Pantheon - ArchWiki

# Pantheon

From ArchWiki

Pantheon is the default desktop environment originally created for the elementary OS distribution. It is written from scratch using Vala and the GTK3 toolkit. With regards to usability and appearance, the desktop has some similarities with GNOME Shell and OSX.

## Installation

Note: Although their release schedule and toolchain are bound to Ubuntu's LTS release cycle, elementary OS development moves quickly and has recently moved to github.

### Unofficial repository

Alucryd's unofficial repo contains more and more up-to-date packages than the few available in community. To use it add the following lines at the top of your sources in `/etc/pacman.conf`:

    [pantheon]
    SigLevel = Optional
    Server = https://pkgbuild.com/~alucryd/$repo/$arch

Note: The PKGBUILDs for these packages are also available in the AUR.

### Desktop Environment

For the minimal Pantheon shell, install pantheon-session-gitAUR, which pulls--among other dependencies--the core components:

- cerbere-gitAUR: Watchdog service; restarts core components if they crash.
- gala-gitAUR: Window and composting manager
- wingpanel-gitAUR: Top panel (launcher, clock, indicators)
- pantheon-applications-menu-gitAUR: Application launcher formerly known as "Slingshot"
- plank: OSX-style Dock

### Services and Configuration

These packages provide background services and default settings for Pantheon and elementary OS applications:

- pantheon-default-settings-gitAUR: Default appearance, behavior, and configuration; pulls in theme packages elementary-icon-theme, gtk-theme-elementary-gitAUR, and elementary-wallpapers-gitAUR
- gnome-settings-daemon-elementaryAUR: A patched gnome-settings-daemon-ubuntuAUR required by pantheon-dpms-helper-gitAUR and wingpanel-indicator-power-gitAUR
- pantheon-print-gitAUR: Print settings dialog
- pantheon-polkit-agent-gitAUR: Polkit authentication agent

### Theme

These packages contribute to the look and feel of the desktop:

- elementary-icon-theme-gitAUR: Icon theme designed to be smooth, sexy, clear, and efficient (development version)
- lightdm-pantheon-greeterAUR or lightdm-pantheon-greeter-gitAUR: LightDM greeter

It is also recommended to install the following fonts:

- ttf-opensansAUR: Open Sans Fonts
- ttf-ralewayAUR: Raleway Font
- ttf-dejavu: Font family based on the Bitstream Vera Fonts
- ttf-droid: General-purpose fonts released by Google as part of Android
- ttf-freefont: Set of free outline fonts covering the Unicode character set
- ttf-liberation: Red Hats Liberation fonts

### Applications

These are some of the original, patched, and selected packages that comprise the elementary OS software suite:

- pantheon-files or pantheon-files-gitAUR: File explorer developed from Marlin
- pantheon-terminal or pantheon-terminal-gitAUR: Terminal emulator
- scratch-text-editor or scratch-text-editor-gitAUR: Text editor
- pantheon-calculatorAUR or pantheon-calculator-gitAUR: Calculator
- pantheon-music or pantheon-music-gitAUR: Audio player formerly known as "Noise"
- pantheon-videos or pantheon-videos-gitAUR: Video player formerly known as "Audience"
- pantheon-calendar-gitAUR: Calendar developed from maya-calendarAUR, integrates default calendar with wingpanel-indicator-datetime-gitAUR
- epiphany-pantheon-bzrAUR: Web browser, replacing midori-graniteAUR
- pantheon-mail-gitAUR: Email client developed from geary
- pantheon-screenshotAUR or pantheon-screenshot-gitAUR: Screenshot tool
- eidete-bzrAUR: Simple screencaster
- pantheon-photos or pantheon-photos-gitAUR: Photo manager developed from shotwell
- pantheon-camera-gitAUR: Webcam app developed from snap-photoboothAUR
- elementary-scan-bzrAUR: Simple scan utility (does not build)
- switchboardAUR or switchboard-gitAUR: Pluggable settings manager similar to gnome-control-center

## Launching Pantheon

### Via Display manager

pantheon-session-gitAUR provides a gnome-session entry for display managers such as gdm or lightdm.

### Via xinit

Alternatively, you can use `~/.xinitrc` to launch the Pantheon shell, by adding `exec cerbere` at to the end of the file.

#### Autostart applications with xinit

For applications which do not provide a systemd unit, consider these options:

- Run once when X starts:

  Add it to your `~/.xinitrc` Shell script, before the `exec cerbere` line.

- Keep running in the background:

  Add it to the dconf key `org.pantheon.desktop.cerbere.monitored-processes`.
  Should the process stop, cerbereAUR will respawn it.

- Launch from a .desktop file:

  Use a program like dapperAUR, dex-gitAUR, or fbautostartAUR to implement XDG autostart.

## Configuration

Configure Pantheon via switchboardAUR and its plugs (switchboard-plug-*), which must be installed separately. Not all of gnome-control-center's settings panels have been ported. Except plank, all the Pantheon components store their configuration in the `org.pantheon` dconf key, which can be edited with dconf-editor.

Note: switchboard-plug-elementary-tweaks-gitAUR provides easy access to customizations for various aspects of the Pantheon desktop and applications, similar to gnome-tweak-tool.

### Plank

#### Adding new application icons

Either drag and drop a desktop file on to the dock, or right click on a running application and select "Keep in dock". You can then reorder icons by drag and drop.

Note: Plank stores its configuration files in `~/.config/plank/`

### Pantheon Files

#### Enable context menu entries

If you want to enable context menu entries such as for file-roller to extract/compress archives, then you have to additionally install contractor.

### Terminal

#### Opacity

To make pantheon-terminal (semi-)transparent, set the dconf key `org.pantheon.terminal.settings.opacity` to your desired opacity; for pantheon-terminal-gitAUR, the background color and transparency are set by `org.pantheon.terminal.settings.background`.

## Known Issues

This article or section is out of date.

Reason: This information is quite old; some of these issues may have been resolved. (Discuss in Talk:Pantheon#)

### Usability

#### Cannot interact with the LightDM Pantheon greeter

You need to delete `/var/lib/lightdm/.pam_environment`. Do note however that this file is a workaround for the following LightDM bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-greeter/+bug/1024482

#### Gala crashes on start

Unconfigured gala tries to use default gnome wallpaper, which is absent unless you have the package gnome-themes-standard installed. Install it workaround the crash; it is safe to remove after you configure another wallpaper.

#### No mouse cursor after login

The Gala window manager is most likely not running. Either install cerbere-gitAUR or add `gala` to the list of cerbere's monitored processes.

### Indicators

#### Indicators not appearing in wingpanel

Wingpanel does not come with any indicators; they must be installed separately.

Note: wingpanelAUR supports Ayatana indicators, while wingpanel-gitAUR has native indicators (wingpanel-indicator-*-git).

#### Third-party indicators

- If launched by a display manager, append `Pantheon` to `OnlyShowIn=` in third-party indicators' *.desktop files

- If launched by ~/.xinitrc, add third-party indicators to one of the start-up methods described above.

- For wingpanel-gitAUR, indicators designed for Unity require wingpanel-indicator-ayatana-bzrAUR[broken link: package not found].

#### Indicator-session menus not responsive

- indicator-sessionAUR relies on dbus methods provided by Unity for most of its functions and fails to fallback to gnome or systemd methods in its absence.

- wingpanel-indicator-session-gitAUR needs light-locker or xscreensaver-dbus-screenlockAUR installed for the `Lock` menu item.

### Appearance

#### Pantheon-terminal transparency

Transparency in pantheon-terminal is not yet fully functional with GTK themes other than the elmentary OS theme. Either use gtk-theme-elementaryAUR, gtk-theme-elementary-gitAUR or add this code to your theme or the override file in `~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css`.

#### Wingpanel transparency

Wingpanel is transparent by design when using gtk-theme-elementaryAUR or gtk-theme-elementary-gitAUR, and becomes opaque when a maximized window occupies your screen. However, using other GTK themes will produce a solid panel most of the time.

To achieve the former behavior within other themes, add the following lines to the end of its css or the override file in `~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css`:

    /*********************
     * wingpanel support *
     ********************/
    .panel {
        background-color: transparent;
        transition: all 1s ease-in-out;
    }

    .panel.maximized {
        background-color: #000;
    }

#### GTK+ applications surrounded by awful black shadow box

The elementary GTK theme seems to be using its own files and ignoring the `~/.config/gtk-3.0/gtk.css` user-override config file. This has been reported on https://bugs.launchpad.net/elementaryos/+bug/1592441. To work around the issue, go to the file `/usr/share/themes/elementary/gtk-3.0/gtk-widgets.css` and look for the following (around line 3669):

    decoration,
    .window-frame {
        border-radius: 4px 4px 0 0;
        box-shadow: 0 0 0 1px alpha (#000, 0.3),
                    0 14px 28px rgba(0,0,0,0.35),
                    0 10px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.22);
        margin: 12px;
    }

Replace the above by the the code below

    decoration,
    .window-frame {
        box-shadow: none;
        border: none;
        padding: 0;
        margin: 0;
    }

#### White icons in pantheon-files

Currently there seems to be a bug which displays the view icons in the top location in a white colour instead of black. This can be fixed by installing gtk-theme-elementary-gitAUR or, for gtk-theme-elementaryAUR, add the following line to `gtk-widgets.css`:

    GtkToolItem { color: @text_color; }

Category:

- Desktop environments

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