trouble creating a link to an application

evilmrhenry · 02-14-2004, 11:03 PM

KDE 3.1.4, Debian.

I have a python script that works, and I want to create a clickable shortcut to it.
The command "python script.py" works when input from the command line.

Here's what I've tried:

Right-click->new->link to application;

in the execute tab I've tried:

python script.py
'/usr/bin/python' script.py
python /home/paranoia/Desktop/python/script.py

The only one that works is the last one.
While this works for me, I'm going to be using this script on multiple computers, and cannot count on the file being in the same place.

I then tried a shell script:

#! /bin/sh
python script.py

This works, but only from the console. (./shell_script) Double-clicking on it doesn't do anything.
I can also get this to work by substituting '/home/paranoia/Desktop/python/script.py' for script.py, but the same problems from the "link to application" are created.

Obviously, the problem lies an inability to find files given a relative, not absolute, name.

So, is there any way to execute relative commands in a link to an application or shell script?

Tinkster · 02-15-2004, 12:15 AM

Try using a fully qualified path to the
python-script in the shell-script?

Code:

#!/bin/sh
python /path/to/script/script.py

Cheers,
Tink

scott_R · 02-15-2004, 12:18 AM

Have you tried using the ./ or ~ path modifiers? Granted they don't help much, but ~/ might make it easier, as long as you install it in the same directory in whatever user's home directory. Otherwise, you might want to place it in a directory in your path, and create a new group, then add access as needed.

evilmrhenry · 02-15-2004, 01:19 AM

Quote:

python /path/to/script/script.py

This does work, but I want the file to work independent of folder location.

Quote:

Have you tried using the ./ or ~ path modifiers?

python ./script.py works the same. ~ would help, but not much.

Oddly, after trying some things out, it appears that not even the following code will work from KDE (works fine from the console):

#! /bin/sh
echo qwerty >> testing.txt

testing.txt (created earlier) remains blank. Here are the properties for shell_script, according to the dialog:

Type: Shell Script

Permissions:

Code:

       Read Write Exec
User   X    X     X
Group  X    _     X
Others X    _     X

Set UID, Set GID, Sticky are all unchecked.

User: paranoia
Group: paranoia

EDIT:

Hey, it works now. I finally thought of looking for this problem in Google including the word "bug", and found this: http://dot.kde.org/1049507062/1049536268/ which gave me the line I needed to fix my problem. I also found the file testing.txt in ~ that my shell script had been dumping into. Sigh.

Just for anyone else with the same problem, this is my finished shell_script:

#!/bin/sh
cd `dirname $0`
exec python script.py

Make sure your shell script and path to your shell script doesn't have spaces in the name.

EDIT-EDIT:
By changing the script to:

#!/bin/sh
tempname=`dirname "$0"`
exec python "$tempname/script.py"

spaces in the filename or directory name will work.