How to Install Celtx 2.9.7 on Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: January 9, 2014

This brief tutorial is going to show you how to properly install Celtx on Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, 13.04 Raring, 12.10 Quantal, and Linux Mint.

Celtx is the world’s first fully integrated software for Pre-Production and collaboration of film, theatre, radio, AV and comics. It has all the tools media creators need to bring their stories to life while combining intelligent writing and planning tools, storyboarding, and scheduling with internet-friendly technologies. It’s free and open-source.

celtx

To get started, click below link to download Celtx 2.9.7:

Celtx-2.9.7 for Linux 32-bit

Celtx-2.9.7 for Linux 64-bit

Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal, then run below commands one by one to extract to /usr/local/:

cd

tar xjf ~/Downloads/Celtx-*.tar.bz2

sudo mv ~/celtx/ /usr/local/

Now create a shortcut launcher for Celtx:

1.) Install required package:

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel --no-install-recommends

2.) Run this command to Create Launcher.

sudo gnome-desktop-item-edit /usr/share/applications/ --create-new

Select icon from /usr/local/celtx/icons/ folder. Type /usr/local/celtx/celtx in command area.

Now search and open celtx in Unity Dash.

Enjoy!

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1

22 responses to How to Install Celtx 2.9.7 on Ubuntu Linux

  1. As soon as I type ‘sudo apt-get install gnome-panel’ in the terminal

    I get this

    “E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock – open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable)
    E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), is another process using it?charles@KINO:/usr/local$ ”

    What should I do ?

    • Synaptic Package Manager, Ubuntu Software Center installing / uninstalling process, and sudo apt-get command. You can only run one of them at same time, so:

      close synaptic package manager if it is opened.
      wait Ubuntu Software Center installing / uninstalling process complete.
      wait or stop any other sudo apt-get command

      Extreme way: log out and back in

      • Enter this command without quote marks if neccessary “sudo rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/lock”
        This is a lock file that was created by another program using that directory.

  2. This doesn’t work for me at all. I use Ubuntu 13.04. I get this error when I try to create a launcher.

    (gnome-desktop-item-edit:3895): IBUS-WARNING **: The owner of /home/jonathan/.config/ibus/bus is not root!

    And then nothing happens. I don’t even know how to start celtx.

  3. I have the same problem like JR, can someone tell me what to do?

  4. Successful for me on 12.04 LTS. Thank-you!

    My problem is that, when I right-click on a .celtx file > Open with other application > Show other applications, Celtx is not on the list, & I have no option to browse.

    Any suggestions?

    • There’s no .celtx file type in Ubuntu’s mime config file. Please search “ubuntu mime type” on Google.

  5. Hey I get the IBUS as well, but I finally got past that and when I search celtx in the unity bar, it comes up like it’s supposed to. When I launch the application though, it just asks for my admin password and then closes out. the program doesn’t even launch. How can I fix that?

  6. Getting the IBUS error, also getting the admin password request, then also nothing happens. Starting to sound like a common issue.

    13.10

    • Sorry Eli Ryder, try below command to change the celtx files ownership (change handbook to your username):

      sudo chown handbook:handbook /usr/local/celtx

      Then edit the launcher file (celtx.desktop or Celtx.desktop):

      sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/Celtx.desktop

      Remove gksudo from the value of Exec to make it looks like this:

      [Desktop Entry]
      Version=1.0
      Type=Application
      Terminal=false
      Icon[en_US]=/usr/local/celtx/icons/default48.png
      Name[en_US]=celtx
      Exec=/usr/local/celtx/celtx
      Name=celtx
      Icon=/usr/local/celtx/icons/default48.png

      Post Updated.

  7. Nothing seems to be working for me
    Trying to open the script by terminal doesn’t work and neither does clicking on it

    When I try and run it in terminal with this

    sudo /usr/local/celtx/celtx

    i just get this

    /usr/local/celtx/celtx-bin: 1: /usr/local/celtx/celtx-bin: Syntax error: “(” unexpected

    Any suggestions?

  8. Hi, I installed Celtx by decompressing the file downloaded, then I create a launcher using “alacarte” pointing to the file “celtx”, and then it runs.
    I am using Ubuntu 14.04 with Unity, and the application “alacarte” runs from a terminal and it has a launcher in the Menu bar, in Prefereces, I think. I am working with a spanish version of Ubuntu.
    Good luck!
    Ricardo.

    • Hey man. Can you explain me a little bit more how you did it? Is the first time I’m using Ubuntu, and is the 14.04 version, so you are the first one i see who has installed celtx in this version.

      Thanks

  9. It almost works for me. I can open the app, do everything, but when I go to save, it crashes right away before I even get to name the file. Any thoughts on how to fix this issue? Many thanks – Jimmy

  10. It worked out perfectly. I followed your instruction exactly as you’ve laid out here. Thank you, Ji M!

    For those who used the launcher dialog but cannot launch the application itself, you can directly go to the /usr/share/applications/ directory, and double click the Celtx application that you just created. Once the app launches, right-click on the Celtx icon on the launcher bar and select “Lock to launcher”.

  11. Guys, first of all, thanks a lot for everything! I’m new at ubuntu and learning a lot in here and lovin it! I maneged to install celtx alright, the problem is that i didn’t chosed an icon and now I can’t do it! i’m trying to reinstall it but i can’t uninstall it on the fisrt place! What should i do? it works just fine, perfect, but it would be awesome with the right icon and everything…

  12. Nothing od this worked for me… I downloaded the Celtx-2.9.7-64 version, and typed:
    cd
    tar xjf ~/Downloads/Celtx-*.tar.bz2

    and i get this:

    tar (child): /home/impeyan/Downloads/Celtx-2.9.7-64.tar.bz2: No se puede open: No existe el archivo o el directorio tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now tar: Child returned status 2 tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

  13. Same as p4.jimmy – saving crashes the program instantly.

  14. Renato Lazzari March 19, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    Hi! I’ve followed the steps and Celtx is now installed. I know that because the command “sudo /usr/local/celtx/celtx” works… well, I’m not sure it’s fine, but it starts Celtx. But I have two problems:

    1) When I start teh program, I receive the follw message, from LXTerminal:
    (celtx-bin:10621): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::sm-connect after class was initialised

    and, at end of the session:

    Gtk-Message: (for origin information, set GTK_DEBUG): failed to retrieve property `GtkRange::activate-slider’ of type `gboolean’ from rc file value “((GString*) 0x7f2d934bb000)” of type `GString’

    2) I’d like to have an icon in the desktop to click to start the Celtx or, at least, in the start menu.

    I’m using Lubuntu 14.04.2 and I’ve not found an Unity Dash. I’m not sure what is the words I have to replace in the line “sudo chown handbook:handbook /usr/local/celtx”. As a tip, when I open LXTerminal it shows me “lazzari@lazzari-desktop:~”. As far as I can understand, I’ve preferred not to command this line because it seems – to me, an actor student – could change Celtx’s ownership to some crazy user that actually doesn’t exists. Also I’m not sure I have something like Icon[en_US] or Name[en_US] because I’m brazilian and the language of my Lubuntu is brazilian portuguese.

    It is important to me because there’s projects I’m receiving, wrote through this Celtx program. And there is other people from my thetrical group, believe me or not, who get scared on type commands in a line, like “sudo /usr/local/celtx/celtx”, hehe…

    Finaly, I’d like you please excuse my not-too-good english and my not-techinical habilities with computers.

    Thank you!

    • The Dash is the top left corner, represented by the ubuntu symbol. This opens up the ‘dash window’, from which you can type any software name and it should locate/show. Click the software you wish to run and that will close dash and run the program.

      I just installed this, without any problem, and I type; cel – into dash, and Celtx pops up directly. It runs first time, without having to edit permissions.

  15. Hi
    When i am trying to download Celtx i get massage shown below:

    “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

    AccessDenied
    Access Denied
    F2F84503939ED5EC

    oeoewklBLBTAkj35TeSBfAptIztZ8L9PxPvAWgixz6aKmTt2jr0rOWN/cBmL9dJBBfV/cJsjBdM=

    It does with both 64 and 32 bit version.
    Is the site down? can anyone help me?