[Slackbuilds-users] Proper Method to Categorize Desktop Apps

B. Watson urchlay at slackware.uk
Sun May 1 17:09:12 UTC 2022



On Sun, 1 May 2022, Konrad J Hambrick wrote:

> Question:  is there a better way ( or a recommended way ) to enter long,
> formatted 
> lists of text like NEW_CAT in the code snippet below ?

There's an easier-to-read way to do the same thing: include your own
.desktop file(s) with your SlackBuild, and overwrite the one(s) from
'make install' with your own:

cat $CWD/$PRGNAM.desktop > $PKG/usr/share/applications/$PRGNAM.desktop

I do this if the sed or whatever code that changes the .desktop gets
to be too long or complex.

> Note that many other SBo Packages also fail `desktop-file-validate` so maybe
> this was 
> all a fools-errand :)

Nope. Making the .desktop file standards-compliant is an improvement.

Even if the invalid .desktop file "works OK" with KDE and/or XFCE,
fixing it is future-proofing. Plus, there are other DEs that people
use on Slackware (e.g. TDE, Mate, Gnome, LXDE), that SBo maintainers
are unlikely to test against. Correct .desktop files will work with
any of them (or if not, it's a bug in the DE, not the .desktop file).

It's even possible to use .desktop files with WindowMaker (see
xdgmenumaker on SBo) or dmenu on a tiling WM (see j4-dmenu-desktop).
Or with FluxBox (fbmenugen).

In other words, there are a lot of use cases, and it's unrealistic for
you to try to test them all for every build you maintain that includes
.desktop files. If desktop-file-validate says they're OK, you don't
have to.


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