<SOLVED> How to make a script that runs on user log on?

[haddy]

Hi!
Total linux noob here.

I have been trying very very hard to get my wacom tablet to work the way I want on Mint MATE.

I finally figured out how to use xsetwacom command but unfortunately it is not persistent. When my computer restarts it doesn't remember any of my settings.
Basically there is some xorg.conf file somewhere but it apparently has limits on what can actually be put there (like keybinds to something other than mouse inputs), so I don't want to use that option.

The other option is to make a "script" that automatically applies all of these terminal commands on startup, or even better on user login.
Here are a few of the commands I want it to run when I login:

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$ xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Area 0 0 14720 8276
$ xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Rotate HALF

there are more but I won't bore you with the details.

Basically is it possible to write a script that will automatically just basically copy paste these things into the terminal without me noticing or having to do anything when I logon? And if it is possible can someone walk me through how exactly to do it?

Thanks.

edit:
Solution:
I made a new directory under my username dir and called it "bin"

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/home/haddy/bin

Inside of this directory I made a new file and called it "wacomsetup.sh"
right click to properties on the file and select "permissions" and check "allow executing file as program". Here also I set the permissions to myself as "read and write" and others as "read only".

Then open the file with a text editor and start with

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sleep 10;

because I am almost certain you will have strange problems if you start trying to run things before everything on your computer is fully loaded. This delays the commands from running until 10 seconds(?) go by when you start your computer.

Anyway then I added the commands that I wanted to run after:

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sleep 10;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Rotate HALF;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Finger touch" Rotate HALF;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen eraser" Rotate HALF;
xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Area 0 0 14720 8276;
xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen eraser" Area 0 0 14720 8276;

and so on.

On MATE search for a program called "startup applications"
press "add"
give it a name. (I called mine "wacomsetup")
under command there is a little button called "browse", I click it and find my file in the filesystem and then click on it. It automatically fills in the correct location

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/home/haddy/bin/wacomsetup.sh

I put a nice comment in "configures WACOM on startup" for even more clarity in the "Comment" section.
Finally I clicked "Add" and it shows up in the list of startup apps.
Now when I restart my computer it automatically applies all my tablet settings for me without me having to do anything. Nice!

[dave0808]

Probably the simplest option is to use the 'autostart' mechanism.

First use the text editor program and add all the commands that you want to run.

Save the file in your home directory, with a suitable filename. For example wacomsetup or anything that is not likely to get confused with a system command. By convention, you would also give the filename an extension of .sh but this is entirely optional.

Then either:-
a) use the file manager, right click on the file you just created, select "Properties...", select the "Permissions" tab at the top, then make sure that there is a tick in the checkbox for "Allow this file to run as a program". Make sure that the "Access" for "Others" is set to "Read only" or "None" - that is, no-one else can write to this file.
b) alternatively open a terminal and run the command chmod 700 wacomsetup (or whatever filename you used).

Now within a terminal, check that all of your commands in that file are correct by running it directly using ./wacomsetup (or whatever filename you used). Make sure that there are no errors. If so, edit the file and correct the command(s).

Finally, this is for XFCE, but the other desktops should be similar... go to the start menu and find the "Session and Startup" program. Click on the "Application Autostart" tab. Click on the + button towards the bottom. Enter a name that's useful to you. Enter a Description if you want to. Click on the button to the right of the "Command" and select the file you just created. Select when you would like it to run, probably "on login". Press OK. That should be it.

Longer term, you'd likely want the file in a sub-directory rather than littering the home directory. Also, if you do a fresh installation, then you will need to do the above again. However, the changes will persist for any upgrade as the file is part of your data, and the "autostart" is stored locally in your config.

[dave0808]

... and for Cinnamon, the program is called "Startup Applications", within "Preferences". Click + and choose "Custom Command". Name and Command are as per XFCE. Comment is for any optional Description. Enter a delay of 0 in order to have the command invoked when you login.

[rickNS]

... and for Cinnamon, the program is called "Startup Applications", within "Preferences". Click +

OP states using MATE, which also has the "Startup Applications" program, but Click "Add", then fill in the blanks with your custom script name, click add again

Only other thing is "probably" the best place to put your homegrown scripts is in a /home/$USER/bin directory. That way you won't need the path to the script, just the script name will run it.
After you make the directory mkdir ~/bin log out, and back in. Now /home/$USER/bin will be in your $PATH. You can check by running $PATH command.

[ajgreeny]

I suspect you may need to wait for the x-session to be up and fully running before you can successfully get that script to do what you want so I suggest the first line of the script following the #!/bin/sh needs to delay the commands being run for maybe 10 seconds.
So try the following.

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#!/bin/sh
sleep 10;
xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Area 0 0 14720 8276;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Rotate HALF;
<other commands>

[Koentje]

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#!/bin/sh
sleep 10;
xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Area 0 0 14720 8276;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Rotate HALF;
<other commands>

Just a question.. why the ; at the end of the lines??
I thought that was only necessary if you have a one-liner.. in a script i never use them at the end.
Just curious about that.

[iliketrains]

If the script runs on start-up what happens if you hot-plug ? Maybe you have it plugged in always. My wacom settings script runs from a desktop launcher, the launcher is clicked-on when needed. Also could be useful method if settings are different for different applications
This is on xfce desktop so I hesitate to guess at the exact details for MATE.

[iliketrains]

Mark this post down to a bout of insomnia
Adding a bit to what's already been said, there's a nice tutorial on bash scripts here:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/217 ... n-terminal
About that PATH thing, you can do this:

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echo $PATH

Then create a bin folder in your home directory. Next time you log in, running, 'echo $PATH' will show something new. Run the command 'cat .profile' if your curious why that happened. Mint should have that folder by default imo.
The bash script can be like this:

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#!/bin/bash
xsetwacom (whatever)

For my use I'm sticking to the desktop launcher idea. No need to consider 'sleep' in the script due to uhmm....the-order-of-things at start-up. Ignore what I said in the above post about hot-plugging, if the cat (yeah we're that kind of household) pulls the cord the script can take care of putting things in order.

* Edited 'path thing' to 'PATH thing' to avoid mixing concepts.

[haddy]

I suspect you may need to wait for the x-session to be up and fully running before you can successfully get that script to do what you want so I suggest the first line of the script following the #!/bin/sh needs to delay the commands being run for maybe 10 seconds.
So try the following.

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
sleep 10;
xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Area 0 0 14720 8276;
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 4x5 Pen stylus" Rotate HALF;
<other commands>

Correct. Without delay it completely breaks my tablet and mouse touchpad. I thought my PC was possessed because the mouse kept shaking like crazy and it kept zooming in and out of the window. It was terrifying.

[haddy]

Mark this post down to a bout of insomnia
Adding a bit to what's already been said, there's a nice tutorial on bash scripts here:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/217 ... n-terminal
About that PATH thing, you can do this:

Code: Select all

echo $PATH

Then create a bin folder in your home directory. Next time you log in, running, 'echo $PATH' will show something new. Run the command 'cat .profile' if your curious why that happened. Mint should have that folder by default imo.
The bash script can be like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
xsetwacom (whatever)

For my use I'm sticking to the desktop launcher idea. No need to consider 'sleep' in the script due to uhmm....the-order-of-things at start-up. Ignore what I said in the above post about hot-plugging, if the cat (yeah we're that kind of household) pulls the cord the script can take care of putting things in order.

* Edited 'path thing' to 'PATH thing' to avoid mixing concepts.

I'm too stupid to understand what PATH thing does or means or whatever and frankly I don't care. The autostart program on MATE lets you direct it to a particular file through your file explorer. I set the correct file manually through there.
Under the "command" setting:

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/home/haddy/bin/wacomsetup.sh

and it worked. I still made a bin though and echo $PATH does seem to somehow find it and list the location first on its list:

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haddy@haddy-ThinkPad-11e:~$ echo $PATH
/home/haddy/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin

I guess it's just looking for the keyword "bin" in every directory or something?

[haddy]

Thank you everybody for posting.
I now have a script that runs on startup and makes all my tablet settings go all pretty like. I am going to mark this topic as solved.

edit:
in case anyone is curious this was all for the grand goal of getting my WACOM tablet configured correctly.
here is the topic where I suffer through figuring that out:
viewtopic.php?f=49&t=365174&p=2124348#p2124348

I noticed even iliketrains made it in here. Hi @iliketrains!!!

[iliketrains]

I'm too stupid to understand what PATH thing does

No, I posted WAY to much information

does or means or whatever and frankly I don't care

And that's fine, but I'm going clean up my mess anyway if that's okay. Others may read my previous bafflegab.
If there is a directory named 'bin' in the home directory
And a script in that directory is executable (run command chmod +x script_name)
Then no more /path/to/script_name
or ./script_name
or caring where script_name is
or caring which directory we a currently in
just use 'script_name' like any other command

bin in home directory has a special purpose and makes things easier.