How to Create a .desktop File For Your Application in Solus

AguerreroG

If you compile a program from source or download an app in archive format, this may not be the case and you may have to open the terminal to execute the binary every time you want to use it. Obviously, this can become a very tedious and troublesome step.
This tutorial will describe how you can create a .desktop file for any application you use that you can launch from the Application menu.
For demonstration purposes, I will create a .desktop file for Tuxguitar, a tablature editor. A version is available Sourceforge (Need Java Installed).
Launch your text editor and paste the following into the empty text file:

[Desktop Entry]

#The type as listed above
Type=Application

#The version of the desktop entry specification to which this file complies
Version=1.0

#The name of the application
Name=Tuxguitar

#A comment which can/will be used as a tooltip
Comment=Editor de tablaturas

#The path to the folder in which the executable is run
Path=/home/os4/.bin/tuxguitar-1.5.2-linux-x86_64/

#The executable of the application, possibly with arguments.
Exec=/home/os4/.bin/tuxguitar-1.5.2-linux-x86_64/tuxguitar.sh

#The name of the icon that will be used to display this entry
Icon=/home/os4/.bin/tuxguitar-1.5.2-linux-x86_64/share/skins/Lavender/logo.png

#Describes whether this application needs to be run in a terminal or not
Terminal=false

#Describes the categories in which this entry should be shown
Categories=AudioVideo

Finally, save the file in ~/.local/share/applications folder as “application-name.desktop”.

SirOaken

[unknown] i dont find it to be.

dbarron

[unknown] His tutorial is 1) create a file named XYZ. By definition that's not really complicated. It may be more typing than you'd like to do..but it's not complicated really 🤣

brent

I have 2 non-repo apps now and I am sick of terminal cd then terminal output/XXX.

Let me understand. If desktop icons are enabled in Raven (mine are), then when Solus boots up there is a service that is going to look in /local/share/applications for a *.desktop file(s) to populate the desktop? And as long as there is a filepath to the .sh it is executable to desktop?
Is .sh 'always' the executable file or are there other names?

Earnest today and with two left feet go I......

Staudey

To each his own. The more methods are available, the more likely someone finds something that works for them.

dbarron

Staudey And that is one of the greatest all time strengths of Linux, many ways to do any given task.
I prefer always learning the basic/hard way, because you never know when your GUI tool will be unavailable or broken, and you're left flat-footed. I got into an issue where I didn't even have 'vi' available last week. 'Cat', 'echo','sed', and redirection are your friend.

brent

I right clicked both of my non-repo apps and put them on desktop. I rebooted, they are still there.
Yes, I have the ugly gear icon but I'm ok with it.

I need to write a desktop file to shoehorn the app into the menu? I can try that.

P.S.--neither of my executables were *.sh nor were there .sh files for my two apps.

I still didn't get naming of the icon. I got to dig thru the stacer and zygrib files to see if they furnished icons? And pick what I like?

I'm getting there, thanks for any clarity.

SirOaken

brent what is the file extension you are trying to run?

brent

OK---followed the script above in Gedit.
`Zygrib

Type=Application

Version=8.0.1

Name=Zygrib

Comment=no stinkin tooltip

Path=/home/brent/Downloads/zyGrib-8.0.1

Exec=/root/zyGrib/bin

Icon=/home/brent/Downloads/zyGrib-8.0.1/data/img/zyGrib.icns

Terminal=false

Categories=weatherapp`

Saved where it told me to save.
Reboot.
No desktop icon.
No app menu prescence.
What did I do wrong? Take app out of root?
Giving up for a while.
Non-urgent. At your convenience, thank you.

SirOaken

brent What I do that is a little different than the op instructions. is placing the .desktop in ~/desktop folder. It wont give you the application in the budgie menu but should give you the icon on your desktop.

algent

brent How do you usually run Zygrib?

viyoriya

brent

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Zygrib
Type=Application
Icon=/home/brent/Downloads/zyGrib-8.0.1/data/img/zyGrib.icns
Exec=/home/brent/Downloads/zyGrib-8.0.1/bin/zyGrib
Comment=no stinkin tooltip
Terminal=false
Keywords=Weather;
Categories=System;Settings;

save as <yourfilename>.desktop and place is in /usr/share/applications or ./local/share/applications (hope you knew that in case if you dont know)

Hope this will work for u. Exec is the executable file name with the path 😀 .

There is no Categories as Weather so it goes to Others . Check for categories.
https://developer.gnome.org/menu-spec/
https://developer.gnome.org/menu-spec/#additional-category-registry

So the weather goes as science/Education i guess. if you want to move it to Education then update with this
Categories=Education;

Category Directories are in ls /usr/share/desktop-directories
The main menus in cat ~/.config/menus/gnome-applications.menu

viyoriya

brent really? now your tooltip will display no stinkin tooltip when you hover the app.....lol

dbarron

Brent, do you have a category called weatherapp already? If you don't, that may take another file to setup (I don't know...just making assumption). If you put it as Utility or some other pre-defined category, and login/out of window manager, you should see it I would think.

brent

dbarron Have mateo and another minor weatherapp installed. But nowhere in a search have I seen the word 'weatherapp' anywhere...outside me just inventing it for the script.

No file or folder or category with that name externally,
edit: thank you for reply

SirOaken

[unknown] this tutorial asks you to navigate to a directory. Make a text file. Then copy and paste a template with comments on what exactly each do.

If this is to complicated for a beginner I'm not one to judge but we made need them to go back to the basics.

Chapter 1 - Word Processing and file structure

brent

Solus/Nautilus calls the zygrib bin a 'program' file SirOaken

properties tab calls it: executable (application/x-executable)

AguerreroG

I'm sorry my tutorial is considered complicated. I don't speak English and use an online translator, so I was very brief.

brent

SirOaken I did that as well. The desktop folder with no '.' in front of it. It put a file on the desktop but it was not executable.

brent

algent I CD in terminal then run from the folder.

brent

viyoriya I gutted my script and used yours, saved where you told me to save, thank you. Still nothing, but I think I will get it eventually. Thank you for your help.

brent

viyoriya
You want to hear something really weird but all too common? SOLVED.
I walked away from this file a couple days. Actually I threw the .desktop file away to start over today.
In my /desktop folder there was the icon.
I moved it to desktop.
Simultaneously when I did that the icon also appeared in task bar. I deleted it since it's redundant.
Thank you for helping me. You do a lot of good.
Problem clear on my end.
edit: re-word

algent

brent Then post here what do you enter in terminal, all steps.