Error unable to initialize gtk is display set properly

If I manually run /home/matthew/@/Sync/FreeFileSync "/home/matthew/@/Sync/Backup.ffs_batch", it works, but it doesn’t if I run it via the following service:

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ cat /lib/systemd/system/Testing1.service
[Service]
ExecStart=/home/matthew/@/Sync/FreeFileSync "/home/matthew/@/Sync/Backup.ffs_batch"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

The error is shown below:

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ sudo systemctl status Testing1.service
[sudo] password for matthew: 
● Testing1.service
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/Testing1.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Tue 2019-07-09 14:14:33 HKT; 1s ago
Process: 10255 ExecStart=/home/matthew/@/Sync/FreeFileSync /home/matthew/@/Sync/Backup.ffs_batch (code=exited, status=25
Main PID: 10255 (code=exited, status=255)

Jul 09 14:14:33 matthew-pc systemd[1]: Started Testing1.service.
Jul 09 14:14:33 matthew-pc FreeFileSync[10255]: 14:14:33: Error: Unable to initialize GTK+, is DISPLAY set properly?
Jul 09 14:14:33 matthew-pc systemd[1]: Testing1.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/n/a
Jul 09 14:14:33 matthew-pc systemd[1]: Testing1.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.

How should I solve «Error: Unable to initialize GTK+, is DISPLAY set properly?«

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ cat ~/.config/systemd/user/Testing2.service
[Service]
ExecStart=/home/matthew/@/Sync/FreeFileSync "/home/matthew/@/Sync/Backup.ffs_batch"

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ systemctl --user start Testing2.service
Failed to start Testing2.service: Unit Testing2.service not found.

«Testing2.service» cannot be found. What should I do?

Warning; enabled systemd user units race with or are even generally not post the user’s X display being up. That is, Mathew would need to set DISPLAY manually, if it works at all (which it judging from previous questions by him does, but only by accident).

When writing a service+applet on this forum a while ago I (before it turned into a D-Bus service outright) therefore elected to use the desktop startup-application route. Sucks, but systemd user services are at the very least on ubuntu and until ubuntu starts supporting a user «up-and-running.target» to depend on not a very good option.

And I shall (for the last time) note this issue being originally instance N+1 of Matthew having incorrectly layered his mental image w.r.t. user and system context. That scripting around said incorrect mental image might be good enough for an isolated problem instance, but that continuing to do so might not be doing him any favours in the long run.

I cannot follow it. It is too difficult for a beginner like me. I don’t know what to do.

rene wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:47 am

Mathew would need to set DISPLAY manually

export DISPLAY=:0 does not work. See below:

matthew@pc:~$ echo $DISPLAY
:0
matthew@pc:~$ cat /home/matthew/@/Testing2
#!/bin/bash 
export DISPLAY=:0 && /home/matthew/@/Sync/FreeFileSync "/home/matthew/@/Sync/Backup.ffs_batch"

matthew@pc:~$ cat /lib/systemd/system/Testing2.service
[Service]
ExecStart=/home/matthew/@/Testing2

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

matthew@pc:~$ sudo systemctl start Testing2.service
[sudo] password for matthew: 
matthew@pc:~$ sudo systemctl status Testing2.service
● Testing2.service
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/Testing2.service; disabled; vendor preset
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Thu 2019-07-11 13:17:41 HKT; 2s ago
  Process: 7246 ExecStart=/home/matthew/@/Testing2 (code=exited, status=255)
 Main PID: 7246 (code=exited, status=255)

Jul 11 13:17:41 pc systemd[1]: Started Testing2.service.
Jul 11 13:17:41 pc Testing2[7246]: No protocol specified
Jul 11 13:17:41 pc Testing2[7246]: 13:17:41: Error: Unable to initialize GTK+, is DISPLAY set properly?
Jul 11 13:17:41 pc systemd[1]: Testing2.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/n/a
Jul 11 13:17:41 pc systemd[1]: Testing2.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.

…(completely untested by me)… you could *probably* get around such by adding

Environment=»DISPLAY=:0″

in the service file itself, or, if still not enough, maybe…

Environment=»DISPLAY=:0″ «XAUTHORITY=/home/matthew/.Xauthority»

I repeat, untested by me.

But my question is why you complicate it & insist on using systemd in the first place above,
instead of simply using an autostart entry (.config/autostart/whatever.desktop file)…

The above convoluted article does not provide the following simple solution:

thx-1138 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:27 am

Environment=»DISPLAY=:0″ «XAUTHORITY=/home/matthew/.Xauthority»

This one works. Thank you!

thx-1138 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:27 am

But my question is why you complicate it & insist on using systemd in the first place above

Because I want FreeFileSync to run sudo on completion as shown below:
<PostSyncCommand Condition="Completion">sudo eject /dev/sdb</PostSyncCommand>
However, sudo eject /dev/sdb could not be run as shown below:

Jul 12 13:26:00 pc sudo[5666]: pam_unix(sudo:auth): conversation failed
Jul 12 13:26:00 pc sudo[5666]: pam_unix(sudo:auth): auth could not identify password for [matthew]

Am I wrong in thinking that a system service needs no password?
How can I make FreeFileSync run sudo eject /dev/sdb via a system service?

I am very new to wxWidgets, so I’m trying to walk through some of the example programs. Some programs won’t compile, complaining of a missing «sample_xpm» file. OK, so I skip those.

When I *do* manage to get something compiled, when I try to run that program it says:

«Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?»

I have tried searching through the Website and the form, but don’t find anything about this. Can someone direct me to a good reference or other source of info? Thanks.

Sorry I omitted this vital info…

I’m using Linux — Ubuntu 8.04. I originally tried using the binary that’s in the repository (using synaptic to install it), but this was ineffective.

I then got the tarball and installed it, and ran ldconfig afterwards.

baruch60610 wrote:«Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?«

Just on a hunch from above, are you maybe ssh’d(hope not telneted) into a linux server that you are trying to run this from and not from a local shell?

regardless whatever shell you are running this from needs to know which DISPLAY to use for any windows/gui elements.

run the following in the shell and you should see if there is a DISPLAY set and if so what it is.

you should see something like this

if you arent ssh’d in and the shell is on the local machine I’d try running this from the shell

note you might have a different display and will have to adjust accordingly. I have no idea what it would be, depends on how your machine is set up.

if ssh’d in try ssh’ing with the -X flag, it enables X11 forwarding.

ssh -X somemachine.somenetwork.com

Maybe some of that will help

-Max

PS: don’t know why you are getting warnings about sample_xpm.

baruch60610 wrote:Sorry I omitted this vital info…

I’m using Linux — Ubuntu 8.04. I originally tried using the binary that’s in the repository (using synaptic to install it), but this was ineffective.

I then got the tarball and installed it, and ran ldconfig afterwards.

okay, but can you describe the commands you used to install wx, and also what commands you are using to build the samples, and using what makefiles. mc2r may be right, but the fact that some of them fail also hints you perhaps you’re doing something wrong in the build process

Note: I believe that my X server had been the source of problems. I may have hosed it while playing around with wxWidgets. When I booted up today, the demo programs seemed to work. Since I didn’t rebuild any of them, I assume it had something to do with the X server, and not wxWidgets. As I said, I’m very new to this, and I was confused by the error message.

As far as I can tell, the display problem is no longer active, so for now I’ll just say thanks for your helpful ideas.

sanjuchopra

Member

From: Gurgaon,INDIA

Registered: 2010-08-01

Posts: 33

[Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

olorian

Member

Registered: 2011-12-16

Posts: 86

Re: [Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

sanjuchopra

Member

From: Gurgaon,INDIA

Registered: 2010-08-01

Posts: 33

Re: [Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

software is extremeburner , gui for avrdude.It is mentioned that it require root access.

skunktrader

Member

From: Brisbane, Australia

Registered: 2010-02-14

Posts: 1,502

Re: [Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

sanjuchopra

Member

From: Gurgaon,INDIA

Registered: 2010-08-01

Posts: 33

Re: [Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: [Solved}Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

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