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Elementary Cheatsheet

· 2 min read
Carlos Angulo Mascarell

This post explains some tips I discovered about Elementary OS.

Where the app launcher apps are stored?

  • /home/YOUR_USER/.local/share/applications
  • ~/.local/share/applications

How does an app launcher looks like:

Outlook shortcut example

#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Name=Outlook
Exec=/opt/vivaldi/vivaldi --profile-directory=Default --app-id=eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl
Icon=vivaldi-eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl-Default
StartupWMClass=crx_eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl
Actions=New-event;New-message;Open-calendar

[Desktop Action New-event]
Name=New event
Exec=/opt/vivaldi/vivaldi --profile-directory=Default --app-id=eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl --app-launch-url-for-shortcuts-menu-item=https://outlook.live.com/calendar/deeplink/compose

[Desktop Action New-message]
Name=New message
Exec=/opt/vivaldi/vivaldi --profile-directory=Default --app-id=eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl --app-launch-url-for-shortcuts-menu-item=https://outlook.live.com/mail/deeplink/compose

[Desktop Action Open-calendar]
Name=Open calendar
Exec=/opt/vivaldi/vivaldi --profile-directory=Default --app-id=eigpmdhekjlgjgcppnanaanbdmnlnagl --app-launch-url-for-shortcuts-menu-item=https://outlook.live.com/calendar

Nice tip: add xkill as shortcut:

First of all, what xkill is? It is a command to kill process by clicking on their windows. The normal usage is:

  1. Open a terminal
  2. Set the app you want to kill visible next to the terminal
  3. Introduce the xkill command in the terminal
  4. The mouse pointer will change to an x, click on the app windows to kil it. If you want to cancel the operation, right click anywhere

More details about xkill

Next is a custom app launcher example:

reuse this example:

Please note this example execute the command xkill. You can modify it to run any other command you want to have on the app launcher. Just Update all the properties to your needs, the most important one is the exec, set there the command you want to execute. 

#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Name=xkill
GenericName=Bash Command Execution
Exec=xkill
Comment=Execute xkill command, you will be able to close any windows by clicking on it
Icon=/home/cangulo/.local/share/applications/icons/xkill-icon.svg
Type=Application
Categories=System
Keywords=Command;kill;close

Remember to provide an icon, in my case, I created a folder called icons and add the next one:

xkill icon

About me

I'm a Software Engineer with experience as Developer and DevOps. The technologies I have worked with are DotNet, Terraform and AWS. For the last one, I have the Developer Associate certification. I define myself as a challenge-seeker person and team player. I simply give it all to deliver high-quality solutions. On the other hand, I like to analyze and improve processes, promote productivity and document implementations (yes, I'm a developer that likes to document 🧑‍💻).

You can check my experience here.

Personal Blog - cangulo.github.io
GitHub - Carlos Angulo Mascarell - cangulo
LinkedIn - Carlos Angulo Mascarell
Twitter - @AnguloMascarell

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