From c8475bef1d1f84afcc89c710b6b5b214f11a670f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lanius Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 14:21:53 +0000 Subject: added module --- menu/menu-spec.xml | 1507 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 1507 insertions(+) create mode 100644 menu/menu-spec.xml (limited to 'menu') diff --git a/menu/menu-spec.xml b/menu/menu-spec.xml new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d48e2aa --- /dev/null +++ b/menu/menu-spec.xml @@ -0,0 +1,1507 @@ + +
+ + Desktop Menu Specification + Version 0.4 + 31 May 2003 + + + Waldo + Bastian + +
+ waldo@kde.org +
+ + + + Francois + Gouget + +
+ fgouget@codeweavers.com +
+ + + + Alex + Graveley + +
+ alex@ximian.com +
+ + + + George + Lebl + +
+ jirka@5z.com +
+ + + + Havoc + Pennington + +
+ hp@pobox.com +
+ + + + + + + Introduction + + This DRAFT document defines how to construct a user-visible hierarchy of + applications, typically displayed as a menu. It allows third-party + software to add menu items that work for all desktops, and allows system + administrators to edit menus in a way that affects all desktops. + + + The basic scheme is very simple. Information about each application (menu + item) is stored in a desktop entry (see Desktop + Entry Standard). Then an XML configuration file defines the + hierarchical arrangement (layout) of menu items, and which menu items are + actually displayed. + + + Things are complicated somewhat by the need to support legacy desktop + entry hierarchies, and the need to allow third parties to extend the menu + layout. Both of these issues are addressed by the idea of + merging two menu layouts. + + + + File locations + + Files involved in this specification are located according to the "desktop + base directory specification" which can be found on www.freedesktop.org. + + + Here are the files defined by this specification: + + + $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/menus/applications.menu + + + This file contains the XML definition of the main application menu + layout. The first file found in the search path should be used; + other files are ignored. This implies that if the user has + their own applications.menu, it replaces the systemwide one. + (Though the user's menu may explicitly merge the systemwide one.) + + + Other menu files may exist, but are not specified in this + document. + + + + + $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/menus/menu-file-basename-merged/ + + + One of the default merge directories included in the + <DefaultMergeDirs> element. By convention, third parties + may add new <Menu> files in this + location. menu-file-basename means the + "applications" from "applications.menu" for example. So the merge + directory would be "applications-merged". + + + + + $XDG_DATA_DIRS/applications/ + + + This directory contains a .desktop file for each possible menu + item. Each directory in the $XDG_DATA_DIRS + search path should be used (i.e. desktop entries are collected + from all of them, not just the first one that exists). When two + desktop entries have the same name, the one appearing earlier in + the path is used. + + + The <DefaultAppDirs> element in a menu file indicates that + this default list of desktop entry locations should be scanned at + that point. If a menu file does not contain + <DefaultAppDirs>, then these locations are not scanned. + + + + + $XDG_DATA_DIRS/desktop-directories/ + + + This directory contains directory entries which may be associated + with folders in the menu layout. Each directory + in the search path should be used. Only files ending in + .directory are used; other files are ignored. + + + The <DefaultDirectoryDirs> element in a menu file indicates that + this default list of directory entry locations should be scanned at + that point. If a menu file does not contain + <DefaultDirectoryDirs>, then these locations are not scanned. + + + + + + + + Extensions to the desktop entry format + + This specification adds two new fields to desktop +entries: Categories and + OnlyShowIn. + + + The Categories field is a list of strings used to + classify menu items. For example, applications in the + AudioVideo category might end up in the "Sound & + Video" submenu. enumerates the + standard categories. Categories not in this document must be prefixed + by the string "X-" indicating that they are extensions. Categories + are case-sensitive. + + + Desktop entries should list all categories that clearly apply. They should + not list categories that only vaguely or possibly apply, because the user + will end up seeing the same desktop entry in a half-dozen places. But + it's typical that several categories will apply to a given desktop entry. + + + The OnlyShowIn field is a list of strings identifying + the environments that should display a given menu item. If an + OnlyShowIn field is present, a given environment should + only display the menu item if the string identifying that environment is + present. The strings are case-sensitive. enumerates the strings to use for + some common environments. + + + Examples of using <varname>Categories</varname> and <varname>OnlyShowIn</varname> + + A desktop entry for a Qt-based image viewer might contain + this Categories line: + + + Categories=Qt;Graphics;RasterGraphics;Viewer; + + + + + A desktop entry for Octave, a command-line mathematics program (which + would also have the field Terminal=true), might have: + + + Categories=ConsoleOnly;Math; + + + + + A desktop entry for a GNOME-specific calculator program + that should only appear in GNOME might have: + + + Categories=GNOME;Utility; + OnlyShowIn=GNOME; + + + Note that the OnlyShowIn field is a + list and thus ends in a semicolon. + + + + + Format of menu files + + Menu files must be well-formed XML files, conform to the menu file DTD, + and end in the extension ".menu". DTD conformance implies that + implementation-specific extensions to the file format are not allowed; + implementations are expected to stop processing if they encounter XML + elements or attributes that are not specified in this document. + + + Doctype Declaration + + Menu files for this version of the specification must use the following + namespace, public and system identifiers: + + + Namespace + + + http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/menu + + + + + Public Identifier for 1.0 + + + PUBLIC "-//freedesktop//DTD Menu 1.0//EN" + + + + + System Identifier for 1.0 + + + http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/menu-spec/1.0/menu.dtd + + + + + + Here is a sample doctype declaration: + + + <!DOCTYPE Menu PUBLIC "-//freedesktop//DTD Menu 1.0//EN" + "http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/menu-spec/1.0/menu.dtd"> + + + + All menu files MUST include the doctype declaration, so that + implementations can adapt to different versions of this specification + (and so implementations can validate the menu file against + the DTD). + + + + Elements + + + + <Menu> + + + The root element is <Menu>. Each <Menu> element may + contain any number of nested <Menu> elements, indicating submenus. + + + + + <AppDir> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The + content of this element is a directory name. Desktop entries + in this directory are scanned and added to the pool of entries + which can be included in this <Menu> and its submenus. + + + Desktop entries in the pool of available entries are identified + by their relative path (see ). + + + <AppDir> elements appearing later in the menu file have + priority in case of collisions between relative paths. + + + If the filename given as an <AppDir> is not an absolute + path, it should be located relative to the location of the menu + file being parsed. An <AppDir> should be recursively + scanned, finding all desktop entries below the given directory. + Only files ending in ".desktop" should be used, other files are + ignored. + + + Duplicate <AppDir> elements (that specify the same + directory) should be ignored, but the last + duplicate in the file should be used when establishing the order + in which to scan the directories. This is important when merging + (see ). The order of + <AppDir> elements with respect to <Include> and + <Exclude> elements is not relevant, also to facilitate + merging. + + + + + <DefaultAppDirs> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The element has + no content. The element should be treated as if it were a list + of <AppDir> elements containing the default app dir + locations + (datadir/applications/ etc.). When expanding + <DefaultAppDirs> to a list of <AppDir>, the default + locations that are earlier in the search path go later in the + <Menu> so that they have priority. + + + + + <DirectoryDir> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The content of + this element is a directory name. Each directory listed in a + <DirectoryDir> element will be searched for directory + entries to be used when resolving the <Directory> element + for this menu and its submenus. + If the filename given as a <DirectoryDir> is not an absolute path, + it should be located relative to the location + of the menu file being parsed. + + + Directory entries in the pool of available entries are identified + by their relative path (see ). + + + If two directory entries have duplicate relative paths, the one from + the last (furthest down) element in the menu file must be used. + Only files ending in the extension ".directory" should be + loaded, other files should be ignored. + + + Duplicate <DirectoryDir> elements (that specify the same + directory) are handled as with duplicate <AppDir> + elements (the last duplicate is used). + + + + + <DefaultDirectoryDirs> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The element has + no content. The element should be treated as if it were a list + of <DirectoryDir> elements containing the default desktop dir + locations + (datadir/desktop-directories/ etc.). The default + locations that are earlier in the search path go later in the + <Menu> so that they have priority. + + + + + <Name> + + + Each <Menu> element must have a single <Name> + element. The content of the <Name> element is a name to + be used when referring to the given menu. Each submenu of a + given <Menu> must have a unique name. <Menu> + elements can thus be referenced by a menu path, for example + "Applications/Graphics." The <Name> field must not contain + the slash character ("/"); implementations should discard + any name containing a slash. See also . + + + + + <Directory> + + + Each <Menu> element has any number of <Directory> + elements. The content of the <Directory> element + is the relative path of a directory entry containing metainformation + about the <Menu>, such as its icon and localized name. + If no <Directory> is specified for a <Menu>, + its <Name> field should be used as the user-visible + name of the menu. + + + Duplicate <Directory> elements are allowed in order + to simplify menu merging, and allow user menus to override + system menus. The last <Directory> element to appear + in the menu file "wins" and other elements are ignored, + unless the last element points to a nonexistent directory + entry, in which case the previous element should be tried instead, + and so on. + + + + + <OnlyUnallocated> and <NotOnlyUnallocated> + + + Each <Menu> may contain any number of + <OnlyUnallocated> and <NotOnlyUnallocated> + elements. Only the last such element to appear is relevant, as + it determines whether the <Menu> can contain any desktop + entries, or only those desktop entries that do not match other + menus. If neither <OnlyUnallocated> nor + <NotOnlyUnallocated> elements are present, the default + is <NotOnlyUnallocated>. + + + To handle <OnlyUnallocated>, the menu file must be + analyzed in two conceptual passes. The first pass processes + <Menu> elements that can match any desktop entry. During + this pass, each desktop entry is marked according to whether it + was included in some <Menu>. The second pass processes + only <Menu> elements that are restricted to unallocated + desktop entries. During the second pass, queries may only match + desktop entries that were not allocated to some menu during the + first pass. See . + + + + + <Deleted> and <NotDeleted> + + + Each <Menu> may contain any number of <Deleted> and + <NotDeleted> elements. Only the last such element to + appear is relevant, as it determines whether the <Menu> + has been deleted. If neither <Deleted> nor + <NotDeleted> elements are present, the default is + <NotDeleted>. The purpose of this element is to support + menu editing. If a menu contains a <Deleted> element + not followed by a <NotDeleted> element, that menu + should be ignored. + + + + + <Include> + + + An <Include> element is a set of rules attempting to match + some of the known desktop entries. The <Include> element + contains a list of any number of matching rules. Matching rules + are specified using the elements <And>, <Or>, + <Not>, <All>, <Filename>, and + <Category>. Each rule in a list of rules has a logical OR + relationship, that is, desktop entries which match any rule + are included in the menu. + + + <Include> elements must appear immediately under + <Menu> elements. The desktop entries they match are + included in the menu. <Include> and <Exclude> + elements for a given <Menu> are processed in order, + with queries earlier in the file handled first. This has + implications for merging, see . + See for full details on + how to process <Include> and <Exclude> elements. + + + + + <Exclude> + + + Any number of <Exclude> elements may appear below a + <Menu> element. The content of an <Exclude> element + is a list of matching rules, just as with an + <Include>. However, the desktop entries matched are + removed from the list of desktop entries included so far. (Thus + an <Exclude> element that appears before any + <Include> elements will have no effect, for example, as no + desktop entries have been included yet.) + + + + + <Filename> + + + The <Filename> element is the most basic matching rule. + It matches a desktop entry if the desktop entry has the given + relative path. Absolute paths must not be used, + and relative paths must be the canonical form used to reference + a desktop entry in the pool of desktop entries (they can't + contain ".." or anything of that nature, and can't contain + extra "/" characters). See . + + + + + <Category> + + + The <Category> element is another basic matching + predicate. It matches a desktop entry if the desktop entry has + the given category in its Categories field. + + + + + <All> + + + The <All> element is a matching rule that matches + all desktop entries. + + + + + <And> + + + The <And> element contains a list of matching rules. + If each of the matching rules inside the <And> + element match a desktop entry, then the entire + <And> rule matches the desktop entry. + + + + + <Or> + + + The <Or> element contains a list of matching rules. + If any of the matching rules inside the <Or> + element match a desktop entry, then the entire + <Or> rule matches the desktop entry. + + + + + <Not> + + + The <Not> element contains a list of matching rules. If + any of the matching rules inside the <Not> element matches + a desktop entry, then the entire <Not> rule does + not match the desktop entry. That is, + matching rules below <Not> have a logical OR relationship. + + + + + <MergeFile> + + + Any number of <MergeFile> elements may be listed below a + <Menu> element, giving the name of another menu file to + be merged into this one. + specifies how merging is done. The root <Menu> of the + merged file will be merged into the immediate parent of the + <MergeFile> element. The <Name> element of the + root <Menu> of the merged file are ignored. If the + filename given as a <MergeFile> is not an absolute path, + it should be located relative to the location of the menu file + being parsed. + + + Duplicate <MergeFile> elements (that specify the same + file) are handled as with duplicate <AppDir> + elements (the last duplicate is used). + + + + + <MergeDir> + + + Any number of <MergeDir> elements may be listed below a + <Menu> element. A <MergeDir> contains the name of a + directory. Each file in the given directory which ends in the + ".menu" extension should be merged in the same way that a + <MergeFile> would be. If the filename given as a + <MergeDir> is not an absolute path, it should be located + relative to the location of the menu file being parsed. + The files inside the merged directory are not merged in any + specified order. + + + Duplicate <MergeDir> elements (that specify the same + directory) are handled as with duplicate <AppDir> + elements (the last duplicate is used). + + + + + <DefaultMergeDirs> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The element has + no content. The element should be treated as if it were a list + of <MergeDir> elements containing the default merge + directory locations. When expanding <DefaultMergeDirs> to a + list of <MergeDir>, the default locations that are earlier + in the search path go later in the <Menu> so that they + have priority. + + + + + <LegacyDir> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The text + content of this element is a directory name. Each directory + listed in a <LegacyDir> element will be an old-style + legacy hierarchy of desktop entries, see for how to load such a + hierarchy. Implementations must not load legacy hierarchies that + are not explicitly specified in the menu file (because for + example the menu file may not be the main menu). If the + filename given as a <LegacyDir> is not an absolute path, + it should be located relative to the location of the menu file + being parsed. + + + Duplicate <LegacyDir> elements (that specify the same + directory) are handled as with duplicate <AppDir> + elements (the last duplicate is used). + + + The <LegacyDir> element may have one attribute, + prefix. Normally, given a <LegacyDir> + /foo/bar and desktop entry + /foo/bar/baz/Hello.desktop the desktop + entry would be included as + baz/Hello.desktop. Given a prefix of + boo-, it would instead be loaded as + boo-Hello.desktop. In other words, if a + prefix is present it replaces the relative path to the desktop + or directory entry. The prefix may contain path separator ('/') + characters. + + + + + <KDELegacyDirs> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The element has + no content. The element should be treated as if it were a list + of <LegacyDir> elements containing the traditional desktop + file locations supported by KDE. When expanding + <KDELegacyDirs> to a list of <LegacyDir>, the + locations that are earlier in the search path go later in the + <Menu> so that they have priority. + [FIXME what are the exact <LegacyDir prefix="???"> that + this expands to?] + + + + + <Move> + + + This element may only appear below <Menu>. The + <Move> element contains pairs of <Old>/<New> + elements indicating how to rename a descendant of the current + <Menu>. If the destination path already exists, the moved + menu is merged with the destination menu (see for details). + + + <Move> is used primarily to fix up legacy directories. + For example, say you are merging a <LegacyDir> with folder + names that don't match the current hierarchy; the legacy folder + names can be moved to the new names, where they will be merged + with the new folders. + + + <Move> may or may not be useful for implementing menu + editing, see . + + + Duplicate <Move> elements are merged as specified in . Note that duplicates (two moves of + the same path) can be detected easily because of the following + rule: a move must reside at the lowest possible point. + + + In other words, all moves have exactly one permissible location + in the <Menu> hierarchy. Implementations can trivially + detect violations of this rule: the <Old> and <New> + paths may never share a common prefix. Moving "Foo/Bar" to + "Foo/Baz" must be done with a <Move> element that's a + child of the "Foo" <Menu>, i.e. by moving "Bar" to "Baz", not + by moving "Foo/Bar" to "Foo/Baz". + + + + + <Old> + + + This element may only appear below <Move>, and + must be followed by a <New> element. The content of both + <Old> and <New> should be a menu path + (slash-separated concatenation of <Name> fields, see + ). + Paths are interpreted relative to the menu containing + the <Move> element. + + + + + <New> + + + This element may only appear below <Move>, and must + be preceded by an <Old> element. The <New> element + specifies the new path for the preceding <Old> element. + + + + + + + + + + Merging + + Sometimes two menu layouts need to be merged. This is done when folding in + legacy menu hierarchies (see ) and also + for files specified in <MergeFile> elements. A common case is that + per-user menu files might merge the system menu file. Merging is also used + to avoid cut-and-paste, for example to include a common submenu in + multiple menu files. + + + Merging involves a base <Menu> and a merged <Menu>. The base + is the "target" menu and the merged <Menu> is being added to it. The + result of the merge is termed the "combined menu." + + + As a preparatory step, the goal is to resolve all files into + XML elements. To do so, traverse the entire menu tree. For each + <MergeFile>, <MergeDir>, or <LegacyDir> element, replace + the <MergeFile>, <MergeDir>, or <LegacyDir> element with + the child elements of the root <Menu> of the file(s) being + merged. As a special exception, remove the <Name> element from the + root element of each file being merged. To generate a + <Menu> based on a <LegacyDir>, see + . + + + Continue processing until no <MergeFile>, <MergeDir>, or + <LegacyDir> elements remain, taking care to avoid infinite loops + caused by files that reference one another. + + + Once all files have been loaded into a single tree, scan the tree + recursively performing these steps: + + + + Consolidate child menus. Each group of child <Menu>s with the same + name must be consolidated into a single child menu with that name. + Concatenate the child elements of all menus with the same name, in + the order that they appear, and insert those elements as the + children of the last menu with that name. + Delete all the newly empty <Menu> elements, keeping the + last one. + + + + + Expand <DefaultAppDirs> and <DefaultDirectoryDirs> + elements to <AppDir> and <DirectoryDir> elements. + Consolidate duplicate <AppDir>, <DirectoryDir>, + and <Directory> elements by keeping the last one. + For <Directory> elements that refer to distinct directory + entries, all of them should be kept - if the last one points + to a nonexistent file, the one before that can be used instead, + and so forth. + + + + + Recurse into each child <Menu>, performing this list of + steps for each child in order. + + + + + Resolve duplicate <Move> operations (with the same + origin path) by keeping the last one. + + + + + Execute <Move> operations in the order that they appear. If + the destination path does not exist, simply relocate the origin + <Menu> element, and change its <Name> field to match the + destination path. If the origin path does not exist, do nothing. + If both paths exist, take the origin <Menu> element, delete + its <Name> element, and prepend its remaining child elements + to the destination <Menu> element. Then, recursively re-run + the previous merge steps on the resulting combined <Menu> in order to + consolidate duplicates. + + + + + For each <Menu> containing a <Deleted> element which is + not followed by a <NotDeleted> element, remove that menu. + + + + + + + Merged menu elements are kept in order because <Include> and + <Exclude> elements later in the file override <Include> and + <Exclude> elements earlier in the file. This means that if the user's + menu file merges the system menu file, the user can always override what + the system menu specifies by placing elements after the <MergeFile> + that incorporates the system file. + + + + + Generating the menus + + After merging the menus, the result should be a single menu layout + description. For each <Menu>, we have a list of directories where + desktop entries can be found, a list of directories where directory + entries can be found, and a series of <Include> and <Exclude> + directives. + + + For each <Menu> element, build a pool of desktop entries by + collecting entries found in each <AppDir> for the menu element. If + two entries have the same relative path, the entry for the earlier (closer + to the top of the file) <AppDir> must be discarded. Next, add to the + pool the entries for any <AppDir>s specified by ancestor + <Menu> elements. If a parent menu has a duplicate entry (same + relative path), the entry for the child menu has priority. + + + Next, walk through all <Include> and <Exclude> statements. + For each <Include>, match the rules against the pool of all desktop + entries. For each desktop entry that matches one of the rules, + add it to the menu to be displayed. For each <Exclude>, match + the rules against the currently-included desktop entries. For each + desktop entry that matches, remove it again from the menu. + + + Two passes are necessary, once for regular menus, and + once for <OnlyUnallocated> menus. + + + The result is a tree of desktop entries, of course. + + + + + Legacy Menu Hierarchies + + Traditionally, menus were defined as a filesystem hierarchy, with each + filesystem directory corresponding to a submenu. Implementations of this + specification must be able to load these old-style hierarchies + as specified in this section. + + + The general approach is: the legacy hierarchy is converted into a + <Menu>, and then this menu layout is merged with the menu that + specified <LegacyDir>. + + + Desktop entries in the legacy hierarchy should be added to the pool of + desktop entries as if the <LegacyDir> were an + <AppDir>. Directory entries in the legacy hierarchy should be added + to the pool of directory entries as if the <LegacyDir> were a + <DirectoryDir>. This can be trivially implemented by adding + appropriate <AppDir> and <DirectoryDir> statements to the root + legacy <Menu>. There is one slight complexity, namely the + "prefix" attribute of <LegacyDir>. + + + The menu layout corresponds conceptually to the following, though actually + generating the XML is not necessary: + + + + For each directory in the legacy hierarchy, a + <Menu> is created with the same <Name> + as the directory on disk. + + + + + This menu then contains an <Include> element that includes + each desktop entry in the directory. That is, it should have a + + <Filename>Foo/Bar/foo.desktop</Filename> + for each desktop entry in the directory. + + + As a special exception, if a desktop entry in a directory contains + a Categories field, that desktop entry should + not be included in the legacy menu. + That is, no <Include> element should be generated for + the entry. This allows a desktop entry to be installed + in a legacy location but still work optimally with the + menu system specified in this document. + + + + + If the legacy directory contains a ".directory" file, then + a <Directory> element should be generated that points to said + ".directory" file. + + + + + Legacy desktop entries should not be assigned any + Categories fields if they didn't have them + already, except that all legacy entries should have the + "Legacy" category added to allow menu files to treat them + specially. (If the same directory is given as both + a <LegacyDir> and an <AppDir>, its desktop + entries should be labeled "Legacy" only if the <LegacyDir> + appears later in the file than the <AppDir>.) + + + + + + For example, say we have the following legacy directory hierarchy: + + + /usr/share/applnk + /usr/share/applnk/.directory + /usr/share/applnk/bar.desktop + /usr/share/applnk/System + /usr/share/applnk/System/.directory + /usr/share/applnk/System/foo.desktop + + + Conceptually that is converted to the following <Menu>: + + + <!DOCTYPE Menu PUBLIC "-//freedesktop//DTD Menu 1.0//EN" + "http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/menu-spec/1.0/menu.dtd"> + + <Menu> + <AppDir>/usr/share/applnk</AppDir> + <DirectoryDir>/usr/share/applnk</DirectoryDir> + <Directory>.directory</Directory> + <Include> + <Filename>bar.desktop</Filename> + </Include> + <Menu> + <Name>System</Name> + <Directory>System/.directory</Directory> + <Include> + <Filename>System/foo.desktop</Filename> + </Include> + </Menu> + </Menu> + + + This <Menu> is then merged as if it were in a file + and loaded with <MergeFile>. + + + + + Example Menu File + + + + <!DOCTYPE Menu PUBLIC "-//freedesktop//DTD Menu 1.0//EN" + "http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/menu-spec/1.0/menu.dtd"> + + <Menu> + <Name>Applications</Name> + <Directory>Applications.directory</Directory> + + <-- Search the default locations --> + <DefaultAppDirs/> + <DefaultDirectoryDirs/> + + <-- Merge third-party submenus --> + <MergeDir>applications-merged</MergeDir> + + <-- Merge legacy hierarchy --> + <LegacyDir>/usr/share/applnk</LegacyDir> + + <-- some random moves, maybe to clean up legacy dirs, + maybe from menu editing --> + <Move> + <Old>Foo</Old> + <New>Bar</New> + <Old>Faz/Abc</Old> + <New>Baz/Xyz</New> + </Move> + + <-- A preferences submenu, kept in a separate file + so it can also be used standalone --> + <Menu> + <Name>Preferences</Name> + <Directory>Preferences.directory</Directory> + <MergeFile>preferences.menu</MergeFile> + </Menu> + + <-- An Office submenu, specified inline --> + <Menu> + <Name>Office</Name> + <Directory>Office.directory</Directory> + <Include> + <Category>Office</Category> + </Include> + <Exclude> + <Filename>foo.desktop</Filename> + </Exclude> + </Menu> + + </Menu> + + + + + + + Registered Categories + + Remember, these are case-sensitive. + + + + + Category + Description + + + + + Legacy + Keyword that must be added to menu + entries merged from legacy locations. May not actually exist in a + desktop entry (should be stripped out if found there). If the same + directory is given as both a <LegacyDir> and an + <AppDir>, its desktop entries should be labeled "Legacy" + only if the <LegacyDir> appears later in the file than the + <AppDir>. + + + Core + Important application, core to the desktop such as a filemanager or a help browser + + + Applet + An applet that will run inside a panel or another such application, likely desktop specific + + + TrayIcon + An application that is primarily an icon for the "system tray" or "notification area" (apps that open a normal window and just happen to have a tray icon as well should not list this category) + + + Screensaver + A screensaver (launching this desktop entry should activate the screensaver) + + + TerminalEmulator + A terminal emulator application. + + + Development + An application for development + + + GUIDesigner + A GUI designer application + + + IDE + IDE application + + + TextEditor + A text editor + + + Office + An office type application + + + Spreadsheet + A spreadsheet + + + WordProcessor + A word processor + + + Presentation + Presentation software + + + Calendar + Calendar app + + + Email + Email application + + + TODO + TODO list application + + + ProjectManagement + Project management application + + + Graphics + Graphical application + + + VectorGraphics + Vector based graphical application (should also include 'Graphics' category) + + + RasterGraphics + Raster based graphical application (should also include 'Graphics' category) + + + System + System application, "System Tools" such as say a log viewer or network monitor. + + + SystemSetup + System setup application, hardware installation, hardware clock setup, kernel setup, X server setup, etc.; i.e. system configuration tools. + + + + PackageManager + A package manager application, should include the System keyword as well + + + Utility + Small utility application, "Accessories" + + + Settings + Desktop settings applications (not system settings application, those should be System;SystemSetup;) + + + AdvancedSettings + Advanced desktop settings. + + + Accessibility + Accessibility settings + + + Network + Network application such as a webbrowser + + + Clock + A clock application/applet + + + Monitor + Monitor application/applet that monitors some resource or activity. + + + AudioVideo + A multimedia (audio/video) application + + + Amusement + A simple amusement + + + Emulator + Emulator of another platform, such as a DOS emulator. + + + Game + A game + + + 3DGame + A game in 3D + + + ArcadeGame + Arcade style game + + + BoardGame + A board game + + + CardGame + A card game + + + FirstPersonGame + First person perspective game + + + PlatformGame + Platform style game + + + PuzzleGame + Puzzle game + + + SportsGame + Sports game + + + StrategyGame + Strategy game + + + BlocksGame + Falling blocks game + + + Education + Educational software + + + Math + Math software + + + Astronomy + Astronomy software + + + Physics + Physics software + + + Chemistry + Chemistry software + + + Science + Scientific software + + + HamRadio + HAM radio software + + + KDE + Application based on KDE libraries. + + + GNOME + Application based on GNOME libraries. + + + GTK + Application based on GTK+ libraries (may also have GNOME category). + + + Qt + Application based on Qt libraries (may also have KDE category). + + + Motif + Application based on Motif libraries. + + + ConsoleOnly + Application that only works inside a terminal (text-based or command line application). + + + Shell + A shell (an actual specific shell such as + bash or tcsh, not a + TerminalEmulator). + + + + + + + + + + Registered OnlyShowIn Environments + + Remember, these are case-sensitive. "KDE" not "kde" should be + used. + + + + + OnlyShowIn Value + Environment + + + + + GNOMEGNOME Desktop + + KDEKDE Desktop + + ROXROX Desktop + + XFCEXFCE Desktop + + OldLegacy menu systems + + + + + + + + How to add your application to the menus + + The short answer for third party applications is: + + + + Install desktop entries to + datadir/applications/ for each menu + item. Please namespace the filename, as in "vendor-foo.desktop", or + use a subdirectory of + datadir/applications/ so you have + "vendor/foo.desktop." Please be sure all desktop entries are valid + (see the + desktop-file-utils package for a validation utility). + + + + + Install an XML menu file to sysconfdir/desktop/menus/applications-merged/ to add any submenus, if your desktop entries aren't already + included in some common categories. + + + + + Install any directory entries needed for your submenus to datadir/desktop-directories/, taking care to namespace and validate + the directory entries. + + + + + + Also, at least for a good long while, installing a directory hierarchy to + the old GNOME/KDE specific locations such as /usr/share/applnk and + /usr/share/gnome/apps should work. There are two ways to support + both the old and new menu systems at the same time: + + + + If you add a Categories line to the desktop + entries in the legacy hierarchy, implementations of this + specification will ignore their location in the legacy hierarchy, + and arrange them according to Categories instead. + This allows you to install a single desktop file that works in all + cases, though on the down side it's in a legacy location. + + + + + If you add the line OnlyShowIn=Old; to a desktop + entry, then old legacy implementations that ignore + OnlyShowIn will still show the desktop entry, but + implementations of this specification will not. Thus you can + add an "OnlyShowIn=Old;" entry to the legacy + hierarchy, and a new-style desktop entry to + datadir/applications/, and still get + only one entry in the menus. + + + + + + + Implementation notes + + Menu editing + + To implement menu editing, the intent is that a per-user file is + created. The per-user file should specify a <MergeFile> with the + systemwide file, so that system changes are inherited. When the user + deletes a menu item, you add + <Exclude><Filename>foo.desktop</Filename></Exclude>. If + the user adds a menu item, you use + <Include><Filename>foo.desktop</Filename></Include>. + + + If the user moves a folder, you might try to use <Move> elements + to represent that, but it's tricky. (Move A/B/C to D/E/F, then move D/E + to D/G, note that D/E/F still contains A/B/C while only the original D/E + was moved to D/G.) In order to move a folder, you have to "fix up" + all moves that move things into the folder being + moved to instead move things into the folder's new location. + + + To delete a folder, simply append the <Deleted> element. + + + Menu editors probably need to do some kind of consolidation/compression + to avoid an XML tree that grows infinitely over time. + + + + Glossary + + This glossary defines some of the terms used in this specification. + + + Desktop entry + + + A desktop entry is a file with a name ending in the ".desktop" + extension which conforms to the desktop + entry specification. It describes a menu item, including + a name, an icon, and what to do when the item is selected. + Desktop entries are also known as ".desktop files." + + + + + Directory entry + + + A directory entry is a file with a name ending in the ".directory" + extension which conforms to the desktop + entry specification. It describes gives a localized name and + an icon for a submenu. + Directory entries are also known as ".directory files." + + + + + Menu path + + + A "menu path" is the path to a particular menu. Menu paths are + always "relative" so never start with a slash character. + The path to a menu is simply the <Name> of each parent + of the menu, followed by the <Name> of the menu itself. + For example, "Foo/Bar/Baz" is a valid menu path. + + + + + Relative path + + + The canonical path to a desktop or directory entry, relative to the + <AppDir> or <DirectoryDir> containing the + entry. For example, if /usr/share/applications is + specified as an <AppDir>, the relative path to + /usr/share/applications/foo/bar.desktop is + foo/bar.desktop. + + + + +
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