How to edit program start code in Unity?

[Geoffrey_Arndt]

Unlike KDE there is no gui editor to modify program startup commands (aka menu editor).

I have kgpg installed . . . gpg actually runs fine, does the job, but to get the gui to display I enter the following via cli: "kgpg %u -k" (less quotes).

I'd like to add that string to the gui command launcher, but am not seeing an intuitive way to do it in Unity (running 15.04).

Appreciate any tips.

Here's a thumbnail of current setup:

http://i.imgur.com/oSYYcPMl.png

note: if needed acct small pic, use "ctrl+" to enlarge enough to read . .

[monkeybrain20122]

You can create a bash script with whatever command and run it at log in by adding the script to startup applications

[ajgreeny]

I suspect you may be able to edit as root, the kgpg.desktop (or whatever it is called) file in /usr/share/applications.

You can also install alacarte which will edit your menu items, but as I do not use unity, I don't honestly know if that also edits the dash launcher items in the same way that it does old style menu items.

[monkeybrain20122]

Are you asking how to edit .desktop file or make commands autostart? Maybe I misunderstood. But to edit .desktop you just open it with a text editor and change the exec line.

[Geoffrey_Arndt]

What I'd like to do is similar to editing the properties dialog in a typical menu editor (kde & alacarte, etc.). I'm not intending to have kgpg to be auto started at login - - but when I do start the app via clicking the kgpg icon via the dash or via the launcher, I prefer to have the gui launch and not run in a non-existent Unity panel (the app wants to minimize to kde panel by default).

Here is a pic of the properties dialog window for kgpg . . found in /usr/share/applications/kde4/KGpg

http://i.imgur.com/GDoOpSal.png

I'd like to edit that dialog window via root and have the changes stick (I want the startup command to be: kgpg %u -k (the -k is missing and without it, the gui can only be opened via CLI)

Using sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/kde4/KGpg will bring up a blank config file (so I don't really know what actual file contains the startup code as listed above.

[monkeybrain20122]

The desktop file should be /usr/share/applications/kde4/KGpg.desktop or something like that (end with .desktop)

[sandyd]

Can be done with


sudo dpkg-divert --add --rename --divert /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop.orig /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop.orig /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop
sudo -H gedit /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop

Explanation:
The dpkg-divert command allows me to rename a file created using dpkg so that when apt-get upgrades the package, your customized desktop file is not replaced. Instead, it is simply installed to kgpg.desktop.orig


Additional:
I don't have Unity, so I cannot test, but copying /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop to ~/.local/share/applications/kgpg.desktop and editing it there may work as well. Mainly, that avoids fiddling with the default kgpg launcher, and prevents you from editing every single user's kgpg launch shortcut. Also allows you to edit the file without sudo since it is owned by you.

Updated: Jul/4/2015:


mkdir -p ~/local/share/applications
cp /usr/share/applications/kde4/kgpg.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/kgpg.desktop
gedit ~/.local/share/applications/kgpg.desktop

[Geoffrey_Arndt]

Ok, thanks - this PC has too many users and sensitive projects underway, . . so, I'll add kgpg to a test laptop and try out a couple things including sandyd's interesting idea - - one minor issue is I still don't see a file resembling "kgpg.desktop". The desktop extension is missing but I think it's the same file as kgpgrc (found in /home/.kde/share/config/kgpgrc). Maybe I need to edit that file in /usr as I think the kgpgrc in home is just a link).

Anyway, I'm out most of next week but will try above after I get caught up. For now - "thank the Maker" for the CLI!

Thanks again guys! . . I really appreciate the help.