How can I register an .appimage file (specifically, the tiled map editor found here) as a desktop app? (Like firefox -- I can launch it by typing 'Firefox' into search rather than opening up a console and typing /path/to/directory/firefox.ext)
3 Answers
Create a .desktop file that points to the application -- here is an example of a .desktop for minecraft:
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Minecraft
Comment=Minecraft
Icon=/home/bram/Applications/Minecraft/icon.png
Exec=/home/bram/Applications/Minecraft/minecraft
Terminal=false
Categories=Minecraft;game
Put that file in ~/.local/share/applications
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Done what you said, It will keep open a terminal while I am executing the AppImage? Is there a way to just open the AppImage without a terminal together?– cssmtnrDec 27, 2018 at 17:35
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16Why would you need to download a separate icon when the appimage includes one? How can you use the icon from the appimage itself? Feb 3, 2019 at 17:47
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The
AppImageI was trying to create a desktop launcher for and its icon were in/opt/app-dir/. I ranchmod 777 icon.pngbut the icon was not showing up. I had to put the image in/usr/share/pixmaps/and putIcon=<icon-name-without-extension-or-path>in the launcher to make the icon visible.– MikeSep 12, 2020 at 10:35 -
@Mike (and perhaps others). Since 26 people upvoted and so presumably followed this answer can one of them replace the example with the Joplin one to save anyone coming after from having to replace Minecraft with Joplin.– KvotheJun 1, 2021 at 15:24
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I needed to read this answer: askubuntu.com/a/1240983/800252. In order to figure out how to make this work (For extracting the Icon and the correct .desktop entry which is non-trivial to guess, for example to get "StartupWMClass=Joplin" right.).– KvotheJun 2, 2021 at 9:02
You can also use AppImageLauncher which provides desktop integration along with some additional features. Unlike appimaged, it:
- asks for confirmation before creating desktop entry for an AppImage.
- works with AppImages in any location
- doesn't use a daemon for monitoring, so more efficient.
Specifics of how it works are explained in the wiki. It can be installed directly from the packages provided in the releases or by using packages from PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:appimagelauncher-team/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install appimagelauncher
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I just installed it on Ubuntu Focal through the PPA. I launched a Zoom AppImage and now it appears in the launcher if I type Zoom. Neat :) Dec 15, 2020 at 17:46
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1Could you include a simple example of how it work. An (uncareful) read of the linked wiki does not make it clear at all.– KvotheJun 1, 2021 at 15:28
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@Kvothe I'm not the creator of this tool :) Consider creating an issue in the repository asking for the same.– aksh1618Jul 20, 2021 at 8:23
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It works great! All I had to do was (a) install as shown here, (b) run it on the terminal, i.e., "$ appimagelauncher", and (c) open the AppImage as usual. The first time you run an AppImage, appimagelauncher will catch it and "install it." That's it!– gvegayonJan 20, 2022 at 18:56
According to appimagekit, the proper method is to use appimaged for .AppImage file registration.
For 64-bit systems:
wget "https://github.com/AppImage/appimaged/releases/download/continuous/appimaged-x86_64.AppImage"
chmod +x appimaged-x86_64.AppImage
./appimaged-x86_64.AppImage --install
The binary will copy itself to /home/ubuntu/.local/bin/appimaged and then delete the downloaded copy upon install. Then you must logout and back in.
At time of reading, it will monitor and register the following locations:
~/Downloads
~/.local/bin
~/bin
/Applications
/isodevice/Applications
/isofrom/Applications
/run/archiso/img_dev/Applications
/opt
/usr/local/bin
To show in the menu, this assumes you've placed a desktop file in the correct location inside your .AppImage file, usually /usr/share/applications/<myproject>.desktop.
If you search in the application tray, you should find your application shortly. The daemon should also register any application-specific file associations assuming the mime xml is also bundled, usually /usr/share/mime/packages/<myproject>.xml. If the icon does not appear correctly, you may have to logout and back in a second time. This can happen if the icon was incorrectly cached while testing out images.
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On my system, Ubuntu 14.04, the systemctl steps did not work properly. You should ask the project team how best to do this. The service seems like it's intended to be run in user-space by design, so the system-wide installation technique does not seem to be obvious. Perhaps you would be happy with the appimage located permanently somewhere (e.g.
/opt/bin/appimagedwith a login script for all users in/etc/xdg/autostart/appimaged.desktop, but one which uses the--no-installswitch.– tresfDec 26, 2017 at 17:26 -
Then place digicam in (e.g.)
/opt/bin/digicamand the daemon should find it as it will match the second-to-last search location mentioned above.– tresfDec 26, 2017 at 17:28
PATHin say/usr/binand you should be able to launch it like firefox...