FvwmButtons fails silently; Fvwm3

[ghost]

On both Void and ArchLabs, kernel 5.6.x, FvwmButtons does not start.

With the default RightPanel configuration, there is a quick flash (FvwmPager, I think) and then just the wallpaper visible. Sometimes, FvwmIconMan or stalonetray will remain, but not both.

Fvwm3 is functional afterwards, I can start both FvwmPager and FvwmIconMan from FvwmConsole. If I try to start FvwmButtons from FvwmConsole (either the RightPanel or a simple test panel with just FvwmIconMan) no FvwmModule starts, and there is no message in FvwmConsole.

[ThomasAdam]

Hi @PackRat-SC2018,

Thanks for the report. Do you have a core file left behind from FvwmButtons?

[ghost]

I don't think so. Where would it get dumped?

I started Fvwm again with "fvwm3 -D" - that the correct way to generate the file you need?

[ThomasAdam]

Hi,

I don't think so. Where would it get dumped?

I started Fvwm again with "fvwm3 -D" - that the correct way to generate the file you need?

Ah, alas -D isn't going to help here.

First we need to compile FVWM3 so that we can get debug output from it, so something like:

make clean ; make CFLAGS="-O0 -ggdb" -j4 && sudo make install

As for corefiles, you should check that corefiles can be created:

ulimit

If that returns unlimited, we're all set. if not, you should add this to your shell profile:

ulimit -c unlimited

and restart X11.

Corefiles will usually be in the CWD for the program you're using, so check $HOME for that.

Then it's just a case of installing gdb and using it like so:

gdb /path/to/fvwm3 ./corefile
(gdb) bt full

If you're using systemd-coredump, you can use coredumpctl, which will plonk you inside gdb, where the command above (bt full) will work once more.

Then attach the output here.

[ghost]

Recompiled Fvwm3

ulimit returned unlimited. Not sure the gdb command worked as intended. Here is the terminal output:

`[doug@WILLOW-01 .fvwm]$ ls /usr/local/bin
dwm fvwm-bug fvwm-menu-desktop fvwm-perllib startdwm
fvwm FvwmCommand fvwm-menu-directory fvwm-root startyaxwm
fvwm2 fvwm-config fvwm-menu-headlines slstatus xpmroot
fvwm3 fvwm-convert-2.6 fvwm-menu-xlock st
[doug@WILLOW-01 .fvwm]$ gdb /usr/local/bin/fvwm3 ./corefile
GNU gdb (GDB) 9.1
Copyright (C) 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
Type "show copying" and "show warranty" for details.
This GDB was configured as "x86_64-pc-linux-gnu".
Type "show configuration" for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/.

For help, type "help".
Type "apropos word" to search for commands related to "word"...
Reading symbols from /usr/local/bin/fvwm3...
/home/doug/.fvwm/./corefile: No such file or directory.
(gdb) bt full
No stack.
(gdb)
`

[ThomasAdam]

Hi @PackRat-SC2018,

That's because corefile doesn't exist. It's usually called core.

Kindly,
Thomas

[ghost]

Recompiled Fwm3 on a clean ArchLabs install, and on Void. Used the make command you provided above.

FvwmButtons working as expected on both systems.

[ThomasAdam]

Thanks, @PackRat-SC2018! I'll close this for now then, but if you find anything else, feel free to file another issue, please.