How to make a program run at startup?

Question

I want my c++ program to run automatically when the operating system loaded , i mean when the system starts working .. I am using linux(ubutu) I have no idea to do that ? any idea may help .. thanks in advance

This question is off-topic here. It's not a programming question, it's a system administration question. Given you're on Ubuntu, http://askubuntu.com/ might be a good fit. — John Dibling, Nov 15 '12 at 14:49

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 15 '12 at 14:49

4

(The fact that your program is written in C++ is irrelevant to this answer.)

Simply add a symbolic link to your executable in /etc/init.d/.

E.g. if your program is in /home/username/soft/myprog, run:

ln -s /home/username/soft/myprog /etc/init.d/

Make sure the file is executable.

answered Nov 15 '12 at 14:49

Philippe

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thanks .. but i am wonder if i can undo this or not ? – sana Nov 15 '12 at 15:23
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Of course, you can always delete the link: `rm /etc/init.d/myprog`. – Philippe Nov 15 '12 at 15:24
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Haha! I'll make an exception to the SO "no social networking" rules on this one and say hello! Very useful, thanks! ^^ – Raoul Apr 02 '14 at 00:59

axiom · Answer 2 · 2012-11-15T15:53:13.853

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An alternate way that might be helpful

Open your .bashrc file (That can be found in the home directory i.e ~/.bashrc)
Add to it the line :

./program_executable_path

Also note that the program must have execute permission. You can grant the permission by using chmod:
$chmod u+x program_executable_path

edited Nov 15 '12 at 15:53

answered Nov 15 '12 at 14:48

axiom

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This runs the program when you start a shell, not the OS. – Philippe Nov 15 '12 at 14:49
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Surely the editor is irrelevant here? – juanchopanza Nov 15 '12 at 14:50
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Yes it was . Done the corrections. Please correct me if i am wrong, but bashrc is also executed when you log in. – axiom Nov 15 '12 at 14:51
i have to add it to the .profile file – sana Dec 18 '12 at 21:27

How to make a program run at startup?

2 Answers2