Missing desktop short cut

3QCentGk · 2019-10-24 23:26

I have Q4OS installed on an Acer Aspire 5050 with AMD Turion 64 bit processor and 1.5 GB RAM.

With one exception, the OS and installed applications appear to be working.

The exception is ClipGrab. This application is not available in Applications/System/Install Applications (Q4OS Software Center). It is not available in Synaptic.

After a number of unsuccessful experiments attempting to download/install ClipGrab, I downloaded this file from a link sent to me by the ClipGrab Help email:

ClipGrab-3.8.5-x86_64.AppImage

This file is displayed in the /home/mike5491/Downloads folder as viewed from the file manager.

I can double click on that file (from the file manager) and the application opens (and I can download YouTube videos using it).

However, ClipGrab does NOT show up in any of the categories of the "Applications, tasks and desktop sessions" menu (so I can't add a short cut to to the desktop).

FYI: I enabled Control Panel/Desktop/Benavior/General/Allow programs in desktop

So how do I get a ClipGrab short cut on the Desktop?

A search of this forum yielded no results

Dai_trying · 2019-10-25 08:10

The easiest way to add an icon to the desktop would be to right click the desktop and select "create link to application" you will have a dialog box where you can point to the appimage and you can even add your own icon if you wish. Adding it to a menu is a little different but if desktop icon is your desired result this should suffice.

3QCentGk · 2019-10-28 23:02

OK, that worked. Thank you.

The actual sequence of mouse clicks is slightly different than you described:

Right click on desktop

Mouse over "Create New" in menu that is displayed, and then

Click on "Link to application"

In the window that is displayed, click on the "Application" tab.

Click on the "Browse" button next to the "Command" field and navigate to the executable file.

Once the executable file is located and selected, click on the OK button at the bottom right of the window.

WOW. There ought to be (and should be) an easier way.

Dai_trying · 2019-10-28 23:15

The problem is that appimages do not supply any method of starting themselves due to the nature of the package it can run without any need of the system (except kernel I think) which results in a bigger application as it also contains it's own dependencies. The downside is that if you use many appimages they might all contain their own copy of many packages, although with hdd space becoming ever cheaper this is less likely a major problem for most users.

There is also an easier alternative to making links on the desktop and that is you could place the appimage itself on the desktop and then you should be able to simply double click it to open/run it.

3QCentGk · 2019-10-30 19:20

OK, that also works, and it saves about a half dozen mouse clicks.

Thanks again.

It might seem that this complaint about number of mouse clicks could give you the wrong impression. It's just that if one spends a lot of time on the computer, as I do and I presume you do also, efficiency is important.

Dai_trying · 2019-10-30 19:44

I absolutely agree, and it's the main reason I do much of my work in the terminal

q4osteam · 2019-10-30 19:49

It should be possible just to drag an application icon in filemanager, and drop it onto the desktop.

3QCentGk · 2019-10-31 18:18

"It should be possible just to drag an application icon in filemanager, and drop it onto the desktop."

Is this really a "Team" answer? If so, the "Team" is a little confused about the difference between an AppImage and an Application. I know I was and I had to do a little research to sort it all out.

The "Team" needs to read very carefully the post by Dai-trying of 10-28. An AppImage is not an installed application. That's probably why if I click on the "T" icon at the bottom left of the screen and search for the ClipGrab link in any of the "Applications" lists I don't see it. That's also probably why the only reference to ClipGrab that I see in the File Manager (I have 2 installed on this computer and their displays are identical) is the AppImage file.

That's also why placing the AppImage on the desktop is a substitute for placing a shortcut to the application on the desktop.

Here are the 3 links I used to help me sort this out:

I tried to include the links but was prevented from doing so.

Wikipedia

"AppImage is a format for distributing portable software on Linux without needing superuser permissions to install the application.

Objectives

AppImage aims to be an application deployment system for Linux with the following objectives: simplicity, binary compatibility, distro agnosticism, no installation, no root permission, being portable, and keeping the underlying operating system untouched.

Properties

AppImage does not install the application in the traditional Linux sense. Instead of putting the application's various files in the distro's appropriate places in the file system, the AppImage file is just the application's compressed image."

MakeTechEasier

"You download one file and run the program on your Linux operating system without having to install anything.

. . .

Instead of relying on what your operating system provides, an AppImage packs everything the application needs inside a single file."

LinuxExpert.com

"The idea behind the AppImage format is "an app" = a file. Each AppImage contains an app and all files that the app needs to run. In other words, each AppImage does not have any other dependencies than is included in the targeted base operating system. Like for example an, ".exe" file in Windows.

. . .

It uses one file per application. Each file is self-contained: it includes all libraries the application depends on that are not already part of the targeted base-system.

AppImage files are simpler than installing an application. No extraction tools are needed, nor is it necessary to modify the operating system or user environment. Regular users on the common Linux distributions can download it, make it executable, and run it."

JimW · 2019-10-31 22:47

Strange -
I just tried it on my machine- -
Drag from file manager to desktop -
Select "Link here"
and it works.

3QCentGk · 2019-11-02 21:20

What did you drag from file manager to desktop: the AppImage file?

JimW · 2019-11-03 01:13

I clicked on the appimage, drug it to desktop and when dropped I was presented with a choice of "copy here" "Move here" "Link here" and "cancel"
I chose the "Link Here"

Q4OS Forum

#1 2019-10-24 23:26

Missing desktop short cut

#2 2019-10-25 08:10

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#3 2019-10-28 23:02

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#4 2019-10-28 23:15

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#5 2019-10-30 19:20

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#6 2019-10-30 19:44

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#7 2019-10-30 19:49

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#8 2019-10-31 18:18

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#9 2019-10-31 22:47

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#10 2019-11-02 21:20

Re: Missing desktop short cut

#11 2019-11-03 01:13

Re: Missing desktop short cut

Board footer