I use a laptop for a jukebox with wireless speakers on my patio.
I use two desktops. My desktops are simply named ‘one’ and ‘two’. I have Strawberry Music player set to start up when I boot up. The OS (Ubuntu Mate 24.04) always boot so desktop ‘one’, and so does Strawberry.
Is there a way to get Strawberry to start on Desktop ‘two’ on startup instead of desktop ‘one’?
ps I have no idea on how to write a script
There is a command that can communicate with your windowmanager (marco)
sudo apt install wmctrl
From the commandline you can now switch to the 2nd workspace:
wmctrl -s1
(wmctrl starts to count at zero, so your first workspace is 0 , the second is 1, etc)
if you start strawberry now, it will start on the second workspace.
This is scriptable:
#!/bin/bash
wmctrl -s1
strawberry &
wmctrl -s0
You can add this script to 'autostart applications'
There are other solutions but none as simple as this one
... and, presumably, that would be included in an
file.
No, that wouldn't work. The script can only be started after the user logged in, X has started and following that, the windowmanager.
So it can only be called from a .desktop file in $HOME/.config/autostart/
The mate-control-center -> Startup Applications GUI will create this file automagically for you 
Thanks for the information.
Please excuse my ignorance on this but here is what I did:
I installed sudo apt install wmctrl sucessfully.
then I used pluma to make a config file named <wmctrl -s1.config> and saved it in home>jim> .config
the files contains this:
#!/bin/bash
wmctrl -s1
strawberry &
wmctrl -s0
Strawberry did not start at all so I then went to system>preferences>personal>startup applications and made an entry for Strawberry and gave it a one second delay. It now starts but still on desktop one.
I am sure I am either missing something or don’t understand the instructions.
Tricky name. Best practice is to avoid dashes and spaces, otherwise you have to be constantly alert to quote the name accurately.
A descriptive name would probably better, also to avoid mistakes and such.
You better rename it to strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh or something like that.
Also, a better place to store the script (conforming to convention) is in /home/jim/.local/bin
This has also the benefit of not needing the complete path to call it.
This command will take care of those things.
mv /home/jim/.config/'wmctrl -s1.config' /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
Sorry, I forgot to mention that you have to make the script executable.
Use this:
chmod a+x /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
The autostart entry should be then strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
That is to be expected. You need to call the script, not strawberry directly.
The script is not a configfile. It is an executable program, albeit very short
By the way, you can test the script from terminal: strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
Thanks, as I said I had no idea how to make a script, I will give these instructions a try.
I still can’t get it to work.
wmctrl successfully installed:
my Script:
Jim/.local didn’t have a bin folder so I created one by right clicking and saved the script in it.
I ran the chmod command:
I set Strawberry to open on startup.
I then saw the .config in the command so ran that. I deleted the .bin folder put the script on the desktop and ran the command.
mv /home/jim/.config/'wmctrl -s1.config' /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
jim@g-laptop:~$ mv /home/jim/.config/'wmctrl -s1.config' /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh
mv: cannot stat '/home/jim/.config/wmctrl -s1.config': No such file or directory
I am confused one command says:
chmod a+x /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh and directs to .bin
the other command says:
mv /home/jim/.config/'wmctrl -s1.config' /home/jim/.local/bin/strawberry_2nd_workspace.sh and directs it to .config before directing it to .bin
.config strawberry has two files
one that looks like I created it today by the date.
I am pretty sure I can delete that as sudo without a problem.
Maybe I should just give the idea up?
Jim -
I did the following in my um24.04. My username is user
sudo apt install wmctrl strawberry
create a file, straw, in .local with contents wmctrl -s1; strawberry &
make that file exec, chmod +x /home/user/.local/straw
Went to Control Panel, Startup Apps, added "straw second window"
upon reboot, I saw strawberry in window 2
Hope it helps
No , just undo everything and follow the instructions of @pavlos_kairis.
That will work too.
(what went wrong is that you mixed up the order of the instructions...long story.
Anyway, if all else fails, i can write an automatic install for that, if you like)
I made a file named straw and saved it to .local. It contained < wmctrl -s1; strawberry > I checked make executable and issued the command hmod +x /home/jim/.local/straw
I set startup applications to:
On reboot, Strawberry did start on desktop two(2), but the OS also booted into desktop two (2)!
I was hoping the desktop would boot in to desktop one (1) and Strawberry into desktop two (2).
So I am back to where I started.
Maybe this just isn’t possible? If that is the case I am okay with it, as it will start and play when I boot up, I just have to click on the one (1) desktop which is still easier.
Thanks tkn and Pavlos for all the help. I learned some things, but doubt I will ever be writing scripts myself.
Edit your straw file and replace the contents with this:
#!/bin/bash
wmctrl -s1
strawberry &
wmctrl -s0
That got be back to both opening on desktop one. I put it back to both opening on desktop two and just hitting the panel to get back to desktop one. That works for me so I will mark it solved.
easy to fix ... the line becomes: wmctrl -s1; strawberry & ; wmctrl -s0
It reads: goto workspace 1 start strawberry in the background (&) and then go to workspace 0
wmctrl -s1; strawberry & ; wmctrl -s0
OS opened on desktop one (1) but strawberry failed to open. I named my desktops one and two and the OS shows one a 1 and two as 2 so I a guessing 0 is default for the OS to open (or my desktop one).
I tried putting the part of the command:
strawberry & ; wmctrl -s0
to strawberry & ; wmctrl -s2 but that made no difference either strawberry didn't
open so I put it back to Pavlov's first command.
I think that needs to be modified in the following manner to ensure the logical grouping encompasses the necessary states:
wmctrl -s1 ; strawberry & ; wait ; wmctrl -s0
No, for 'wmctrl' your desktop 'one' is '0' and your desktop 'two' is '1',
independent of how the user facing part of the OS is calling it.
Sorry Eric but that put it back to opening on desktop two and strawberry not opening. I will just stick with Pavlos’ command. As long as strawberry opens on desktop two I am okay with going back to one for my main desktop. It might sound stupid but that is how I run all my other computers and to be different would be confusing at times.
Eric's command might work with a small modification:
wmctrl -s1 ; strawberry & ; sleep 0.2 ; wmctrl -s0
On my machine it worked without the sleep command, but my computer is relatively fast.