Missing task bar

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n0ukf
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Missing task bar

#1 Post by n0ukf »

the other day when I booted up, the rask bar ws missing. I tried rebooting numerous times but it's still missing. I do see a 1 pixel wide bar in the lower left corner but nothing I can right-click, left-click or drag. It's not just invisible, clicking known positions (menu, desktops, etc) does nothing.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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`f00
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#2 Post by `f00 »

Hmm, usually a single pixel wide is a 'hidden' bar .. just move the pointer to that edge and it should unhide/pop-out. Depending on if it's a jwm tray or some other panel (like pfbpanel, etc) you can set it to be non-hidden (always visible).

Hope that helps a bit, more info on just which window manager and tray/panel(aka 'taskbar') might help to narrow down a solution..

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n0ukf
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#3 Post by n0ukf »

It doesn't act hidden (pop out when hovered over or clicked). In the Openbox confic (accessible via right cick on the desktop) I can find nothing about the taskbar's config.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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`f00
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#4 Post by `f00 »

That helps - openbox itself has no native panel/taskbar so I'd imagine this is one of those pups (Lucid?) with pfbpanel to provide it. In that case the config for pfbpanel is probably in /root/.config/fbpanel/default or symlinked somewhere thereabouts - there may even be a menu item under desktop or setup section to access the config ui. Some users report that pfbpanel's a bit flakey to set up as you might want (lots of options so some fiddling about might be unavoidable since you need to do it in a certain way to get it to work as expected :roll: ).

If nothing else, you can get the original config from /initrd/pup_ro2/*/.. dir (that's the read-only for your basic OEM pup with nothing altered)

likely path(s) for the pfbpanel config file
/.config/fbpanel/default
/root/.config/fbpanel/default

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n0ukf
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#5 Post by n0ukf »

Thanks. I found the width and height were set to 0% and 0px. I tried manually editing them (the -old and -bak files as well) but after a momentary flash of visibility on X restart it vanished again. Finding Fbpanel Configuration in the menu and setting the parameters there, I finally got it back, ans now re-edited the default-old again to eliminate those unwanted 0s.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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n0ukf
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fixable each time but not solved

#6 Post by n0ukf »

I found that each time I reboot the taskbar will flash momentarily but then disappear again. The config brings it back. Might there be some archived file somewhere that's getting reloaded instead of the default I'm setting in the config?
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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#7 Post by n0ukf »

(I think) every time I start the Fbanel config and look at the plugins tab, the Show CPU monitor is disabled but if I don't look at plugins, sometimes it's enabled when I close the config. What.s going on with that? Why won't it remember to show the full taskbar (looks hidden but won't pop out on mouseover) when I boot again?
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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n0ukf
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#8 Post by n0ukf »

Come on, nobody has thoughts on this?
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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n0ukf
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#9 Post by n0ukf »

I am still having trouble with this. The taskbar shows at boot but then vanishes to a single line in the lower left corner as if hidden but won't unhide when hovered over.

merely running the Fbpanel config and closing it without making changes will bring back the task bar, though I have to first look at the plugins tab for it to properly display (or not display) my chosen (or unchosen) plugins.
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bigpup
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#10 Post by bigpup »

Try this:
Switch from Openbox to JWM and back this way.

menu->Desktop->Desktop Settings->WM Switcher

Switch to JWM
Get desktop with JWM and it's taskbar.
Reboot.
If still have JWM and it looks OK.
Use WM Switcher and change to Openbox.
Get desktop with Openbox and Fbpanel.
Reboot.
How did that work.
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
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n0ukf
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#11 Post by n0ukf »

Shifting to JWM and rebooting kept the taskbar but switching back to openbox even before a reboot he tasbar disappeared after a few seconds.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

musher0
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Re: Missing task bar

#12 Post by musher0 »

n0ukf wrote:the other day when I booted up, the rask bar ws missing. I tried rebooting numerous times but it's still missing. I do see a 1 pixel wide bar in the lower left corner but nothing I can right-click, left-click or drag. It's not just invisible, clicking known positions (menu, desktops, etc) does nothing.
Hi, n0ukf.

Back to the basic question : what window manager are you using?

jwm is known to zap its own tray every now and then when you modifiy the jwm
configuration. Look for /root/.jwmrc-tray.bak and if it's not zero length, copy it back
to /root/.jwmrc-tray.

If it's zero length, the absolute original is in /initrd/pup_ro2/root/.jwmrc-tray, so

Code: Select all

cp -f /initrd/pup_ro2/root/.jwmrc-tray ~/.jwmrc-tray 
will bring it back. Of course the original won't contain your recent edits.

You'll have to redo your edits. Once done, make a back-up copy to .jwmrc-tray.n0ukf
or whatever. If jwm ever acts up again, you'll have a copy ready.

Generally, openbox uses either fbpanel or lxpanel, that are pretty stable. So I don't
expect the problem to be with those panels.

Keep us posted? BFN.

musher0
Last edited by musher0 on Fri 10 Jan 2014, 16:11, edited 1 time in total.
musher0
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n0ukf
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Re: Missing task bar

#13 Post by n0ukf »

musher0 wrote:Back to the basic question : what window manager are you using?

jwm is known to zap its own tray every now and then when ...



Generally, openbox uses either fbpanel or lxpanel, that are pretty stable. So I don't
expect the problem to be with those panels.

Keep us posted? BFN.

musher0
Openbox is the one I use. JWM was just a test proposed by bigpup. At first it was fine but after a few months it went bad as described above.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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bigpup
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#14 Post by bigpup »

Let us see if the config file is corrupted.

Try this:
In Rox file Manager.
Click on eye icon so hidden files are shown.
Go to /root/.config/fbpanel
Delete default and default-old
Only file still there should be fbpanel,conf
Close Rox file Manager.

Reboot.

Taskbar should show on desktop with nothing in it.

Run the Fbpanel Configuration program.
Do not change any settings.
However, make sure hidden option is set to false.
Other settings look OK.

Just click OK to close program.

Reboot.

What do you have now on desktop?
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
YaPI(any iso installer)

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n0ukf
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#15 Post by n0ukf »

bigpup wrote:Let us see if the config file is corrupted.

Try this:
In Rox file Manager.
Click on eye icon so hidden files are shown.
Go to /root/.config/fbpanel
Delete default and default-old
Only file still there should be fbpanel,conf
Close Rox file Manager.

Reboot

Taskbar should show on desktop with nothing in it..
Nothing on it but it still vanished after a few seconds.
Run the Fbpanel Configuration program.
Do not change any settings.
However, make sure hidden option is set to false.
Other settings look OK.

Just click OK to close program.

Reboot.

What do you have now on desktop?
Again, it shows the taskbar for a few seconds but then vanishes.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

musher0
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#16 Post by musher0 »

One quirk to remember with fbpanel: you have to work it from the tab the most to the right
to the tab the most to the left, even if you are not changing anything in the tabs to the right.
I don't know why, but it's the only way to get fbpanel to save its config properly.
musher0
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#17 Post by bigpup »

Ok.

Some basic info needed.
What version of Puppy?
How installed. Frugal or full?
Installed on what device?
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
YaPI(any iso installer)

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n0ukf
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#18 Post by n0ukf »

musher0 wrote:One quirk to remember with fbpanel: you have to work it from the tab the most to the right
to the tab the most to the left, even if you are not changing anything in the tabs to the right.
I don't know why, but it's the only way to get fbpanel to save its config properly.
OK, I'll try that. I've only been doing the Plugins and Main tabs.

Bigpup, Lucid 5.2.8, full, Asus Eee 900.
"Cogito, ergo es. I think, therefore you is." [i]Ray D. Tutto (King of the Moon) to Baron Munschaussen[/i]

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