string">
		<stringvalue>monospace 12</stringvalue>
	</entry>
	<entry name="icon_theme" mtime="1280556971" type="string">
		<stringvalue>clearlooks</stringvalue>
	</entry>
	<entry name="gtk_theme" mtime="1280556971" type="string">
		<stringvalue>clearlooks</stringvalue>
	</entry>
</gconf>

=======================================


None of the settings above are documented in any of the resources I have
found so far. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look to find
this info?

I am a little annoyed that I had to go to this length to find out that the
settings are undocumented. This is probably the wrong list to rant on but
I wonder why the accessibility settings are (now) being configured this
way. It seems to me like it has been purposefully obfuscated. It's random
stuff like this which makes AT on Linux a nearly complete waste of time
for people who actually need it. The key point is that if I have trouble
with this stuff people with real AT requirements must really be
struggling.

Hopefully this will be of use to someone at a later date or maybe I am
just doing something seriously wrong?


-- 
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd.