[fixed in kde-4.7.3] Can't add items to menu in oneiric

[doctordruidphd]

I just noticed a problem -- I can't add items to the menu for the application launcher. Looks like the item is going to add, then hit "save", and the progress bar comes up and disappears quickly -- but the item is not being added. Not sure when this happened, just noticed it today.

[Snowhog]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Happening here as well. Hmm. Bug?

[SteveRiley]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Adding new menus and submenus works, because they're still there when you close and re-open the menu editor. But adding items seems not to work at all.

It also fails with kdesudo kmenuedit.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Clarification:

What is happening here is that the item is adding in the menu editor -- if I restart kde (or reboot the system) and go into the menu editor, the item I added is there. But it never shows up in the menus, nor in the application section, and searching in the search bar doesn't find it. It is apparently not putting the .desktop file where it is supposed to be; the only trace I can find of a .desktop file is in ~/.kde/share/apps/RecentDocuments/ , and it does show up in the "recently Used" section, but that may be from running the application in the ALT-F2 runner.

Sounding more and more like a bug.

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

I'm also seeing the same problem...adding/changing menu items via the menu editor doesn't persist...even on closing and reopening the menu editor.

I did find that the entries are being written to ~/.local/share/applications

They're just not being read from that location.

Anyone know of a fix yet?
Paul

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Here is what I discovered:

Original file created by menu editor:

[Desktop Entry]
Comment=
Exec=/media/games/Xonotic/xonotic-linux-glx.sh
GenericName=Xonotic FPS
Icon=/media/games/Xonotic/misc/logos/xonotic_icon.svg
Name=Xonotic
NoDisplay=false
OnlyShowIn=
Path[$e]=/media/games/Xonotic
StartupNotify=true
Terminal=0
TerminalOptions=
Type=Application
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false
X-KDE-Username=

I removed the two lines:

OnlyShowIn=
Path[$e]=/media/games/Xonotic

as similar lines did not show up in a desktop file that I know works.
After going into menu editor and saving, now it shows up where it is supposed to in the menu.

I think this qualifies as a bug.

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

So you went thru and had to manually change each non-showing entry?

Definitely a bug.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Yeah, so far I have added only one item since upgrading the system. One could automate this with a script and go through the whole directory, I suppose:

cp -r ~/.local/share/applications ~/.local/share/applications-backup
rpl -Rd -x"desktop" --dry-run "OnlyShowIn=" "#OnlyShowIn=" ~/.local/share/applications/
rpl -Rd -x"desktop" --dry-run "Path[$e]=" "#Path[$e]=" ~/.local/share/applications/


Run the rpl commands first as a test and see what it will do, then remove the --dry-run part to do it for real. Then you will need to go into the menu editor and choose "save" to update the menu.

Just a suggestion.

And you might also have to do this as sudo for /usr/share/applications, don't know for sure.

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

I'll test tomorrow on the problem install.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

Hi
On my doofed up Oneric with Kubuntu desktop, I could not make a launcher for something like a music file that would work, but I made a launcher for Amarok.

Menu button/applications/right click/edit applications /video/right click/new item/usr bin/general tab//usr/bin/amarok)/Advanced tab/workpath/usr/bin/save.

woodsmoke

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

doctordruidphd,
I deleted the two lines you referred to (in a text editor), but it didn't result in any changes.

Do you know how the files in ~/.local/share/applications get read?
Paul

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

I believe they get read when you do a "save" in the menu editor.
But you may have to log out and back in for the changes to register in the menu itself, I'm not sure on that detail.

Sorry it didn't work, it seems to have fixed it for the one item I set up on the menu since upgrading.

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

I have to admit; I'm at a loss here.

I can't figure out what directory or file contains the default menu items or which contains the user added ones. Even though every time I try to make changes thru the menu editor new files show up in ~/.local/share/applications, this directory doesn't seem to contain files that I know I've added in the past but are not default installations.

I tried renaming ~/.kde so the system could rebuild a new one, but the menu then contained a mix of default and custom entries, suggesting that some of the information is read from elsewhere.

Since the system worked fine with kdesc 4.7.1 under 11.04 and broke under 11.10, the problem must be in the kde debs.

Thoughts? Help?
Paul

[pkaplan1]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

I found the file for custom configuration:

~/.config/menus/applications-kmenuedit.menu

It appears that there was something wrong during the first launch of 11.10/kde even using an old, but working ~/.kde.

I had problems when I first launched kde and tried to fix it by renaming ~/.config/menus. For some reason, kmenueditor continued to write to the original applications-kmenuedit.menu file even though it was now in a different directory. The new changes I made were in the original file and when I restored the renamed directory to it's original location everything seems to work.

Moreover, making changes thru kmenuedit works correctly with changes being implemented as soon as they are saved.

Go figure.
Paul

[sithlord48]

Re: Can't add items to menu in oneiric

i ran into this the otherday, its a bug in the kickoff menu and a bug in kmenueditor , lets start with the menueditor bug.

whats happening is the new or edited entries are being flaged as "hidden" by the menu editor, this is why they dissaper after reloading the menu editor. but you can see them if you go to configure menu editor and enable showing of hidden entries. its important to note that although the menu entry is not marked as hidden it is still hidden in the menu editor.

now in the kickoff menu its just not showing them. now how can i know its the kickoff menu and not the flaging of hidden? very simple use get new widget to get the "QML launcher" and try to use it all the missing items you have edited will show in this launcher correctly.

there is a bug report already view it/comment on it here

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=283579