[HOW-TO] Make Desktop Shortcuts to Applications Installed from Command Line (cli)

 

 

[HOW-TO Linux] Make Desktop Shortcuts to Applications with Hard Links

 

 

 

Q. What do Hard Links do?

 A. How to make browsing your filesystem via GUI a lot easier

Why would I use one

When you start using linux you might be a little intimidated by all the command line interaction. You're told to install things to linux with commands such as:

$:/> Sudo apt-get install someApplication                                 

To run the application you may have to actually browse all the way to the place it installed if youre not familiar with adding things to your user path.

So is there an easy way to find and execute applications installed with apt-get install? Let's show you by example.

How to make a Hard Link yourself

(open your command line tool)

1.  We are going to install git-gui as an example, and then

    $:/> Sudo apt-get install git-gui                                          

2. place an executable link on the desktop.

   Its important to note that executable applications are stored in the folder titled 'lib' in linux
   

    $:/> cd ../../lib/                           

    $:/> cd git-core/   

   
   
    $:/> ln ./git-gui ~/Desktop/                      

Lets break that command down  

                                                                                 'ln' : Link command                                                                                                                                               'source' : original applocation                                                  'target' : new folder shortcut location                                                                                                                                                                   

Thats it! you should see a link on your desktop now.