How can I automatically write an installation script that will create a desktop shortcut to an URL. I am using the Redhat 3 gnome desktop.

You can't "automatically write" it, you have to write it.

What have you tried? Give us some examples of it "not working".

Please see: http://www.linuxsilo.net/docs/smart-questions_en.html

Creating a desktop file under /root/.gnome-desktop creates the shortcut that I want. However, the problem appears to be that the Exec and Icon entries contain spaces. If I change the paths to something that does not contain a space everything works.

Can some tell me how to properly escape things so that the paths can contain spaces?


[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Exec="/usr/local/abc/my gui/desktop/mygui.sh"
TryExec=
Icon=\"/usr/local/abc/my\ gui/desktop/icon.gif\"
X-GNOME-DocPath=
Terminal=false
Name[en_US]=My Gui
GenericName[en_US]=
Comment[en_US]=

Did you already try to use the desktop's way of creating a shortcut (i.e. right-click desktop, create shortcut, fill in information, ...) to a file that in a directory the name of which contains spaces and then viewing the created file with a text editor? I suspect that's the fastest way to find a solution for your problem (sorry, can't do it here -- on Windows atm.)

Like this: escape/ some/ spaces or
"Put them in quotes"

Looking at your post of the desktop file, I think it should have worked:
here you have put the spaces inside quotes
Here you have escaped both the " marks (unnecessary, and I am not sure if this is "bad") and the space.
What happens if you set Terminal=true ?
Maybe you'll see some helpful error messages.
The best thing is not to use spaces in filenames, and use the underscore instead: my_gui

Please tell us you *AREN'T* running X as root?!

You know what they say...Don't use root in vain.

And yes, I know this is years later, however hopefully is serves as warning for others.

Cheers.