I really like the look and feel of Solus Budgie desktop, one of the things that wasn't apparent right away was an interface to create desktop launchers. The only real post I saw about this was just typing up a .desktop file, so I made a gui for myself using TCL to do this. If anyone is interested in using it, it's quite short, and you'd need TCL and TK installed, I can't remember if that's a default install or if I installed them. I called it solusLaunch.tcl and it's at:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/E98VRK567G#xO2iZaC5uPj8

    alfisya Thanks alfisya, one of the things that brings this old man happiness is the thought that perhaps someone else might find my little scripts useful 🙂

      BloodFeastMan I downloaded your .zip.
      So if I install TCL then that's just a programming language and TK , as I see it, is a GUI framework...so your script, if double-clicked would open a standalone GUI of desktop lauching program you built?
      Do I have that right? If so, that's pretty damn cool.

      What's the desktop launcher going to do for me that budgie autostart or pinned taskbar or plank can't do? less clutter? I'm excited to try it, tell me more at your convenience. Thanks

          brent Yes, and actually I think that TCL is probably installed by default, I don't remember if I had to install TK. In any case, both are in the repository, and yes, once both TCL and TK are installed, it can be launched by double clicking the script. I'm not familiar with Plank, and you could certainly favorite apps to the taskbar .. my personal preference is an un-cluttered taskbar, that's all.

              BloodFeastMan

              snazzy.
              so I want to try.
              executable means place the binary is at? give me a 'for example'. How is this different than Path?
              Icon is place/where/xxx.svg is? (or png etc) and write out the path?
              and Path..is this path to executable? what am I browsing for in this field?

              and when I have that 10 of these created this GUI will store/remember them? then autostart/launch your window every boot with all this info pre-filled?
              thanks for indulging me. This year I have been on a clutter-free mission. this is intriguing. and thank you.

                  brent Okay, so I wrote an app for myself, and I named the binary "Forks", and I keep that in ~/.local/bin, and I also created an icon (a .png file) named forks.png, and I keep that in ~/Pictures/icons.

                  So "Executable" field you can browse to and select the binary that you want to run. The "Icon" field is optional, and you can browse to and select the icon you'd like to use. The "Path" field is optional, and this is where you want to program to start, in my case, I want Forks to startup in the ~/Documents directory, so when I bring up a file dialog in Forks, ~/Documents is where I'll be to begin with. When you click on "Process", this is where the script will write the .desktop file, and this would typically be ~/Desktop. Hope this helps clear it up.

                  This will place a launcher / icon on your desktop, it won't auto launch anything, and it'll stay there until you delete it.

                      elfprince The "Path" is the directory in which the executable with be started. As an example, I have an app that resides in ~/.local/bin, but after I launch it, I'm going to have it read another file which most likely resides in ~/Documents. So if I set the path as ~/Documents, when I open the "open file" menu in my app, It'll already show the ~/Documents directory by default.

                      I've realized that the main reason I find usefulness in the solusLaunch script, is that I write much of my own stuff, and like to have those icons on the desktop, folks who install stuff from the repository .. that stuff is going to be in your menu, anyway, and they may or may not want to also have icons on the desktop. But solusLaunch will put them there if they want. The example I used above is a symmetric file and text encryptor I made, which I find much use in, and I like it to start in ~/Documents.

                          elfprince "The "Path" field is optional, and this is where you want to program to start, in my case, I want Forks to startup in the ~/Documents directory, so when I bring up a file dialog in Forks, ~/Documents is where I'll be to begin with."

                          didn't exactly get that either. if the exe is in /binthen that's the place the program starts? Or I think he's saying the desktop script will be in /Documents. Glad it's optional🙂

                          going to experiment launching firefox later with this gizmo. a desktop with no icons and widgets, only a clock and the menu sounds rad as the kids say..

                              elfprince Actually, I was just following the conventions of the .desktop entry. Attached is a screenshot of an app, Geany, that was created using "create launcher" under xfce, they all have the same format, and "path" is indeed the "work path"

                                  BloodFeastMan I see now where that came from. Yes, for me it would not be clear what the meaning of Path: is. I would consider that being the path of the executable binary instead, even though that already is spelled out earlier with Exec=. Can be confusing.

                                    @BloodFeastMan
                                    did a test run and launched gnome-calculator.....left path in /home. used an .svg icon from my humanity icon set.
                                    way cool.