No applications menu after trying to create a new directory

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Iaups
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 2:07 pm

No applications menu after trying to create a new directory

Post by Iaups »

Hi.

I had just registered into these forums in order to answer how to create a new directory menu entry in the "Game" category. However, my very first post is going to be a little more disappointing, because my personal account in the computer has become wrongly configured while I was making some experiments I considered easily reversible.

I cannot understand what happened, this morning I did similar changes in another user account in the same computer and I was able to go back to the previous applications menu as easily as deleting the files I had created. This time, it did not work, even after rebooting the computer.


The facts:

1) I had successfully created several application menu entries for a game, which I had downloaded from Lubuntu Software Center. The reason was that it requires a parameter to choose its board and I want another user, who has less experience in shells, to be able to use it. I put them in ~/.local/share/applications/ and they work well, indeed I have written a script to creating them automatically from the list of board the program returns, but they are too many for the Games directory. I mean I consider it becomes too large.

2) This morning, I read this post:
http://lkubaski.wordpress.com/2012/11/0 ... -sections/
And I tried to create a new directory inside Games directory. Although I was not successful, it was really simple to get back the ordinary applications menu. I only had to delete the files I was created in ~/.config/menus/ and ~/.local/share/desktop-directories/ and the changes in the files .desktop in ~/.local/share/applications/.

3) This afternoon, I looked for more information and I found the FAQ of the LXDE wiki:
http://wiki.lxde.org/pt/LXDE:FAQ#How_do ... in_menu.3F
As I had been able to revert to the ordinary menu this morning, I decided to try the slight differences between this wiki and this morning's approach despite the fact that the wiki says that method does not work. I copied the custom lxde-applications.menu file to ~/.config/menus/, the .directory file to ~/.local/share/desktop-directories/ and one .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applicationes/ so as to fill the new sub-directory. Once again the applications menu disappeared, but this time I have not been able to recover it by deleting ~/.config/menus/ and ~/.local/share/desktop-directories/ folders and the .desktop file.

I have reboot the computer and the problem goes on. And it is not the only feature missed, there are neither available applications for the "applications bar" configuring tool nor the "open with" menu. It is quite annoying, I have to start most of the programs from the /usr/share/applications/ folder.

Might you tell me how I can get back the ordinary applications menu?

I use Lubuntu 14.04 and my account is an user one.

The lxde-applications.menu file was:

Code: Select all

<!DOCTYPE Menu PUBLIC "-//freedesktop//DTD Menu 1.0//EN" "http://www.freedesktop.org/standars/menu-spec/1.0/menu.dtd">
<Menu>
	<Name>Applications</Name>
	<!-- Personalización de usuario->
	<MergeFile type="parent">/etc/xdg/menus/lxde-applications.menu</MergeFile>
	<Menu>
		<Name>Games</Name>
		<Menu>
			<Name>MahJongg</Name>
			<Directory>MahJongg-mahjongg.directory</Directory>
			<Include>
				<And><Category>mahjongg</Category></And>
			</Include>
		</Menu>
	</Menu>
</Menu>
Rex Bouwense
Posts: 1093
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:44 pm
Location: Sierra Vista, Arizona USA
Contact:

Re: No applications menu after trying to create a new direct

Post by Rex Bouwense »

Obviously you had a problem posting your thread. I have deleted all of the duplicate posts for you. Because we have had a problem in the past with Spammers, your first post (and only your first post) has to be approved by a mod before it is posted. You are good to go now.

This is what I use to edit the menu.
http://lxlinux.com/#9
That site was created and is maintained by seppalta an active member and contributer to this forum.

I did find this application in the Lubuntu Software Center (Main menu). I have never used it and it apparently has mixed reviews, but it might do what you want to do. I believe that it is also listed as alacarte in Synaptic Package Manager.
Rex
Iaups
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 2:07 pm

Re: No applications menu after trying to create a new direct

Post by Iaups »

Hi.

I did suffer it. After pressing the Submit button, I got back a blank posting page. Thus, I thought my message had not been posted. I am sorry for the multiple posts.

I will read carefully the webpage you have mentioned, but I have looked it through and I think it deals with creating menu entries for the whole system, I mean every user. I would rather make the menu entries for an only user, which seems a though task at this moment.

About the applications menu problem, I reached to solve it. I found out there was a problem in a menu cache file, so I deleted it, rebooted the computer and a new one was automatically created, which was what solved the issue.

That was the wrong ~/.cache/menus/ file:

Code: Select all

1.1
applications.menu
5
F/home/myUserName/.config/menus/lxde-applications.menu
F/etc/xdg/menus/lxde-applications.menu
F/usr/share/upstart/xdg/menus/lxde-applications.menu
F/etc/xdg/xdg-Lubuntu/menus/lxde-applications.menu
F/etc/xdg/lubuntu/menus/lxde-applications.menu

+(null)
(null)



-1

Do you know what the "F" letter means exactly? There are "D" letters before other files in the new cache file in spite of there being those files with the "F" letter too.


I will mark the thread as solved. Change it if you consider it inappropriate.
Rex Bouwense
Posts: 1093
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:44 pm
Location: Sierra Vista, Arizona USA
Contact:

Re: No applications menu after trying to create a new direct

Post by Rex Bouwense »

Glad that you got back to where you wanted to be.
I have no idea what the D or the F stand for. Perhaps someone else on the forum knows the answer to that.
With regard to marking your thread as closed, that is entirely up to you.
Out of curiosity were you able to create your new directory? If you did would you please post your actions here for the benefit of those that come after us? Thank you.
Rex
Iaups
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 2:07 pm

Re: No applications menu after trying to create a new direct

Post by Iaups »

Hi.

I have just reached to create a sub-directory menu entry. It is easy if one sticks to freedesktop guidelines. I cannot understand why there are so many webpages with methods which are not so simple and do not seem to work.

I have dared publish a post in the "how to" room of this forum:

http://forum.lxde.org/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=36730

Please warn me of anything which is able to be improved.
Rex Bouwense
Posts: 1093
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:44 pm
Location: Sierra Vista, Arizona USA
Contact:

Re: No applications menu after trying to create a new direct

Post by Rex Bouwense »

Roger that. Good work.
Rex
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