Linux desktop entry is broken

[mariuss]

The desktop entry file that gets installed to: /usr/share/applications/VirtualBox.desktop

Is broken and as a result no menu entry shows up under Applications / System Tools.

I am using Ubuntu Feisty, i386.

As a workaround you can start VirtualBox from the command line with: $ VirtualBox

I attached a .desktop file which does work for me. Please note:

• Encoding key is obsolete, not needed
• Version is dead wrong, it needs to be 1.0, the version of the .desktop entry standard, not the version of the product
• No need for TryExec afaik
• No such thing as DocPath
• No need for empty Path
• Categories should be just System (Application, Emulator and X-MandrivaLinux_System are not valid, at least in Ubuntu)

See: ​http://code.google.com/p/ant-deb-task/wiki/Reference

[Frank Mehnert]

Thanks for these hints. Actually we use the same .desktop file for every distribution we provide, therefore the mandriva entries -- which shouldn't hurt since unknown categories are ignored, right?

[Frank Mehnert]

I just installed VirtualBox 1.4.0 on Ubuntu Feisty and indeed there was a menu entry under "Applications / System Tools". Nevertheless we will consider some of your hints.

BTW: DocPath is a KDE extension and recognized by some distributions.

[mariuss]

Replying to frank:

Thanks for these hints. Actually we use the same .desktop file for every distribution we provide, therefore the mandriva entries -- which shouldn't hurt since unknown categories are ignored, right?

Yes, many .desktop files have tons of non-standard categories, so they are ignored for sure. Since there is a finalized standard for these categories I think it is a good idea to stick with it. But if Mandriva really needs this extra category I guess is fine.

[mariuss]

Replying to frank:

I just installed VirtualBox 1.4.0 on Ubuntu Feisty and indeed there was a menu entry under "Applications / System Tools". Nevertheless we will consider some of your hints.

You are right, eventually it did show up in the menu, but only after a reboot for me. So something is fishy with it for sure. The desktop entry I attached showed up right away.

BTW: DocPath is a KDE extension and recognized by some distributions.

I see, I did not know that. Breaking the standard again, but if it is needed...

[Technologov]

Too old.

mariuss: Please retry with 3.1.0

-Technologov