Startup Script

[dcung]

Hi all,
I dedicated a laptop (BionicDog64) with external monitor (TV).
How do I startup Firefox browser on the external monitor (TV) automatically?
If I put in Startup dir, it starts on the laptop monitor. Then I drag it across.
So, I'm after a sample script to put in Startup for this purpose.
Something equivalent to start maximized (in MS Windows) on 2nd monitor (TV). Thanks.

I also post this question in BionicDog section.
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 60#1030760

[dcung]

Searching the net, I have not found a solution yet.
This guy is having 'exactly' the same question...

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1569807

[wiak]

I don't have two monitors, but found another couple of links related to your problem perhaps. Here are the links in case any use:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/789282/ ... on-startup

https://askubuntu.com/questions/356950/ ... al-monitor

https://askubuntu.com/questions/137927/ ... ng-station

wiak

[greengeek]

Do you have the utility wmctrl on your machine?

[williams2]

If you want you can disable your laptop screen and only use your external monitor, something like:

Code: Select all

xrandr --output HDMI-0 --auto --primary --output LVDS --off

To find out the names of your screens type:

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xrandr

Or you can make the external screen the primary screen, something like this:

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xrandr --output HDMI-0 --auto --primary --output LVDS --auto

xrandr --help

A good place to put an xrandr command is in /root/.xinitrc

Edit: removed an extraneous colon character.

[dcung]

I don't have two monitors, but found another couple of links related to your problem perhaps. Here are the links in case any use:

Thanks wiak.

Do you have the utility wmctrl on your machine?

Thanks greengeek. Yes, it appears BionicDog64 has wmctrl installed. I don't know how to use it to achieve my need yet...will have to tinker a bit.

If you want you can disable your laptop screen and only use your external monitor, something like:

Code: Select all

xrandr --output HDMI-0 --auto --primary --output LVDS --off

Thanks williams2. I already am using xrandr somewhat to position my monitors (left & right). I need both monitors. Does not appear xrandr allow me to do what I want.

Have been using this 2 monitors in last 6 months. Happy with everything so far, just getting lazy and trying to automate somewhat.
Just to clarify - my grief is that Firefox always start in laptop screen, regardless where I click the icon from. So, if possible, I'd like a script to start it on the external monitor, without having to drag it across.

[dcung]

Since it has been 6 months when I experimented with xrandr, I forgot whether I did make the TV the primary. So, I made the TV the primary just now.
Now I remember, I did try this and didn't like it. Now my problem is the reverse. Everything I click, starts on the TV. Not what I want..
Hence, I changed it back, the laptop is the primary.

I want I script to start a program on a monitor of my choosing.

[williams2]

I want I script to start a program on a monitor of my choosing

The window manager is what usually controls where a window is displayed. When you drag a window from one monitor to another, it is the window manager that is doing it.

I'm running DWM https://dwm.suckless.org/
The default configuration makes Firefox windows always open automatically in workspace 9. It can easily be configured to open on whatever monitor screen you want. Many WMs can be configured to do that. I'm not sure about JWM, I don't use it much. I think IceWM can be configured that way.

wmctrl can move your windows (by asking the window manager to do it.) I'm not sure if it can move windows between monitor screens. Maybe the viewport option? Some WMs work better with wmctrl than others.

[rufwoof]

If you have Xephyr installed then you can start another X session on a different DISPLAY. For instance run

Xephyr :1 &

to open a window with X running on :1 then send commands to that using something like

DISPLAY=:1 jwm &

Or you could set up a sequence of programs/commands in a script ...
#!/bin/sh
DISPLAY=:1 export DISPLAY
firefox &
jwm

With Xephyr you can specify the initial size, or fullscreen

Xephyr --fullscreen :1 &

My thinking is that if you can get it so that the default DISPLAY (:0) is showing on the monitor and DISPLAY :1 on the TV then you'll have pretty much what you want. Not sure of the commands to do that however. (I'd start by looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiseat_configuration).

Note that when you run Xephyr in full screen then you'll need to know the minimise key combination in order to reveal the other window when you're displaying on a single monitor. Under jwm its alt-F6 I believe whilst in OpenBox you can use alt-space N (to iconify) - subject of course to having been configured that way (key bindings).

With that setup you could for instance have different window manager running on the two DISPLAYS. Or the other DISPLAY might have no window manager at all, just firefox running for instance. Personally I like to run cwm on my second DISPLAY as that has no decorations, but is a functional window manager i.e. you can move windows around, launch menus or Exec prompt (alt-shift-/ (alt-?)) ...etc.

[fredx181]

wmctrl installed. I don't know how to use it to achieve my need yet...will have to tinker a bit.

I can't really test your setup (don't have TV monitor), but this may be a start (adjust the values to your needs)

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PROG="firefox"
X=900        # position, left to right
Y=0          # position, top to bottom
width=1000
height=1000

$PROG & sleep 3; wmctrl -r $PROG -b remove,maximized_vert,maximized_horz; wmctrl -r $PROG -e 0,$X,$Y,$width,$height

As far as I know, wmctrl can place a window at desired position, but only if it's an already existing window (by moving it).
Devilspie2 can do it directly, but is more difficult to configure.
https://www.justingedge.com/linux/devil ... placement/

Fred

[stemsee]

Misko_2083 and Mochimoppel both came up with code to remember locations for app windows to open, only need to add --screen=1:0 or 0:1 or what have you. I took Mocchis version and added it to some scripts both gtk-dialog and yad, but should work with anything that has a window title.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... &start=405

[fredx181]

Misko_2083 and Mochimoppel both came up with code to remember locations for app windows to open, only need to add --screen=1:0 or 0:1 or what have you. I took Mocchis version and added it to some scripts both gtk-dialog and yad, but should work with anything that has a window title.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... &start=405

Yes, the example from Misko using Thunar works well for me:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 682#989682

I changed it a little to make it work with firefox:

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#!/bin/bash
# Misko_2083 Thunar example modified for Firefox
# see: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=989682#989682

# Temp file to store absolute position and dimensions
DimFile="$HOME/firefoxXYWH"
WorkspFile="$HOME/firefoxworkspace"

[[ ! -f "$DimFile" ]] && >"${DimFile}"

grep -q '[^[:space:]]' < "$DimFile" &&  readarray -t START <"$DimFile"

app=firefox
$app &

# Check for running instances of $app on current desktop/workspace.
until xdotool getwindowname "$(xdotool search --desktop $(xdotool get_desktop) --class $app 2>/dev/null | tail -1 2>/dev/null)" &>/dev/null; do
        # sleep until the window opens
        sleep .1
done

#Decimal
WindowID="$(xdotool search --desktop $(xdotool get_desktop) --class $app 2>/dev/null | tail -1)"

workspace="$(cat "${WorkspFile}" 2>/dev/null)"

if [[ ${workspace} != "" ]]; then
   # change desktop
   xdotool set_desktop "${workspace: -1}"
   
   # change desktop for window
   xdotool set_desktop_for_window $WindowID "${workspace: -1}"
fi

if [[ ${START[@]} != "" ]]; then
  xdotool windowsize --sync $WindowID ${START[2]} ${START[3]}
  xdotool windowmove --sync $WindowID ${START[0]} ${START[1]}
fi

#Hexadecimal
WindowIDHex=$(printf "0x%08x" ${WindowID})

#Base seven
WindowBSeven=$(printf "0x%07x" ${WindowID})

#Get starting position and size: x, y, width, height
   XWININFO=$(xwininfo -id $WindowIDHex)
   ARRAY=(${XWININFO#* X: })
   AX=${ARRAY[0]}
   AY=${ARRAY[4]}
   RX=${ARRAY[8]}
   RY=${ARRAY[12]}
   W=${ARRAY[14]}
   H=${ARRAY[16]}
   X=$((AX))
   Y=$((AY))

# This monitors the window absolute-top-left x, y, width and height for changes
# If the window is moved - this will get new pos and size
# On destroy event, saves X,Y, W, and H
xev -event structure -id ${WindowIDHex} 2>/dev/null |
       while IFS=$',' read -a A;do
            if [[ "${A[0]#"${A%%[![:space:]]*}"}" =~ "event ${WindowBSeven}" && "${A[1]}${A[2]:1:1}${A[3]: -1}" =~ "window ${WindowBSeven}()" ]]; then
                  X="${A[2]//" ("/}"
                  Y="${A[3]%")"}"
                  W="${A[4]//" width "/}"
                  H="${A[5]//" height "/}"
            # On destroy event
            elif [[ "${A[0]}" =~ "DestroyNotify event" ]]; then
                  >"${DimFile}"
                  X=$((X-RX))
                  Y=$((Y-RY))
                  # Exports dimensions
                  echo "$X" >> "${DimFile}"
                  echo "$Y" >> "${DimFile}"
                  echo "$W" >> "${DimFile}"
                  echo "$H" >> "${DimFile}"
                  # save current workspace
                  workspace="$(xprop -root -notype _NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP 2>/dev/null)"
                  echo "${workspace:-1}" > "${WorkspFile}"
                  # xev dies hard
                  XevPID="$(ps -eo pid,cmd | grep "xev -event structure -id $WindowIDHex" | grep -v "grep" | awk '{ print $1 }')"
                  kill $XevPID 2> /dev/null
            fi
             A=()
        done

exit 0

Fred

[dcung]

Thank you all for your inputs.

I don't want to install additional software. I ended up adding Fred's code to my startup script.

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PROG="firefox"
X=0          # position, left to right
Y=0          # position, top to bottom
width=1920
height=1080

$PROG & sleep 3; wmctrl -r $PROG -b remove,maximized_vert,maximized_horz; wmctrl -r $PROG -e 0,$X,$Y,$width,$height

The code open Firefox on laptop monitor, then close/reopen on the TV. So now I can turn on laptop&TV, sit on my bed with my remote (wireless mouse). Saving me squinting to drag it from laptop (14") to TV (47"). Laptop still is the main monitor for other tasks (rarely) when TV is off. Achieved what I want.

I noticed some quirks that I didn't before. When Firefox is maximized on laptop, you can drag it to TV and windows manager automatically adjust it (maximized). The reverse is not true, ie. when Firefox is maximized on TV you can not drag it to laptop. I guess it has something to do with the TV has the higher resolution. Of course, when not maximized (ie. windowed) you can drag the window to wherever you want, if the window is bigger than laptop resolution, it just overlap.