Ubuntu – .desktop file does not show the icon in applications

Why did you create your desktop file in ~/applications directory? This desktop file should be placed into /usr/share/applications or into ~/.local/share/applications.

The right and successful way to do this is to use Main Menu (it can be installed with sudo apt-get install alacarte command). Search for it in Dash or you can open it from Terminal with this command:

alacarte

After it opens, follow the instructions in the image below:

You can check after in ~/.local/share/applications if you have a new desktop file for Eclipse Juno. The name of the new fesktop file should be something like alacarte-made-x.desktop (where x is a number). And now if you want a copy of this file in your ~/applications directory, you can copy it there without no problem.

And another one important thing: use the full path to the application for command (Exec=/path/to/eclipse) in both desktop files.

See also:

• https://developer.gnome.org/integration-guide/stable/desktop-files.html.en
• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UnityLaunchersAndDesktopFiles
• http://www.frankrock74.it/frankrock74/?p=1738 (in Italian language)

What will most probably solve your problem is to do the following:

1. Open the application

2. When it is running, open a terminal and type:

   xprop WM_CLASS
   

3. Then click on the open application window.

4. The output will look like (example gedit):

   WM_CLASS(STRING) = "gedit", "Gedit"
   

5. Use the first part (in this case would be gedit), to compose a line in your .desktop file:

   StartupWMClass=<string>
   

   (replace <string> with the actual (first part of the) output of xprop WM_CLASS, e.g. StartupWMClass=gedit)

Now try again (you might have to log out / in), most likely the application will appear in the launcher under its own icon.

Explanation

• When an application starts up correctly from a launcher (.desktop file), but another icon appears with only a generic icon (question mark), it is most likely that the application window and the launcher do not connect for some reason, and the launcher does not recognize the application's window as "his". This is often the case when a script or a non- standard application (-command) is used. In those cases the StartupWMClass= line is often the solution.