Main menu for Unity?

**Zetheroo** · May 6th, 2011

Originally Posted by ariszlo

That is a point but you can still right-click on the grey Applications button to pop up a list of application categories. See Attachment 2.

Ok, that was a very cool bit of info - thanks!

However I STILL am not satisfied because after selecting a category I am left with still having to click to see all results and I don't want to see what other apps are "Available for Download". So it's still 3 clicks to see all my Multimedia apps, as opposed to 2 clicks in 10.10 and down.

**-RAX-** · May 6th, 2011

I am glad to see that I am not the only one completely disliking Unity.

Don't get me wrong it is nice and shiny BUT.... if i wanted a Mac I would have got a Mac.

**Zetheroo** · May 6th, 2011

Originally Posted by -RAX-

I am glad to see that I am not the only one completely disliking Unity.

Don't get me wrong it is nice and shiny BUT.... if i wanted a Mac I would have got a Mac.

Why do you compare it to a Mac?

**mc4man** · May 6th, 2011

Originally Posted by Zetheroo

How did you do that?

Very simple once you get the idea, though Atm you must do for yourself or find suitable Ex.'s to C&P
For an example of how to add on to an existing .desktop see here - useful ones to add on are browsers and the nautilus-home.desktop (you can quicklist any place or dir. you wish
http://askubuntu.com/questions/35024...-icon-in-unity

As far as menus in launcher - you create a basic .desktop and add whatever you wish, the icon to be used ect. The Exec= of the icon can be left blank or can be used for a l.click, sorta like the default of the group

I prefer to create these .desktops in ~/.local/share/applications/
After the .desktop is made then you'd open ~/.local/share/applications and just drag to launcher, log out/in to set

Here's an Ex. of a utilities menu I'm setting up
The black is the basic .desktop, the green is where you set the launcher name and icon, the red is the 'action line' so to speak, the blue are added quicklist entries

The red line determines what shows up in the launcher and the order in which they are displayed

In this case I'm using some apps w/ their default Exec= lines, in 2 cases (Htop. Update Sources) the Exec= is a script in path (~/bin) and one is a made up replacement for the force-quit applet

created the empty file to start by
gedit ~/.local/share/applications/utility.desktop

Code:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=
Name=Utilities
Icon=/usr/share/icons/Humanity/categories/48/applications-other.svg
X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=Synaptic;UpdateManager;CompizConfig;Htop;GetUpdates;NautilusActions;GconfEditor;ForceQuit;ScreenShot;SeachFiles

[Synaptic Shortcut Group]
Name=Synaptic
Exec=gksu --description /usr/share/applications/synaptic.desktop /usr/sbin/synaptic
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[UpdateManager Shortcut Group]
Name=Update Manager
Exec=/usr/bin/update-manager
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Htop Shortcut Group]
Name=Htop
Exec=htop1
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[GetUpdates Shortcut Group]
Name=Update Sources
Exec=getupdate1
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[NautilusActions Shortcut Group]
Name=Nautilus Actions
Exec=nautilus-actions-config-tool
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[CompizConfig Shortcut Group]
Name=Compiz Settings
Exec=ccsm
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[GconfEditor Shortcut Group]
Name=Gconf Editor
Exec=gconf-editor
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[ForceQuit Shortcut Group]
Name=Force Quit
Exec=xkill
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[ScreenShot Shortcut Group]
Name=Screen Shots
Exec=gnome-screenshot --interactive
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[SeachFiles Shortcut Group]
Name=Search For Files
Exec=gnome-search-tool
TargetEnvironment=Unity

.desktops cannot be r. click opened in a text editor - I use a pair of nautilus-action to open .desktops (one as root, one as user
Otherwise easiest is to just open a text editor, (or root text editor) and D&D the .desktop you wish to view or edit into

I would suspect tools to create .desktops, and or edit/add quicklists will arise, especially if the quicklist feature stays in 11.04

One of the side reasons I create or add on doing this is to stay away from overusing the dash and places which ATM have per use memory leaks that can add up over time

**Rasa1111** · May 6th, 2011

mc4man,

Very nice man!
Many thanks for the info!

Thats great.
Nice job. <3

**mc4man** · May 6th, 2011

@ Rasa1111
It really is easy once you get the idea, and very easy to add on or remove entries

As another example - the .desktop from the previously posted multimedia icon
gedit /~.local/share/applications/media.desktop

Code:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=
Name=MultiMedia
Icon=/usr/share/icons/Humanity/categories/48/applications-multimedia.svg
X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=Audacious;Totem;GnomeMplayer;MediaInfo;RubyRipperGui;TotemXine;Vlc

[Audacious Shortcut Group]
Name=Audacious
Exec=env UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0 audacious
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[TotemXine Shortcut Group]
Name=Totem Xine Media Player
Exec=env UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0 /usr/local/bin/totem-xine
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[RubyRipperGui Shortcut Group]
Name=RubyRipper Gui
Exec=rrip_gui
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[MediaInfo Shortcut Group]
Name=MediaInfo
Exec=env UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0 mediainfo-gui  
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[GnomeMplayer Shortcut Group]
Name=Gnome Mplayer
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-mplayer
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Totem Shortcut Group]
Name=Totem
Exec=totem
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Vlc Shortcut Group]
Name=Vlc
Exec=/usr/bin/vlc
TargetEnvironment=Unity

Or to show some possibilities with the nautilus-home.desktop
You can add specific folders to the quicklists - folders in the home dir. are just pathed after ~, folders otherwise get full path.
So here also added 2 specfic folders in Documents (1st_quarter and current_jobs
Just showing you can do pretty much whatever you want

Edit: small notes on using an existing .desktop
Look carefully for this line
OnlyShowIn=GNOME;

If you see it then either comment out, remove entirely inc. the space or simply edit to this
OnlyShowIn=GNOME;Unity;

Also remember any .desktop in /usr/share/applications can be overwritten if app is updated, either keep a copy to paste back or cp to ~/.local/share/applications as shown in link above to begin with
(for a protected 'global use' location w/ multiple users then /usr/local/share/applications is a decent place (create if need be

Code:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Home Folder
Comment=Open your personal folder
TryExec=nautilus
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop
Icon=user-home
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=true
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Core;
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Bugzilla=GNOME
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Product=nautilus
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Component=general
X-Ubuntu-Gettext-Domain=nautilus
X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=Music;Videos;Bin;Share;CurrentJobs;FirstQuarter

[Music Shortcut Group]
Name=Music
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop Music
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Videos Shortcut Group]
Name=Videos
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop Videos
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Bin Shortcut Group]
Name=Bin
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop bin
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Share Shortcut Group]
Name=Share
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop /usr/share
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[CurrentJobs Shortcut Group]
Name=Current Jobs
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop Documents/current_jobs
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[FirstQuarter Shortcut Group]
Name=1st Quarter
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop Documents/1st_quarter
TargetEnvironment=Unity

**jsavga** · February 1st, 2012

Originally Posted by SirTrolle

Exactly!

All the other stuff is fine, but let us have a simple menu back...!
How hard can it be?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm fine with the Launcher. I'm fine with Dash. I just want a darn hierarchical menu. How hard is that for the developers to understand!!!

**chuckp** · February 1st, 2012

Originally Posted by jsavga

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm fine with the Launcher. I'm fine with Dash. I just want a darn hierarchical menu. How hard is that for the developers to understand!!!

Hear, hear!

I have been using hierarchical menus for many years, all the way back to Windows 2, and before. I don't want a 'tablet' style interface. I don't like them and I don't understand them. In some ways, I am considered a dinosaur by the local tech community and I don't mind at all. I see no value in discarding what is proven and effective, just because it doesn't have any 'bling' in its appearance.

If the developers don't want to provide that, how are they different from Apple? Forcing me into a change I didn't ask for and don't want is not an intelligent decision IMHO, and this thread, among others, proves that quite effectively.

At Apple, Steve Jobs decided what the interface would look like and how it would work, and the users had no voice whatsoever. I don't think Canonical wants to develop the same reputation. At least, I sincerely hope not!

Just provide me with a classic interface option, however you want it to work in the code, and I'll be happy. Until then, I'm sticking with Lucid Lynx. Who knows? If the developers can provide a hot key switch to change the interface without logging out, then I can play with the new interface and it's entirely possible that I'll change.

[Off topic, somewhat]:

In fact, if Debian would just provide an option to install actual Mozilla instead of, or in addition to, their rebranded versions, I would just switch back, I think. That, and some of the difficulties I've had with hardware detection and configuration, are my major disagreements with them, and I am not interested in learning how to build my own debs so that I can install my preferred software. The public posturing that the Debian leadership is indulging itself in is annoying, and more than a little ridiculous.

**SirTrolle** · February 1st, 2012

Chuckp, are you familiar with the new Cinnamon desktop environent?
It has a nice menu!

It's created by the Linux Mint developers, and is supported by multiple distributions. It's even Gnome 3 based.

http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com

**satnelav** · January 22nd, 2013

Today I wanted to make an applet to automatically start. It turns out the only way to do this is to type "Startup Applications" in the Dash or to manually create a script. "Startup Applications" does not appear in the "System settings" folder where I would naturally search for it. The language of my Unity is not English, which means that I have to guess the correct translation for "Startup Applications"! Completely ridiculous...
This would be so easy to change, this was already implemented in older version, does Canonical want to deliberately kill a nice OS?..