Problem running xfce4 with xdm

Question

G'day,
I'm trying to get xdm happening but I'm having some problems.
After searching the forums I created a ~/.xsession file with the same content as my working ~.xinitrc and changed the runtime in inittab.
After rebooting login in xdm doesn't work. I just keep returning to the login screen.
Checking out my ~/.xsession-errors file, I have
/home/mctavish/.xsession: line 5: exec: startxfce4: not found
It works if I use the full path - but then of course falls down when startxfce4 tries to call xfwm4 and so on. So it looks like a path problem.
I know that the /opt/xfce4/bin path is setup in /etc/profile.d/xfce4.sh, which is called from /etc/profile.
Note too that I have never had any problems using startx to get xfce4 up and running.
So it seems to me that somehow /etc/profile is not being called (or whatever) when I use xdm. Is this crazy talk? In fact /etc/profile is not executable, so how it normally run and from where?
Of course I could just use gdm but the pain of having all those unnecessary gnomish packages on my system would be unbearable.

Answer 1

Try this /etc/X11/xdm/Xresources
! $Xorg: Xresources,v 1.3 2000/08/17 19:54:17 cpqbld Exp $
! $XFree86: xc/programs/xdm/config/Xres.cpp,v 1.7 2003/11/15 03:25:22 dawes Exp $
xlogin*login.translations: #override
Ctrl<Key>R: abort-display()n
<Key>F1: set-session-argument(failsafe) finish-field()n
<Key>Delete: delete-character()n
<Key>Left: move-backward-character()n
<Key>Right: move-forward-character()n
<Key>Home: move-to-begining()n
<Key>End: move-to-end()n
Ctrl<Key>KP_Enter: set-session-argument(failsafe) finish-field()n
<Key>KP_Enter: set-session-argument() finish-field()n
Ctrl<Key>Return: set-session-argument(failsafe) finish-field()n
<Key>Return: set-session-argument() finish-field()
xlogin*greeting: Welcome to CLIENTHOST
xlogin*namePrompt: Login:
xlogin*fail: Login incorrect
#if WIDTH > 800
xlogin*greetFont: -adobe-helvetica-bold-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*font: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*promptFont: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*failFont: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
#else
xlogin*greetFont: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*font: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*promptFont: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
xlogin*failFont: -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-iso8859-1
#endif
#ifdef COLOR
xlogin*borderWidth: 1
xlogin*frameWidth: 1
xlogin*innerFramesWidth: 1
xlogin*shdColor: grey30
xlogin*hiColor: grey90
xlogin*background: #f5f5f5
xlogin*foreground: darkgreen
xlogin*greetColor: #6c83b0
xlogin*failColor: red
*Foreground: black
*Background: #fffff0
#else
xlogin*borderWidth: 1
xlogin*frameWidth: 0
xlogin*innerFramesWidth: 1
xlogin*shdColor: black
xlogin*hiColor: black
#endif
#if PLANES >= 8
xlogin*logoFileName: /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xdm/pixmaps/archlinux.xpm
#endif
xlogin*useShape: true
xlogin*logoPadding: 10
XConsole.text.geometry: 480x130
XConsole.verbose: true
XConsole*iconic: true
XConsole*font: fixed
Chooser*geometry: 700x500+300+200
Chooser*allowShellResize: false
Chooser*viewport.forceBars: true
Chooser*label.font: *-new century schoolbook-bold-i-normal-*-240-*
Chooser*label.label: XDMCP Host Menu from CLIENTHOST
Chooser*list.font: -*-*-medium-r-normal-*-*-230-*-*-c-*-iso8859-1
Chooser*Command.font: *-new century schoolbook-bold-r-normal-*-180-*
Put this line into /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup_0
/usr/X11R6/bin/xsetroot -solid "#000000"
And this into  /etc/X11/xdm/pixmaps/