[jloos]

Hello,

Wonderful Distro everyone.

I am trying to get my mouse cursor themes to work under gnome and they do not
show up in the Customize Theme Pointer Tab.
When ever I put a new mouse theme in either in my home directory under
.icons or if I put them under the system /usr/share/icons/ they still do not
show up on the Customize Theme window.
The only ones there are the default that are on the cd install.

Default Pointer
Eclipse
handhelds
wonderland

I can use the individual mouse cursor (pointer) themes that I install by editing the /usr/share/icons/default/
index.theme file but again even though I put other mouse cursors in the right places I don't see them listed in the Customize Theme Window pointers tab.

Permission or viewing problems???

Thanks for your help

[knome]

How did you install the cursor themes?

The three methods I've used successfully are...

1. Install via synaptic any themes in the PCLOS repos.

2. Install tar files using the Install button in the Appearance Preferences/Customize Theme window.

3. Drag and drop tar files on to the Appearance Preferences window.

[ongoto]

The only other thing I can think of is to try logging out and logging in after you make the change. Permissions should match whatever is in the other icon cursor folders.

[jloos]

How did you install the cursor themes?

The three methods I've used successfully are...

1. Install via synaptic any themes in the PCLOS repos.

Holy Cow that is ingenious. And so many cursor themes I love this distro!!! Thanks

2. Install tar files using the Install button in the Appearance Preferences/Customize Theme window.

Tried this some work and some don't

3. Drag and drop tar files on to the Appearance Preferences window.

Same as number 2.


I found some cursors online and converted them via this link:

http://linuxgator.org/gnome/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=303

but they do not install from the ways suggested by knome I have to manually become root and place them in their
proper place in /usr/share/icons then edit the /default/index.theme to make theme work but this is system wide instead of my account that I login to. My .icon file does not work either when I manually install them.

The only other thing I can think of is to try logging out and logging in after you make the change. Permissions should match whatever is in the other icon cursor folders.

Nice thought ongoto.
Logging in and out and restarting my pc don't work. My permissions are all normal as far as I can tell.
ls -al tells me via console that the read, write, and execute are all good. Ownership belongs to root as
far as the /usr/share/icons go. My home directory with the .icon file well that is another story. Can't
figure it out.

Thanks for your help.

[ongoto]

I've never seen anything in my .icons folder either.

Probably the best way is:
Run -- System/Preferences/Configuration editor
Select -- Desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse
Click on cursor theme a couple times to edit the value/name.
The config file is:
/home/user/.gconf/desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/%gconf.xml
...
<stringvalue>(cursor theme name)</stringvalue>
...

If it's going to work, the change should take effect immediately with no logout needed.
We would have to see the tar file you are using in order to know why the theme doesn't get listed.

[knome]

In your themes that don't work try placing all your mouse icon images inside a cursors folder.

For example, my /usr/share/icons/Oxygen_White folder contains cursors and index.theme. The index.theme file doesn't seem to be important but the presence of a cursors folder makes the theme appear in the Gnome Appearance Properties/ Customise Theme dialogs.

[jloos]

Thanks Knome,
I have a label for each mouse cursor theme like /usr/share/icons/Aero_Executive/
and in that folder is another folder called cursors. There is also an index.theme file

[Icon Theme]
Name=Aero_Executive
Comment= Aero Executive
Example=left_ptr
Inherits=core

If you examine the wonderland cursor theme file it does not have an index.theme file.. Hmmm interesting but it works and shows up in the pointer tab. Wonderland has a cusors folder too.

This tells me theme index folders are not neccessary but then again that requires more research as to why wonderland doesn't have an index file and all the others do. Hmmm

Still nothing though. Thanks for the help.

[jloos]

I wonder if it has to do with the program I am using to convert the cursor images into the proper file.

sd2xc-2.3.pl Aero_Executive_by_aroche.zip*

I will look into it and see what it actually does.

[knome]

The index.theme file is usually more relevant to an Icon theme. It probably appears in a cursors only theme to maintain consistency.

As ongoto mentioned we'd have to look at one of your original theme files and its converted state to help you further.

[jloos]

Would you like me to send you a file to test it out. How would this be done?? Can you follow the instructions via this link?
http://linuxgator.org/gnome/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=303

This is the only thing I have done.

I really appreciate all the help.

Here is another thing Grrrr
I must of messed something up because now when I start Amarok or VLC the cusor / pointer changes to the default pointer and then when I close the apps my pointer changes back...
The only thing I did now is install compiz, emerald, and avant. Wow???

Oh how I love a challenge...

[ongoto]

I wonder if it has to do with the program I am using to convert the cursor images into the proper file.

sd2xc-2.3.pl Aero_Executive_by_aroche.zip*

I will look into it and see what it actually does.

The theme -- Aero_Executive_by_aroche.zip -- is a CursorFX theme. Your converter is for CursorXP themes. Or maybe I missed something???
After extracting, can't find any *.CurXPTheme files either.

Changing the name of the .zip file to Aero_Executive_by_aroche.CursorXPTheme, and running the converter seems to work. But it looks like all the links are created backwards. Compare the contents of the Aero_Executive_by_aroche/cursor folder with the /usr/share/icons/Obsidian/cursor folder. It looks like the image files have become the links and the links (those filenames with the long series of numbers) have become the image files??? That can't be right???

In the .index file it says that these cursors go along with the Aero_Executive theme. Does that mean the theme has to be installed as well???

[ongoto]

...
...
Here is another thing Grrrr
I must of messed something up because now when I start Amarok or VLC the cusor / pointer changes to the default pointer and then when I close the apps my pointer changes back...
The only thing I did now is install compiz, emerald, and avant. Wow???

Oh how I love a challenge...

That's normal. When you run software it takes over the mouse and keyboard. Default behaviors get overridden. It's all up to the author of the software. Outside that window, things will change back.

[jloos]

The theme -- Aero_Executive_by_aroche.zip -- is a CursorFX theme. Your converter is for CursorXP themes. Or maybe I missed something???

You are correct Ongoto about the Aero_Executive_*.zip. It is a CusrsorFX theme. If you run the program sd2xc-2.3.pl via command line like:

sd2x-2.3.pl Aero_Executive_by_aroche.zip

the program converts it for you into a cursor theme according to the directions found here

http://linuxgator.org/gnome/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=303

This program sd2x-2.3.pl will convert any CursorFX theme ( with a few minor details ) to a usable cursor theme for Linux. It works,( makes the proper files ) but I have to install it in a broken manner...
ah...
err...
work around...

So to avoid all of this I guess the simple question to ask would be
"How are cursor / pointer themes made for PCLinuxOS?" I think I am trying to reinvent the wheel.

PHEW!!! I need dragon speak( if they made it for Linux ). Hate typing.

Thanks Again for your help.

[ongoto]

Typing can be no fun

Anyway, I like puzzles. I got this theme in the list by using the System/Preferences/Configuration Editor as I mentioned above. After the converter creates the folder. put the folder in /usr/share/icons like you said. (I'm just thinking out loud here). Then put it's name into the editor and voila.

and then

Grrr. It disappears when you reboot. I don't know what that's all about???

PCLOS recommends that, if you need or want a package such as this, go to the main forum and request it. There is a forum section for requesting packages. One of the packagers will create the package (if possible) and it will become available in the repo. (maybe)

[knome]

You'll probably find many of these themes have already been converted saving you a lot of hassle.

I've just downloaded and installed an AeroExecutive tar.gz/Linux compatible file from Gnome-Look.org's X11 Mouse Themes section...

http://gnome-look.org/index.php?xsortmo ... =36&page=2

It works... I have fancy orangey mouse cursor...

I must of messed something up because now when I start Amarok or VLC the cusor / pointer changes to the default pointer and then when I close the apps my pointer changes back...

As ongoto says, this is normal. The thing to do is make your default pointer the same as your Gnome pointer.