xmonad does not truly work out the box

[ocharles]

While xmonad.enable does give you an xmonad, you are unable to configure it. xmonad also requires:

• xmessage on $PATH
• All the Haskell libraries if one wants to provide a custom xmonad.hs file.

[peti]

I just installed those packages in my user`s profile. Is that not good enough a solution?

[ocharles]

I don't think so, especially not without any documentation to even suggest that this is neccesary. Xmonad calls GHC from $PATH so perhaps patching that to use a system GHC wrapper is the way to go.

Either way, users should be enable to enable xmonad and then write their configuration without any extra strips, IMO.

[vcunat]

Ideally, one would specify his path to xmonad.hs and the builder would produce the resulting binary (in nix store). There would be no need for wrapping after that (or even GHC).

[ocharles]

That would require per-user NixOS configuration though, or we would be further emphasising a single user OS.

[edwtjo]

Couldn't xmonad.enable just add something like:

(with haskellPackages; [(ghcWithPackagesOld(self: with self;[xmonad xmonadContrib xmonadExtras]))])

to environment.systemPackages?

[peti]

Xmoad should not need anything in $PATH to recompile its own config file.

Edward Tjörnhammar notifications@github.com wrote:

Couldn't xmonad.enable just add something like:

(with haskellPackages; [(ghcWithPackagesOld(self: with self;[xmonad xmonadContrib xmonadExtras]))])

to environment.systemPackages?

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/NixOS/nixos/issues/194#issuecomment-29552107

[ellis]

Can someone describe how best to get xmonad working at the moment?

% xmonad --recompile
Error detected while loading xmonad configuration file: /home/ellis/.xmonad/xmonad.hs

xmonad.hs:51:8:
    Could not find module `XMonad.Util.Run'
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

Please check the file for errors.

In configuration.nix, I have the following xmonad-related settings:

    services.xserver = {
            enable = true;
            windowManager.xmonad.enable = true;
            windowManager.xmonad.enableContribAndExtras = true;
    };

    environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
            haskellPackages.ghc
            haskellPackages.haskellPlatform
            dmenu
            haskellPackages.xmobar
            haskellPackages.xmonad
            haskellPackages.xmonadContrib
            haskellPackages.xmonadExtras
    ];

[peti]

Personally, I define the ghcDevEnv attribute in my ~/.nixpkgs/config.nix file as follows:

{
  packageOverrides = pkgs: {

    ghcDevEnv = pkgs.haskellPackages_ghc782.ghcWithPackages (p: with p; [
      xmonad xmonadContrib xmonadExtras xmobar
    ]);

  };
}

Then I install that into my user profile, nix-env -iA ghcDevEnv, and finally call

exec xmonad

in the last line of my ~/.xsession file.

[Fuuzetsu]

Should this still be open? xmonad.nix uses ghcWithPackages and has extraPackages field. Yet, on IRC we have a person for whom xmonad --recompile can't even find GHC and he has to put haskellPackages.ghc somewhere like systemPackages to get it to work.

What's the situation as of late 2014?

[ellis]

From my perspective, the issue can be closed. peti's approach didn't work for me back in May, but when I installed the 14.04 channel two weeks ago, the following section in configure.nix worked fine for running lightdm, xfce, and xmonad. If I remember correctly, it didn't work the first time I logged in, but logging out and in again apparently got the config files setup right...

    services.xserver = {
        enable = true;
        layout = "us";
        xkbOptions = "eurosign:e";

        displayManager.lightdm.enable = true;

        windowManager.xmonad.enable = true;
        windowManager.xmonad.enableContribAndExtras = true;
        windowManager.xmonad.extraPackages = self: [ self.xmonadContrib ];
        windowManager.default = "xmonad";
        desktopManager.xterm.enable = false;
        desktopManager.xfce.enable = true;
        desktopManager.default = "xfce";
    };

[Fuuzetsu]

Right, a similar config works for me without problems.

The problems I mentioned in my previous post turned out due to the user having exec xmonad in .xsession and were fixed by removing it from there.

[vcunat]

I suggest this is closed. If some xmonad problems persist, better discuss them in the nixpkgs repo (or ML, IRC), not this old repo.

[Profpatsch]

If this is closed why does no one close it? :)

[peti]

I can't close this ticket. I suppose it's the same for others. In all likelihood, @edolstra has to press the button, because he's the owner of this project.

[Fuuzetsu]

This repo is obsolete so it shouldn't matter either way.

[mikefaille]

I got the same trouble actually using Nixos v17.09.1922.21bb269a32 (Hummingbird)

Error detected while loading xmonad configuration file: /home/michael/.xmonad/xmonad.hs

xmonad.hs:15:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.DynamicLog’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:17:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.ManageDocks’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:20:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Util.EZConfig’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:21:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Actions.CycleWS’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:22:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Combo’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:23:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Grid’
    Perhaps you meant XMonad.Layout (from xmonad-0.13)
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:24:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.LayoutModifier’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:25:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Named’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:26:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.NoBorders’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:27:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.PerWorkspace’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:28:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Reflect’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:29:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.TwoPane’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:30:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.WindowNavigation’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:31:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Circle’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:32:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.MosaicAlt’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:33:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Spiral’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:34:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Actions.GridSelect’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:41:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Actions.SpawnOn’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:42:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.SetWMName’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:44:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.ManageDocks’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:47:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Layout.Fullscreen’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:48:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.ManageDocks’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:50:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.ManageHelpers’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

xmonad.hs:52:1: error:
    Failed to load interface for ‘XMonad.Hooks.EwmhDesktops’
    Use -v to see a list of the files searched for.

Please check the file for errors.

[domenkozar]

You should report to https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs repo