How can I add an application in budgie menu?

Hi! I am trying to create a .desktop shortcut and put it in /usr/share/applications to make it appear in menu. I don’t know if I created it wrong. Is this the correct way to add an app?

Here is small guide/ code sample. I hope it helps.

First, specify the file name, like : my_app.desktop

The following code goes into the file:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=my_app
Comment=(what the app does)
Icon=/…/…/my_app.png (full path or generic name, like : firefox)
Exec=command to run the app (or full path)
Categories=Utility;

The file can go in this directory : /home/…/.local/share/applications

1 Like

regarding the content of a .desktop file :

https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/desktop-entry-spec-latest.html#localized-keys
https://developer.gnome.org/desktop-entry-spec/

Now why would you need to manually create such a launcher ? When you install any app’ its launcher should automatically appear in your Budgie Menu…

Menu looks for launchers first in :
/usr/share/applications
then in :
~/.local/share/applications
launchers with same name found in ~ will replace those find in /

So check if your app’ is in the first place. If yes check its desktop file, maybe it’s meant to not show in Budgie or Gnome ?

Or is this app an AppImage / FlatPak / Snap ???

Maybe because is a binary created, developed and compiled by himself? It happens to me to create binaries in Gambas or Lazarus and run them as they are (no will to build a deb or other installer).

Sil

Yes indeed that would make a valid reason for manually crafting a desktop file.

But for the moment we don’t know the context of that need.

Maybe that desktop file already exists on the system but is meant to not show in Gnome/Budgie ?

One can also create a whatever application in maybe Java or Python and want to launch that app from the menu. Happened to me and I created a *.desktop file for this purpose.

I learned a lot about .desktop apps and now evething is possible haha.