gtk theme changes follow su to root -solved

[Ximru]

I have a new install of lxde
I was updating and installing applications  and added new gtk themes.
I changed themes with lxappearance and noticed that synaptics theme had followed also.
My question is -is this normal? Since synaptic needs root access should synaptics theme change from a user account?
I also checked by logging out and logging in as root, but the theme was the original root theme,so it was not changed in the root account.However if I su to root from user account the theme change follows.Is it supposed to act this way?
I don't recall if I have seen this before.It makes it confusing if you open a root filemanager that uses the same theme.

[muungwana]

how do you "su" to root?

doing "su root" will switch you to root's user but you will retain some of your normal user environmental variables

do "su - root" to switch 100% to root .

try "su - root" to switch to root and try again and check if the behavior is still there

[Ximru]

Thanks for getting to me so quick
I noticed it as I had synaptic open when I changed a gtk theme, and synaptic also changed theme.
Also happens when I open root pcmanfm from menu, or from terminal- su(enter) password(enter) pcmanfm
gtk theme will follow.  I don,t recall this behavior from any other install

[Yankee]

Thanks for getting to me so quick
I noticed it as I had synaptic open when I changed a gtk theme, and synaptic also changed theme.
Also happens when I open root pcmanfm from menu, or from terminal- su(enter) password(enter) pcmanfm
gtk theme will follow.  I don,t recall this behavior from any other install

Hi,

Mine does that all the time, normal carryover.    If you want different root
themes login as "root" user with the root password.   Change the theme for
root programs to the theme you want.    Might not want to do that tho.   
Another chore to get it to work as originally setup, to carryover the main theme
over to root programs.

regards,

FF

[Ximru]

The thing is -I don't want the root themes to change.
The root theme in the root account stays the same, but if I open an application with administrative privilege from a user account, then the gtk themes follow.This makes it less apparent with a few windows open which ones  are privileged windows, as they look alike.I am also concerned whether it may constitute a security access.

[Yankee]

The thing is -I don't want the root themes to change.
The root theme in the root account stays the same, but if I open an application with administrative privilege from a user account, then the gtk themes follow.This makes it less apparent with a few windows open which ones  are privileged windows, as they look alike.I am also concerned whether it may constitute a security access.

There's no security concern changing a theme.   Log in as root from the
log in screen.   Change the theme to the permanent root theme you want
to see.   Logout, log in to your normal user account, change themes freely,
the root theme will always stay the same.

[Ximru]

I'm not talking about the root account,that is ok.
If I open an application as root(i.e. root filemanager) from a user account, then open lxapearance and change a theme, the application that was opened with root access should not change.(note-root filemanager should stay with the original clearlooks theme)
Every other install I have ever used, whichever distro I use,has not operated like this.In fact you usually  get a warning that you are running as root if you open a root file manager, and it has the root theme.This makes it easy to see which applications
have root access.I will add screenshoots of the behavior when I change themes(note-user fm left window/root fm right windows in each screenshot)

   

should act like this

[Yankee]

Reply #5 will still work if you login thru the logout-login screen.

Alternatively, login as root in the terminal, type lxappearance.
Whatever theme you select will be permanent when root programs
appear.   Not much else can be done.    The file manager only has a
small silver key when in root, and you cannot tell so by theme, that
left-side key tells you you're in root mode then.

[muungwana]

@Ximru

can you do the following?

open the terminal, type "su -" and then enter root's password when asked to go to root's shell,on that terminal, open a GUI application and then change the UI from the user account, does the change also show up in the root's opened window?

i have asked you to do this previously and you still have not.

Do it systematically and documents the steps you are taking when gaining root's privileges so we can tell if you are doing things right or wrong and where the problem is.

If I open an application as root(i.e. root filemanager) from a user account,

how exactly do you do that for example?

[Ximru]

 Thanks guys -I'm not trying to be difficult.
I see the little key now at the left of the window-it also says root on the titlebar.
I guess this is how it is supposed to work now,(?)although its harder to tell at quick glance which is the root windows, with a few windows open.
The bottom screenshot (a different distro) shows the root filemanager open the way I am used to seeing it.(with a warning across the top of the window)

[TheGhost]

If I am not mistaken, LXDE behaves differently than KDE on this matter.

In LXDE, the changes in appearance affect both the user windows and any windows opened with "su". This is not the same as changing the appearance by login in as "root"; the appearance of the "user root" is independent of the appearance of any other user.

In KDE, the changes in appearance affect only the windows that the user opens, and windows opened with "su" keep it's own look. This look is still somewhat independent than the "user root", but it can be made to have the same appearance as regular users.

But, fear not, because there is a way to do it in LXDE, to have a different look for users and "su" opened windows:

Download with Synaptic "gtk-chtheme".
This may not appear as an installed application, you have to run it using the "run" command.
By playing with both this little app and the LXDE appearance settings, you can have completely different looks for regular windows and "su" ones.

Sreenshot:



You may notice that in my case, gtk-chtheme sets the look for the regular windows, while LXDE look sets the one for "su" windows.
But it does what you want.

Hope this helps.

PS.: Sorry for the large screenshot, tinypic is not so tiny. 

[Yankee]

Well if I wanted bigger or more brighter highlighting
of the root GUI activities  I would write a feature request
to LXDE and PCManFM.   I've also wished the root screens
had some brighter appearance regarding that.   Just one
brighter light somewhere would signify "root user"  is being used.

Nice display also the previous post.

[Neal ManBear]

The theme used for user account is universal for that user's account in LXDE. (including root user account) Opening a privileged (root access) application in the user's account is the same as opening a non-privileged application in the user's account, so far as the theme is concerned.     
There are ways to see that the open app is privileged other than the theme. As has been said previously, the key in root PCManFM, the label on the titlebar, and the red prompt in a root terminal. Also, some apps will always be privileged - Synaptic and the PCLinuxOS Control Center to name 2 of them; these do not/should not need to appear different for you to know that they are root programs.     

[Ximru]

Thanks for all the replys
I guess you can mark this solved
I just wasn't used to seeing it function like this

[Neal ManBear]

Thanks for all the replys
I guess you can mark this solved
I just wasn't used to seeing it function like this

     
Ximru,     
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