Remove "Link to" from .desktop file display name

Question

From firefox, if I highlight the address and drag it to the desktop a .desktop file is created that links to that page. The name has the form "Link to ...". Is there a setting to get rid of the "Link to " part?

EDIT: To clarify, I like to drag webpage links to the desktop (or another directory) where a .desktop file is created. However, I don't like the "Link to ..." naming scheme. I realize I could rename the files as a second step, but I'm asking if there's a way to avoid that step.

Answer 1

The naming is probably coded in nautilus, and hard to change.

What can be done however is to automatically fix it, either without any action from your side, or with a shortcut key. The only limitation is that it would work with a specific set of directories, such as the desktop and an arbitrary number of additional directories (of your choice).

automatically becomes:

What it does

The proposed solution is, at your choice, either:

• a background script, automatically looking for "faulty" -named .desktop files and renaming them immediately and automatically, or:
• a script, called by a shortcut key combination, doing exactly the same, but only whenever you press the key(s)

The script; background version

I tested the script on processor load, and I could not notice any extra activity (using system monitor) on my elderly system (at least 6-7 years old).

Background version

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import time
import os
import sys

dirs = sys.argv[1:]
# ---you might need to edit the string below to your local (language) version
edit_out = "Link to"
# ---

def edit_link(dr, newfiles):
    for f in newfiles:
        file = dr+"/"+f; text = open(file).read().splitlines()
        for i, l in enumerate(text):
            if all([l.startswith("Name="), edit_out in l]):
                text[i] = text[i].replace(edit_out+" ", "")
                open(file, "wt").write("\n".join(text))

files1 = []
while True:
    time.sleep(2)
    for dr in dirs:
        files2 = os.listdir(dr)
        newfiles = [f for f in files2 if all([not f in files1, f.endswith(".desktop")])]
        edit_link(dr, newfiles)
        files1 = files2

1. Copy it into an empty file
2. Save it as rename_links.py

3. Change if necessary in the line:

   edit_out = "Link to"
   

   the string "Link to" by the localized string in your language ("Verwijzing naar" in Dutch)

4. Test- run it by the command:

   python3 /path/to/rename_links.py <directory_1> <directory_2> (etc.)
   

   where you can add as many directories as you like (use quotes if the directory contains spaces)

5. If all works fine, add it to your startup applications: Dash > Startup Applications > Add the command:

   python3 /path/to/rename_links.py <directory_1> <directory_2>
   

Shortcut version

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import os
import sys

dirs = sys.argv[1:]
edit_out = "Link to"

def edit_link(dr):
    files = os.listdir(dr)
    for f in files:
        if f.endswith(".desktop"):
            file = dr+"/"+f; text = open(file).read().splitlines()
            for i, l in enumerate(text):
                if all([l.startswith("Name="), edit_out in l]):
                    text[i] = text[i].replace(edit_out+" ", "")
                    open(file, "wt").write("\n".join(text))

for dr in dirs:
    edit_link(dr)

The set up is exactly the same as the background version, apart from [5.]:

5. If all works fine, add the script to a shortcut key: choose: System Settings > "Keyboard" > "Shortcuts" > "Custom Shortcuts". Click the "+" and add the command:

   python3 /path/to/rename_links.py <directory_1> <directory_2>
   

Explanation

The name, as it appears on your desktop, is not the file -name, but the name, as defined in the Name= line of the .desktop file.

The script looks into possible .desktop files in the directories, you used as an argument. If it finds a line, starting with Name=Link to, it replaces (removes) Link to + one space, effectively renaming the visible name of the launcher on your desktop.

---

Edit

Looking for a "native" solution, I tried Mozilla's add-on Deskcut to see what it does with the name of the link. On both 14.04 and 15.04 it did totally nothing however.