HOWTO: Remove Gnome items from the KDE menu

[Adrian]

Method 1:
The problem of removing Kubuntu items from the Gnome menu has been discussed a lot, and a solution can be found here:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=59455

The same method works for removing Gnome items from the KDE menu. You just have to do the operations in the parent directory, and of course change the "OnlyShowIn=KDE" text.

WARNING! This method consists of console commands operating in super user mode. If you are not careful, you might mess up your system. If this feels uncomfortable, use any of the other two methods instead.

First of all, create backups of the existing desktop files:

mkdir ~/.desktopbackup
cp /usr/share/applications/* ~/.desktopbackup

This will save your current menu item data in a hidden folder (in your home folder) called .desktopbackup, so you can restore them if anything goes wrong. Doing this is important, since a simple typo (like writing ">" instead of ">>" in the script below) can make your menu items disappear permanently.

Now it is time to start the action! Each menu item is represented by a <item>.desktop file. By appending the text OnlyShowIn=GNOME to each of them, we will make sure that they are shown in the GNOME menus only.

cd /usr/share/applications
sudo -s
for i in *; do echo "OnlyShowIn=GNOME" >> $i; done
exit

Method 2:
Another, more elegant solution (which I unfortunately have not tried yet) is this small program:
http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=31031

It will put your Gnome items in a special Gnome menu folder.

Method 3:
If you only want to remove some of the Gnome applications, or you want total control, you can edit the KMenu manually by right-clicking on the KMenu button and choosing "Menu Editor".
Whatever you do here does not affect the Gnome menu, so Gnome menu items removed will still be available in Gnome.

Edit: Added the third method.
Edit: Replaced Gnome with GNOME
Edit: Added some lines about the importance of making backups

[limit223]

Thank you for the tip...I used Kmenu Gnome program...everything well organized now...

[N8K99]

This reply is going to be totally helpless, but somehow, I used a GUI tool that was in the System folder to edit the menus. It's probably named something like kmenu. Really easy to do, but that's still not helpful.

[N8K99]

smeg that's teh name of the menu editor in Kubuntu

[souled]

First I got rid of my KDE icons in Gnome, then I got rid of Gnome icons in KDE. After I logged back in to Gnome, Almost all of my stuff from Applications and System are gone. How can I reverse these changes?

[Adrian]

First I got rid of my KDE icons in Gnome, then I got rid of Gnome icons in KDE. After I logged back in to Gnome, Almost all of my stuff from Applications and System are gone. How can I reverse these changes?

If you used the "OnlyShowIn" method, you have to remove that line from every file in the corresponding directory.

To restore the KDE menu:

cd /usr/share/applications
sudo -s
for i in *; do cat $i | grep -v "OnlyShowIn=" > $i; done
exit

Similary, to restore the Gnome menu:

cd /usr/share/applications/KDE
sudo -s
for i in *; do cat $i | grep -v "OnlyShowIn=" > $i; done
exit

[Adrian]

smeg that's teh name of the menu editor in Kubuntu

kmenuedit is the menu editor in Kubuntu. You can launch it by right-clicking on the KMenu icon and choosing "Menu Editor".

Smeg is now called Alacarte and is the Gnome menu editor.

[louis_nichols]

Nice advice. Myself, i prefer to see all the apps I can use at any given moment. Unfortunatelly, there's no app as good as krusader or k3b for gnome. Gnome-commander and gnomebaker or nautilus burner aren't as good, in my opinion. Also, smeg kinda lacks the option update menus that kmenu has.

So, my question is the opposite: do you know of a way to make all installed apps show up in gnome menu? Besides debian's "menu", which creates a branch of its own and doesn't see all the apps either. For example, I just installed geda and CDcat and had to include them manually in the menu. Shouldn't there be an easier way?

[souled]

If you used the "OnlyShowIn" method, you have to remove that line from every file in the corresponding directory.

To restore the KDE menu:

cd /usr/share/applications
sudo -s
for i in *; do cat $i | grep -v "OnlyShowIn=" > $i; done
exit

Similary, to restore the Gnome menu:

cd /usr/share/applications/KDE
sudo -s
for i in *; do cat $i | grep -v "OnlyShowIn=" > $i; done
exit

Thanks, that did it.

[N8K99]

kmenuedit is the menu editor in Kubuntu. You can launch it by right-clicking on the KMenu icon and choosing "Menu Editor".

Smeg is now called Alacarte and is the Gnome menu editor.

You know, I actually used kmenuedit just like the way you described- but was unable to find how I did that! I saw in the menu that smeg was called a Menu editor (running KDE 3.5) and put that in my post - I'm trying to be helpful.

Sorry for any confusion