Configuration settings

~/Choices was the old default location for configuration files in ROX. Now, most programs' settings are stored in the (hidden) ~/.config directory, and under Choices you will just find links to the new locations.

Settings are now namespaced to avoid conflicts. So, ~/Choices/ROX-Filer/Options became ~/.config/rox.sourceforge.net/ROX-Filer/Options.

Use the filer's Display menu to show hidden directories, or type /.config in your home directory's window to go straight to it.

This change brings ROX into line with the freedesktop.org base directory spec. See the specification for more information about what you can do with this system.

ROX-Lib provides a couple of modules to help you handle configuration. See the Options tutorial for more information.

ROX uses a hierarchical approach to the base directories. Inside the base directory itself is a directory for each source of applications inside which is a directory for each distinct application, plus directories for Shared configuration. For example ROX-Filer uses .../rox.sourceforge.net/ROX-Filer to store its configuration. Here rox.sourceforge.net refers to the source of the application and ROX-Filer the application.

The convention is to use an internet domain name under the control of the authors for the source, thus ensuring that it will be unique. If an author does not have such a domain then a contact email address for the author should be suitable.

Shared configuration

As well as the private configuration data stored in the Configuration settings there is some shared configuration available for many applications.

Shared configuration in rox.sourceforge.net

MIME-icons: For each MIME type of the form media/subtype there may be an icon in rox.sourceforge.net/MIME-icons named media_subtype.png. If this exists then it is used in preference to the icon from the current icon theme. If a icon is not found either in MIME-icons or the icon theme then MIME-icons is checked for a generic icon of the name media.png
MIME-thumb
: Thumbnail programs ordered by MIME type, as in the MIME-types directory. When ROX-Filer needs to generate a thumbnail for a file of type media/subtype it looks for an executable program or application with the name rox.sourceforge.net/MIME-thumb/media_subtype, falling back on ox.sourceforge.net/MIME-thumb/media if that is not found. If the program exists it is executed with three arguments:
rox.sourceforge.net/MIME-thumb/media_subtype /path/to/input/file /path/to/output/file size-in-pixels
See Thumbnails of videos and other file types.
MIME-types: The application set as the run action for each file type. When ROX runs a file of MIME type media/subtype it looks up an executable program, script or application called rox.sourceforge.net/MIME-types/media_subtype. If that is not found it then looks for rox.sourceforge.net/MIME-types/media. If a suitable program is found it is then executed.
URI: Handlers for launching URIs. When launching a URI of the form scheme:other-data ROX looks up an executable program, script or application called rox.sourceforge.net/URI/scheme. If a suitable program is found it is then executed with the URI as the sole argument. An exception is made for file: URIs which are always handled by ROX-Filer.