When you create or edit a launcher, the following properties can be set:
Use the drop-down list to specify whether this launcher starts an application or opens a location:
The launcher starts an application.
The launcher starts an application through a terminal window.
The launcher opens a file, web page or other location.
If you are editing a location launcher, this drop-down list will not be displayed. If you are editing an application launcher, the Location option will not be available.
This is the name that is displayed if you add the launcher to a menu or to the desktop.
For an application launcher, specify a command to execute when you click on the launcher. For sample commands, see Section 4.5.3.1 ― Launcher Commands and Locations.
For a location launcher, specify the location to be opened. Click Browse to select a location on your computer, or type a web address to launch a web page. For sample locations, see Section 4.5.3.1 ― Launcher Commands and Locations
This is displayed as a tooltip when you point to the launcher icon on the panel.
To choose an icon for the launcher, click on the icon button, which displays a generic icon by default. An icon selector dialog is displayed. Choose an icon from the dialog.
To change the icon for the launcher, click on the button showing the current icon. An icon selector dialog is displayed. Choose an icon from the dialog.
Examples of commands and locations that you can use in the Launcher Properties dialog can be found below.
If you choose Application or Application in Terminal from the Type drop-down box, the Command text box will be displayed. The following table shows some sample commands and the actions that the commands perform:
| Sample Application Command | Action |
|---|---|
| gedit | Starts the gedit text editor application. |
| gedit /home/user/loremipsum.txt | Opens the file /home/user/loremipsum.txt in the gedit text editor application. |
| nautilus /home/user/Projects | Opens the folder /home/user/Projects in a File Browser window. |
If you choose Location from the Type drop-down box, the Location text box will be displayed. The following table shows some sample locations and the actions that will happen if you click on the launcher:
| Sample Location | Action |
|---|---|
| file:///home/user/loremipsum.txt | Opens the file /home/user/loremipsum.txt in the default viewer for its file type. |
| file:///home/user/Projects | Opens the folder /home/user/Projects in a File Browser window. |
| http://www.gnome.org | Opens the GNOME website in your default browser. |
| ftp://ftp.gnome.org | Opens the GNOME FTP site in your default browser. |