Desktop Icon Paths

[anonprivate]

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[oshunluvr]

When I check the desktop icons paths they indicate a...local/share/applications folder, but this is not the folder to which I linked the icons, and the images are different.

Your description of what you're doing is a bit vague, but I think the question above means you have opened the Properties of an icon on your desktop on in a folder, clicked on the Icon image (ostensibly to change it) and you're expecting to see the path to the icon that is currently displayed, but you're not. This is the normal behavior.

The "icon picker" opens at the system default icons for the mimetype the .desktop file (or .directory file if your messing with a folder icon) is referring to. So if you attempt to change the icon on a program, you'll get "Application" icons, if you attempt to change the icon on a folder you get the "Places" icons, etc. You can then pick a new icon from the system icons or select "Other" and navigate to another icon of your choosing.

I can't explain why the developer did it this way, but I can guess that the assumption is if you're bothering to click on the Icon image you want to change it, so there no use in leading you to the one that already selected.

[anonprivate]

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[oshunluvr]

I will give an example.

On the desktop, I click an icon - icon settings, location /.../.local/share/applications. This is not where the icon is located.

The icon is in /.../Home/Pictures/icons

Yes. As I said, that is the expected behavior.

[anonprivate]

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[Snowhog]

It just seems odd to me that the icon path does not indicate the Pictures/icons file where the icon is located, It seems to give the original path used at install which is now invalid!

When you click on the Icon, you are telling the system that you want to 'change' the icon, and it presents you with the default location of where the icons for the given application are selected from. Just like you did the first time, you wanted to use a different icon; one that you had elsewhere; so you opted to browse to that location.

The path you are seeing when you click on the icon isn't the actual path to the icon you are using if it is different than the default. That said, the fact that you are using an icon from other than the default location, the path to your chosen icon is saved elsewhere.

Someone please correct me if I am totally off base with this.

[anonprivate]

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[Snowhog]

So the path that I see is the original default path. The system does not change it to the new path.

As I said, "...the path to your chosen icon is saved elsewhere." I don't know where that 'elsewhere' is, but I'm confident that someone here does.

[anonprivate]

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[oshunluvr]

I thought I said this already, but to expand slightly: The icon location for folders is in the .directory file stored within any given folder. A desktop icon location would be with the <PROGRAM NAME>.desktop file where ever it's located. Icon locations chosen within Kmenu are stored in the menu definition for that menu item.

If the icon itself is within one of the system icon default locations, the will be no path included in the icon definition as the system will find it without one. If you select "browse" and choose an icon from somewhere other than a default icon location, the full path to the icon will be stored.

This is simple enough to understand and illustrate:

Open your home folder in dolphin.
Display hidden files.
Open the .directory file.
Unless you have modified it, you will not see an "icon=" line.
Close the .directory file.
Go up one directory and right-click on your home folder and change the icon, selecting one with the "System Icons" (I chose "user-home-symbolic" on my system).
Then go back to the .directory file and open it.
Observe this is now included in the file:

[Desktop Entry]Icon=user-home-symbolic

Close the directory file.

Again, go up one directory and right-click on your home folder and change the icon, this time select one in your home somewhere.
Then go back to the .directory file and open it.
Observe this is now included in the file:

[Desktop Entry]Icon=/home/<USERNAME>/<ICONPATH>/ICONNAME

[vinnywright]

are not such things as this ,,,,,,stored in ~/.cache so even if the icon is deleted it would still get displayed (it's displayed from the ~/.cache I think) until reseting it or kbuildsycoca5 is called...?

VINNY

[oshunluvr]

AFAIK icon-cache.kcache is not a text file. Copies of icons are kept in it to speed up display. Icon locations are only stored in it so the system can reference which icon is which. It's not a file you can go check or edit and it's updated (or supposed to be) when you make icon changes.

I believe the OP wanted to know where icon paths were kept. They're not stored in icon.cache.kcache, but they are "echoed" there.

[anonprivate]

I thought I said this already, but to expand slightly: The icon location for folders is in the .directory file stored within any given folder. A desktop icon location would be with the <PROGRAM NAME>.desktop file where ever it's located. Icon locations chosen within Kmenu are stored in the menu definition for that menu item.

If the icon itself is within one of the system icon default locations, the will be no path included in the icon definition as the system will find it without one. If you select "browse" and choose an icon from somewhere other than a default icon location, the full path to the icon will be stored.

This is simple enough to understand and illustrate:

Open your home folder in dolphin.
Display hidden files.
Open the .directory file.
Unless you have modified it, you will not see an "icon=" line.
Close the .directory file.
Go up one directory and right-click on your home folder and change the icon, selecting one with the "System Icons" (I chose "user-home-symbolic" on my system).
Then go back to the .directory file and open it.
Observe this is now included in the file:

[Desktop Entry]Icon=user-home-symbolic

Close the directory file.

Again, go up one directory and right-click on your home folder and change the icon, this time select one in your home somewhere.
Then go back to the .directory file and open it.
Observe this is now included in the file:

[Desktop Entry]Icon=/home/<USERNAME>/<ICONPATH>/ICONNAME

The .folders directories are visible, but I do not have a .directory folder. I only have a .directory text file!
I am using kubuntu 14.04 - if that is important

[oshunluvr]

The icon location for folders is in the .directory file stored within any given folder.

[anonprivate]

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