How to start .desktop files?

Mo_B · 2023-03-20 05:19:42

Hi,

what is the correct way to start a ~/.local/share/applications/*.desktop file? Just make it u+x or use xdg-open? I like to use it as keyboard shortcut. Currently I can only start it from the Applications Menu or by Albert launcher.

xdg-open doesn't work: UNable to detect the URI-scheme of '~/.local/share/applications/chrome-.....desktop'

Made it chmod u+x: 'Failed to execute child process...'

Sure I could just copy all the command line from the .desktop file into a keyboard shortcut, but that's what the .desktop file is meant for. Also I like updates there to be reflected in the shortcut.

ToZ · 2023-03-20 10:31:49

xdg-open or exo-open should both work.

Is it just the chrome desktop file that it doesn't work, or all .desktop files? Can you post back the contents of the ~/.local/share/applications/chrome-.....desktop file?

Mo_B · 2023-04-04 06:17:39

exo-open works. Thanks.

Mo_B · 2023-06-06 07:15:16

I see, inside the .desktop file there is the xdg-open shebang:

cat ~/.local/share/applications/chrome-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_2.desktop

#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Name=Microsoft Teams
Exec=/opt/google/chrome/google-chrome "--profile-directory=Profile 2" --app-id=cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo
Icon=chrome-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_2
StartupWMClass=crx_cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo
NoDisplay=false

That was created when I installed the MS Teams PWA, using a separate Chrome profile.
I can start that from Applications Menu or Whisker Menu.

Going the Xfce way with exo-open I can also call it like exo-open ~/.local/share/applications/chrome-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_2.desktop.
But if I create a shortcut with that command, I get

Unable to detect the URI-scheme of '~/.local/share/applications/chrome-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_2.desktop'.

What I'm doing wrong here to create a keyboard shortcut?
The same happens when creating a shortcut using xdg-open.

ToZ · 2023-06-06 23:06:19

It looks like the keyboard shortcut can't process the '~'. Use the full path to the file:

exo-open /home/YOURUSERID/.local/share/applications/chrome-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_2.desktop

Mo_B · 2024-12-10 08:37:39

Some other question in that context, I like to add kdocker to have a tray icon:

kdocker exo-open /home/mb/.local/share/applications/msedge-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_1.desktop

But it does not find the window.
I also tried

kdocker --name "Microsoft Teams" exo-open /home/mb/.local/share/applications/msedge-cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo-Profile_1.desktop

Why does this fail?

The .desktop file comes from a PWA installation for MS Teams. Writing my own wrapper script with the exec from the .desktop file works:

kdocker /opt/microsoft/msedge-dev/microsoft-edge-dev "--profile-directory=Profile 1" --app-id=cifhbcnohmdccbgoicgdjpfamggdegmo "--app-url=https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/?clientType=pwa"

ToZ · 2024-12-11 00:42:51

The problem with the first code is that exo-open itself is a wrapper script that starts another program. So basically, kdocker uses the pid of the wrapper script which no longer exists after it starts its app.

The problem with the second code is that "--name" is not a valid option for the kdocker program, plus exo-open is a wrapper script.

The code from number 3, though you call it a wrapper script, works because you pass the name of an executable to kdocker.

This might be helpful as well.

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#1 2023-03-20 05:19:42

How to start .desktop files?

#2 2023-03-20 10:31:49

Re: How to start .desktop files?

#3 2023-04-04 06:17:39

Re: How to start .desktop files?

#4 2023-06-06 07:15:16

Re: How to start .desktop files?

#5 2023-06-06 23:06:19

Re: How to start .desktop files?

#6 2024-12-10 08:37:39

Re: How to start .desktop files?

#7 2024-12-11 00:42:51

Re: How to start .desktop files?

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