Add FFS to Ubuntu Favorites?

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Posts: 4
Joined: 8 Jan 2020

yingnan

Hello, I just started using FFS in Ubuntu Linux. Does anyone know how to add FFS to Ubuntu favorites (the dock)? I can't do it the usual way through application manager because FFS cannot be found there. Many thanks!
Posts: 305
Joined: 7 Jan 2018

bgstack15

I don't have exact specifics about Ubuntu, but it will probably be a matter of right-clicking a suitable application .desktop file, and selecting "Add to favorites" or similar.
The best way to arrange this, is to write a freefilesync.desktop file! You can even set a file up in a location that will get automatically added to your menu system (which will bury it under "Applications" or "Utility" or similar, based on the contents below). And from the menu system you will probably have a way to add it to your favorites area.
So, make a new text file: ~/.local/share/applications/freefilesync.desktop
And fill it with these contents:
[Desktop Entry]
Categories=GTK;Utility;FileTools;
Comment=Backup software to synchronize files and folders
Comment[pt_BR]=Aplicação de backup para sincronizar arquivos e diretórios
Exec=/home/yingnan/Downloads/FreeFileSync/FreeFileSync
GenericName=File synchronization
GenericName[pt_BR]=Sincronização de arquivos
Icon=/home/yingnan/Downloads/FreeFileSync/Resources/FreeFileSync.png
MimeType=application/x-freefilesync-ffs;application/x-freefilesync-batch
Name=FreeFileSync
StartupNotify=true
StartupWMClass=FreeFileSync
Terminal=false
Type=Application
You will need to adjust the "Exec" line to point to the path of your FreeFileSync binary. I gave you an example location here, and same for the icon.
Posts: 4
Joined: 8 Jan 2020

yingnan

bgstack15, thanks a lot for your help. I used the script you provided while changing the relevant directories. But FFS still doesn't appear in the menu.
Posts: 305
Joined: 7 Jan 2018

bgstack15

The .desktop files are a xdg spec, and not every desktop environment uses them.

Do you know what window manager or desktop environment you use? Regular Ubuntu uses Gnome (or Unity, for the older ones), Kubuntu uses KDE, and so on. But pretty much every main DE that Ubuntu would offer would support these .desktop files, including the discovery of them in the standard xdg location of ${HOME}/.local/share/applications/
Posts: 4
Joined: 8 Jan 2020

yingnan

My Ubuntu uses Gnome. In my ${HOME}/.local/share/applications/, there are some .desktop files.
Posts: 4
Joined: 8 Jan 2020

yingnan

I just found a small error in my script and the problem was solved. Thank you so much for your help, bgstack15!