[Portland] Install directory as a sub-menu

Nathan Kidd nathan-svn at spicycrypto.ca
Tue Apr 15 10:27:11 PDT 2008


wwp wrote:
> there's something that I didn't get from the documentation (yet). I
> wonder if it's possible to install my app directory using
> xdg-desktop-menu in a sub-directory of the desktop menu like, say,
> "Development" (my app is a dev tool), instead of directly at the root of
> the menu tree.

Certainly possible, and what should happen.

> I also wonder, according to if it's possible or not, if there's a
> standard for all those sub-directories we can find in popular distros:
> accessories, games, etc. A cross-desktop standard (KDE, GNOME, XFCE,
> etc.) and a cross-time standard: did thing changed between now and few
> years ago or is there a good-old solid-state standard for this?
> Any thought or reference?

Your .desktop file should have a Categories= key.
http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/ar01s05.html

The categories listed there determine which sub-menu the icon gets 
placed under.
http://standards.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-latest.html#category-registry

The above categories are the cross-desktop standard for recent 
distributions.  To get your menu entry placed as you want for older 
distributions (E.g. RHEL 4 or earlier) you'll end up hacking in values 
like X-Red-Hat-Base, X-SuSE-Core-Internet and X-Ximian-Main.

HTH,

-Nathan


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