Unity launcher button

[Skaperen]

i am running Unity on my Ubuntu 16.04 LTS based laptop (last upgraded yesterday). i would like to set up a button on the launcher bar that will execute a command line or script of my own. how do i get started to do that? some google searches came up empty, but maybe i guessed the wrong terms.

[Frogs Hair]

Have you written the script in gedit, named, saved, and made it executable? If so the next step is to test the script. Creating a desktop entry could allow you to add a launcher and other forum members may be able to help with that. I've not created a launcher for a script in Unity.

[monkeybrain20122]

Make a .desktop file where Exec=path/to/your/script, make it executable and put it in ~/.local/share/applications. To get a template of a .desktop file, just bring up any .desktop file in /usr/share/applications with an editor.

[kerry_s]

i usually manually do mine:
example:
gedit ~/.local/share/applications/my-app.desktop

inside:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=
Type=Application
Name=
GenericName=
Comment=
Icon=
TryExec=/needs/to/be/full/path
Exec=/needs/to/be/full/path
Categories=

this is my actual 1 i'm using:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=4.0.17
Type=Application
Name=Stremio
GenericName=Media Center
Comment=Watch instantly all the video content you enjoy in one place
Icon=video
TryExec=/home/user/Streamio/Stremio+4.0.17.appimage
Exec=/home/user/Streamio/Stremio+4.0.17.appimage
Categories=AudioVideo;Video;Player;

[Skaperen]

Have you written the script in gedit, named, saved, and made it executable? If so the next step is to test the script. Creating a desktop entry could allow you to add a launcher and other forum members may be able to help with that. I've not created a launcher for a script in Unity.

yes, but i used emacs instead of gedit to create it. it will create more in the future once i know this can be done and how.

[monkeybrain20122]

yes, but i used emacs instead of gedit to create it. it will create more in the future once i know this can be done and how.

It doesn't matter which editor you use, the script is just an executable text file.

[Skaperen]

Make a .desktop file where Exec=path/to/your/script, make it executable and put it in ~/.local/share/applications. To get a template of a .desktop file, just bring up any .desktop file in /usr/share/applications with an editor.

so, the mere existence of a properly constructed and executable .desktop file in that directory causes the button to exist?

[Frogs Hair]

The editor shouldn't matter as long the script is executable and works. See the posts above for help with the desktop entries needed to create the launcher.

[monkeybrain20122]

so, the mere existence of a properly constructed and executable .desktop file in that directory causes the button to exist?

You have an executable script, the .desktop file (made executable) runs it when click, if you put it in .local/share/applications then it will show up in the dash (may have to logout and log back in), then you can pin it to the launcher.

[Skaperen]

now, how to get the button to appear. or, perhaps, how to get Unity to reload its .desktop files. file managers can be notified when things show up in the directory it has open. so, why can't Unity do this with ~/.local/share/applications?