LOADERS File – What is .loaders file and how to open it?

GTK+ Loaders File

A LOADERS file is a GTK+ Loaders File, which is a configuration file used by GTK+, a graphical user interface library for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for desktop applications. The LOADERS file specifies the widgets that are available to be used in a GUI and the loaders that are used to create them.

GTK+ uses a modular architecture, and the LOADERS file is used to configure which modules are loaded and how they are used. The file contains a list of widget types and the corresponding loaders that are used to create them. Each line in the file specifies a widget type, followed by a colon and the name of the loader that is used to create it. For example, the following line specifies that the GtkButton widget type should be created using the gtk_button_new() loader:


GtkButton: gtk_button_new


The LOADERS file is typically located in the /etc/gtk-2.0 directory on Unix-like systems. The file can be edited using a text editor to change the list of available widgets and loaders.

Accessing LOADERS Files on Linux Systems

LOADERS files are primarily associated with the GTK+ graphical user interface library on Linux-based operating systems. These files contain configuration settings related to image loaders used by GTK+ applications to display various image formats. To open and edit LOADERS files on Linux systems, you can use a text editor such as gedit, vi, or nano.

Simply navigate to the directory where the LOADERS file is located using the terminal or file manager. Right-click on the file and select “Open with Text Editor.” The file will open in the chosen editor, allowing you to view and modify its contents. Once you have made any necessary changes, save the file and close the editor. The updated settings will be applied to GTK+ applications upon their next launch.

Additional Considerations

LOADERS files are typically located in the system-wide configuration folder, such as “/etc/gtk-2.0/loaders.cache” or “/usr/share/gtk-2.0/loaders/” depending on the Linux distribution. If you cannot find the LOADERS file in these locations, check the application-specific configuration directory for the GTK+ application that is experiencing issues with image loading.

GTK+ Loaders File Format

GTK+ Loaders File (.LOADERS) is a configuration format used in the popular GTK+ graphical user interface library. It contains information about font loaders, which are responsible for loading and managing fonts in GTK+ applications. The LOADERS file specifies properties such as loader implementations, default font paths, and fallback fallback strategies.

By default, GTK+ searches for its LOADERS file in a system-specific directory. However, applications can also specify a custom LOADERS file using the GTKLOADERSFILE environment variable. The file is loaded at runtime and its settings are applied to the GTK+ font loading process. If the LOADERS file is modified while an application is running, the changes may not take effect until the application is restarted.

Other Extensions