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All references to this problem (that I have found thus far) say in effect "just copy the .desktop file to the desktop, enable 'Allow Launching', and everything will be great!"

Indeed, that restores the app launch capability of the shortcut. But it also takes all the shortcut files out of the nice, organized hierarchical, categorized folders where they once lived and places them in one big unorganized bucket on the desktop, such that the desktop looks like a amateurish mess created by a long string of Windows install programs run by a WIN user that always accepts all defaults.

How can this be fixed? Specifically, how can all user shortcuts be re-enables IN SITU, not when dragged onto the desktop?

EXAMPLE - I've got an "Engineering" folder on my desktop. It's five levels deep, about 35 folders total, with all folders at all levels full of .desktop files. That's what I want to fix. Ditto "Projects" and "Reference."

And if it can't be fixed, why was this new Gnome "feature" created? What was gained by breaking all user shortcuts that aren't on the desktop?

Thanks in advance for your help.

mlmccauley
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    Does this answer your question? Basic desktop actions are not available on Ubuntu 20.04 – N0rbert Jul 08 '20 at 19:55
  • See my accepted answer at https://askubuntu.com/questions/1257151/blender-desktop-file-does-not-have-allow-launching-as-an-option-when-right-cl/1257182#1257182 – heynnema Jul 08 '20 at 20:24
  • Move .desktop files into ~/.local/share/applications, and you'll be able to launch them the standard way, with the Super key. – heynnema Jul 08 '20 at 20:25
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    Thanks for the answer, but that's not what I'm after.

    When you say "the standard way", does the action you have suggested not result in all shortcuts ending up in one big lump, in a huge launcher list? I am specifically NOT after that effect.

    I want to undo the breaking of my shortcuts, not rearrange the entire organized structure of my work environment in order to compensate for a change made for an as yet undefined reason.

    If I am in error regarding everything ending up in a huge launcher list, please advise.

     – mlmccauley Jul 09 '20 at 02:43
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    None of the above address my specific problem, other than possibly replacing GNOME with something else, which sounds like a process that could very easily go very sour.

    Is it a rational thing to suggest rolling back to an earlier version of GNOME that dealt with shortcuts in the fashion I wish to have them dealt with?

    How about another GUI other than GNOME? Is it reasonable to think that such a replacement would import my existing folder structure properly?

    Again, thanks.

     – mlmccauley Jul 09 '20 at 02:53
  • Duplicate? https://askubuntu.com/questions/1251031/desktop-file-execution-problem – Nathaniel M. Beaver Jul 15 '20 at 15:37

1 Answers1

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The support for link-type desktop files was removed in May 2018 from Nautilus version 3.27.4 and later. The Nautilus developers have been pretty clear this removal is permanent (read this bug report for details) so at this point your options are

  1. maintain your own fork of Nautilus,

  2. use a version of Nautilus prior to 3.27.4, or

  3. use a different file manager.

I would recommend option #3, since you can just install the file manager and keep using the same desktop as before.

The following graphical file managers all support link-type desktop files, can be installed in Ubuntu 20.04, and can be used with the GNOME 3 desktop:

Note that Caja and Nemo are both Nautilus forks. All but Thunar follow the link to the new folder; Thunar opens a new window.

I've tested these with a stripped-down version of the desktop file from the example-content package.

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Link
Name=Examples
URL=file:///usr/share/example-content/
Icon=folder
Nathaniel M. Beaver
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