How linux system can understand just icon-name, dont need a full path?

Thursapr · 04-15-2010, 01:50 PM

I am talking about .desktop files here. In many of them , the "Icon" line just contain a name, not the full path to the icon itself. For example, in /usr/share/applications/inkscape.desktop it has "Icon=inkscape", not "Icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/inkscape.png"

I want to know what is responsible for this. Because i also noticed that some .desktop file have to contain the full path to appear correctly on app menus.

gnashley · 04-15-2010, 02:19 PM

Part of the specification for desktop files specifies possible locations for the file. Any application which reads the dsktop files knows where these locations are and seraches them until it finds the requested icon.

Thursapr · 04-15-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnashley

Part of the specification for desktop files specifies possible locations for the file. Any application which reads the dsktop files knows where these locations are and seraches them until it finds the requested icon.

Could you name some locations?

And is there a restriction on icons' file types? Or all png, svg, xpm, jpg, gif.. are valid?

gnashley · 04-15-2010, 03:00 PM

png, svg or xpm only.

icons are looked for first under /usr/share/icons -usually under /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48 -that's where png icons should be. svg icons go under /usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable
xpm icons go under /usr/share/pixmaps

bgeddy · 04-15-2010, 03:31 PM

You should look at the Freedesktop.org wiki which has lots of good information about this stuff.