Run Commands at Startup

One thing many people find difficult is figuring out how to run their personal commands or scripts at login. The usual way with Linux is to use the .bashrc or .bash_profile in the home directory or sometimes rc.local in /etc. This can be a little cumbersome for those who are new to Linux. Thanks to the fantastic development skills of the Bodhi and Enlightenment team, it is amazingly simple.

In Enlightenment, startup commands are executed via .desktop files in /usr/share/applications. There are many ways to go about making a .desktop file. One way would be to bring up an existing one with your terminal as root and <save as> a different name and finally edit it. Another way is to cut and paste the following example .desktop file to your favorite text editor:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=setrootback
Comment=Sets the root background for Conky
Exec=/usr/bin/Esetroot storage/rootback.png
Icon=false
NoDisplay=false
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=
StartupNotify=true

The example above is my script for setting the root background for my conky configuration and it looks like this in my text editor:

You can edit this to your liking of course. The important part is the “Exec=” which is where you put your command. You can change the “Categories=” to wherever you wish the item to be displayed on your Menu list. If you leave it blank, the name of your .desktop file will be shown in the category “Other”. Finally, save the file as root to /usr/share/applications/[myscript].desktop where [myscript] is the name of your script (without the brackets, of course). You may find it easier to just save it to your home directory then move it:

user@bodhi:~$ sudo mv [myscript].desktop /usr/share/applications/

Don't forget! You need to set the permissions to allow it to be executed when called.

user@bodhi:~$ sudo chmod +x /usr/share/applications/[myscript].desktop

Now, all you need to do is choose your file in your Startup Applications:

Go to <Settings><Settings Panel>. At the top, Choose <Apps>. You should see the following:

Choose “Startup Applications” and look for your script:

Click on your script and choose “Add”.

You are done! Next time you log on, your command will automatically run.

Enjoy!

Original wiki by Martin Thompson January 2011

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