ROX Desktop

rich swan wrote:
> Hi
> I was wondering whether it would be possible or even acceptable ;) to.
>
> Automatically take the .desktop files that are stored somewhere such as
> /usr/share/applications, and incorporate them into the same directory
> that all the ROX applications are stored.
>
> And then if possible place them into folders for each subtype such as 
> networking, graphics, etc.
>
> I just think it would make the whole ROX system more user friendly :-D
>
> Thanks 
>
> Rich Swan
>   
Here's a python-script that should do the job. It needs the gmenu 
python-module.

On 17 May 2006, 21:56:40, rich swan wrote:
> Hi
> I was wondering whether it would be possible or even acceptable ;) to.
> 
> Automatically take the .desktop files that are stored somewhere such as
> /usr/share/applications, and incorporate them into the same directory
> that all the ROX applications are stored.
> 
> And then if possible place them into folders for each subtype such as 
> networking, graphics, etc.
> 
> I just think it would make the whole ROX system more user friendly :-D
> 
> Thanks 
> 
> Rich Swan

I wrote a wee python script to do some of this. It makes a directory called 
'Apps' in the current directory (or updates it), filling it with rox appdir 
wrappers of the contents of /usr/share/applications/* etc. The categories 
field of the .desktop files are used to organise stuff into subdirectories. 
Observe:

http://www.soul-less.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/rappize-screenshot.png

It borrows standard gnome icons for these subdirectories, if they exist. 
Here is the python script:

http://www.soul-less.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/rappize.py

A logical development would be for rappize to keep your ~/Apps dir updated. 
But this annoyed me with some extra complexity -- as it stands it would 
update the directory but re-add all the crap you yourself had deleted and 
thus trash your customisation. Of course I could just make it build 
~/Apps/Internet/.firefox.done files indicating that that application had 
been wrapped, and even if the appdir has been subsequently deleted do not 
add it again.

Thoughts?

-- 
Tom Morton (http://www.soul-less.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk)

Tom Morton wrote:
> A logical development would be for rappize to keep your ~/Apps dir updated. 
> But this annoyed me with some extra complexity -- as it stands it would 
> update the directory but re-add all the crap you yourself had deleted and 
> thus trash your customisation. Of course I could just make it build 
> ~/Apps/Internet/.firefox.done files indicating that that application had 
> been wrapped, and even if the appdir has been subsequently deleted do not 
> add it again.
> 
> Thoughts?

I guess, the best thing would be to adhere to the standard and honour
the OnlyShowIn field:

http://standards.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/ar01s03.html#desktop-entry-extensions-examples

Another option would be to parse the
$XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/menus/applications.menu files and honour the 'Exclude'
directive. This could become quite involved though.

http://standards.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/ar01s04.html

Chris

rich swan <swankyman666@...> wrote:

> Hi
> I was wondering whether it would be possible or even acceptable ;) to.
> 
> Automatically take the .desktop files that are stored somewhere such as
> /usr/share/applications, and incorporate them into the same directory
> that all the ROX applications are stored.

Desktop2App does something similar:

http://www.kerofin.demon.co.uk/rox/desktop2app.html

-- 
Stephen Watson     http://www.kerofin.demon.co.uk/
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