bash script won’t start at boot

[Member sbis]

Hi, I have a problem.
The monitor randomly shutdown.

After a quick search in the web I found a possible solution.
Run this command:
$ xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank

This change the result of the command “$ xset q” from this:
…
DPMS (Energy Star):
Standby: 3600 Suspend: 3600 Off: 3600
DPMS is Enabled
Monitor is On

to this:
….
DPMS (Energy Star):
Standby: 0 Suspend: 0 Off: 0
DPMS is Disabled

I don’t know if this solution is the best but I have tested for a while and at the moment the monitor is still on. 😀

I want to start the command at boot so I have create a simple bash script named noblank_monitor.sh:
#!/bin/bash
xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank

I simply put the line (~/./noblank_monitor.sh &) in ~/.icewm/startup and in ~/.desktop-session/startup but when the pc boot the command “$ xset q” always show this:
…
DPMS (Energy Star):
Standby: 3600 Suspend: 3600 Off: 3600
DPMS is Enabled
Monitor is On

I have tested another simple script, clock.sh:
#!/bin/bash
date >> ~/clock.txt
and it work if I put the line ~/./clock.sh &) in ~/.icewm/startup.

What’s wrong?

Thanks

[Moderator caprea]

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It might helps troubleshooting if you start your script from terminal with ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &
Is the script executable?

[Anonymous]

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xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank &

append an ampersand character to the newly added line within the startup file, then retry

[Member sbis]

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caprea wrote:

It might helps troubleshooting if you start your script from terminal with ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &
Is the script executable?

yes, the script is executable and work fine from terminal

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by sbis.

[Member sbis]

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Anonymous wrote:

xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank &

append an ampersand character to the newly added line within the startup file, then retry

No, nothing change with & at the end

[Moderator caprea]

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I just tried your script and it works here on startup.No problems.
The script is in home and the line ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &
is in /home/user/.desktop-session/startup

[Member sbis]

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caprea wrote:

I just tried your script and it works here on startup.No problems.
The script is in home and the line ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &
is in /home/user/.desktop-session/startup

I had take a look again in my /home/user/.desktop-session/startup to control what I wrote.
That’s ok but if I restart session or if I reboot “xset q” don’t change.

I see always:
…
DPMS (Energy Star):
Standby: 3600 Suspend: 3600 Off: 3600
DPMS is Enabled
Monitor is On

There’s a way to know if the script had been executed?

Thanks

[Moderator caprea]

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These are the last lines of the xset q command output after rebooting here
DPMS (Energy Star):
Standby: 0 Suspend: 0 Off: 0
DPMS is Disabled

So the script is running.

Edit: Strange problem. The only thing I could think of is a time problem on your side.Maybe try a sleep addition like
sleep 4 ; ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by caprea.

[Forum Admin Dave]

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Maybe use set-screen-blank (from the control centre, menu, or termianl) to turn off the screen blanking… In the control centre it is under the session tab.
The command you are trying to setup in a startup script is the exact same command used when turning off screen blanking with set-screen-blank.

On top of this, the set-screen-blank program also changes the variable SCREEN_BLANK_TIME= to 0 in ~/.desktop-session/desktop-session.conf.

Screen blanking time is set on startup in desktop-session after the startup file is run, which is likely why your command in startup is “not working”

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Dave.

Computers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening Windows. ~Author Unknown

[Member sybok]

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Hi,

not quite sure if you find it helpful:

1) Question:
1.A) Did you suspend/hibernate the PC after the login?
1.B) If it is a notebook/netbook etc., is some power-saving utility installed and active?
I guess it could override your setting.
Then 4) would be a good solution.
1.C) Did you check all cables connecting your monitor to PC and power, to be sure they are not loosely connected?

2) Test if the script did run

#!/bin/bash
xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank
touch /tmp/run.did

The added creates file ‘/tmp/run.did’ if it did not exist or it updates its modification time to current date.
I guess that the files in ‘/tmp/’ do not survive reboot/shutdown, thus a different way may achieve this.

3) Execution in startup-file(s):
sleep 4; bash <full|relative-path-name>
I prefer the more explicit call (that works even if the file is not executable or it is located in a partition mounted without ‘exec’ attribute).

4) How about a “service”?
This is a crude way as it would eat up resources; script with a loop:
– check if the setting is as desired
– if not, run the script to (un)set the blanking
– sleep

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
  # Grep the line of interest, print the 3rd column 'Disabled|Enabled' and test the value:
  current_setting="$(xset q | grep '^[ ]*DPMS is ' | awk ' { print $3 } ' | xargs)"
  if [[ "${current_setting}" =~ ^Enabled$ ]]; then
    bash <scriptname>
    echo "$(date)" >> /tmp/run.did
  fi
  sleep 60 # Sleep 60 seconds
done

And start the service in your startup file instead
bash <service-script> &

Storing the time(s) when the script was called may help you to find out (possibly by checking logs in ‘/var/log/’) what could reset the blanking.

Comment:
I once tried to use ‘<command 1> && <command 2> &’ and it did not work well.
Thus I find the call ‘bash <scriptname> &’ as a better way to do it.

EDIT/Disclaimer: The script with loop is not an actual service, but I did dare to call it that way since it was inspired by the intention of starting it at boot.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by sybok. Reason: Added 1.C); improved the service-script and related comment
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by sybok.

[Member sbis]

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sybok wrote:

Hi,
not quite sure if you find it helpful:

1) Question:
1.A) Did you suspend/hibernate the PC after the login?
1.B) If it is a notebook/netbook etc., is some power-saving utility installed and active?
I guess it could override your setting.
Then 4) would be a good solution.
1.C) Did you check all cables connecting your monitor to PC and power, to be sure they are not loosely connected?

1.A) No, I didn’t.
1.B) My PC isn’t a notebook/netbook.
1.C) All it’s ok

sybok wrote:

2) Test if the script did run

#!/bin/bash
xset dpms 0 0 0 && xset -dpms && xset s off && xset s noblank
touch /tmp/run.did

The added creates file ‘/tmp/run.did’ if it did not exist or it updates its modification time to current date.
I guess that the files in ‘/tmp/’ do not survive reboot/shutdown, thus a different way may achieve this.

Thanks, I’ll use this tip in the future.

sybok wrote:

3) Execution in startup-file(s):
sleep 4; bash <full|relative-path-name>
I prefer the more explicit call (that works even if the file is not executable or it is located in a partition mounted without ‘exec’ attribute).

For now I follow the Dave’s hint.
If the problem persist I try yours.

sybok wrote:

4) How about a “service”?
This is a crude way as it would eat up resources; script with a loop:
– check if the setting is as desired
– if not, run the script to (un)set the blanking
– sleep

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
  # Grep the line of interest, print the 3rd column 'Disabled|Enabled' and test the value:
  current_setting="$(xset q | grep '^[ ]*DPMS is ' | awk ' { print $3 } ' | xargs)"
  if [[ "${current_setting}" =~ ^Enabled$ ]]; then
    bash <scriptname>
    echo "$(date)" >> /tmp/run.did
  fi
  sleep 60 # Sleep 60 seconds
done

And start the service in your startup file instead
bash <service-script> &

Storing the time(s) when the script was called may help you to find out (possibly by checking logs in ‘/var/log/’) what could reset the blanking.

Comment:
I once tried to use ‘<command 1> && <command 2> &’ and it did not work well.
Thus I find the call ‘bash <scriptname> &’ as a better way to do it.

Thanks

[Member sbis]

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sybok wrote:

…

3) Execution in startup-file(s):
sleep 4; bash <full|relative-path-name>
I prefer the more explicit call (that works even if the file is not executable or it is located in a partition mounted without ‘exec’ attribute).
…
Comment:
I once tried to use ‘<command 1> && <command 2> &’ and it did not work well.
Thus I find the call ‘bash <scriptname> &’ as a better way to do it.

For testing I add in my /home/user/.desktop-session/startup
sleep 5; bash ~/./noblank_monitor.sh &

and it work fine now.

[Forum Admin Dave]

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Does the control centre program (set-screen-blank) not work / does it have a bug?

Computers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening Windows. ~Author Unknown

[Member sbis]

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Dave wrote:

Does the control centre program (set-screen-blank) not work / does it have a bug?

I don’t know.
I put the bash script apart.
For now I try (set-screen-blank) and in the next days I see what happen.

[Member sbis]

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Hi,
in two months with “set-screen-blank” option enabled, the monitor has never turned off.

Thank’s all

[Author]

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