Issues with metadata cleaner

User Support
1

Hi guys, i installed metadata cleaner for fedora-37 template for use on my appvms

This is the one: Metadata Cleaner | Flathub.

The app doesnt have access to most of my directories. I take screenshots often and those get saved to /home/user/Pitcures. But im unable to open them in metadata cleaner.

Is there a way around this?

2

Screenshots are typically created in dom0, if you want to copy them to an AppM, you can do so as follow (assuming that the AppVM is called cleaner):

# dom0

qvm-copy-to-vm cleaner ~/Pictures/some-screenshot.png

They’ll be copied to the ~/QubesIncoming/dom0 directory in the cleaner AppVM.

Is that what you’re asking about?

1 Like
3

i’d like to have my screenshots saved in the appvm for later reference. Metadata cleaner is installed in the appvm.

i use flameshot instead of the native screenshot on dom0 because i can easily select crop before i screenshot. Is this true for the native screenshot?

4

You can do this with this script:

But I’ve changed the use of deepin-screenshot with a default xfce4-screenshooter so I don’t need to install deepin-screenshot in dom0.
Here are the usage examples for keybinds:

5

Related issue:

6

i just dont think its logical to have screenshots saved in dom0. All i want is metadata cleaner to be functional so i can use it on pdfs, .docs, screenshots etc. THis is my main concern

7

You can use the qvm-screenshot-tool to upload your screenshots directly to your cleaner VM instead of saving them in dom0 and manually sending them to your cleaner VM.
Copy qvm-screenshot-tool.sh to your dom0 and change PrintScreen key binding to run this command:

/home/user/qvm-screenshot-tool.sh --upload-to-appvm-only -vm cleaner-vm
8

interesting approach. i am a newbie. How exactly can i do this?

9

You need to install (copy) the qvm-screenshot-tool in dom0:

Then you can add custom application shortcuts in dom0:
https://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-settings/keyboard#application_shortcuts
E.g. use these commands and assign a shortcuts for them to Print, Ctrl+Print, Alt+Print, Shift+Print, Ctlr+Alt+Print or some different keys:

To get screenshot with dialogs:
/home/user/qvm-screenshot-tool-xfce4.sh
To get fullscreen screenshot:
/home/user/qvm-screenshot-tool-xfce4.sh --fullscreen --upload-to-appvm-only -vm vault
To get crop screenshot:
/home/user/qvm-screenshot-tool-xfce4.sh --region-only --upload-to-appvm-only -vm vault
To get window screenshot:
/home/user/qvm-screenshot-tool-xfce4.sh --window --upload-to-appvm-only -vm vault

10

@PostedPortal: You don’t have to install anything to use the screenshots you take from dom0. All you do is:

  1. Take a screenshot. The image file shows up in your dom0 home directory.
  2. Use qvm-move-to-vm in dom0 to move it to your app qube of choice.
  3. You now have an image file in your app qube that you can edit and use with programs however you like.
1 Like
11

i think i may have misinterpreted my problem. My problem is not with screenshots.

Its that metadata cleaner does not have access to any of my files. Not /home/user/Documents, /home/user/Downloads etc.

So i dont see how the above solutions will solve my underlying issue.

12

What’s the error? Maybe your files are created by root so you can’t modify them? Check the permissions of the files.

13

Do Qubes screenshots taken in dom0 even have any metadata to be concerned about? Is it even necessary to “clean” them of metadata in the first place?

Also, what about the Qubes “convert to trusted image” tool?

14

like i said. im not limited to just screenshots. I send pdfs, docx, odt, odf, png, img, very frequently. All of which needs to have metadata cleaned