I've recently migrated to Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon (from Windows), and I find that my Inkscape cursors are tiny, for some reason. Especially the Selection tool and Node tool are ridiculously tiny. I found this tutorial, which would seem to imply that I could make a couple of custom cursors to replace them. https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/SVG_Cursors But I'm not having much luck.
Where can I find the original cursor files? Of course, I can easily draw a new cursor in Inkscape. And I tried that. But after placing it in what I think is the Linux equivalent of the location given in the wiki article, inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors (I think the equivalent location would be in .config ??) the new cursor does not show up in Inkscape. So I thought if I could find the original cursor file, maybe I can just edit the size, and overwrite that file, and it might work? Or possibly I guessed incorrectly about putting it in .config?
Thank you very much!
I'm using Inkscape 1.4 -- Inkscape-e7c3feb-x86_64.AppImage
Hhmm, I find File System/usr/share/. But there is no inkscape folder there.
As far as I understand, I am the super user. But I'm not sure what it means to "invoke super user status".
Geez, I can hardly recognize Inkscape anymore....I've been trying to keep the uuhhhh...."legacy" look in my Inkscape window. Or maybe you're using a development version? I think you're just showing me a giant-sized Node tool cursor with the animation, right?
Ok, let's see if I can follow your instructions..... I should say that I'm still very new to Linux, and using the terminal, in every case so far, has proved to be a painful adventure.
I opened the terminal, and wrote "sudo caja". It asked me for a password, which I entered. And the result is this:
"sudo: caja: command not found"
It did not launch the file manager.
I would be really happy if there were some way to do this without the terminal.
Don't worry, there aren't too many things in the terminal to do using Inkscape in Mint, but you will need to have permissions to write to system files to change these cursors.
I was assuming the file manager on your machine is Caja... you can try sudo nemo.
The process I used:
Navigate in File manager to /usr/share/inkscape/icons
Open the cursor (e.g. node.svg) in Inkscape
Enlarge the cursor 2x height and 2x width
Make the page 48px x 48px.
Save to desktop (Inkscape can't write to the system files)
Use the file manager as superuser to copy/past the updated icon to /usr/share/inkscape/icons
Ok, I think I can follow that. But before I try it, I have a couple of questions.
You're instructions will have me editing the system cursors/icons, right? I mean as opposed to creating additional custom cursors. Is that correct? (It's not a problem. I just want to understand what I'm doing.)
Is that why /usr/share/inkscape folder is not displayed in the file manager? Because it's a system file? Or is there some other reason why it's not displayed?
I do have hidden files displayed via View menu > Show hidden files. But /usr/share/inkscape is still missing.
I don't understand why that would affect the visibility of a folder. Because in Windows, whether I installed Inkscape using MSI or whether I used a ZIP, all the folders are still visible in the file manager. At least as far as I was aware. Although I never tried to edit cursors in Windows.
I'm not so sure about that last part. Possibly I can put the cursor in the .config location without being a super user. But the original cursor files that I need to edit are apparently in usr/share/inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors. But I still do not see the usr/share/inkscape folder, in the file manager. So don't I still need to "invoke the superuser" to get the original files that I need to edit?
Also, there is only .config/inkscape/icons. There is no .config/inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors (hicolor and cursor folders are missing).
Edit
Sorry, I missed this part before " you'll need to make the directory". I can do that :-)
"Back later today." No worries. No rush. I just need to confirm where to find the original files. (It might be tomorrow before I get back here myself.)
Thank you so much, TylerDurden! I really appreciate your time and patience ☺
Yeah, Inkscape AppImage sessions make temporary directories, so you'll need to find the correct cursor directory via Preferences>System while Inkscape is running.
Then you can edit the cursors you want to enlarge, and save them to your user profile noted above.
And I'm thrilled to close the terminal and hopefully for a long time!
Well I'm not going to be able to make the edits today. Now I need to log off. But the next time I'm online, I will be able to do it. I'll post again after I finish, and let you know how it goes.
I used to loath the terminal until I found step-by-step instructions for each thing I wanted to do. Some of those things were Inkscape related, some were related to using Linux on old Mac/PC hardware. Better typing skills have also helped me get more comfortable using the terminal.
FWIW, Windows also has hidden directories and functions that require administrator privileges. Linux sometimes goes an extra step requiring super-user, but there is debate if it should be used or not and by whom. 🤷♂️
As more Inkscape users bail from Windows and adopt Linux, we'll see these issues come up more often.
Hhmm, it seems I need a bit more help. Using Inkscape File menu > Save As, I cannot seem to find .config. I'm sure I can find some other way to save the bigger cursors in that folder, but it would be more convenient if I could do it directly from Inkscape.
Oh wait....I found a way to get there. In the Save As dialog, there is a shortcut to templates, which is in .config also. So I click that, and then I can browse to Inkscape/icons, make the hicolor and cursors folders, and save the files.
I've only enlarged one so far, but it looks like it's working. I didn't realize there were so many different cursors. But it is working!
I've enlarged all the cursors that were too small. And they are working!
But I don't think I have a high dpi display. This is just a....I think 17 inch laptop. The selection tool cursor default size is 7.5 x 15 px. Maybe that's not so small for younger folks. But for older eyes, it's just too small.
Actually I wouldn't mind if all the cursors were larger. But I only enlarged the Selection and Node tools. If I were more motivated, I might post a bug report and request them to be larger. But maybe a developer will read this.
As more Inkscape users bail from Windows and adopt Linux, we'll see these issues come up more often.
This is a bit off topic. But to me, it's worth mentioning. I bailed from Windows, because of dissatisfaction with Windows. But because of all the glowing recommendations for Linux that I read in this forum (and the old forum before this one opened) over the years, I was not very worried about migrating. But it certainly has not been the "heaven on earth" experience that I had expected, based on everything I had read. It has been such a pain, at times, that I've been a click away from going back to Windows, several times. Most of the time, the problems I ran into were lack of documentation. Not even the Linux Mint organization puts out very much documentation.
I'm thinking that all those glowing recommendations must have been coming from advanced users or tech-oriented users, and not from ordinary or low-tech users. If I ever have to reinstall my os again, I think I'll try Ubuntu. It seems to have a larger user base, so maybe it would have better documentation?
For example, the original cursors seem to be in different places, depending on how you installed Inkscape. Well, it does not say where the original files are in the first place.
Beyond the Basics custom SVG cursor
Inkscape.org
Hi Friends,
I've recently migrated to Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon (from Windows), and I find that my Inkscape cursors are tiny, for some reason. Especially the Selection tool and Node tool are ridiculously tiny. I found this tutorial, which would seem to imply that I could make a couple of custom cursors to replace them. https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/SVG_Cursors But I'm not having much luck.
Where can I find the original cursor files? Of course, I can easily draw a new cursor in Inkscape. And I tried that. But after placing it in what I think is the Linux equivalent of the location given in the wiki article, inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors (I think the equivalent location would be in .config ??) the new cursor does not show up in Inkscape. So I thought if I could find the original cursor file, maybe I can just edit the size, and overwrite that file, and it might work? Or possibly I guessed incorrectly about putting it in .config?
Thank you very much!
I'm using Inkscape 1.4 -- Inkscape-e7c3feb-x86_64.AppImage
Here's the red bug info:
Inkscape 1.4 (e7c3feb, 2024-10-09)
Compile (Run)
GLib version: 2.64.6
GTK version: 3.24.20 (3.24.20)
glibmm version: 2.64.2
gtkmm version: 3.24.2
libxml2 version: 2.9.10
libxslt version: 1.1.34
Cairo version: 1.16.0 (1.16.0)
Pango version: 1.44.7 (1.44.7)
HarfBuzz version: 2.6.4 (2.6.4)
OS version: Linux Mint 22
Someone was asking a similar question on Reddit today
https://www.reddit.com/r/Inkscape/comments/1kmok06/inkscape_on_4k_27_monitor_ui_fontssymbols_too/
Well maybe someone with a reddit account can post this wiki article for them? Although it's not clear whether they would understand it either.
My questions: Where are the original cursor files (in Linux)? And/Or where is the proper place to put the new cursor file, on Linux?
Thanks again!
It may vary, depending on what flavor of linux.
Here is the location in Linux Mint:
The hicolor cursors can be replaced with larger versions, but you will need to invoke superuser status to do so.
Thanks TylerDurden!
It's Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon (details above)
Hhmm, I find File System/usr/share/. But there is no inkscape folder there.
As far as I understand, I am the super user. But I'm not sure what it means to "invoke super user status".
Geez, I can hardly recognize Inkscape anymore....I've been trying to keep the uuhhhh...."legacy" look in my Inkscape window. Or maybe you're using a development version? I think you're just showing me a giant-sized Node tool cursor with the animation, right?
Yes, I enlarged the node tool.
Mint has variations, but they all will have the same basic directory structure.
You will not have superuser permissions in file manager unless you open the terminal window, launch the file manager using; sudo caja.
You should be able to type in /usr/share/inkscape/icons in the file manager.navigation bar to open the directory.
I'm using the Adwaita theme, not dark, hicolor icons.
Ok, let's see if I can follow your instructions..... I should say that I'm still very new to Linux, and using the terminal, in every case so far, has proved to be a painful adventure.
I opened the terminal, and wrote "sudo caja". It asked me for a password, which I entered. And the result is this:
"sudo: caja: command not found"
It did not launch the file manager.
I would be really happy if there were some way to do this without the terminal.
Don't worry, there aren't too many things in the terminal to do using Inkscape in Mint, but you will need to have permissions to write to system files to change these cursors.
I was assuming the file manager on your machine is Caja... you can try sudo nemo.
The process I used:
Ok, I think I can follow that. But before I try it, I have a couple of questions.
You're instructions will have me editing the system cursors/icons, right? I mean as opposed to creating additional custom cursors. Is that correct? (It's not a problem. I just want to understand what I'm doing.)
Is that why /usr/share/inkscape folder is not displayed in the file manager? Because it's a system file? Or is there some other reason why it's not displayed?
I do have hidden files displayed via View menu > Show hidden files. But /usr/share/inkscape is still missing.
How did you install Inkscape... Appimage? PPA?
Appimage runs Inkscape in an almost portable mode, PPA is like installing a program into the system similar to Windows .msi.
Ah ... I see. Appimage.
I don't understand why that would affect the visibility of a folder. Because in Windows, whether I installed Inkscape using MSI or whether I used a ZIP, all the folders are still visible in the file manager. At least as far as I was aware. Although I never tried to edit cursors in Windows.
Ok, got it working here in AppImage.
You'll need to put the enlarged icon in your user profile, but you'll need to make the directory*: /home/td/.config/inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors.
The good news is you don't need to be superuser... you can make these changes as a normal user.
Back later today.
I'm not so sure about that last part. Possibly I can put the cursor in the .config location without being a super user. But the original cursor files that I need to edit are apparently in usr/share/inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors. But I still do not see the usr/share/inkscape folder, in the file manager. So don't I still need to "invoke the superuser" to get the original files that I need to edit?
Also, there is only .config/inkscape/icons. There is no .config/inkscape/icons/hicolor/cursors (hicolor and cursor folders are missing).
Edit
Sorry, I missed this part before " you'll need to make the directory". I can do that :-)
"Back later today." No worries. No rush. I just need to confirm where to find the original files. (It might be tomorrow before I get back here myself.)
Thank you so much, TylerDurden! I really appreciate your time and patience ☺
Yeah, Inkscape AppImage sessions make temporary directories, so you'll need to find the correct cursor directory via Preferences>System while Inkscape is running.
Then you can edit the cursors you want to enlarge, and save them to your user profile noted above.
Ah-HA! I found them!
And I'm thrilled to close the terminal and hopefully for a long time!
Well I'm not going to be able to make the edits today. Now I need to log off. But the next time I'm online, I will be able to do it. I'll post again after I finish, and let you know how it goes.
Thanks again TylerDurden!
I used to loath the terminal until I found step-by-step instructions for each thing I wanted to do. Some of those things were Inkscape related, some were related to using Linux on old Mac/PC hardware. Better typing skills have also helped me get more comfortable using the terminal.
FWIW, Windows also has hidden directories and functions that require administrator privileges. Linux sometimes goes an extra step requiring super-user, but there is debate if it should be used or not and by whom. 🤷♂️
As more Inkscape users bail from Windows and adopt Linux, we'll see these issues come up more often.
Hhmm, it seems I need a bit more help. Using Inkscape File menu > Save As, I cannot seem to find .config. I'm sure I can find some other way to save the bigger cursors in that folder, but it would be more convenient if I could do it directly from Inkscape.
Oh wait....I found a way to get there. In the Save As dialog, there is a shortcut to templates, which is in .config also. So I click that, and then I can browse to Inkscape/icons, make the hicolor and cursors folders, and save the files.
I've only enlarged one so far, but it looks like it's working. I didn't realize there were so many different cursors. But it is working!
Good to know you got it!
There may be cursor sets for high dpi displays, but I haven't explored the options. You could ask the devs on the chat or check the bug tracker.
Hah! Success!
I've enlarged all the cursors that were too small. And they are working!
But I don't think I have a high dpi display. This is just a....I think 17 inch laptop. The selection tool cursor default size is 7.5 x 15 px. Maybe that's not so small for younger folks. But for older eyes, it's just too small.
Actually I wouldn't mind if all the cursors were larger. But I only enlarged the Selection and Node tools. If I were more motivated, I might post a bug report and request them to be larger. But maybe a developer will read this.
Anyway, thanks again!
This is a bit off topic. But to me, it's worth mentioning. I bailed from Windows, because of dissatisfaction with Windows. But because of all the glowing recommendations for Linux that I read in this forum (and the old forum before this one opened) over the years, I was not very worried about migrating. But it certainly has not been the "heaven on earth" experience that I had expected, based on everything I had read. It has been such a pain, at times, that I've been a click away from going back to Windows, several times. Most of the time, the problems I ran into were lack of documentation. Not even the Linux Mint organization puts out very much documentation.
I'm thinking that all those glowing recommendations must have been coming from advanced users or tech-oriented users, and not from ordinary or low-tech users. If I ever have to reinstall my os again, I think I'll try Ubuntu. It seems to have a larger user base, so maybe it would have better documentation?
PS - I don't know if someone wants to edit the wiki article: https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/SVG_Cursors ? It seems like it is missing certain info?
For example, the original cursors seem to be in different places, depending on how you installed Inkscape. Well, it does not say where the original files are in the first place.
Ubuntu may be better documented. It has a large user base and corporate support.
Mint is Ubuntu and Debian based and used frequently for older computers, due to its light resource needs.