How to execute sh script from a desktop shortcut?

Question

Im trying to make a shortcut to login my ssh server:

ssh x.x.x.x

I made the following file:

ssh_home.sh

Made it executable:

sudo chmod +x ./ssh_home

Checked by right clicking properties to check if it was executable and it was..

But whatever I do, when double clicking it, it will launch gedit. I tried "Open With" but no terminal app is shown there. I searched the net but only found a way to link to the file while not integrating it in one "shortcut file"

Did you add #! /usr/bin/sh at the beginning of the file (the first line)? — Misery, May 23 '13 at 11:50
Out of interest, what version of Ubuntu are you running? In principle it should be just a case of marking the file as executable in Properties/Permissions, but on 13.04 this seems not to work for me (even directly on the .sh file, with #! /bin/bash at the start...) — Jez W, May 23 '13 at 11:59
Also check owner and permissions. Does user clicking it have permission to run it? — Misery, May 23 '13 at 12:04
Your commands can't be correct - You're referring to ssh_home.sh and /ssh_home, which are not the same files. — l0b0, May 23 '13 at 12:04
I've just added what you suggested file contains now:
#! /bin/bash shh x.x.x.x

But still no succes.. I'm using ubuntu 13.04 64bit

I'll try to make the shh_home.desktop but I rather just keep one file because I don't want to have to link to such a small file with so little code.. — michel, May 23 '13 at 14:07
possible duplicate of How do I make a custom launcher for terminal applications? — dobey, Jul 01 '14 at 19:39
@Misery: It's /bin/sh, not /usr/bin/sh. (/usr/bin/sh will happen to work on systems where /bin and /usr/bin are the same directory; I don't think that's the case for Ubuntu>) — Keith Thompson, Jul 10 '15 at 21:05
Possible duplicate of How to execute a script just by double clicking like .EXE files in Windows? — Matthew Read, Mar 08 '16 at 23:29

score 61 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 18 '19 at 22:09

61

I think it would be better to use a launcher file for your script by creating a ~/Desktop/ssh_home.desktop file with the following contents:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Exec=/home/yourname/bin/ssh_home.sh
Name=SSH Server
GenericName=SSH Server
Comment=Connect to My Server
Encoding=UTF-8
Terminal=true
Type=Application
Categories=Application;Network;

That way you will have a clickable icon which will launch your script.

You may have to also set the executable flag with chmod:

chmod +x ~/Desktop/ssh_home.desktop

edited Jan 18 '19 at 22:09

Olivia Stork

157

answered May 23 '13 at 12:51

Cyril Laury

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This method IS working but I prefer a 1 file solution... – michel May 23 '13 at 14:16
9

@michel If all the script does is run ssh host, you don't need the script, just change the Exec line to Exec=ssh host. – geirha May 23 '13 at 18:33
1

This is the only solution that worked for me. – Aviad P. Aug 26 '15 at 16:50
I get Untrusted application launcher message box and it doesn't run my command. – Matt Dec 27 '18 at 20:00
1

@Matt try right clicking on the icon, go to Properties > Permissions then select Allow executing file as program. Also if you copy and pasted the text above into your file, make sure there isnt any trailing whitespace after the lines. That may cause your error message. – Olivia Stork Jan 18 '19 at 18:38
this has worked, thx. – Goran Horia Mihail Feb 01 '22 at 20:14

score 57 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 02 '16 at 14:47

57

I know this is a while ago but though if someone else asks I have this answer.

Open nautilus
Files menu -> behaviour tab
Run executable text files when they are opened

In later versions this option is found at: Files menu -> Edit -> Preferences -> behaviour tab

In Ubuntu 14.10 move the mouse to the top of the screen and the File, Edit etc... Menu bar appears. Click EDIT -> Preferences -> Behaviour tab

edited Dec 02 '16 at 14:47

muru

197,895
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answered Sep 20 '13 at 00:26

Peter

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This should be the accepted answer IMHO. I was getting rather frustrated trying to figure out why I could not run the shell script from Nautilus. – David Baucum Aug 16 '14 at 00:12
1

What is Files menu? Never seen it. – IgorGanapolsky Mar 29 '15 at 16:27
Worked. Right click on my shell script in the file browser. Created link. Then drag and dropped link to desktop. Also did the step above in file browse -> Preferences->run instead of view. – maxweber Apr 16 '15 at 15:33
4

One complication is that this affects all executable files. (That might be what you want.) – Keith Thompson Jul 10 '15 at 21:06
1

Great answer! On Ubuntu 18.04, I set it to 'Ask what to do', so I can choose to run or display it every time I double click such a file. Thanks! – MS Berends Feb 10 '19 at 16:31
1

Note that this option doesn't exist anymore in Ubuntu 22.04 – Thierry J. Jun 30 '22 at 13:04

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 07 '15 at 03:29

The "trap" for me was that I searched via right-clicking on the file for a way to change the behaviour (to have a script run instead of opened in gedit). Don't right-click ! Rather open from the "regular" menu-bar:

Edit-Preferences-Behaviour and change to "run" or "ask each time".

Comment: For my taste there should be a way to run a program via right-clicking too. Especially since right-clicking leads to the menu "open with", which makes you search for "open with bash", however "bash" is not included as an option...

score 1 · Answer 4 · edited Apr 13 '16 at 06:36

1

imo the simplest answer is -

Check that the .sh file works if clicked or run from its own directory.
If it works there, right-click on it in Files aka Nautilus, select 'Make Link'
This produces a file named 'link to xxxx.sh' in the same directory
Drag this onto the desktop
Rename it how you wish eg clean off 'link to' and 'sh', just leave the name, it will still work.

edited Apr 13 '16 at 06:36

muru

197,895
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answered Apr 13 '16 at 06:35

Martin Clark

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Also you can change the icon of the link too. Right-click it, select Properties, click the default icon in the upper left part of the properties window, and so just navigate until you find the image your want to be the icon. – Brian Hellekin May 24 '17 at 04:07

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 25 '16 at 01:53

I'd say the easiest way to add a shell script to the shortcuts would be to add the .sh file to the home directory. Once copied to the home directory just go to custom shortcuts and add the command sh yourfile.sh

This was my work around hope it helps you

Peter Addison · Answer 6 · 2021-07-09T15:14:26.717

0

Ubuntu 20.04

open file manager (aka Nautilus) click hamburger menu, top right (three horizontal bars) choose Preferences click Behaviour tab under Executable Text Files, choose your preference. (Ask What to do lets you choose each time and file)

edited Jul 09 '21 at 15:14

answered Jul 09 '21 at 14:34

Peter Addison

13

1

This is a poor copy of the most upvoted answer. – zx485 Jul 10 '21 at 02:07

How to execute sh script from a desktop shortcut?

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