There are other answers like: centos - Linux: Create a user than can access other users' files - Super User, but they don't talk about accessing those files from GUI application. My question is more broad, as I want to access, read and write other user's files and directory as smoothly as I do for mine.
Background
I want to restrict access to certain files and folders owned by my user as I sometimes share my laptop without logging out.
Using, How to password protect a folder on Unix/Linux without encryption? - Super User, I created another user:group
secure:secure, and I changed the ownership to it. And, I changed files and directory permissions recursively, to let only owner and group read, write and execute for directories; read and write for files.Whenever, I want to use the other files and folders, I want to switch user
su - secure.
Problem
- After switching user when I try to run those files using an application from terminal, I get following errors (both mpv and cvlc work fine from my original user)
$ mpv Hello.mp4
[vo/sdl] SDL_Init failed
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (--vo) device.
Video: no video
Failed to create secure directory (/run/user/1001/pulse): No such file or directory
Failed to create secure directory (/run/user/1001/pulse): No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:767:(parse_card) cannot find card '0'
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1246:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib conf.c:5220:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib pcm.c:2642:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
[ao/alsa] Playback open error: No such file or directory
[ao/oss] Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: No such file or directory
Cannot connect to server socket err = No such file or directory
Cannot connect to server request channel
jack server is not running or cannot be started
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
[ao/jack] cannot open server
Failed to create secure directory (/run/user/1001/pulse): No such file or directory
Failed to create secure directory (/run/user/1001/pulse): No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:767:(parse_card) cannot find card '0'
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1246:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib conf.c:5220:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib pcm.c:2642:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
ALSA lib pcm_hw.c:1829:(_snd_pcm_hw_open) Invalid value for card
couldn't open play stream: No such file or directory
[ao/sndio] can't open sndio default
[ao] Failed to initialize audio driver 'sndio'
Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound.
Audio: no audio
VO: [gpu] 1280x720 yuv420p
$ cvlc 1.mp4
VLC media player 3.0.9.2 Vetinari (revision 3.0.9.2-0-gd4c1aefe4d)
[0000556cff4e2d10] vlcpulse audio output error: PulseAudio server connection failure: Connection refused
[0000556cff4ec480] dbus interface error: Failed to connect to the D-Bus session daemon: Unable to autolaunch a dbus-daemon without a $DISPLAY for X11
[0000556cff4ec480] main interface error: no suitable interface module
[0000556cff452670] main libvlc error: interface "dbus,none" initialization failed
[0000556cff516ea0] main interface error: no suitable interface module
[0000556cff452670] main libvlc error: interface "globalhotkeys,none" initialization failed
[0000556cff516ea0] dummy interface: using the dummy interface module...
ALSA lib confmisc.c:767:(parse_card) cannot find card '0'
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1246:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:4732:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib conf.c:5220:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib pcm.c:2642:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
[0000556cff4e2d10] alsa audio output error: cannot open ALSA device "default": No such file or directory
[0000556cff4e2d10] main audio output error: Audio output failed
[0000556cff4e2d10] main audio output error: The audio device "default" could not be used:
No such file or directory.
[0000556cff4e2d10] main audio output error: module not functional
[00007fd7e20afbb0] main decoder error: failed to create audio output
- In Nautilus, it doesn't even offer me to enter the password for the other user to browse the contents of the other user's directory. It just does nothing.
Question
How can I access, read and write to the other user's files and folders as I do for my own (main) user's files and folders?
Also, the $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not getting created when doing
su. I used this alternative: systemd - How to create / delete $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR at login / logoff - Unix & Linux Stack Exchange. But why is $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR not getting created and set?
