Ubuntu – How to change default settings for new users

11.10dconfgsettings

Every key in the DConf database has a default value that is used when user accounts are created. How can I change these default values?

Best Answer

Install the package dconf-tools. <--click or run:
```
sudo apt-get install dconf-tools
```
Run dconf-editor and navigate to the key you want to change the default for. Note the Schema name, in this example that is com.canonical.Unity.Launcher:
Now we need to create an override file. Run the following command:
```
gksu gedit /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/my-defaults.gschema.override
```
^{You can use any name you want for the file, it just needs to end in gschema.override}

Write your new defaults in this file in standard INI format, using schemas for groups names:

[com.canonical.Unity.Launcher]

favorites=['nautilus-home.desktop', 'google-chrome.desktop', 'banshee.desktop', 'gnome-terminal.desktop', 'ubuntu-software-center.desktop', 'ubuntuone-installer.desktop', 'gnome-tweak-tool.desktop', 'gpodder.desktop', 'shutter.desktop']

Save the file and close it. Now run the following command from a terminal to apply your changes:
```
sudo glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/
```

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – How to read default key value with dconf or gsettings

There does not seem to be a nice way to get at the default values directly, but since the client checks XDG_CONFIG_HOME in the environment a decent workaround to get values from a fresh config might be:

XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/nonexistent gsettings get SCHEMA KEY

Ubuntu – As root, I can use su to make dconf changes for another user. How to actually make them apply

You don't have the DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS environment variable set, so the changes don't stick. As your user, write down the output of

echo $DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS

and then in the root command use

export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=xxxxx && dconf write ...

which should work.

After fighting their lame attempt at hiding their socket for a bit, one working solution to automatically get the address is to borrow it via a process environment:

# requires a GUI session program that will always run:
p=`pgrep -u \`whoami\` gnome-panel`

r=`grep -z DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS /proc/$p/environ | sed 's/^[^=]*=//'`
export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=$r

Of course you'd have to pick something other than gnome-panel if you're not running that.

Works for SSH_AUTH_SOCK as well. Just leaving this here so it may help people who have so far googled unsuccessfully (like me ;) ).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – How to read default key value with dconf or gsettings

Ubuntu – As root, I can use su to make dconf changes for another user. How to actually make them apply

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