[SOLVED] meld - will not run in GUI from root

[Joseph_sys]

I have a problem running meld from root:

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# meld
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/meld", line 90, in <module>
    meldapp.main()
  File "//usr/lib64/meld/meldapp.py", line 942, in main
    app = MeldApp()
  File "//usr/lib64/meld/meldapp.py", line 604, in __init__
    self.prefs = MeldPreferences()
  File "//usr/lib64/meld/meldapp.py", line 492, in __init__
    prefs.Preferences.__init__(self, "/apps/meld", self.defaults)
  File "//usr/lib64/meld/prefs.py", line 91, in __init__
    self._gconf.add_dir(rootkey, gconf.CLIENT_PRELOAD_NONE)
glib.GError: Failed to contact configuration server; some possible causes are that you need to enable TCP/IP networking for ORBit, or you have stale NFS locks due to a system crash. See http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/ for information. (Details -  1: Failed to get connection to session: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.)

it runs OK as user but not in root.

[Raniz]

Can you run other gui applications as root?

You may have to allow root to open connections to the X server with

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$ xhost +

[Joseph_sys]

Where do you enable it?

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# xhost +
access control disabled, clients can connect from any host

[Raniz]

That command enables anyone to open connections to your X-server.

Try starting the application after you've run that (you only need to run it once per X session)

[Joseph_sys]

That command enables anyone to open connections to your X-server.

Try starting the application after you've run that (you only need to run it once per X session)

Doesn't go:

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xhost + syscon4
syscon4 being added to access control list

when I type "meld" still the same output.

[Raniz]

You missunderstood me
as user:

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$ xhost +

then as root:

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$ name-of-application

[Joseph_sys]

You missunderstood me
as user:

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$ xhost +

then as root:

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$ name-of-application

application "meld" as user is working OK,
but when I try run meld when I su as root I have a problem.

Where is the "access control list"?

[timeBandit]

You're barking up the wrong tree.

glib.GError: Failed to contact configuration server; some possible causes are that you need to enable TCP/IP networking for ORBit, or you have stale NFS locks due to a system crash. See http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/ for information.
(Details - 1: Failed to get connection to session: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.)

xhost controls access to the X server. The problem here, as the error message states, is that meld cannot connect to the GNOME configuration daemon, gconfd. It should have started with your GNOME session. Check the Troubleshooting section at the URL provided (http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/) for diagnostic tips.

Edit: The linked page doesn't offer much help, sorry. Some relevant threads (search here for Gconf ORBit error) with a variety of possible remedies:
[topic=714919]GConf error when alternate user[/topic]
[topic=715553]Gedit as root[/topic]
[topic=468652]GConf Error[/topic]

[Joseph_sys]

... It should have started with your GNOME session. Check the Troubleshooting section at the URL provided (http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/) for diagnostic tips.

I'm not using GNOME, I'm using KDE.
I couldn't find much on that page how to use gconftool-2 to allow root access to use gnome X

[timeBandit]

I'm not using GNOME, I'm using KDE.

There's your trouble, then. KDE would of course not start a GNOME component but meld needs it.

Use gconftool-2 --spawn to start the daemon (as your normal user). As noted in some of the threads I provided, when you become root you may need to use su - to ensure root has the correct environment to connect to gconfd.

[Joseph_sys]

Use gconftool-2 --spawn to start the daemon (as your normal user). As noted in some of the threads I provided, when you become root you may need to use su - to ensure root has the correct environment to connect to gconfd.

Solved, the solution was:
su -

[timeBandit]

Excellent.

Moved from Portage & Programming to Desktop Environments. (Yes, sort of an afterthought, but I didn't notice until now. )

[Joseph_sys]

I never used it in the past "su -" and meld always worked from within root; so something must have change recently.
Thanks for the help.

[ferg]

Hi,

I'm trying to find a decent replacement for xxdiff for use with cfg-update. Meld appears to be a good one (supports stage3 etc). However, as above my system will not run this as root. Unfortunately since cfg-update calls the file then this solution will not work with cfg-update.

Any clues?

Cheers
Ferg
(edited sorry but I did not mean to bump such an old thread. In hindsight I should have started a new thread)

[Joseph_sys]

Is it for updating config. files?
Why don't you use "dispatch-conf"

[ferg]

Thanks for your reply. I've used dispatch.conf in the past. but cfg-update is far easier. I've been using it for a long time now.

[pjv]

You can use the same solution as with nautilus-root:

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sudo dbus-launch  meld

I still think this is pretty shitty. I've always used meld in etc-update as root, and it just now stopped working. Some gnome dev should make multiple users in gnome pervasive.