May 5th, 2012
eclipse . netbeans . phpstorm . programming . shell . Ubuntu . unity launcher . zend studio
Add items to Ubuntu 12.04 Unity Launcher (quicklaunch)
The recent upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin left me somewhat hanging when it comes to creating launchers on the desktop, and also in the Unity Launcher (also called quicklaunch in some places) for Zend Studio and PHPStorm. In Gnome prior to Unity in Ubuntu it was easy to right click the desktop and select Create Launcher to create icons on the desktop to launch applications or scripts, but in 12.04 that options is gone. So here is how I solved some of the issues.
I will cover adding Eclipse to the launcher, adding Zend Studio to the launcher, and PHPStorm to the launcher.
Method 1
For Netbeans and Eclipse based editors like Zend Studio or Aptana it is not too bad. I created a *.desktop files for each one and put it in the /home/{username}/.local/share/applications/ directory. Here is how I created a zendstudio.desktop file:
Note: If you want this option to be available for all users you can alternatively create the file in the /usr/share/applications/ directory, but that requires root or sudo permissions.
[Desktop Entry] Version=1.0 Name=Zend Studio Comment=PHP IDE for PHP development Type=Application Categories=Development;IDE; Exec=/home/{username}/Zend/ZendStudio-10.0.0/ZendStudio Terminal=false StartupNotify=true Icon=/home/{username}/Zend/ZendStudio-10.0.0/icon.xpm |
After creating the file above I then launched Zend Studio by going to the Zend folder in my home directory and double clicking the ZendStudio executable. Once the application is running I right clicked the icon in the Unity Launcher and select “Lock to Launcher”. Now the application stays in the Unity Launcher.
The above worked for most applications, but did NOT work for PHPStorm which launches by using a shell script named PhpStorm.sh. I tried doing the method above, and I also tried creating the desktop file and then dragging and dropping it to the Launcher, and that did not work either. (See Method 3 Below which works for PHPStorm.)
Method 2
Another method I found was to install the ‘gnome-panel’ package. (Actually it was already installed on my system for some reason.)
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel |
With the gnome-panel I was now able to create a launcher on the desktop using the command below.
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new |
In the create launcher dialog I filled it out as follows:
Type: Application
Name: PhpStorm
Command: /bin/bash /home/username/PhpStorm/PhpStorm-117.257/bin/phpstorm.sh
NOTE: You could use /bin/sh or whatever shell you use. I use bash so that is why I put /bin/bash.
To create a shortcut in the Unity Launcher I double clicked the new desktop launcher I created above. (NOTE: If you start PHPStorm by executing the phpstorm.sh you do not get any options at all when right clicking the icon in the Unity Launcher.) Then when PHPStorm was running I was then able to right click on the icon in the Unity Launcher and selected “Lock to Launcher”. Voila! Now I have phpstorm on the Unity Launcher.
Method 3
This option is built right into PHPStorm. The wonderful people at JetBrains created a handy item in Tools to automatically create a menu item for you. Simply click on Tools->Create Desktop entry…and now you can Lock to Launcher the next time you run it. Start the JetBrains PhpStorm IDE from the Unity Dash you can then right click on the icon that shows up in the Unity Launcher and select “Lock to Launcher”. The icon now stays there, even after a reboot/logout.
Update:
Method 4
See comment to this post below by Shinybird on using Ubuntu Tweak. (Not sure if it works, but it sounds good.)
Enjoy!!!
Comments
Method 1 works great! I used it to creat a shortcut for Aptana Studio 3. -Ubuntu 12.04
Nate
May 7th, 2012
I used Method #2 in Ubuntu 12.04. Floppy mounted and launcher successfully created. Worked well. Thank you so much for this solution.
Laurine P
May 7th, 2012
1) Install “Ubuntu Tweak” and launch it (find Ubuntu Tweak here http://ubuntu-tweak.com/)
2) Select “Admins” tab, click on the “Scripts” from the Personal category
3) You will see 2 columns Enabled Scripts and Disabled Scripts
4) Find “Create Launcher…” in the Disabled Scripts column and drag it to Enabled Scripts column under nautilus-scripts
5) Go to the folder where you have the file to be added to the launcher and right click anywhere on the folder and select Scripts -> Create Launcher… from the context menu
6) Create Launcher dialog box pops up. Give a name, Browse for the file, Add an icon and comment if you need. The launcher is created in the current folder
7) Drag the launcher to the Unity Launcher and you are done
If the script doesn’t show up in the context menu restart Nautilus (File manager) using the following command
nautilus -q
shinybird
May 16th, 2012
The method using Ubuntu-Tweak worked perfectly. Many, many thanks!
Jorge.
Jorge
May 18th, 2012
Ubuntu-Tweak worked like a charm!
Install it via
sudo dpkg -i ./path/to/ubuntu-tweak-installer.deb
and to avoid crashes on startup, check for required dependencies with
sudo apt-get install -f
Also check to have gnome-panel installed, or the “Create Launcher…” script won’t run anyway.
sudo apt-get install gnome-panel
ifthenelse
May 19th, 2012
Ubuntu tweak do the job perfectly!
THX!
Pavel
May 23rd, 2012
method 2 worked for me
I wanted a link to CUPS printing admin through FireFox
the command line is
firefox localhost:631\admin
Thank you
Gaz
kitfoot
May 31st, 2012
Excellent work. Thank you. I used method 2.
Dermot
June 1st, 2012
When selecting Create Launcher the dialog box does NOT pop up.
Jeremy
June 19th, 2012
Works fine.
EngineeringDuniya
June 29th, 2012
Method 2 Cheeeerrrrrrrrssssssss
Mehboob
July 3rd, 2012
Ubuntu-Tweak has solved all those niggly head-scratchers about Ubuntu configuration for me, not just making launcher icons! Thanks for the tip! Miles better than Compiz for twiddling with Unity.
Bob
July 9th, 2012
Method #2 worked nice for me…Thank you so much! Cheers from Italy
Claudio Sparpaglione
July 10th, 2012
Method 1 worked for Eclipse Juno for me, only thing I had to do was right click on the eclipse.desktop file and go to properties and check the Allow Executing file as program under the permissions tab before it would work when double clicking the desktop file. Thanks
Paul
July 10th, 2012
Method #4 , excellent.
Because i need to execute phpStorm as root i use this command for launcher:
gksudo ./phpstorm.sh
and then gnome show me a little popup for input the root password before to execute the file
Cheers,
SERGI
caos30
July 19th, 2012
What a nightmare. I have used the information gleaned to write a info page for Commonist on Wikimedia. Please feel free to edit if I have blown it.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Tools/Commonist#Unity_desktop_in_Ubuntu_12.04
Clem Rutter
July 21st, 2012
I do not understand why Ubuntu is trying to make use of their distribution difficult for users. If I want an icon on my desktop, I should be able to put it there with ease. Limiting user functionality does not make users happy. This does not make me want to continue using Ubuntu.
Fred Meyer III
July 25th, 2012
Hey, thanks for a nice how-to!
As I was struggling with PhpStorm, I’ve tried method #2 first, and it created the desktop icon, but I still could not pin it to the launcher (I’m using Gnome 3 instead of Unity). But method #3 worked like a charm. And then I was wondering – why is it below #2?.. Try #3 first and if that fails (or phpStorm is older), only then move on to #2.
Cheers!
emki
July 30th, 2012
Easing my way into Precise & setting up launcher for claws-mail. Have found that .desktop file in ~/.local/share/applications/ (not ‘local/applications/’) overrides one in usr/share/applications.
Ed
Ed Rippy
August 3rd, 2012
hi, thank you so much, #2 it worked !
habao
August 4th, 2012
Ubuntu Tweak method works but my question is how to get the icon OFF the desktop and ON the launcher? As of now, I have the icon in the launcher but if I send the desktop icon to the trash, the launcher icon follows. I don’t want my desktop cluttered with the same shortcuts as the launcher. Is this possible?
Thanks
Campbell
August 5th, 2012
Tweak looks good. Can’t see any problem with it other than the fact that it is not working.
Create launcher…does not do anything on a new laptop with 12.04. Creating launchers is a bit like rockets science when using Unity.
Onno
August 7th, 2012
This is why I don’t like Unity. Things I could ‘just do’ in Gnome 2, because it was simply obvious how to do them, now require me to go searching google to figure out.
I thought Unity was supposed to easier to use. So far it has not been the case.
Back in the days when I switched from Mac to Ubuntu with Gnome 2, I found it instantly easy to use. Anything I wanted to do seemed intuitive. With Unity this simply is not the case.
Come on now, creating a launcher should be easy, not something I have to hack some files with a text-editor for.
I guess Unity will get better (one can hope
but removing things like ‘Create launcher’ from 12.04 doesn’t seem like thats going the right direction.
Anyway, thanks for your post. Very helpful
Kris
August 13th, 2012
used method and it worked nicely!! thanks!
tulio
August 31st, 2012
Method #2 does not work for me.
It creates an icon on the desktop which I can edit. But dragging it into the icon bar (or whatever it’s called) it loses it’s icon.
gman
September 4th, 2012
Just what I needed, thanks for the post!
Herick Oliveira
September 12th, 2012
You can create a launcher (also edit existing one) for any application via Main Menu in a GUI taste.
1. Type main menu in the Dash, then launch it,
2. select a category from the Menus tab on the left i.e Programming (if it’s not there expand the Applications item by clicking on it),
3. then click on Add Item from the right. Create launcher window will pop-up.
The rest of it is self-explanatory.
Sujon Miya
September 17th, 2012
This method worked for me to add Terminal and Komodo IDE.
After launching the program for example via command line, then I right click on the icon in the launcher and “lock to launcher”
Rishad
September 18th, 2012
Used method #4, Ubuntu-Tweak. Worked perfectly, and Ubuntu Tweak is a very handy tool
DPM
September 23rd, 2012
#1 works for me with PhpStorm. But I created .desktop file in ‘/home/user_home/.local/share/applications’, instead of creating it in ‘/usr/share…’.
*And gave +x (executable) permission to the .desktop file. That’s it!!!
Thanks a lot.
Keerthi
October 1st, 2012
If method #4 did not produce a Dialog Box as mentioned by Jeremy, you probably don’t have gnome-panel installed:
sudo apt-get install gnome-panel
Method #4 worked perfectly for me after that.
Cheers!
xr440dude
October 5th, 2012
Thank you. Very helpful.
Paul
October 13th, 2012
I found a much easier method quite by accident. Open the program you wish to have a launcher for. Then minimize it; it gets minimized on the launcher. If you right-click that icon, it gives an option ‘lock to launcher’. Then even when you close the program, the launcher stays.
Venugopal
October 15th, 2012
Campbell wrote:
“Ubuntu Tweak method works but my question is how to get the icon OFF the desktop and ON the launcher? As of now, I have the icon in the launcher but if I send the desktop icon to the trash, the launcher icon follows. I don’t want my desktop cluttered with the same shortcuts as the launcher. Is this possible?”
I found that the original shortcut needs to exist for the Unity launcher to keep it. The original does not have to be on the desktop, however. I have a shortcut in my home folder, and dragging it to the Unity launcher works fine.
MrMaw
October 16th, 2012
For most, though not all, apps, you can start the app manually, then right click on its “running” icon in the launchbar and choose “Lock to Launcher”.
This works for me about 90% of the time, the exception being oddball apps that are not installed through the registry (ie. compiled from source or pre-compiled binaries)
Aaron
October 22nd, 2012
Wow, using Ubuntu Tweaks Method work like a charm! Thank you!
Fandy Akhmad
October 28th, 2012
Check https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UnityLaunchersAndDesktopFiles for an up-to-date and complete documentation.
Michael Schmid
December 3rd, 2012
Thank you for your post… it is a problem adding simple .sh scripts to the Unity dash.
Have a nice day,
Fabio
Fabio Buda
February 3rd, 2013
Just to clarify, methods #2 and #4 are the same. Ubuntu tweak uses the same command in his scripts to create the Quicklaunch!
Pablo
February 28th, 2013
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