Desktop file format

2010-01-17T08:18:09Z

91.156.168.153: /* Fremantle */

= Maemo 5 - Fremantle =

.desktop files are read from directory:
/usr/share/applications/hildon/

Example .desktop file for opening <code>top</code> in terminal:
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Terminal=true ''true = opens xterm window where the application is run''
Name=topx ''the name that appears to menu''
Exec=/usr/bin/osso-xterm top ''the command that is executed when icon is clicked''
Icon= ''Icon for shortcut''
#X-Window-Icon=timerwidget
X-Window-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=true ''Show app in toolbar''
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable

= Chinook =
Format of Maemo .desktop files

Below are the fields supported in hildon-desktop:
; Type
: Should be application
; Icon
; Name
; Categories
:not used on maemo, but used in Ubuntu mobile
; Comment
:now unused, was used as second line of text in the startup menu in Bora
;Exec
;NoDisplay
:set to true to hide the entry in the menu
;StartupNotify
:set to false to disable the startup notification banner
;StartupWMClass
:used to override the expected window class name, default to the binary name

Some Maemo-specific extensions:

;X-Text-Domain
:set the L10n domain from which the application name is translated (with dgettext)
;X-Osso-Service
:a DBus service name - if specified hildon desktop will try to call the top_application method on this service rather than execute what is listed in the Exec field).

(Credits to [https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=95#c15 Johan Billen])

BTW: If your application needs the browser to do special URL handling, the desktop file needs to be extended [[URL_Handler|accordingly]].

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Power users]]

Maemo Wiki Mirror - User contributions [en]

Desktop file format