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+<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
+ "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd" [
+ <!ENTITY version "0.5">
+ <!ENTITY dtd-version "0.5">
+ ]>
+
+<article id="index">
+ <articleinfo>
+ <title>Desktop Application Autostart Specification</title>
+ <releaseinfo>Version &version;</releaseinfo>
+ <date>13 February 2006</date>
+ <authorgroup>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>John</firstname>
+ <surname>Palmieri</surname>
+ <affiliation>
+ <address>
+ <email>johnp@redhat.com</email>
+ </address>
+ </affiliation>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>Kévin</firstname>
+ <surname>Ottens</surname>
+ <affiliation>
+ <address>
+ <email>ervin@ipsquad.net</email>
+ </address>
+ </affiliation>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>Renato</firstname>
+ <surname>Caldas</surname>
+ <affiliation>
+ <address>
+ <email>seventhguardian_@hotmail.com</email>
+ </address>
+ </affiliation>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>Rodrigo</firstname>
+ <surname>Moya</surname>
+ <affiliation>
+ <address>
+ <email>rodrigo@gnome-db.org</email>
+ </address>
+ </affiliation>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>Waldo</firstname>
+ <surname>Bastian</surname>
+ <affiliation>
+ <address>
+ <email>bastian@kde.org</email>
+ </address>
+ </affiliation>
+ </author>
+ </authorgroup>
+ </articleinfo>
+
+ <sect1 id="introduction">
+ <title>Introduction</title>
+ <para>
+ This DRAFT document defines a method for automatically starting
+ applications during the startup of a desktop environment and after
+ mounting a removable medium.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Some of the file locations in this specification are specified based
+ on the <ulink url="http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/">
+ "desktop base directory specification"</ulink>.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL
+ NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
+ "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as
+ described in RFC 2119.
+ </para>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="startup">
+ <title>Autostart Of Applications During Startup</title>
+ <para>
+ By placing an application's .desktop file
+ in one of the Autostart directories the application will be
+ automatically launched during startup of the user's desktop environment after the user
+ has logged in.
+ </para>
+ <sect2>
+ <title>Autostart Directories</title>
+ <para>
+ The Autostart Directories are $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/autostart as defined
+ in accordance with the
+ <ulink url="http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html#referencing">
+ "Referencing this specification"</ulink> section in the
+ <ulink url="http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/">
+ "desktop base directory specification"</ulink>.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If the same filename is located under multiple Autostart Directories
+ only the file under the most important directory should be used.
+ </para>
+ <informalexample>
+ <para>
+ Example: If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set the Autostart Directory
+ in the user's home directory is ~/.config/autostart/
+ </para>
+ </informalexample>
+ <informalexample>
+ <para>
+ Example: If $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS is not set the system wide Autostart
+ Directory is /etc/xdg/autostart/
+ </para>
+ </informalexample>
+ <informalexample>
+ <para>
+ Example: If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS are not set and
+ the two files /etc/xdg/autostart/foo.desktop and
+ ~/.config/autostart/foo.desktop exist then only the file
+ ~/.config/autostart/foo.desktop will be used because
+ ~/.config/autostart/ is more important than /etc/xdg/autostart/
+ </para>
+ </informalexample>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2>
+ <title>Application .desktop Files</title>
+ <para>
+ An application .desktop file must have the format as defined in
+ the <ulink url="http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/">
+ "Desktop Entry Specification"</ulink>. All keys should be
+ interpreted as defined with the following exceptions in order to
+ take into account that the .desktop files in an autostart directory
+ are not shown in a menu.
+ </para>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Hidden Key</title>
+ <para>
+ When the .desktop file has the Hidden key set to true, the .desktop
+ file MUST be ignored. When multiple .desktop files with the
+ same name exists in multiple directories then only the Hidden key
+ in the most important .desktop file must be considered: If it is
+ set to true all .desktop files with the same name
+ in the other directories MUST be ignored as well.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>OnlyShowIn and NotShowIn Keys</title>
+ <para>
+ The OnlyShownIn entry may contain a list of strings identifying
+ the desktop environments that MUST autostart this application,
+ all other desktop environments MUST NOT autostart this application.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The NotShownIn entry may contain a list of strings identifying
+ the desktop environments that MUST NOT autostart this
+ application, all other desktop environments MUST autostart this
+ application.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Only one of these keys, either OnlyShowIn or NotShowIn, may appear
+ in a single .desktop file.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>TryExec Key</title>
+ <para>
+ A .desktop file with a non-empty TryExec field MUST NOT be
+ autostarted if the value of the TryExec key does NOT match with
+ an installed executable program. The value of the TryExec field
+ may either be an absolute path or the name of an executable
+ without any path components. If the name of an executable is
+ specified without any path components then the $PATH environment
+ is searched to find a matching executable program.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2>
+ <title>Implementation Notes</title>
+ <informalexample>
+ <para>
+ If an application autostarts by having a .desktop file installed
+ in the system wide autostart directory, an individual user can
+ disable the autotomatic start of this application by placing a
+ .desktop file of the same name in its personal autostart directory
+ which contains the key Hidden=true.
+ </para>
+ </informalexample>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="mounting">
+ <title>Autostart Of Applications After Mount</title>
+ <para>
+ When a desktop environment mounts a new medium, the medium may contain
+ an Autostart file that can suggest to start an application or
+ an Autoopen file that can suggest to open a specific file located
+ on the medium.
+ </para>
+ <sect2>
+ <title>Autostart Files</title>
+ <para>
+ When a new medium is mounted the root directory of the medium should
+ be checked for the following Autostart files in order of precendence:
+ .autorun, autorun, autorun.sh
+ Only the first file that is present should be considered.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The desktop environment MAY ignore Autostart files altogether
+ based on policy set by the user, system administrator or vendor.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The desktop environment MUST prompt the user for confirmation before
+ automatically starting an application.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ When an Autostart file has been detected and the user has confirmed
+ its execution the autostart file MUST be executed with the
+ current working directory (CWD) set to the root directory of the
+ medium.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2>
+ <title>Autoopen Files</title>
+ <para>
+ When a new medium is mounted and a) the medium does not contain an
+ Autostart file or b) a policy to ignore Autostart files is in effect
+ then the root directory of the medium should be checked for the
+ following Autoopen files in order of precedence:
+ .autoopen, autoopen .
+ Only the first file that is present should be considered.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The desktop environment MAY ignore Autoopen files altogether
+ based on policy set by the user, system administrator or vendor.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ An Autoopen file MUST contain a single relative path that points to
+ a non-executable file contained on the medium.
+ If the file contains a newline or carriage return character then the
+ newline or carriage return character itself and all characters that
+ follow MUST be ignored.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The relative path MUST NOT contain path components that refer to a
+ parent directory (../)
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The relative path MUST NOT point to an executable file.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The desktop environment MUST verify that the relative path points to
+ a file that is actually located on the medium, taking into account any
+ symbolic or other links and MUST ignore any relative path that
+ points to a file location outside the medium itself.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If the relative path points to an executable file then the desktop
+ environment MUST NOT execute the file.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The desktop environment MUST prompt the user for confirmation before
+ opening the file.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ When an Autoopen file has been detected and the user has confirmed
+ that the file indicated in the Autoopen file should be opened then
+ the file indicated in the Autoopen file MUST be opened in the
+ application normally preferred by the user for files of its kind
+ UNLESS the user instructed otherwise.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+
+</article>
+