How To Create A Desktop Shortcut In KDE 4

[exploder]

I am working on some documentation for a user guide for a computer business. I am trying to make things easy to understand. Does this look ok?



How To Create A Desktop Shortcut In KDE 4

Open the menu by clicking the PC button, go to Favorites, Dolphin and click on Dolphin to open the file manager. You will see an icon that says Desktop in the main window, click on it to open the Desktop folder.

Now you need to right click on an empty space to get a drop down menu. You will see Create New at the top and to your right you select Link to Application, a dialog box with 4 tabs should appear.

Select the Applications tab. (For this example we will use Firefox but you can do this with any application you like.) In the box that says Name type Firefox. In Description type Web Browser. In Comment we are going to type, Surf The Web. (You can use any comment you like, it is simply what displays when you hover your mouse over the icon.) Now we need the Command so we will click on the Browse button on the right and browse to Root,  usr, bin, firefox. (All applications are in the bin folder.) Now you will select ok from the bottom of the dialog box.

Now you should have a generic looking icon in your Desktop Folder that says Link to Application. We need to pretty it up a bit. Right click on the icon and select Properties from the drop down dialog box. Click on the box in the General tab that has the question mark. Now you should see some icons to choose from, click on the firefox icon and then click on the ok button at the bottom of the tab.

Lastly we need to give the shortcut the name we want it to display. Right click on the shortcut and select Rename from the drop down dialog. Just type in Firefox and click on the Rename button and you are finished! Now you  have a desktop shortcut for Firefox!

Creating a shortcut sounds a lot harder than it really is, it is really pretty easy once you have done it a time or two.


Suggestions are welcome. It has been years since I have tried to do anything like this.

Edit: I am gearing this towards people that have never used KDE before.

[bicol_willem]

Hmm, think its easier to go the menu and (take a sample) look under Internet for Firefox, right click it and there is the menu giving you the option to add it to either Desktop or Panel. (In case of FF I would put it on the panel.)

[exploder]

Hmm, think its easier to go the menu and (take a sample) look under Internet for Firefox, right click it and there is the menu giving you the option to add it to either Desktop or Panel.

The slab menu has the options that you mention but I want to preserve the default look and feel for the most part.

[bicol_willem]

yes understand, you don't like the "type" of icon with the exotic name! 
That is exactly the reason as to why I put such things on the panel (where it appears as a "real" icon).

[exploder]

I am trying to create a user guide aimed at people that have never used PCLinuxOS or any other version of Linux before to include with new computers with PCLinuxOS 2010 KDE pre-installed. So far I have the cover with the new PCLinuxOS lettering near the top, the words "user guide" in large bold italic print and a picture of the default desktop minus a few icons I removed. Page 2 is the table of contents. Page 3 is the above mentioned instructions on creating shortcuts.

I am no secretary....so this is going to take me a while. The idea is to give people some very basic knowledge to make them comfortable with PCLinuxOS 2010 KDE. The user guide is aimed at people that have no prior experience of any kind. I want to keep the OS as stock as possible with only minor changes to the panel, (removing a few shortcuts and moving a couple of thing around) and Firefox shortcuts, (just organizing them in folders and adding a link to my online store if I can get things going).

I have not made any documentation since my IT job ended 5 or so years ago but I think the guide would help the business and anyone that has never used Linux before.

Edit: Got another basic task written, how to change the desktop background. I am trying to cover all of the basics people will ask about.

[kjpetrie]

I think you're going to cause confusion if you call it a shortcut. In KDE, a shortcut is a hotkey combination, like Alt+F2 to bring up the run dialogue. In Linux, a file which points to another file is called a symbolic link. The files you want to copy to the desktop are called "application launchers".

The use of "shortcut" for a file which points to an application is a Windows usage which is not correct here.

[exploder]

Good point! I changed all of the references from shortcut to application launcher.  

Edit: I see there is a user guide for PCLinuxOS 2009.

http://pclosmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=53

What I am making looks more basic. There are some things people will just have to learn once they understand the basics.  

Edit: If and when I get this guide finished could I pass it on? It might save a lot of time and whoever I pass it on to can edit it any way they like. I don't know if Texstar and the Team are working on anything like this or not but if it could help people that would be great. I am no author or secretary but what I have so far doesn't look half bad.