Edit Config Files (kde)

Often when giving help users ask for outputs from config files or suggest editing them.
Here's an easy way to get to the files.
Press alt+F2 then kdesu kwrite /pathToFile
You will be asked for a root password and then the file will be opened in kwrite with read/write permissions
Examples:
1. Partition table (fstab) kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab

2. Boot menu (menu.lst) kdesu kwrite /boot/grub/menu.lst

3. Display settings, fonts etc (xorg.conf) kdesu kwrite /etc/X11/xorg.conf

/Geoff

Good suggestion!

Something KDE users can do, is as a regular user, navigate with konqueror to a file that is locked (can only be edited by root). Then when you wish to edit it, right click, and select "open with" and at the top of the dialog box under "open with" type "kdesu kate" or "kdesu kwrite" ... etc ... (ie open with your favourite editor).

Its a spin off on your suggestion, that I've been using for some time, and I find it works like a charm.

permanent kwrite with root privileges

1) install sudo
2) add yourself to the sudo and (optionally) remove password requirements
3) create desktop link to kwrite
4) edit link and click on "Application" tab
add
sudo in front of kwrite
(so it looks like this: sudo kwrite)
save changes on exit

now each time you click on desktop link to kwrite, editor will have root privileges allowing system config file edition. (You can also specify preliminary working path e.g. /etc
assuming that this is where you will most often edit system files)

Note: removed duplicate

oldcpu, geoffro,

thanks I will have to remember those tricks...

that is a bit safer then the way that I have been doing it.....

su
kate /path/to/file/to/edit

Too bad there isn't a function in the editors where you can switch to "root mode" in case you want to edit a protected file you're viewing, or have an entry in the menu that you opened it with to run the program as a different user the same way the run command does.

Press alt+F2 then kdesu kwrite /pathToFile
...

/Geoff
[/b]

1. works only, if the user has installed kde

2. isn't that a little bit dangerous, opening a possibly vital configuration file in write mode with an text editor? What if the (possibly unexperienced) user changes the file unintentially and screws his system?