.desktop panel shortcuts no longer works?

Support KDE Plasma
1

After the update tonight (stable) my web app shortcuts on my panel no longer work?

❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱✔≻ cat https:⁄⁄web.whatsapp.com⁄.desktop
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Icon=/home/greg/.cache/favicons/web.whatsapp.com.png
Name=web.whatsapp.com
Type=Link
URL=https://web.whatsapp.com/

ZZ_20201105-045321

I have tried setting the file association for x-desktop to firefox but it still fails. i tried .desktop & ,kdelnk but still no. i tried searching and adding firefox to the top of associations for https & lnk and link and all sorts but im just guessing really now.

Why has it stopped working after update and how to fix it please.

2

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Desktop_entries

3

URL does not seem to be a valid line here.
Has it worked before?

4

yes it has worked for years, up until just now after stable update.

5

Any output when launching the .desktop file from a terminal window, other than “desktop file is not valid”?

6

If i right click on it i can “open with” and then set firefox manually and it will work but i cant set it to remain associated with firefox. This is its “properties/File type associations”. I have set it to firefox but it still fails

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7

yep, it works fine in terminal
❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱✔≻ ~/.local/share/plasma_icons/https:⁄⁄web.whatsapp.com⁄.desktop

8

If it works in the terminal, try removing it from the panel and re-add it.

9

Ok re-added, I get a message pop-up that iv never seen before
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I click “Continue” and it throws the same error as before.

10

Out of ideas. Sorry.

11

If you click “Continue” I think the Desktop (as well as the File Manager - but not xdg-open in a terminal) will just mark the desktop file executable and you will not see that prompt again. It’s “security”.

Checkout the later part of the thread below. We were just discussing this
Jar File won't launch from a loader.

12

Im not sure if i understood correctly but yes the .desktop file is marked as executable (im never sure if its supposed to be) and it does not show that “security” pop-up again. So i suspect people are on to this problem.

I shall just move these few shortcuts to my browsers bookmarks instead of my panel for now.

Thx.

13

Unless anyone does have the fix for this, of course.

I dont want people to think i dont want it back the way i have had it for ages.

14

Seems it actually is a valid one :wink:

https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/desktop-entry-spec-latest.html#recognized-keys

You should not put desktop files inside an icons directory…
The correct place would be either ~/Desktop/ or ~/.local/share/applications/
And also rename that desktop file to be without slashes… eg rename it to web.whatsapp.com.desktop or similar…

1 Like
15

I didn’t write the .desktop file, or name it, or place it, kde did. I just dragged and dropped the browser tab onto the panel.

16

That might be a bug with that action then, but do as i say and see results :wink:

17

Result is, if i move the .desktop file out from the plasma_icons folder it no longer shows on my panel as an icon.

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Putting it inside Desktop creates the shortcut on my desktop (as you’d expect) & applications is for my application-menu list.
It seems to me it needs to be in the plasma_icons to be a panel icon?

18

To be honest i don’t know what that directory is for, i only know how desktop files work and that slashes in file names mean subdirectories…

19

Ok so i renamed the .desktop file but when i clicked it, it still errored and when i checked its properties it re-created the old file with the original name. Weird ehh?

❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱:heavy_check_mark:≻ mv https:⁄⁄web.whatsapp.com⁄.desktop web.whatsapp.com.desktop
❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱:heavy_check_mark:≻ ls -l
total 136
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 4646 Nov 27 2019 brave.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 810 Aug 26 2018 cherrytree.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 8490 Sep 22 22:15 chromium.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg greg 191 Nov 5 04:41 conversations.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 13404 May 14 2019 ‘firefox (1).desktop’*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 2031 Oct 10 2019 leafpad.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 10508 Aug 28 2018 octopi.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 2740 Aug 26 2018 org.kde.dolphin.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 6371 Aug 26 2018 org.kde.kate.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 9757 Aug 29 2018 org.kde.konsole.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 20957 Jun 11 23:31 org.manjaro.pamac.manager.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 9017 Aug 26 2018 systemsettings.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg autologin 361 Oct 17 2018 thunderbird.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 1175 Sep 2 2018 virtualbox.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg greg 155 Nov 5 09:01 web.whatsapp.com.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 554 Aug 18 2019 windows7.desktop*
❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱:heavy_check_mark:≻ ls -l
total 140
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 4646 Nov 27 2019 brave.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 810 Aug 26 2018 cherrytree.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 8490 Sep 22 22:15 chromium.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg greg 191 Nov 5 04:41 conversations.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 13404 May 14 2019 ‘firefox (1).desktop’*
-rw------- 1 greg greg 131 Nov 5 09:02 https:⁄⁄web.whatsapp.com⁄.desktop <<<<< its recreated it!
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 2031 Oct 10 2019 leafpad.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 10508 Aug 28 2018 octopi.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 2740 Aug 26 2018 org.kde.dolphin.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 6371 Aug 26 2018 org.kde.kate.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 9757 Aug 29 2018 org.kde.konsole.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 20957 Jun 11 23:31 org.manjaro.pamac.manager.desktop*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 greg autologin 9017 Aug 26 2018 systemsettings.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg autologin 361 Oct 17 2018 thunderbird.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg autologin 1175 Sep 2 2018 virtualbox.desktop*
-rwx------ 1 greg greg 155 Nov 5 09:01 web.whatsapp.com.desktop*
-rwxr–r-- 1 greg greg 554 Aug 18 2019 windows7.desktop*
❰greg❙~/.local/share/plasma_icons❱:heavy_check_mark:≻

20

Try again while using escapes for the slashes, or perhaps simply put it inside single quotes:
eg: mv ‘https:⁄⁄web.whatsapp.com⁄.desktop’ web.whatsapp.com.desktop