Locking icons position

[underkz]

great tips! thank's!
I hope this will be corrected in the next XFCE version.

[jamibair1]

I decided to give GNOME the last try, before i surrender and install xubuntu to get the xcfe: So far I got to this in gconfig editor: /desktop/gnome/file_views/icon_theme.
Can I use the "chattr" command here, or am i risking a major explosion then ?

BTW: There's an ongoing discussion dating from 2005-2009 here, but it's way over my head:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=301615#c1

[LewisTM]

I decided to give GNOME the last try, before i surrender and install xubuntu to get the xcfe: So far I got to this in gconfig editor: /desktop/gnome/file_views/icon_theme.
Can I use the "chattr" command here, or am i risking a major explosion then ?

BTW: There's an ongoing discussion dating from 2005-2009 here, but it's way over my head:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=301615#c1

Not at all, the chattr command is for files, not configuration entries. If you can find a file that tells Nautilus (i.e the GNOME desktop manager) where to place icons, that might work. So far I couldn't find one.

[jamibair]

Gee. Am realy fooling around here. Just discovered, that i couldn't login with my jamibair1. Reason is, i've already some time ago created an account: jamibair (probably after a long night with the boys). So sorry!
Enough of that.
As Lewis TM so kindly pointed out, I was using GNOME. Now I've installed Xfce, and tried the command "sudo chattr +1 ~/ etc...". It didn't work, even when i copy paste the entire file name. Then I tried same command without space between +1 and /.config (sudo chattr +1/.config/...), but this time the outcome was this:
graanet@graanet-laptop:~$ sudo chattr +i/home/graanet/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons0.rc:

Usage: chattr [-RVf] [-+=AacDdeijsSu] [-v version] files...
What's my mistakes this time ?

[LewisTM]

Gee. Am realy fooling around here. Just discovered, that i couldn't login with my jamibair1. Reason is, i've already some time ago created an account: jamibair (probably after a long night with the boys). So sorry!
Enough of that.
As Lewis TM so kindly pointed out, I was using GNOME. Now I've installed Xfce, and tried the command "sudo chattr +1 ~/ etc...". It didn't work, even when i copy paste the entire file name. Then I tried same command without space between +1 and /.config (sudo chattr +1/.config/...), but this time the outcome was this:
graanet@graanet-laptop:~$ sudo chattr +i/home/graanet/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons0.rc:

Usage: chattr [-RVf] [-+=AacDdeijsSu] [-v version] files...
What's my mistakes this time ?

What do you mean by "it didn't work"? Did you get an error message?
In a terminal, type

sudo chattr +i /home/graanet/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons* 
or 
sudo chattr +i ~/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons*

The +i or -i have to be separate from the filename.

[jamibair]

Ah, Lewis TM, great to hear from you again!

"Usage: chattr [-RVf] [-+=AacDdeijsSu] [-v version] files..."

that was also the reply when i wrote the command, exactly as you posted it should be. But it didn't work.(?)

[LewisTM]

It should work, the error is one of syntax, not of a failure to execute the operation.
To simplify things, cd to ~/.config/xfce4/desktop
then type ls to list the files and find the one containing the icons placements, probably called icons.screen0.rc
Then just copy and paste the command:

sudo chattr +i icons.screen0.rc

If successful, no output should be seen.

BTW welcome to the wonderful world of Xfce!

[jamibair]

@LewisTM: Thank you for always fast replies and welcoming
I performed the task as instructed, however the icons still happily fly around when I hold down left button and drag.
Am probably still fooling around.

[LewisTM]

@LewisTM: Thank you for always fast replies and welcoming
I performed the task as instructed, however the icons still happily fly around when I hold down left button and drag.
Am probably still fooling around.

I think you missed a key point. Locking the file prevents the changes from being written to DISK. You can still move icons around but the desktop will forever be amnesic. Press F5 to reload the desktop and see for yourself.
Also this prevents icon PLACEMENT from changing, not anything else (image, name, etc.).

[jamibair]

And that's certainly an improvement regarding my project.
Than you for helping me out