Adding new program to menu...

[mdevour]

I'm running sarge still, which was upgraded from LN3... Yes, I'm working up the gumption to move up to etch, soon.

I was tinkering around and used Synaptic to install gweled, which is a freebie Bejeweled clone.

After the install I ran update-menus from a terminal window, both as mike and as su, but the program has not showed up in any of the menus I've searched for it in.

So, did the developer/packager leave out a file that's needed for update-menus to find it? Is it there, but hiding somewhere I haven't looked? How can I track it down?

All else failing, how do i add it to the menus and why didn't the automation work?

Apart from that, does anybody have another Bejeweled clone they like? This one doesn't have any sound and is a bit spartan... ;)

Thanks!

Mike D.

[lisi]

You don't say whether you are using Gnome or KDE or neither. I run LN3/Sarge and KDE on my main desktop and always use KAppfinder to add things to my menu. I have used it also (on other computers) in Etch and PCLinuxOS, again running KDE. So far it has always worked.

HTH
Lisi

[mdevour]

Hi Lisi,

I'm using IceWM... basically haven't changed anything since installing LN3 except to upgrade to Sarge with security updates. :)

Mike

[bluesdog]

This (http://www.jimbrooks.org/web/linux/x_window_system.php) any help?

Or this (http://www.phrozensmoke.com/projects/icewmcp/modules/iceme.php)?

[bhobjj]

All else failing, how do i add it to the menus and why didn't the automation work?

Thanks!

Mike D.

You can edit the menu file it a text file located in a hidden folder in your home directory:
/home/user_name./icewm/menu
It is fairly easy to understand

or you could use one of icewm tools:
iceconf - Configuration tool for icewm
icemc - Editor for IceWM menus

[mdevour]

You can edit the menu file it a text file located in a hidden folder in your home directory:
/home/user_name./icewm/menu
It is fairly easy to understand

or you could use one of icewm tools:
iceconf - Configuration tool for icewm
icemc - Editor for IceWM menus

Hi bhobjj,

iceconf and icemc are not installed on my system and don't appear to be in the Sarge repositories.

.icewm/menu only contains the first level menus, but the file .icewm.programs is the one that seems to contain the entire programs sub-branch of the menu structure. It contains the various games submenus where I would want to put the new entry.

Each entry appears to consist of the label 'prog' followed by the string which will show up in the menu, then, optionally the file that contains the icon image, then '/bin/sh' and the switch '-c' then, finally the program executable in /usr/games. I'll try putting one together for this program and see if it works.

Still, isn't the update-menus command supposed to pick up newly installed programs? Or am I wrong thinking I've gotten other new programs to install and update the menus this way?

I'll report back after I restart...

Mike D.

[mdevour]

It works, not that it's all that satisfying a solution... ;)

I still have no clue why update-menus works or doesn't on my current install. What menu is it updating if not this catch-all Programs section that seems intended to list every single application on the machine?

When I get around to upgrading to Etch, can I assume I'll be able to install more of the IceWM tools from the repositories?

Mike D.

[bhobjj]

It works, not that it's all that satisfying a solution... ;)

I still have no clue why update-menus works or doesn't on my current install. What menu is it updating if not this catch-all Programs section that seems intended to list every single application on the machine?

This issue is a bit convoluted.
In the past, each desktop/window manager used a different system for their menus.
In addition, Debian has its own menu system.

Old Gnome system:
gnome apps were written so that they installed an entry in
/usr/share/gnome/menu
/etc/X11/applnk

Old Kde system:
entries written to
/usr/share/applications

Oher desktop systems used other systems

Debian system:
there is a Debian package named "menu". When you use the "update-menus" command as root it updates the entries in /usr/share/menu
The old Debian system put entries in /usr/lib/menu

When you use the "update-menus" command as a user, it updates the entries in /home/user_name/.local/share/

Freedesktop.org (xorg) new standards
/etc/xdg/menus is used for all the compliant desktop systems. There are scripts that assemble the menu information from the old entry locations.


One problem is that some packages do not write the menu entries.




When I get around to upgrading to Etch, can I assume I'll be able to install more of the IceWM tools from the repositories?

Mike D.

Yes

[lisi]

Hi Lisi,

I'm using IceWM... basically haven't changed anything since installing LN3 except to upgrade to Sarge with security updates. :)

Mike

Hi Mike :-)

Sorry not to have answered sooner. I have never used IceWM, so couldn't help - and others seemed to be doing a great job! So I kept quiet. But I have been following the thread with interest. (I have used KDE since I installed a vanilla LN 2.7, and even before that. So my knowledge of other desktops is severely limited. :-( )

Glad you seem to have solved the problem for now.

Lisi

[mdevour]

Thanks Bhobjj, that's the sort of explanation I needed.

There's a price for laziness! Sitting this far behind the cutting edge for want of willingness to tinker is depriving me of the improvements the community is making in the product.

Thanks for the input, Bluesdog, lisi, bhobjj.

Mike D.