SOLVED: Desktop links not opening on current desktop.

[Neal ManBear]

[root@desk-linuxluver Desktop]#

   
  Look at /root/Desktop.    
Create your link on your user Desktop as user, not as root.    

For ~/Pictures/ ---    
Add PCManFM from the menu to your Desktop. Right click and open with leafpad. Edit the Exec= line (#130 or so, if memory serves - which it may not ) to change pcmanfm %U  to  pcmanfm /home/lfever/Pictures/.    

[lfever]

For ~/Pictures/ ---     
Add PCManFM from the menu to your Desktop. Right click and open with leafpad. Edit the Exec= line (#130 or so, if memory serves - which it may not Undecided) to change pcmanfm %U  to  pcmanfm /home/lfever/Pictures/.

Okay that works fine. But what happened that the following no longer works properly?:

Code: [Select]

[msswanson@desk-linuxluver ~]$ cd Desktop
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$ ln -s /home/msswanson/Pictures/
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$
Now what happens is:

The above will still create the desktop link but if I click on it while on say desktop 3 it will open momentarily then disappear and be displayed on desktop 1. No matter what desktop I am on other than desktop 1 will produce this result.

This method worked fine before the error message from synaptic involving changing the kde4 to kde in the repo, reloading and doing full upgrade. 

[Neal ManBear]

For ~/Pictures/ ---     
Add PCManFM from the menu to your Desktop. Right click and open with leafpad. Edit the Exec= line (#130 or so, if memory serves - which it may not Undecided) to change pcmanfm %U  to  pcmanfm /home/lfever/Pictures/.

Okay that works fine. But what happened that the following no longer works properly?:

Code: [Select]

[msswanson@desk-linuxluver ~]$ cd Desktop
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$ ln -s /home/msswanson/Pictures/
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$
Now what happens is:

The above will still create the desktop link but if I click on it while on say desktop 3 it will open momentarily then disappear and be displayed on desktop 1. No matter what desktop I am on other than desktop 1 will produce this result.

This method worked fine before the error message from synaptic involving changing the kde4 to kde in the repo, reloading and doing full upgrade. 

     
You assume that the change on the repository changed your system? You shouldn't make assumptions. The repository is not your system. It is on a server physically elsewhere. The only things that are the same on your system as on the repository are the package lists. To get the package lists (Reload in Synaptic), the Section(s): must be correct, otherwise you will get an error message - "could not download all repository indexes." Repository indexes = package lists.     
In other words, the change made on the repository has nothing to do with your system other than that you had to make one small change in order to get the package lists and upgrade your system.     

Rather than make the assumption that the 2 incidents are related, you should ask. When you ask, provide all information. Leave nothing out.     

In this case, the problem seems to be that you chose to create a symbolic link, rather than to create a desktop icon (same as a menu entry - a .desktop file) on your Desktop. And you created your link as root. There was a recent update to PCManFM. It controls your Desktop. This may be the cause of the change in behavior. Without further information/details, I could only guess.     

[lfever]

Rather than make the assumption that the 2 incidents are related, you should ask. When you ask, provide all information. Leave nothing out.

First off let me say I am not making any assumptions!
I am just stating what has happened

Fact:
I have two machines running PCLinuxOS LXDE

Fact:
On both machines:
I created two symbolic links on my desktop (I incorrectly referred to them as desktop links )

The first symbolic link was to   /home/msswanson/Dropbox/

This symbolic link was created as follows:

Code: [Select]

[msswanson@desk-linuxluver ~]$ cd Desktop
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$ ln -s /home/msswanson/Dropbox/
[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$
The second symbolic link was to /mnt/Volume_1

This second symbolic link was created as follows:

Code: [Select]

[msswanson@desk-linuxluver Desktop]$ su
Password:
[root@desk-linuxluver Desktop]# ln -s "/mnt/Volume_1"
[root@desk-linuxluver Desktop]#

Fact:
On both machines  these symbolic links worked from what ever virtual desktop I was currently on.

Fact:
On both machines Synaptic was giving an error message that required changing kde4 to kde and reloading Upon reloading there were multiple upgrades available. I marked all upgrades and applied them.



On the first machine I can't verify when the problem came about as I may have installed packages and may have made multiple changes to the system.

Fact:
On machine two both symbolic links worked fine, the only thing I did was implement the change to correct the error message synaptic was giving by changing kde4 to kde, reloading, marked all upgrades and applied.

Fact:
On machine two I immediately checked  to see if both symbolic links worked as before, both did not.

I understand one symbolic link was created as root user and this is not the proper way to accomplish this..

The other symbolic link was created as user and I believe I did it properly.

I hope I have given all needed information but if not this will be my last post regarding this matter with no ill feelings as I wish to bother you no more. I am not looking for any sympathy but I am close to retirement age and recently became disabled. I am in poor health and my thinking isn't as clear as it used to be, first your mind goes then...well you know the saying 

One final question, how would I create a symbolic link to /home/msswanson/Pictures, (Pictures being a directory that was created in my home directory during PCLinuxOS install) from the command line that will open on whatever desktop I am currently on?

Thanks for your time Neal

[Neal ManBear]

One final question, how would I create a symbolic link to /home/msswanson/Pictures, (Pictures being a directory that was created in my home directory during PCLinuxOS install) from the command line that will open on whatever desktop I am currently on?

     
Answer:     
To open on any virtual desktop you should use a desktop icon, i.e. a .desktop file. These files are what is used to create a menu entry, as well as being the "backend" of desktop icons. Your desktop icon will appear on all of your virtual desktops and can be used to open its app on any of them.     
I outlined previously how to create a desktop icon for /home/lfever/Pictures/. Use the same method for /home/msswanson/Pictures/.     

Creating a link instead of creating a .desktop file can be done but will result in the behavior you have noted already.