---
name: "update-gconf-defaults"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "gconf2"
version: "3.2.6-8"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/update-gconf-defaults"
---

# update-gconf-defaults(8)

generate GConf defaults shipped in Debian packages

## NAME

update-gconf-defaults - generate GConf defaults shipped in Debian packages

## SYNOPSIS

**update-gconf-defaults** \[options\]

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **update-gconf-defaults** command.

**update-gconf-defaults** is responsible for generating defaults used by GConf from the files found in */usr/share/gconf/defaults*.

The syntax of files in this directory consists in lines containing the key name, some white space, and the key value, which can be an integer, a boolean, a float, a string or a list of strings. Example:

/apps/myprogram/frob\_number     42\
 /apps/myprogram/do\_foo          true\
 /apps/myprogram/priority        1.25\
 /apps/myprogram/name            "Gotcha !"\
 /apps/myprogram/names           \[Ha ha!,Let's keep serious,Ho ho!\]

Files are processed in alphabetical order. Files processed later take precedence over the previous ones if they include the same defaults. Thus, it is recommended to name them *NN*\_*package* with *NN* being a 2-digit number and *package* the package name. It is recommended to set *NN* as 10 for packages in the Debian archive, 20 for derived distributions, 50 for CDD distributions, and 90 for site-specific packages.

## OPTIONS

- **--source *source\_dir***

  Specify an alternate source directory where to find the defaults.

- **--destination *destination\_dir***

  Specify an alternate destination directory where to build the resulting GConf tree.

- **--mandatory**

  Sets source and destination directories appropriate for the mandatory values.

## FILES

- */usr/share/gconf/defaults/*

  The directory from which defaults files are read.

- */usr/share/gconf/mandatory/*

  The directory from which defaults files for mandatory settings are read.

- */var/lib/gconf/debian.defaults*

  The directory where the GConf tree for default settings is generated. It is read by GConf with the default Debian configuration, and it takes precedence over upstream defaults.

- */var/lib/gconf/debian.mandatory*

  The directory where the GConf tree for mandatory settings is generated. It is read by GConf with the default Debian configuration, and it takes precedence over user settings.

## SEE ALSO

[**dh\_gconf**(1)](/dh_gconf/1.md),[**gconftool**(1)](/gconftool/1.md).

## AUTHOR

Josselin Mouette \<joss@debian.org\>.