a .desktop shortcut containing multiple actions. How to select one ?

Question

Hello all,

I just took a look into the "chromium-browser.desktop" file found in the "/user/share/applications" folder, and noticed that it contained multiple "Exec=...." lines, in as many chapters.

According to information I found here

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rightclicking .... I assume the shortcut should give a context menu as shown in the image top-right of the webpage.

The problem is that I can't get that context menu to appear. :-(

Left- or rightclick clicking the above .desktop file doesn't cause such a menu to appear. Trying them in combination with SHIFT, CTRL or ALT doesn't work either. ( I do get the standard context menu ofcourse, but none of the choices described in the main chapters "Actions= ..." entry are visible anywhere)

Is there some secret handshake involved somewhere ? If not, what is going on/wrong ?

Regards, Rudy Wieser

P.s. Yes, its in combination with my previous question. If the above works I do not need to check for a modifier key when a Python script is started. I can than simply add a commandline switch. :-)

The Natural Philosopher · Accepted Answer

I think you may find what ye seek herein:  It looks like there is a mechanism you can hack for what you want, but I  havent time to do the hard graft look under [Desktop Action xxx] --  "If you don?t read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the  news paper, you are mis-informed." Mark Twain

Dennis Lee Bieber · Answer

On Sun, 16 Feb 2020 13:21:43 +0100, "R.Wieser" declaimed the following:

Probably because one is not supposed to click the .desktop file itself. Those files are used to configure the menus for the named application data types...

Try

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(scroll down to "More Open With ...").

A problem will be that, if you specify text/x-python in the MimeType list, then that action will be available for ALL Python scripts. To limit it to just one script will require not using ".py" for that script, creating a new MimeType in whatever file/directory handles those, and adding that MimeType to whatever .desktop files you need to handle it (the desktop for you preferred editor, etc.).

R.Wieser · Answer

Dennis,

I found multiple references in that direction (file and folder context menu), but those files where supposed to be stored elsewhere (likely also why a test with right-clicking a whipped-up html document failed).

Which was definitily not what I was-or-am after.

I had imagined/hoped that I would be able to get a menu of actions when rightclicking a .desktop shortcut (especially on the desktop). Alas, another great idea unceremoniously put into the ground.

Regards, Rudy Wieser

a .desktop shortcut containing multiple actions. How to select one ?

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