- Installing
- Configuration
- Screenshots
- Preferred Applications
- Using lightdm Display Manager
- Debian Package Update Notifications
- Resources
LXDE Tips
Installing
With a Debian distribution, install the lxde
package.
# apt-get install lxde
Configuration
Autostart
To automatically start programs when your session starts you can either;
1. create a .desktop file in `~/.config/autostart/` e.g.
$ cat <<EOF >> ~/.config/autostart/lxterminal.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=lxterminal
OnlyShowIn=LXDE;
EOF
2. Add an entry to `/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart`
See also:
gnome-power-manager
To use gnome-power-manager to manage the battery, add an entry to
/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart
e.g.
$ cat <<EOF | sudo tee -a /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart
@gnome-power-manager
EOF
lxpanel
See http://wiki.lxde.org/en/LXPanel
To restart lxpanel:
$ killall lxpanel
$ lxpanel -p LXDE &
Alternatively, you may be able to use:
$ lxpanelctl restart
Note: lxpanel in Debian 5.0 (Lenny) appears to fail to display the
menu if there are other files in ~/.config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels
,
e.g. a backup file such as panel~
. There also seems to be a bug
when interactively modifying the panel settings where the alpha
value is always set to zero and tintcolor
is not updated with any
change.
When the panel is initially created, it includes buttons which can't be added
using the interactive Application Launch Bar
tool. If you wish to add them
to an application launch bar, you will need to manually edit the
~/.config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels/panel
configuration file. An entry such as
the following will replace them:
Plugin {
type = launchbar
Config {
Button {
id=/usr/share/applications/lxde-x-www-browser.desktop
}
Button {
id=lxde-screenlock.desktop
}
Button {
id=lxde-logout.desktop
}
}
}
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard and mouse bindings are configured in
~/.config/openbox/lxde-rc.xml
After making any changes, force openbox to reload the configuration with:
$ openbox --reconfigure
To find the names of keys, run xev
in a terminal, e.g. the following output
is shown when the Print
key is pressed:
KeyPress event, serial 48, synthetic NO, window 0x3c00001,
root 0x2d5, subw 0x0, time 8709884, (858,131), root:(1207,181),
state 0x0, keycode 107 (keysym 0xff61, Print), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False
The key's name is shown on line three after keysym 0xff61,
Some changes you may like to make:
...
<placement>
...
<monitor>Mouse</monitor>
...
</placement>
...
<theme>
...
<keepBorder>no</keepBorder>
...
</theme>
...
<desktops>
...
<number>4</number>
...
</desktops>
...
<keyboard>
...
<!-- Disable keys which conflict with Eclipse keys
<keybind key="C-A-Up">
<action name="DesktopUp">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="C-A-Down">
<action name="DesktopDown">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
-->
...
<!-- Modify S-A combinations to match Gnome defaults -->
<keybind key="C-S-A-Left">
<action name="SendToDesktopLeft">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="C-S-A-Right">
<action name="SendToDesktopRight">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="C-S-A-Up">
<action name="SendToDesktopUp">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="C-S-A-Down">
<action name="SendToDesktopDown">
<dialog>no</dialog>
<wrap>no</wrap>
</action>
</keybind>
<!-- End - Modify S-A combinations to match Gnome defaults -->
...
<keybind key="W-l">
<action name="Execute">
<command>xscreensaver-command -lock</command>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="W-t">
<action name="Execute">
<command>lxterminal --geometry=96x30</command>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-C-l">
<action name="Execute">
<command>xscreensaver-command -lock</command>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="W-Print">
<action name="Execute">
<startupnotify>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<name>Screenshot</name>
</startupnotify>
<command>xfce4-screenshooter</command>
</action>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-F10">
<action name="MaximizeFull"/>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-F5">
<action name="UnmaximizeFull"/>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-F9">
<action name="Iconify"/>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-F7">
<action name="Move"/>
</keybind>
<keybind key="A-F8">
<action name="Resize"/>
</keybind>
...
</keyboard>
LXAppearance
Many configuration changes can be made using the LXAppearance
application, which is available from the LXDE menu under
Preferences->Appearance
.
Background Wallpaper
To change the background wallpaper, right-click on the desktop and
select Desktop Settings
from the pop-up menu. The wallpaper can be
changed on the Desktop
tab.
Menu
Desktop files (.desktop
) are placed under;
/usr/share/applications
~/.local/share/applications
See http://wiki.lxde.org/en/Main_Menu
Screenshots
Alternatively, if you are using Debian 6.0 (Squeeze) or later, you can
use the shutter
application.
# apt-get install shutter
or
xfce4 Screenshot
# apt-get install xfce4-screenshooter
Preferred Applications
You can change the default browser and e-mail client by running
/usr/bin/libfm-pref-apps
from the libfm-gtk0
package in Debian 6.0
(Squeeze). This is available on the Preferences menu, under Preferred
Applications.
Using lightdm Display Manager
On Debian, try setting the default xsession with:
# /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults -s lxde
If you are using ~/.xession
you will need to modify the exec
entry to
exec startlxde
See also https://wiki.debian.org/LXDE
Debian Package Update Notifications
Install the package-update-notifier
package.
When the display manager is next started, an icon is added to the System Tray panel applet, which is by default situated to the left of the Digital Clock panel applet in the task bar.
If the application is not running, it can be run in the background with:
$ package-update-indicator&
The running instance can be stopped with:
$ package-update-indicator --quit
Clicking on the package-update-indicator icon in the system tray lets you
modify the application's preferences. You can also alter the preferences from
the desktop menu under Preferences > Package Update Indicator Preferences
.
To view the application's debug logging, run it from inside a terminal with:
$ G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=all package-update-indicator
Use Ctrl-c to terminate it running in the foreground, or suspend it with Ctrl-z and run it in the background with:
$ bg %1
When the Refresh cache
interval is set to Always
, it seems to update the
cache three minutes after the application is first run and thereafter hourly.
Presumably Always
differs from Hourly
in that Always
will also refresh
the cache each time you login to a new desktop session, whether within the
hour or not.
-- Frank Dean - 07 Aug 2025
Resources
- http://lxde.org
- http://wiki.lxde.org/en/LXDE:Questions
- https://wiki.debian.org/LXDE
- http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/
- http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Configuration
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager#Automatically_unlock_keyring_after_login
-- Frank Dean - 2 Dec 2011
Related Topics: DebianTips, LinuxHintsAndTips