Select application from application menu

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HomeUser · Post by **HomeUser** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:20 am

This is perhaps more a remark than a question for assistance. Unless I missed something. (Using Xfce)

To select an application to open a file programs like Thunderbird offer a file selector pointing to my home directory. The application is probably not located there. For me it is not always easy to find the correct link. I suppose it must be in /usr/bin or in /opt. And should I select Chromium or Chromium browser? What should I select in /opt/Adobe/Reader9/Reader/?

Would it not be more easy to have the option to select in the application menu? I know it is not insurmountable, if you take the time, you can set it up correctly. I see now those links can be saved in Thunderbird settings, if you can find them in the first place.

I think it would be more user friendly. And to be honest in my case the actual situation means things don't get done until it becomes really annoying.

krinn · Post by **krinn** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:02 pm

Doing that you could then only select applications that are in your menu, gone ssh, cp and the like...

You can still just symlink yourself ones you love with names you think appropriate in a location of your choice to the wanted applications.
and when need to enter location/name in the query box it would be easier as you always point out to that location.

None forbid you do use /home/youruser/favapp as location and putting symlink there with names like "browser" and making it point to chromium or firefox...

Or you can create the symlink within an actual path that your user could exec and then no location at all but just putting "browser" and it should works (ie: /usr/bin)

mark_alec · Post by **mark_alec** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:47 pm

You can use `/usr/bin/xdg-open` - it will open files with whatever application your DE thinks is suitable (using MIME types).