Can't create application launcher in Lubuntu 14.04

Question

In Lubuntu 13.10 you could create a custom application launcher by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting "Create New..." then selecting the option, but in 14.04 this option is gone (now you can only create a new folder or empty file). Just wondered whether this is a bug or if I have to enable it from somewhere else.

Thanks in advance!

Edit:

A workaround is to add an entry to the start menu by using menulibre (sudo apt-get install menulibre). Then you can select the item from the menu and right click 'Add to desktop'.

Answer 1

On Ubuntu 14.04 I used the method given on http://www.geekyboy.com/archives/384

In command line run:

gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new

which starts the GUI app for creating new application launcher on the Desktop.

If the command doesn't exist on your system you can install it with

sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel

-- rpr.

Answer 2

One of the easiest method is to use Ubuntu Tweaks scripts, which you can select directly from a drop-down in Nautilus. Very handy.

First install, Ubuntu Tweaks: http://ubuntu-tweak.com/

Then open it and go to the Admins > Scripts, then select/drag the "Create Launcher..." script from right to left pane. From then on, in Nautilus, you can right-click on a file and navigate to the "Scripts... > Create Launcher..." Once the info filled, a launcher file/icon is created, which you can drag/drop onto the Launcher.

Note: I also had to install gnome-panel to enable scripts:

sudo apt-get install gnome-panel

Answer 3

You can add that function back to PcManFm in Lubuntu 14.04 using Templates. For an example, look for "Using New Document Templates" in http://madebits.com/blog/comments.php?y=14&m=03&entry=entry140317-141947

Answer 4

Easiest to create a simple config file describing the path to the application and icon. See http://thebeautifullmind.com/2014/06/18/creating-a-application-launcher-in-ubuntu-14-04/ for an example.

Here's another example for a backup script:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=3.0
Name=Backup
Comment=Backs up all users' data to external drive.
Type=Application
Categories=Utiliy
Exec=/home/scott/bin/stm-backup/stm-backup
Terminal=true
StartupNotify=true
Icon=/home/scott/bin/stm-backup/stm-backup.xpm