-[[.:start]]
====== DBUS & Automount ======
** Running X from ''startx'' and making automount work **
===== Background =====
I don't use a ''DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT'' on Linux - I boot to a console and start X11 via the ''startx'' command.
This runs commands from ''~/.xinitrc''
xrdb -load ~/.Xdefaults
setxkbmap -layout gb
xset s noblank
xset s noexpose
xset -dpms
~/bin/background.sh &
dwmblocks &
xfce4-power-manager &
pasystray &
nm-applet &
exec dwm
My **window manager** is ''DWM'' and I don't want/need all the extra stuff of a ''desktop environment''
I //**would**// however like to be able to ''automount'' external USB drives rather than what I do currently
sudo dmesg #find drive device
sudo mount /dev/xxxx /mnt
then copy files as necessary between ''/mnt/xxxxx'' and the machine's filesystem
Afterwards....
cd
sudo sync
sudo umount /mnt
===== Graphical File Manager =====
I installed ''Thunar'' along with ''gvfs'' and all the additional stuff I //thought// I needed (''gvfs-backends*'' etc).
But Thunar complained that ''it appears you don't have gvfs'' or similar...
I briefly tried installing the ''MATE'' Desktop environment - and then spent a long time forcing it to use ''DWM'' as window manager, and turning off as much as I could
* uninstalled ''caja''
* uninstalled ''mate-panel''
* edited via ''dconf-editor'' to make ''dwm'' start as window manager....
Then ''Thunar'' //**was**// happy with ''gvfs'' and would ''automount'' a USB drive (or more importantly my Swiss Micros calculator's USB drive).
But I wasn't happy with this as a solution - too messy and too much crap going on - messing up the appearance of GTK-aware apps like ''claws-mail'' and ''GNUCASH''
I wanted to get back to simply running ''DWM'' etc. without all the rest
===== DBUS =====
It appears the issue is that with my method of starting ''X'' via ''~/.xinitrc'' I fail to correctly start ''DBUS''. This needs to be started correctly in the setting up of an ''X-session''
The answer isn't to add an invocation of ''DBUS'' into my ''~/.xinitrc'' as I first thought.
The answer is to let ''X11'' start via the **SYSTEM** ''xinitrc'' which only happens **as long as I don't have my own ''~/.xinitrc''**
Starting ''X'' this way which will then run various other things, including ''DBUS'', as the ''XSession'' is spun-up via ''startx''
Then the process is finished by running my file ''~/.xsession'' - which is actually just my ''~/.xinitrc'' file renamed to ''~/.xsession''.
I found this at [[https://momi.ca/posts/2021-10-11-startxdebian/]] which describes my own situation perfectly, and the solution works perfectly.
I can still boot into a console session, and use ''startx'' to switch to ''DWM'' - and automount works for ''Thunar''
===== Further Information =====
{{tag>dbus startx thunar automount}}
Updated : ~~LASTMOD~~