Users can create shortcuts for an application to appear in menus, desktop, etc. by creating a .desktop file. This desktop file contains a listings of configuration for the application. In order for your desktop environment to "see" this file, this .desktop file will have to be placed either in /usr/share/applications - for system wide applications - or in ~/.local/share/applications - if the application should be available for a single user
Once the file is placed in this location the desktop uses this file to:
- put the application in the .
- list the application in the Run Application... dialog
- create appropriate launchers in the menu or on the desktop.
- associate the name and description of the application.
- use the appropriate icon.
- recognize the MIME types it supports for opening files.
Here's an example of a desktop file I have created for tinyCA application. I am running Debian Jessie and this application does not come with a any menu entries or desktop shortcut.
$ cat ~/.local/share/applications/tinyca2.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=TinyCA Certificate Authority
NoDisplay=false
Categories=Network;
Icon=security-low
Exec=/usr/bin/tinyca2
Terminal=false
Comment=TinyCA2 certificate authority
The entries one by one:
[Desktop Entry] - identifies the group name to which the desktop entry belongs. A group is name is enclosed in [ ] and there can be more than one group in a desktop file. [Desktop Entry] group is required by the basic desktop file entry
Version - version of the desktop entry specification. This field is not required
