Can't change applications settings

[Rich Oliver]

I'm trying to change Kate's settings so each file opens in its own window as I have done before on earlier versions of Kubuntu. So I've gone into settings -> Applications -> File Associations -> Text -> plain -> kate -> Edit -> Application. But when I try to add "-n" to the parameters and click OK I get:

"Could not save properties. You do not have sufficient access to write to /usr/share/applications/org.kde.kate.desktop."

I've tried to upgrading to Plasma 5.6 but that hasn't helped. All help appreciated.

[GreyGeek]

Have you tried
kdesudo kate /usr/share/applications/org.kde.kate.desktop
and editing it directly by changning the line below?
Exec=kate -b -n %U

[Rich Oliver]

Have you tried
kdesudo kate /usr/share/applications/org.kde.kate.desktop
and editing it directly by changning the line below?
Exec=kate -b -n %U

Ah thanks, I did find my way into that file but didn't find the line as it was near the bottom. BTW is "-bn" the same as "-b -n"?

[elijathegold]

BTW is "-bn" the same as "-b -n"?

That would depend on how the program is written to parse it's arguments. So, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

[wizard10000]

Copy the .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applications and edit it there

edit: Thought I'd provide a little more explanation.

Editing the .desktop file in /usr/share/applications will inflict the change on all users and unless you remember to back that file up and restore it the change will not survive a reinstall. Local preferences (as opposed to system preferences) are stored in the user's home directory - and .desktop files that you've hacked up to make your own experience better are stored in ~/.local/share/applications.

Here's a f'rinstance. I have three different dolphin .desktop files in my home directory; one uses the standard icon, one uses a gray icon that looks like standard but I use it for a custom menu and I have a third that opens a dolphin session as root. The original dolphin .desktop file is still in its original location in /usr/share/applications and is unmodified.

Applications (well, almost all applications) will look for their configuration in your home directory and only use system defaults in /etc or /usr/share/applications if a local config is not found. You can really use this to your advantage if you want to have different .desktop files to do different things with the same executable

Hope this helps -

[GreyGeek]

+1 for what Wizzard wrote!
His approach is better than my Q&D

[wizard10000]

+1 for what Wizzard wrote!
His approach is better than my Q&D

Well, different anyway

Took me years to figure out that if I didn't want to keep track of all the stuff I was editing in /etc and /usr/share I could hack up the stuff in my home directory as much as I wanted and if I broke it all I had to do was delete the local config and the system config would take over and give me a clean slate to work with

edit: Not sure if I should share this - and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody else but I copy the entire /usr/share/applications folder to ~/.local/share/ and then hack up .desktop files with impunity :P

[GreyGeek]

...

edit: Not sure if I should share this - and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody else but I copy the entire /usr/share/applications folder to ~/.local/share/ and then hack up .desktop files with impunity :P

Gasp!

LOL, actually, it sounds like a good idea! I'm going to play around and see what happens!