[SOLVED] Create a launcher to a folder (Mate or Gnome)
by taylorkh from LinuxQuestions.org on (#5JF5P)
Pardon me for asking this question in this forum but it is (should be) so simple that I think it fits...
I am using the Mate desktop but I believe this issue goes back to Gnome. I have not tried in a recent version of Gnome but I do not have it on any of my machines. I have a folder contains LibreOffice files. It is at /data/office/. I would like to create a launcher to this folder either on my Desktop or panal.
If I use the Add to panel dialog and select Custom application launcher I can select select Type: Location, add a descriptive Name and browse to the desired Location. However, I can NOT select a directory, only a file. I recall this issue going back a looooooong time. I have learned that I can enter "file:////data/office" in the Location and this will create a launcher which will open the desired directory in the file manager (caja).
The process to create a launcher on the desktop follows the same pattern. However, if I right click on a Panel launcher and select Properties I can see the location to which it points. A desktop launcher properties shows only the location of the launcher (/home/ken/desktop) which is a bit annoying. I cannot correct a typo:( I have used the manual file:////my_location for many years without issue until recently.
I have a need to open a .dbf (old dBase format) file in LibreOffice calc. If I open the folder in question using my launcher and then click on the .dbf file I am prompted for the character set as expected and then I get an error:
Read Error
Impossible to connect to the file.
If launch calc and navigate to the file it opens with no problem. If I open caja by way of the Computer icon on the Desktop or the home folder on the Desktop and then navigate to the directory where the .dbf file is located I can click on the .dbf file and it will open in calc as expected.
All of this leads me to believe that my method of creating a launcher to a directory/location is in error. Any advice would be appreciated.'
TIA,
Ken
I am using the Mate desktop but I believe this issue goes back to Gnome. I have not tried in a recent version of Gnome but I do not have it on any of my machines. I have a folder contains LibreOffice files. It is at /data/office/. I would like to create a launcher to this folder either on my Desktop or panal.
If I use the Add to panel dialog and select Custom application launcher I can select select Type: Location, add a descriptive Name and browse to the desired Location. However, I can NOT select a directory, only a file. I recall this issue going back a looooooong time. I have learned that I can enter "file:////data/office" in the Location and this will create a launcher which will open the desired directory in the file manager (caja).
The process to create a launcher on the desktop follows the same pattern. However, if I right click on a Panel launcher and select Properties I can see the location to which it points. A desktop launcher properties shows only the location of the launcher (/home/ken/desktop) which is a bit annoying. I cannot correct a typo:( I have used the manual file:////my_location for many years without issue until recently.
I have a need to open a .dbf (old dBase format) file in LibreOffice calc. If I open the folder in question using my launcher and then click on the .dbf file I am prompted for the character set as expected and then I get an error:
Read Error
Impossible to connect to the file.
If launch calc and navigate to the file it opens with no problem. If I open caja by way of the Computer icon on the Desktop or the home folder on the Desktop and then navigate to the directory where the .dbf file is located I can click on the .dbf file and it will open in calc as expected.
All of this leads me to believe that my method of creating a launcher to a directory/location is in error. Any advice would be appreciated.'
TIA,
Ken