Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels?

Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? (/showthread.php?tid=4968)

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Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Robo_Pi - 02-12-2018

I've been spending quite a bit of time creating special panels on my desktop to launch project specific programs and open specific file folders. This is going to be a fantastic system when I'm done, but it takes some time to set it all up. So my question:

Is there a way to save an entire panel including all its launchers and transfer it to another Linux computer?

The reason I ask is because I'm installing Linux on some of my other computers and I would love to be able to just instantly transfer all these panels and launchers to the new installation. I realize that some of them might not work due to small differences in paths, etc. But I could deal with having to just clean up a few paths. But it would sure save me a lot of time if I could just transfer these newly customized panels over to the newly created Linux systems.

I'd hate to have to redo this all over again from scratch with every new installation.

Thanks

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Robo_Pi - 02-12-2018

UPDATE:

I've been searching around on the Internet and came up with the following information.

Supposedly the data describing the panels is in the following folder and file

Code:
/home/<user>/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-panel.xml

And the launcher specific data is stored in the following folder

Code:
/home/<user>/.config/xfce4/panel

So I'm assuming that all I would need to do is copy these folders over to the other Linux system?

I'm not going to mark this thread solved just yet because I'd like to hear other opinions on how best to do this.

One thing for sure, when I load Linux on my next computer I'll check these files out at the very beginning and see how they grow as I add new stuff. It would be nice to learn enough about these to just go into these files and add or remove a single panel or launchers.

So much to learn, but it's definitely worth learning! Smile

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Moltke - 02-12-2018

Hi [member=7348]Robo_Pi[/member]

Quote:Is there a way to save an entire panel including all its launchers and transfer it to another Linux computer?

Systemback has the option to create a LiveCD from your current installation.

[Image: 1fvc61.jpg]

I haven't tried this and don't know if the live system can be installed onto another pc but the option's there. Also, you might want to read this article https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/2-methods-to-clone-your-linux-hard-drive/

Hope this helps! Smile

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Vera - 02-12-2018

(02-12-2018, 12:21 PM)Robo_Pi link Wrote: Supposedly the data describing the panels is in the following folder and file

Code:
/home/<user>/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-panel.xml

And the launcher specific data is stored in the following folder

Code:
/home/<user>/.config/xfce4/panel

Thanks for the above info [member=7348]Robo_Pi[/member] ! I had been keeping an eye on this thread eagerly because I have a similar (but not identical) problem. And it looks like your info might solve it. My problem was that when I last did a fresh install of LL, it took me awhile to customize the panels for myself, and then I had to repeat the exact same manual processes for the panels on the other 2 user accounts on the machine (one for each of my kids). I felt sure there must be a faster way! Thanks to you, next time that I do a fresh install I will first save my customized panel file info from the paths you specified, then I will use that for all users' panels.

I honestly spent far more time customizing the panels than actually installing the OS and any additional software I needed. I'm looking forward to avoiding that kind of time-sink on next install by doing what you said. Thanks again! ;D

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Robo_Pi - 02-12-2018

Thanks for the tip Moltke.

I'll definitely look into that Live System Create feature.

I'm also planning on cloning this drive when I'm finished getting all my files organized.

I own a Cloning Drive Dock. The only thing I'm wondering about with a totally cloned drive is whether it would work well if booted up on a totally different notebook computer? I'm thinking it might be better to install Linux on that computer from scratch and then just copy over these panel folders. That way the install will have potentially addressed any special hardware issues with the other notebook computer.

I've also found a way to "cheat" on Windows. (ha ha)

I've created a Linux system on a drive connected via USB. Then I just set the BIOS up to boot on the USB first. If I have the Linux drive plugged in when I turn the computer on it boots up in Linux. If leave the Linux drive off-line then the computer boots up to the notebook hard drive with Windows. So I've discovered I can have the best of both worlds without any major hassle. ;D

I need to keep Windows around until I find a replacement for SharpDevelop. I use SharpDevelop to do C# programming. I've been trying to install SharpDevelop on Linux using WINE, but so far no luck.

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Robo_Pi - 02-12-2018

(02-12-2018, 02:13 PM)Vera link Wrote: I honestly spent far more time customizing the panels than actually installing the OS and any additional software I needed. I'm looking forward to avoiding that kind of time-sink on next install by doing what you said. Thanks again! ;D

Hi Vera, I'm glad my problems are helping others. That's always nice to know. 8)

I feel your pain! I know exactly what you mean. I've been spending two days so far getting my panels organized and I have more organizing yet to do. I've learned a lot of time-saving tricks along the way too. Too much to type in here, but I was thinking about making a "Tips and Tricks" thread to explain what I've done. I might do that yet.

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Moltke - 02-12-2018

Quote:Thanks for the tip Moltke

You're welcome [member=7348]Robo_Pi[/member]

Quote:I've created a Linux system on a drive connected via USB.

I did this myself once too and installed Debia 8 on my usb HDD. Just curious, did you unplug the internal drive before doing so? I had to because I read and was adviced in another forum to do so in order to avoid any grub/bootloader issues.

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Robo_Pi - 02-12-2018

(02-12-2018, 03:12 PM)Moltke link Wrote:
Quote:I've created a Linux system on a drive connected via USB.

I did this myself once too and installed Debia 8 on my usb HDD. Just curious, did you unplug the internal drive before doing so? I had to because I read and was adviced in another forum to do so in order to avoid any grub/bootloader issues.

I don't know what a grub/bootloader is. But it's not possible to unplug the internal drive without taking the computer apart. So I don't bother. It hasn't been a problem yet, although Windows sometimes senses a problem and wants to diagnose the drive before it will boot up. But so far it's always booted up.

This is an old computer. It does have Windows 10 on it (upgraded from Windows 8). But this original internal drive is making noise and probably about ready to die. When it finally dies I'll just stick the Linux drive in permanently. I'm about fed up with Microsoft constantly upgrading and poking their nose around in my business all the time. They are constantly adding junk to the computer that I don't even want. This is one reason I decided to move over to Linux.

The other reason is that Windows doesn't seem to want to clone on these notebooks. I've cloned the Windows drive but it refuses to recognize it as a bootable drive. I think this has something to do with Windows making it impossible to copy their OS? I don't know what the problem is, but I just wanted to replace the drive without losing the Windows. But I can't seem to clone a bootable Windows drive.

So I'm leaving Windows in the dust.

With Linux I can just create a brand new fresh system disk anytime I want and I don't need to worry about Microsoft screaming for a security Key or whatever. I'm fed up with Microsoft.

But I do LOVE SharpDevelop. I don't know if Microsoft owns SharpDevelop or not, but I think it's pretty exclusive to Windows. From what I've read thus far it doesn't appear that I'll be able to get it to run on Linux. I think it's too dependent on the Windows core OS stuff.

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - justme2 - 02-12-2018

(02-12-2018, 02:37 PM)Robo_Pi link Wrote: I own a Cloning Drive Dock. The only thing I'm wondering about with a totally cloned drive is whether it would work well if booted up on a totally different notebook computer? I'm thinking it might be better to install Linux on that computer from scratch and then just copy over these panel folders. That way the install will have potentially addressed any special hardware issues with the other notebook computer.

I've also found a way to "cheat" on Windows. (ha ha)

I've created a Linux system on a drive connected via USB. Then I just set the BIOS up to boot on the USB first. If I have the Linux drive plugged in when I turn the computer on it boots up in Linux. If leave the Linux drive off-line then the computer boots up to the notebook hard drive with Windows. So I've discovered I can have the best of both worlds without any major hassle. ;D

That's the way I have run linux for years - on a class 10 SDHC card in a usb card reader, set to be the first boot device. (some older PCs won't boot from USB directly). As for hardware problems when plugged into different PCs, I have found none and the system has been used to demonstrate Linux Lite on numerous Windows PCs at a local U3A group. I believe windows becomes tied to the hardware after installing but linux detects the hardware each time it boots (dmesg output seems to indicate that). Anyway, my LL/USB/SDHC installation moves from machine to machine without problem. Try a cloned drive and see if it works!

Re: Saving and/or Transferring Entire Desktop Panels? - Moltke - 02-12-2018

Quote:I don't know what a grub/bootloader is

To my knowledge, the bootloader is a piece of code that runs before any operating system is running, it looks for OSes installed if more than one and offers the user options to select which OS to boot in. When you select a drive just like you did to boot from your USB hdd, the bootloader is the one that handles it. If I'm wrong and/or missed something please someone step in and let us know. Wink

Quote:these notebooks

Oh it is a notebook. Yes, there's no way to unplug internal drives on those ones just in like a desktop, which is what I have.

Quote:I've cloned the Windows drive but it refuses to recognize it as a bootable drive

Yeah that won't work, ever! Once Windows is installed in a pc it attaches itself to that hardware, so cloning the drive and trying to get it boot in a different one with different hardware won't work, I don't even think it'd work in two identical pc's with identical hardware, cause Microsoft doesn't think it's profitable for their business that people can simply clone their Windows install which requires to buy a license and install it into another computer without paying more money. Wink