Make systemd service user-specific instead of system-wide

[rGunti]

Related to the following comment on the YouTube video (I am not the author of the comment, but I share the same view and have some information about this)

@zvpunry1971
2 hours ago
5:45 Don't throw own service files to /lib/systemd/system/, there they belong to /etc/systemd/system/. But that is only for services that don't belong to some specific user. On a raspberry pi you have the default user that is automatically logged in. This user has its own systemd running, it is controlled with "systemctl --user ..." and has its service files in ~/.config/systemd/user/

That said, depending on your desktop environment (I assume raspberry pi defaults), there is another place to automatically start the script: ~/.config/autostart/ where you can put *.desktop files.

The .service file has to be located under ~/.config/systemd/user/ instead and systemctl commands have to be used with the --user flag, apart from that the handling should be the same.

Disclaimer: I pulled this information from my own project of running an Elgato Stream Deck on Linux Mint (Ubuntu-based), but afaik systemd should handle this the same way on Raspbian as well.

[geerlingguy]

Agreed, since this is a userspace thing, it shouldn't apply to the global system. Permissions might even be easier (e.g. not having to do #4 and use sudo to copy that file).

[wulph111]

The .service file has to be located under ~/.config/systemd/user/ instead and systemctl commands have to be used with the --user flag, apart from that the handling should be the same.

I tried to implement this and got the following error:

pi@pipad:~/bin $ systemctl --user enable kiosk

...

Unit /home/pi/.config/systemd/user/kiosk.service is added as a dependency to a non-existent unit graphical.target.

[geerlingguy]

Ah, in that case we could probably remove that target from kiosk.service, since the user account would only be logged in after the graphical target's been reached!

[sprior]

I was just working on this a little. Starting from the kiosk.service in the repo I had to comment out the User and Group lines. I also changed the graphical.target to default target. I mostly got it working except that the cursor didn't hide - haven't figured out why.