Debian 12 LXQT Auto-Login Script

Here's a comprehensive script I use for quickly setting up Debian 12 virtual machines with the LXQT desktop environment and automatic login. I'll share the complete script first, then break down its functionality.

The Complete Script

xxxxxxxxxx
#!/bin/bash

set -euxo pipefail

export PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1
DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 sudo apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" install perl

perl -MTerm::ANSIColor=':constants' -nlE '

    next if m~^$|^\#~;
    say q|> |, GREEN $_, RESET '';
    system $_;
    
    if ($? != 0)
    {
        warn q|> |, RED qq|Failure Detected: |, RESET qq|$!\n|;
    }
    
    END
    {
        say q|> |, GREEN q|All Done! Bye bye :)|, RESET "";
    }

' <<EOF
# Update package lists and upgrade system
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" upgrade

# Install LXQt desktop and core dependencies
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" install task-lxqt-desktop sddm software-properties-common apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg2

# Install additional LXQt components
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" install lxqt-themes lxqt-config pavucontrol-qt firefox-esr mousepad

# Configure SDDM
sudo mkdir -p /etc/sddm.conf.d
sudo bash -c 'echo "[Autologin]" > /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo bash -c 'echo "User=\$(whoami)" >> /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo bash -c 'echo "Session=lxqt.desktop" >> /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo chmod 600 /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf

# Switch to SDDM display manager non-interactively
sudo bash -c 'echo "/usr/bin/sddm" > /etc/X11/default-display-manager && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive dpkg-reconfigure sddm'

# Clean up
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" autoremove
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get clean
EOF

Script Breakdown and Explanation

1. Initial Setup

#!/bin/bash
set -euxo pipefail

These lines establish bash execution and set important safety flags:

• -e: Exits if any command fails

• -u: Errors on unset variables

• -x: Shows commands as they execute

• -o pipefail: Prevents masking pipeline errors

2. Perl Installation

export PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1
DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 sudo apt-get -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" install perl

Ensures Perl is installed with default options for the script execution.

3. Perl Command Wrapper

perl -MTerm::ANSIColor=':constants' -nlE '
    next if m~^$|^\#~;
    say q|> |, GREEN $_, RESET '';
    system $_;
    
    if ($? != 0)
    {
        warn q|> |, RED qq|Failure Detected: |, RESET qq|$!\n|;
    }
'

This Perl wrapper provides:

• Color-coded output (green for commands, red for errors)

• Command execution monitoring

• Error detection and reporting

• Skips empty lines and comments

4. System Update Commands

sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y upgrade

Updates the package list and upgrades all installed packages without prompts.

5. LXQT Installation

sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y install task-lxqt-desktop sddm software-properties-common apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg2

Installs:

• LXQT desktop environment

• SDDM display manager

• Essential system utilities

• Network security certificates

• Package management tools

6. Additional Software

sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y install lxqt-themes lxqt-config pavucontrol-qt firefox-esr mousepad

Installs supplementary packages:

• Desktop themes

• Configuration tools

• Audio controls

• Web browser

• Text editor

7. SDDM Auto-login Setup

xxxxxxxxxx
sudo mkdir -p /etc/sddm.conf.d
sudo bash -c 'echo "[Autologin]" > /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo bash -c 'echo "User=$(whoami)" >> /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo bash -c 'echo "Session=lxqt.desktop" >> /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf'
sudo chmod 600 /etc/sddm.conf.d/autologin.conf

Configures automatic login with SDDM display manager.

8. Display Manager Configuration

x
sudo bash -c 'echo "/usr/bin/sddm" > /etc/X11/default-display-manager && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive dpkg-reconfigure sddm'

Sets SDDM as the default display manager.

9. Cleanup

xxxxxxxxxx
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y autoremove
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get clean

Removes unnecessary packages and cleans package cache.

Usage Instructions

1. Save the script to a file (e.g., debian-lxqt-setup.sh)

2. Make it executable:

xxxxxxxxxx
chmod +x debian-lxqt-setup.sh

3. Run with sudo:

xxxxxxxxxx
sudo ./debian-lxqt-setup.sh

The script will automatically install and configure everything, providing visual feedback during the process. After completion, you'll have a fully functional LXQT desktop environment with automatic login capability - perfect for VM environments!