[solved] .desktop files

tortilla · 2022-09-01 13:19:45

Hi,

I created in the directory

~/.local/share/applications

with the text editor a file "XX" with this content:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=ItemName
URL=https://siteName.tld
Comment=appfinder, xfce4appfinder, 
Icon=system-search
Type=Link

When I search with xfce4-appfinderi for the string "xfce4appfinder", this file "XX" is not found. I then created an ItemXY in the Main-Menu Editor. Thereby a file alacarte-made-XY.desktop ("XY") was created in the directory ~/.local/share/applications. I overwrote with the text above the text in the file alacarte-made-XY.desktop. And I have then test inserted in the file alacarte-made-XY.desktop in the field "Comment=" the string "xfce88appfinder". Now the file "XY" is found.

Is my assumption correct that when creating .desktop files with Main menu Editor for the created files in the file

~/.config/menus/xfce-applications.menu

a corresponding element is captured. And is my assumption correct that the contents of the files captured in xfce-applications.menu can be indexed and found with xfce4-appfinder?

Last edited by tortilla (2022-09-05 08:46:54)

ToZ · 2022-09-01 14:39:15

Creating the first file in a text editor works for me - xfce4-appfinder search finds the desktop file.

- does the "XX" file have the extension ".desktop"?
- what version of xfce4-appfinder are you running?

tortilla · 2022-09-01 15:02:58

ToZ wrote:

- does the "XX" file have the extension ".desktop"?

- Yes

ToZ wrote:

- what version of xfce4-appfinder are you running?

dpkg-query -W xfce4-appfinder
xfce4-appfinder	4.16.1-1

OS: Debian, Version 11 (bullseye)

Last edited by tortilla (2022-09-01 15:06:33)

ToZ · 2022-09-01 16:56:20

Same version as me. Are you able to build xfce4-appfinder yourself and use the "--enable-debug" build parameter? It will display debug info including fuzzy search information. For example (searching on "xfce4app"):

xfce4-appfinder-dbg: Fuzzy match: regexp=.*x *.*(?i)fce4app.* ; source=itemname
exo-open 'https://sitename.tld'
appfinder, xfce4appfinder,

Might help identify if its being found or not. Though I'm not sure why it wouldn't be.

tortilla · 2022-09-02 14:21:29

ToZ wrote:

Are you able to build xfce4-appfinder yourself and use the "--enable-debug" build parameter?

Unfortunately not

I have repeatedly tested the behavior I described in the start post. This behavior is unchanged. Content is found only if it is contained in a .desktop file created with main menu editor.

Can you give me a hint in which source code file here https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-appf … master/src I can research to try to clarify which content is included in the xfce4-appfinder index? Maybe you know if the variable

GarconMenuDirectory

ensures that only the contents from the .desktop files considered in this variable are included in the index?

Last edited by tortilla (2022-09-02 14:31:51)

ToZ · 2022-09-02 19:46:23

Here is the commit that added fuzzy search. Unclear which fields are being searched without digging deeper into the code.

Note that an additional commit was added post last official release to include generic and keyword names to the search function.

tortilla · 2022-09-05 08:46:28

tortilla wrote:

I have repeatedly tested the behavior I described in the start post. This behavior is unchanged. Content is found only if it is contained in a .desktop file created with main menu editor.

I have no idea why, but all of a sudden xfce4-appfinder-search after creating a .desktop file with a link finds it the way I want without forcing me to capture the link via main menu editor.

ToZ · 2022-09-05 10:52:38

It was strange that you were having the issue so its good that it has somehow fixed itself. Perhaps xfce4-appfinder wasn't the problem but another non-Xfce package. Which packages were last updated?

tortilla · 2022-09-05 13:40:15

Is there a way to display the packages installed last or in a certain period of time?

ToZ · 2022-09-05 14:02:21

Try:

grep "upgrade " /var/log/dpkg.log

... and see what is listed towards the bottom of the list.

Edit: also see https://linuxhint.com/see-dpkg-apt-history/

Last edited by ToZ (2022-09-05 14:04:05)

tortilla · 2022-09-06 07:28:17

I have checked in the dpkg.log.1 - last entry is with

2022-09-01 12:43:22 status installed desktop-file-utils:i386 0.26-1

- so it is dated before my test on 2022-09-02 14:21:29 - see above. The file dpkg.log and

/var/log/apt/history.log

are empty for me. Just tested - xfce4-appfinder-search after creating a .desktop file with a link finds it the way I want without forcing me to capture the link via main menu editor.

Last edited by tortilla (2022-09-06 07:36:25)

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#1 2022-09-01 13:19:45

[solved] .desktop files

#2 2022-09-01 14:39:15

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#3 2022-09-01 15:02:58

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#4 2022-09-01 16:56:20

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#5 2022-09-02 14:21:29

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#6 2022-09-02 19:46:23

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#7 2022-09-05 08:46:28

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#8 2022-09-05 10:52:38

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#9 2022-09-05 13:40:15

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#10 2022-09-05 14:02:21

Re: [solved] .desktop files

#11 2022-09-06 07:28:17

Re: [solved] .desktop files

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