13.04
This functionality is now inbuilt within 13.04 and later - the launcher workspace icon shows which workspace you are currently on:
12.10 and previous
10.04/10.10/11.04/11.10
To do this, first install the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:geod/ppa-geod
Update and install:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install indicator-workspaces
12.04 onwards
The PPA author does not have a preprepared package for 12.04 and later. However, you can download the same deb-package used in 11.10 and install that.
Download the v0.6.2.2 deb package
Install the prerequisite:
sudo apt-get install python-wnck
how to start
Finally add indicator-workspaces to your startup-applications (search in Dash for this) if the installation hasn't already added this:
Overview
This answer gives two potential answers - Drawers and Quicklists
Drawers
Drawers is available via a PPA for 12.04:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ian-berke/ppa-drawers
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install drawers
Launch Drawers from Dash. For you drawer, drag and drop the created icon from ~/.local/share/applications.
Launch your drawer - then you can drag and drop your favourite applications from the Dash onto the drawer.
Graphical Quicklists
The default unity method to launch multiple options is through the use of quicklists - right-click a launcher icon to show a menu of options for that launcher icon.
The creation of quicklist using a graphical method for 12.04 is available using MyUnity
This option allows you to create quicklists - quicklists are a submenu that are displayed when you right-click a launcher icon.
The creation of quicklist using a graphical method for 11.04 is work-in-progress - for example - the Unity Launcher Editor
This works in Natty (ubuntu 11.04) - but due to the python version change, does not work (as at the time of writing this) in oneiric (ubuntu 11.10)
to install
cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt-get install bzr
bzr branch lp:unity-launcher-editor
to run
cd ~/Downloads/unity-launcher-editor
./ule
Manual creation of quicklists
Fortunately, it is simple to create quicklists manually as well. A quicklist is a .desktop file containing at the minimum the following:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Icon=adressbook
Name=Sample Menu
Exec=example_application1
X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=example_app2;
[example_apps Shortcut Group]
Name=Name of Application 2
Exec=example_application2
TargetEnvironment=Unity
Let's break this down to the areas you should change (working from top to bottom of the example).
Icon=: this is the graphical picture file found in /usr/share/iconsName=: this is the tooltip you see when you hover over the launcher iconExec=: this is the default executable run when you left click the launcher iconX-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=: this is a semi-colon separated list of groups.
Each group is a quick-list menu option under the entry [group_name Shortcut Group]
example_apps this is the name of the group in the X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts fieldName=: this is the quicklist menu textExec=: this is the executable run when choosing the quicklist entry
.desktop files should exist in the local folder ~/.local/share/applications
If it doesn't already exist create this folder:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
Create a file in the folder - for example myquicklist.desktop and drag-and-drop this file from Nautilus into the Unity Launcher.
mimic XFCE launcher
The default XFCE action when clicking on the launcher button is to run an executable. For our launcher you could default to the calculator
Name=My Quicklist
Exec=gcalctool
The other action possible in the XFCE launcher is to just display the list of launcher items. Unfortunately in Unity you cannot do this - it must be a right-click.
The default Exec= must run something - for example you could use this to display a quick pop-up dialog reminding you to right click:
Name=My Quicklist
Exec=zenity --title="action" --info --text="Right-Click for quicklist" --height=50 --width=275 --timeout=2
Example
You gave the following examples that you wanted:
- Screenshot:
Exec=gnome-screenshot -i
- Dictionary:
Exec=xfce4-dict
- Calculator:
Exec=gcalctool
Thus your example .desktop file would look like:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Icon=addressbook
Name=My Quicklist
Exec=zenity --title="action" --info --text="Right-Click for quicklist" --height=50 --width=275 --timeout=2
X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=screenshot;dictionary;calculator
[screenshot Shortcut Group]
Name=Gnome Screenshot
Exec=gnome-screenshot -i
TargetEnvironment=Unity
[dictionary Shortcut Group]
Name=XFCE Dictionary
Exec=xfce4-dict
TargetEnvironment=Unity
[calculator Shortcut Group]
Name=Gnome Calculator
Exec=gcalctool
TargetEnvironment=Unity
Best Answer
The easiest way to achieve all of these in Unity is to run gnome-panel. You can add the panel in your startup applications to make it run in each session.
You can decide how many panels you want and where to have them to suit your workflow best.