Installed programs do not always appear in the menu

grumpyskeptic · 11-01-2016, 10:17 AM

I have Linux Mint Cinnamon 17.3

I installed MuPDF using the Software Manager feature. The Software Manager says MuPDF is now installed, but it does not show up anywhere on my menu, and I have looked carefully for it everywhere.

I have had the same problem with other software in the past - sometimes they do not appear anywhere in the menu after installation.

What can I do to fix this please?

I probably have four or five programs that I have installed, but which do not appear in the menu and so I cannot use them.

Thanks.

Habitual · 11-01-2016, 10:48 AM

It's a command-line tool.
"a lightweight PDF viewer written in portable C"

Code:

mupdf file.pdf

lightweight implies No-GUI integration.
</opinion_NOT_fact>

And not all installed programs have GUIs.
What are you after? DocumentViewer sounds like?

There's evince I think and one other in LM 17.x

DavidMcCann · 11-01-2016, 11:44 AM

If you like having things in the menu, you can add them yourself using the menu editor. It probably wouldn't work for MuPDF, as I think that needs to be called with the name of the pdf file it's to open, but it will work for any program that just starts from the CLI and asks you what to do next.

The menu editor should have the option to choose between "application" and "application in a terminal", which is what you want. The command to run the program can just be entered (e.g. nano, units) in the usual way. Then the menu can be used to launch the program in its terminal, which will shut down when the program quits.

grumpyskeptic · 11-01-2016, 05:24 PM

Thanks for the explanation.

Is there any way I can find out what other programs I have installed but which do not appear in the menu? I do not recall the names of them.

I cannot see any kind of menu editor, unless it is accessible from the terminal.

Having to use the terminal to run programs is an unexpected disappointment, one less star for Linux.

Thanks.

snowday · 11-01-2016, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyskeptic

Having to use the terminal to run programs is an unexpected disappointment, one less star for Linux.

In a fresh, unmodified Linux Mint install, all you need to do to open a PDF file is double-click it in your file browser. This will open the file in Evince, a fine PDF viewer application that is trusted and tested by the Linux Mint team.

If you CHOOSE to make your life more complicated by experimenting with non-standard lightweight applications, then that is your decision. Linux is all about choice and user empowerment. In the Linux Mint repositories, you will find heavy graphical applications with all the bells and whistles, barebones terminal applications for geeks, and everything in between, to suit a wide range of users.

Habitual · 11-01-2016, 05:49 PM

How to install software on Linux Mint
User Guide
and
Alt+F2 and enter "welcome" (no quotes) and press enter > User Guide.
and
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/ an excellent new user-centric site with many good LM Tips.

Yes, it is possible to find out what you've installed.
I won't address that.

My message here is you need to learn to use 'defaults' on a new system, so double whammy.
New System, New skills.
New Tools, new construction.

Use evince for PDF viewing on the Cinnamon desktop.

BW-userx · 11-01-2016, 08:14 PM

check in

Code:

/usr/share/applications

to ensure it has a desktop file.

John VV · 11-01-2016, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Having to use the terminal to run programs is an unexpected disappointment, one less star for Linux.

just the OPPOSITE !!!

i use the terminal for MOST things that i need to do

most of the code i need to use has no gui and is text based
and i work on images and maps and photos in the terminal

Habitual · 11-02-2016, 05:58 AM

It may be Okular (Alt-F2 > okular > enter) on the Cinnamon Desktop.
Document Viewer on my Xfce menu, yours may be similarly named.

DavidMcCann · 11-02-2016, 12:00 PM

To edit the menu just right-click on the menu button. Did you download the manual? That tells you about the menu
http://linuxmint.com/documentation/u...glish_18.0.pdf

If Cinnamon's tool doesn't do what you want (I've never used Cinnamon myself), then install the alacarte menu editor which certainly will.

BW-userx · 11-02-2016, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John VV

just the OPPOSITE !!!

i use the terminal for MOST things that i need to do

most of the code i need to use has no gui and is text based
and i work on images and maps and photos in the terminal

whatever happened to that key combo that opens up a run program little window thingy?

snowday · 11-02-2016, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BW-userx

whatever happened to that key combo that opens up a run program little window thingy?

I'm not a Mint Cinnamon user, so this is a general comment as opposed to specific advice relevant to the OP's problem.

In Microsoft Windows and most modern Linux distributions, the keystroke to run a program is the "Windows" or "Super" key (between Ctrl and Alt on most US-layout keyboards).

On some older distros, the keystroke is Alt+F2.

John VV · 11-02-2016, 02:02 PM

Quote:

whatever happened to that key combo that opens up a run program little window thingy?

if there is no GUI to open ......

i use a LOT of software ( some is custom code ) that takes terminal input options and a file option
or uses standard input and standard output

i convert a heightmap to a normalmap

Code:

nmsu 6000 4096 1 < heightmap.raw > normapmap.ppm

there is NO gui to open

or the tools in netppm
or the pdf tools
-- a list of mostly default installed tools

Code:

pdf180            pdfbook           pdfetex           pdfjam-pocketmod  pdfmom            pdftex            pdftotext
pdf270            pdfclose          pdfflip           pdfjam-slides3up  pdfnup            pdftocairo        pdfunite
pdf2dsc           pdfcrop           pdffonts          pdfjam-slides6up  pdfopen           pdftohtml         
pdf2ps            pdfcslatex        pdfimages         pdfjoin           pdfpun            pdftoppm          
pdf90             pdfcsplain        pdfinfo           pdflatex          pdfroff           pdftops           
pdfatfi           pdfdetach         pdfjam            pdfmex            pdfseparate       pdftosrc

273 · 11-02-2016, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyskeptic

Thanks for the explanation.

Is there any way I can find out what other programs I have installed but which do not appear in the menu? I do not recall the names of them.

I cannot see any kind of menu editor, unless it is accessible from the terminal.

Having to use the terminal to run programs is an unexpected disappointment, one less star for Linux.

Thanks.

You want a menu item for ls, dd, df, man, cd, rm, chmod, chown, rsynch, ssh, telnet and the rest? Really?
I should point out that MS don't have GUI commands for many of their PowerShell commands either. Please tell them about the star they lost.

BW-userx · 11-02-2016, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowpine

I'm not a Mint Cinnamon user, so this is a general comment as opposed to specific advice relevant to the OP's problem.

In Microsoft Windows and most modern Linux distributions, the keystroke to run a program is the "Windows" or "Super" key (between Ctrl and Alt on most US-layout keyboards).

On some older distros, the keystroke is Alt+F2.

huh