In case you want to move an entry of the applications menu to a different category, to change its menu text or the assigned icon, to add parameters to the associated program etc., you can do this in two ways:

First way:

You change the relevant desktop configuration file *.desktop directly in the /usr/share/applications folder by right-clicking on the file, clicking edit-app-launcher and pressing the Super key while a small white window shortly appears. Then you authenticate yourself to get the root rights. Alternatively, you can call gsu edit-app-launcher, authenticate yourself, search for the file and then edit it. Both methods may be problematic because a later update of the package to which the desktop file belongs will automatically overwrite it.

Second way:

Without authentication, you can use edit-app-launcher to edit an automatically generated copy of the desktop configuration file in the ~/.local/share/applications folder, if the chosen file is originally located in /usr/share/applications. The application menu then primarily uses this copy. However, without authentication you have also the option to edit desktop configuration files from the Desktop or Autostart folder.

In both cases you proceed as follows:

If the desktop configuration file is not yet specified, you first enter a keyword (also RegEx). The desktop files that contain this keyword are then listed. After choosing one of these files you can edit its essential entries like name, comment, command, icon and categories. You can insert the icon either by typing its path or by clicking on the right symbol which opens a file select box. If you don't like any of the offered icons you can search for one on the Internet, save a found icon in the folder ~/.icons and then drag it into the file selection box. Caution: A new 'Categories' entry doesn't replace the defined categories but adds the new one. All the preset categories can be cleared by choosing 'Clear'. Choosing a category is only necessary if your opened desktop configuration file is located in an applications folder.

If you delete an entry the corresponding line will be removed from the desktop configuration file. If you want to delete an entry not listed, p. e. 'Terminal=true', insert at 'Other' 'Terminal='. With 'OK' you confirm the entries and the file is then automatically saved and marked as executable. If the file in the /usr/share/applications folder is changed, its copy in ~/.local/share/applications will be reset, i.e. renamed to a backup.

If you confirm the keyword request left empty a file select box pops up with which you can open either an existing or a new desktop configuration file *.desktop and then edit it.

In a command line this program can be called up with a keyword as parameter. Then a selection list will be displayed with all found desktop configuration files containing this keyword. The given parameter can also be the path of a desktop configuration file. In this case the editing window pops up immediately.

If you want to create a desktop icon by means of the freshly edited desktop configuration file navigate to this file and drag it on an visible area of the desktop. Position the new desktop icon at a place you like and change optionally after a right click on the icon the text below.

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