Accessing AppImage .desktop file

Using AppImages
1

I’ve created a portableapps.com type launcher (found here). I would like to integrate AppImages some more, but I can’t seem to actually access the AppImages internal files, such as the .desktop and icon files. Any suggestions?

1 Like
2

This is a great idea.

We need the AppImages to be easily integrated into the user desktop.

3

By the way,

Could you integrate automatically the .home and .config features of AppImage?
Also could you integrate using Sand Boxing (Using FireJail like appimaged)?

4

Using libappimage, you would so something like this:

    /* Extract the desktop file from the AppImage */
    char** files = appimage_list_files(g_file_get_path(file));
    g_autofree gchar *desktop_file = NULL;
    gchar *extracted_desktop_file = "/tmp/your.desktop";
    int i = 0;
    for (; files[i] != NULL ; i++) {
        // g_debug("AppImage file: %s", files[i]);
        if (g_str_has_suffix (files[i],".desktop")) {
            desktop_file = files[i];
            g_debug("AppImage desktop file: %s", desktop_file);
            break;
        }
    }
    /* Exit if we cannot find the desktop file */
    if(desktop_file == NULL) {
        g_debug("AppImage desktop file not found");
        appimage_string_list_free(files);
        return FALSE;
    }
    /* Extract desktop file to temporary location */
    appimage_extract_file_following_symlinks(g_file_get_path(file), desktop_file,
                                             extracted_desktop_file);

    appimage_string_list_free(files);

Also study the source code of appimaged. Most of what you want to do will be implemented there in some shape of form.

5

Thanks! That’s a huge help, especially since I have yet to learn C or C++.