How to make an installed application show up in start menu?

[Vera]

Normally applications that I install just automagically show up in the start menu. But when I downloaded the latest version of the Icecat browser  https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/ (v 60.3.0, Nov 2018) from GNU mirror site, I could get it to work by clicking on the Icecat icon in the extracted files (see attached image).

The problem is that I could not get Icecat to show up on my start menu or application list anywhere. How can I make it be recognized by start menu? I now have the browser, but no easy way to launch it besides going into ~/Downloads/icecat/ and clicking on the icecat icon.

Even if I right-click on a .html file in my home directory to open it with a browser, Icecat is not listed as one of the options to open it with.

What is the best way for me to solve this problem, do you think? I realize that this is something to do with the way the Icecat software is set up, and not the fault of Linux Lite, but I was wondering if there was a way for me to somehow add it to the start menu under Internet?

[trinidad]

Open >Menu>Settings>Menu Editor and create a new launcher for it. I would also create a folder in your home directory called icecat and copy all the files from download into it first.You should have extracted it to your home directory to begin with. At the end of the tutorial link below there is a section on creating launchers in LL.

https://www.dbts-analytics.com/infce2tut.html

LL uses menulibre now for creating application launchers. Also see link below.

https://bluesabre.org/projects/menulibre/

TC

[Vera]

[member=5916]trinidad[/member] , you have saved the day again!! I did what you said, (moving Icecat folder into my home directory as you said, and doing the thing with the menu settings) and it all worked perfectly! Thanks!!  8)

You should have extracted it to your home directory to begin with.

Ah. I am embarrassed just thinking about how many pieces of software are currently sitting around extracted in my Downloads folder.  :-[
I'm really glad you told me, because one of my systems is due for a fresh LL install soon anyway (I have just been too busy to do it up until now), so I'll know not to make the same mistake again when installing software in the new system.
Thanks again for your help! Marking as solved.

[Moltke]

[member=6960]Vera[/member] instead of populating your home directory with a bunch of folders containing extracted files you could preferable as per Linux conventions also do this in the /opt directory. Let's take for example Icecat Browser. Once you've downloded the app/files create the directory

Code:

$ sudo mkdir /opt/icecat-browser

Next, cd into your downloads directory

Code:

$ cd Downloads

Extract the downloaded icecat-browser files into the newly created /opt/icecat-browser directory

Code:

$ sudo tar Jxf icecat-browser -* -C /opt/icecat-browser

create a symbolic link to the executable in /usr/bin directory

Code:

$ sudo ln -sf /opt/icecat-browser/icecat-browser /usr/bin/icecat-browser

 
To see Icecat Browser in the application menu you need to create a desktop entry.
Open a terminal and create a new file named icecat-browser.desktop in /usr/share/applications

Code:

$ sudo nano /usr/share/applications/icecat-browser.desktop

Insert the following lines here:

[Desktop Entry]
Version = 1.0
Type = Application
Terminal = false
Name = Icecat Browser
Exec = /usr/bin/icecat-browser
Icon = /opt/icecat-browser/icecat-browser.png
Categories = Application;

Save it using shortcut Ctrl+X. When asked for saving, enter Y and then press enter again to save and exit.

You can download an Icecat Browser icon and save it as icecat-browser.png in /opt/icecat-browser directory.

Code:

$ sudo wget -O /opt/icecat-browser/icecat-browser.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Icecat1-300x300.svg/80px-Icecat1-300x300.svg.png

You can use this method for any other app you want to install, you just have to change things accordingly. You might want to read here http://tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Filesystem-Hie...l/opt.html to know a little bit more about /opt directory

Hope this helps!

[Vera]

Awesome!! Thanks so much, [member=7109]Moltke[/member] ! This is wonderful. I tried this out (first removing it from menu to see how your method would work). It worked beautifully!  8) (The executable file was called icecat not icecat-browser so in the 4th line I typed: sudo ln -sf /opt/icecat-browser/icecat /usr/bin/icecat-browser ). Your method was very helpful.

I can see how I can repeat the process with any other software that is sitting around in my directory as extracted files.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this to me - besides being helpful for icecat, it's also helping me for the future for setting up my system better.

[TheDead]

[member=7109]Moltke[/member]
Thanks for those instructions. Bookmarked!

Cheers!

[Moltke]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this to me - besides being helpful for icecat, it's also helping me for the future for setting up my system better

You're very welcome [member=6960]Vera[/member] I used to extract files everywhere in my system too till I learnt this method which is like it should be done.

(The executable file was called icecat not icecat-browser so in the 4th line I typed: sudo ln -sf /opt/icecat-browser/icecat /usr/bin/icecat-browser ). Your method was very helpful

That's why I said you just needed to change things accordingly.

Thanks for those instructions. Bookmarked!

You're welcome and glad you found it useful [member=6733]TheDead[/member] 

By the way, wikipedia is a fine source for finding icons when doing this, then use the wget method to download it.

[Nyto]

Everytime I come to this forum I remember that one of the reasons I love LinuxLite is that it has the kindest, more helpful,  friendliest, Linux forums in the web.  <3  <3