A desktop entry file is a data file that provides information about
an item in a menu. The desktop entry file specifies the details for the item
such as a name, a command to run, an icon, and so on. The desktop entry file
also contains keywords which determine the location of the item in the menu
hierarchy. Desktop entry files have a .desktop file extension.
The following is a sample desktop entry file:
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Calculator
Comment=Perform simple calculations
Exec=gnome-calculator
Icon=gnome-calc3.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
X-GNOME-DocPath=gnome-calculator/gnome-calculator.xml
Categories=GNOME;Application;Utility;
Table 2.3 describes the most important keys
in desktop entry files.
Table 2.3. Desktop Entry Keys
Desktop Entry Key | Description |
|---|
Encoding
| Specifies the encoding of the desktop entry file. |
Name
| Specifies the name of the item. This name is displayed
on the item in the menu. |
Comment
| Specifies a short description of the item. The comment
is displayed as a tooltip when you point to the item in the menu. |
Exec
| Specifies a command to execute when you choose the item
from the menu. |
Icon
| Specifies the filename of an
icon that represents the item. Does not specify the path to the filename,
or the filename extension. |
Terminal
| Specifies whether the command
in the Exec key runs in a terminal window. If the value
is true the command runs in a terminal window. If the command does not create a window in which to run, the value of this
key must be true. |
Type
| Specifies the type of item. This
value is one of the following: Application: Enter this option for an
item that starts an application. Link: Enter this option for an item that
links to a file, folder, or FTP site.
|
X-GNOME-DocPath
| Specifies
the help file to display when you choose Help on application_name from the menu item popup menu. |
Categories
| Specifies the keywords that describe
the item. The keywords are separated with semicolons (;). To see a list of
the standard category keywords, see the following URL:
http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/VFolderDesktops.txt
The vfolder information files map the keywords
to menus. |
For more information on the keys in desktop entry files, see the following
URL:
http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/desktop-entry-spec/desktop-entry-spec.html
 | Note |
|---|
Panel launchers and desktop background objects also use desktop
entry files. The desktop entry files for launchers and desktop background
objects provide the same information as for items in a menu. For example,
the desktop entry files provide the command to run when a user chooses the
launcher or object. |
