App Launcher

by mchilli

Score 24

Issues Website Download

UUID: app-launcher@mchilli

Last edited:

1 day ago 2026-01-15, 05:53

Last commit: [83e35811] app-launcher@mchilli: Update for Cinnamon 6.6 (#8208)

A simple App Launcher

README

App Launcher

A simple launcher for your panels

Features:

a GUI to organize your applications, even in groups
add new applications via drag'n'drop
add colorful separators
run multiple apps with middleclick
rightclick opens the context menu to edit your apps
support for horizontal and vertical panels
set custom icons for applications and groups
customize different properties of your applet:
- set/hide label
- set custom applet icon
- bind menu to a specific workspace
- enable/disable notification
- set hotkey to open the menu
- open with hotkey at mouse position
- show/hide application icons
- set application icon size

Drag'n'Drop	Context Menu

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108 Comments

freewee-3 days ago

Hello, Happy New Year! I had a little mishap with the new Mint 22.3 menu, and I needed to reset Cinnamon: I lost the configuration files from .config/cinnamon/spices/app-launcher@mchilli! Luckily, I found some backups! It might be helpful to mention that it's best to back up your XX.json files! Thank you!

mchilli-2 days ago

Thanks, good to know. I noticed a few other bugs after updating to Cinnamon 6.6, but I'm working on them.

bach1590-2 months ago

dear mchilli, how to make a command so launches app via terminal? just curious because i can't launch btop from the launcher. Thank you ;)

mchilli-1 month ago

hey, it should work with commands like this: gnome-terminal -e "btop" gnome-terminal --command "btop"

bach1590-1 month ago

Thank you very much

kwasar69-3 months ago

Está bien en general, pero como muchas de estas mini aplicaciones peca de los mismo, se desconfigura sola en determinados momentos, eso es un problema grande, no se puede estar integrando las aplicaciones a cada rato en el lanzador, no tiene la opcion de guerdar la configuracion y poder restaurarla si pasa algo, sería una opcion séria e interesante. Le agradezco infinitamente el tiempo que dedica a hacer y compartir de esta forma tan desinteresada, espero poder hacer lo propio en algun momento, ahora estoy en fase de restructuracion personal y cuando termine seguro me podre permitir hacer algo parecido.

Krezzin-5 months ago

Absolute lifesaver of an applet The only thing that is as close to the Windows Quick Launch Toolbar, as far as I can tell. Fcking thanks, mchilli!!

Krezzin-5 months ago

P.S. Noticed when you add too much apps the list goes off screen. A neat suggestion is to have scrollbar for the list so you can mouse and autoscroll by hovering over an arrow or something.

mchilli-5 months ago

Hi, glad to hear you like it. Thank you. Regarding your issue with the limited screen height, there is indeed already an issue. https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon-spices-applets/issues/7346

Krezzin-4 months ago

I replied in the topic with a Windows XP-era like idea :-D. Worth a shot, maybe?

Randy Pospisil-6 months ago

I'm trying to invoke a bash script with 3 parameters. I can run it from the terminal /home/xxx/bin/openallmonitors.sh google-chrome "Chat" https://example.com but when I have that in the command in app launcher it doesn't appear to accept the 2nd and 3rd parameters. Any ideas?

mchilli-6 months ago

Hey, I have created a simple test script: #!/bin/bash # Get the directory of the script SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)" # Define output file next to the script OUTPUT_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/output.txt" # Write all passed parameters to the file echo "$@" >> "$OUTPUT_FILE" I put it in my home directory under test.sh and the output.txt shows all the parameters I pass. Maybe it has something to do with permissions, maybe in your script?

Physiologie des Cellules Cardiaques et Vasculaires - Université de Tours-7 months ago

Nice! like it. would it be possible to open the menu without clicking, just by hovering the mouse over it?

mchilli-7 months ago

Hey, that should be possible. I'll have a look at it and maybe add it to the next update.

Physiologie des Cellules Cardiaques et Vasculaires - Université de Tours-7 months ago

Wow, the changes were made super quickly. It works great. Many thanks. But now if it's possible, it would be great if the menu closes when the mouse leaves the menu. (But maybe I'm overdoing it)

freewee-7 months ago

Hi For fun:I asked for that feature 3 years ago!!! Thank you, this applet becomes greater! I agree with the little improvement: that the sub menu automatically collapse when not selected!

mchilli-7 months ago

Hey i added this, but it feels kinda strange. Maybe you could test it first and give me feedback before i release it? You can download the modified file here: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mchilli/cinnamon-spices/refs/heads/master/applets/app-launcher%40mchilli/files/app-launcher%40mchilli/applet.js

Physiologie des Cellules Cardiaques et Vasculaires - Université de Tours-6 months ago

Hi mchilli, same observations that "freewee". For more details related to my request: I use this applet several times in the same panel (a behavior coming from XFCE), but when I want to switch from one to the other, I have to click on the first one so that it closes before opening the next one, which is why I would like it to close automatically when it loses focus.

freewee-7 months ago

I realize that the problem of cursor outside the menu comes from my panel position (it is at the top os the screen), and the menu expand downwards. If I have a menu at the bottom of the screen, it expands upwards, and the cursor stays on the menu, but not on the selected sub menu... So the little problem is: could the cursor stay on the selected sub menu??? An other little, little problem: I have desktop shortcuts, and menu at mouse position, when the menu appears, the panel expands, and no need of it!!

freewee-7 months ago

I try it: It works for the sub menus (I have long ones!), but when the sub-menu collapse , the cursor doesn't stay on the menu. Not serious! This feature isn't working as "Physiologie...Université de Tours" was asking for (when leaving the menu, you must click on the desktop for making it disappear!) Thank you!

mchilli-6 months ago

Ok, I've made some improvements. But to be honest, the whole thing doesn't feel right. When a submenu is automatically closed, the cursor stays in place, but the menu slips away. This causes the whole menu to close if you are not fast enough to reach the menu again. Also, it is not possible to move the mouse without an external program, and I don't think it is good practice for the cursor to move by itself. Furthermore, it seems that hover events are not triggered immediately after the menu is closed, only after the mouse is moved again. But you are welcome to test again and give suggestions for improvements. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mchilli/cinnamon-spices/refs/heads/master/applets/app-launcher%40mchilli/files/app-launcher%40mchilli/applet.js

Physiologie des Cellules Cardiaques et Vasculaires - Université de Tours-6 months ago

Hi, Personally, I find the behavior pretty good. There is indeed a slight delay before activating another menu, but once you know it, you can easily adapt to it. It's really nice that you added this. Thanks.

freewee-6 months ago

Hi If two icons of menus in the panel are side by side, it' s difficult to go slowly from one to the other, with the touchpad of my laptop... With long submenu, it is the same, difficult to click an other submenu before the menu close! Things are easier with a mouse! If the submenus expand laterally (I don't know if it is possible!), it could be easier to go from a submenu to an other??

freewee-6 months ago

+If the panel is in auto close mode, you can't go from an icon to an other, because the panel closes!

mchilli-6 months ago

Hey, I pushed a new version to Cinnamon, it contains an improvement for the “close submenu and lose focus” problem. It should now be possible to use the menu with a touchpad. The menu now stays open until the mouse reaches the menu again. The problem with the automatic closing of the panel could be a problem with Cinnamon. I have created an issue for this: https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/issues/12962

freewee-6 months ago

Hi >>The menu now stays open until the mouse reaches the menu again.<< Well done, it' s better like that! The delay to respect when going from one icon to the other in the panel is more difficult with the touchpad! Anyway many thanks!!

Fonziemedia-8 months ago

Very good applet, thank you!

don-dolarson-8 months ago

This is one of my favourite. The floating menu at mouse position is awesome. Missing the ability to put separator inside of the groups. 9,5/10.

mchilli-8 months ago

Hey, I'm adding the ability to add separators to groups in the next update.

carsten88-8 months ago

Brilliant. Thank you very much.

Takeshi-GO-Ito-9 months ago

Hi! I am new to Linux, and using LinuxMint 22.0 Cinnamon. Could you tell me how to install the App Launcher? I have downloaded the zip file and extracted it. javascript has been installed on my system.

mchilli-9 months ago

Hi, you need to right-click on a panel and then click on “Applets”. In the window that opens, you can download all applets from this website and they will be installed automatically. After that you can add an applet to your panel. I hope this helps you.

PFC21120-9 months ago

Received a bunch of different updates for the past 2 days and reloaded 3 instances of App-Launcher, and all is working really good. When monitor wakes desktop comes right back and is responsive. Seems like something in the update to Cinnamon 6.4.8 was the problem. So glad my favorite app is back. Thanks for the app and your help.

mchilli-9 months ago

Nice to hear that everything is working now and that you like the applet :)

PFC21120-10 months ago

Assume reload the applet code means save the edited applet.js file after commenting out line 904 with // and restart computer. Did that and problem persists with same error repeated over and over again. Received several updates today but not the mutter update that seems to have corrected the problem with MINT 22.1. Thanks for your help with this really love this app it worked great up until I received updates related to cinnamon 6.4.8.

PFC21120-10 months ago

I am running LMDE 6 but I was also having the same issue with Mint 22.1 but the problem seems to been corrected by a mutter update. I have not received that mutter update in LMDE 6 yet, I am hoping that is the problem. .xsession error appears to be (cinnamon:4297): Gjs-CRITICAL **: 15:07:33.287: Attempting to run a JS callback during garbage collection. This is most likely caused by destroying a Clutter actor or GTK widget with ::destroy signal connected, or using the destroy(), dispose(), or remove() vfuncs. Because it would crash the application, it has been blocked. (cinnamon:4297): Gjs-CRITICAL **: 15:07:33.287: The offending callback was SourceFunc(). == Stack trace for context 0x55f0d041d1a0 ==

mchilli-10 months ago

hm the only destroy signal in the applet.js is in line 904, maybe that's the problem. I copied that from Cinnamon's “popupMenu.js”. Maybe it's not necessary, could you comment out that line manually, reload the applet code and tell me if that helps?!

PFC21120-10 months ago

My problem is back, see original problem below. I am running 3 instances of app-launcher , could that be the problem??

mchilli-10 months ago

Not normally. On my system there are 5 instances of app-launcher and everything works fine. Hm strange behavior, what was the “.xsession” file flooded with? Have you looked inside?

PFC21120-10 months ago

I think I found my problem, a bad HDMI cable. Slight movement of the cable at the computer end mimics the problems.

PFC21120-10 months ago

I am running LMDE 6 with cinnamon 6.4.8 and whenever I have app-launcher open, when my monitor powers off when I restore it comes back on for a split second and then goes blank with just the mouse pointer. I have to manually restart cinnamon to restore display and my .xsession file increases by about 500 MB. When I remove app-launcher from the panel all works as it should. Really like the applet and would like to continue using. If you need any other info let me know. Also I run MINT 22.1 with cinnamon 6.4.8 with no problems with monitor and display with app-launcher running.

RT Cunningham-10 months ago

Is there any way to pin an instance to only one workspace, kind of like the CobiWindowList applet works? If not, is there any way to convert it to a standalone application that could then be added to that applet, which could then be pinned using that applet? I think it would be awesome to have application launchers where they're being used, instead of relying on a full menu launcher in every workspace. If it isn't possible, that's okay. I'm not a programmer, so I have no idea how much work it would entail.

mchilli-10 months ago

Hey, I will see what I can do.

RT Cunningham-10 months ago

I just tested the bind-to-workspace addition. It works perfectly. Thanks!

RT Cunningham-10 months ago

I'm using a zenity-based menu in the meantime.

LovelyLince-11 months ago

"Fixed Menu Width" doesn't work with the new Mint-Y theme introduced in Linux Mint 22.1.

mchilli-11 months ago

Hey, sorry I can't reproduce this issue. Everything works as expected on a fresh Linux Mint 22.1 live system.

LovelyLince-11 months ago

That's fine, but I have a request. Can there be an option to open sub-menus as a separate menu to the right, instead of embedding sub-menus within the main menu? This could save some vertical space, & it would feel more natural to use personally.

mchilli-11 months ago

garuffalo asked the same thing a year ago, so I'll repeat my answer from then: "I know what you mean, but I use a default Cinnamon functionality for this. So I can be sure that it works well in different versions. A function like you expect may be possible, but I don't think it's worth programming it. Because it is just a optical enhancement and too much work. I hope you understand my point of view."

Herr Dyyhl-11 months ago

Nice applet. How can I add colorful separators? I use Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia.

mchilli-11 months ago

Hi, in the applet settings, under the arrow next to the plus sign.

Herr Dyyhl-11 months ago

So easy .... thank you very much.

freewee-1 year ago

Many thanks for the "menu at mouse position", this is working well for me! I can put desktop shortcuts anywhere, and click a menu without going to the pannel. Thanks again!

freewee-1 year ago

Hi App-launcher is very great applet. I made shortcuts on the desktop with "xdotool" ( for example "xdotool key ctrl+w") but of course the menu expends from the pannel and not from where the icon menu is located on the desktop (behavior of Classicmenu-Indicator "menu at mouse position" feature) Is it possible to make this easily??? Thank you for your big work!

mchilli-1 year ago

Hi That sounds like a nice idea. I will see what I can do.

SDakaXvost-1 year ago

There is such a problem after switching to Linux Mint 22. It is not possible to edit the program icon. I choose a new icon or its new location, click "OK", but the data is not saved, the program is displayed with the old icon in the list.

mchilli-1 year ago

Hey sorry for the late reply. Yes I noticed that too, it should be a small bug in the XAppIconChooserButton see here: https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon-spices-applets/pull/6387 I did a big code refactoring and got rid of this button. With the next update everything should work as expected. Plus some additions to hopefully reduce the amount of CPU usage.

garuffalo-1 year ago

I love this applet, but I have a feature request. When clicking on a subfolder in the list, instead of expanding vertically within the main list, with a small area to scroll through -- could the contents pop out to the side? This would make navigation of the launcher much more user friendly. Thanks!

mchilli-1 year ago

I know what you mean, but I use a default Cinnamon functionality for this. So I can be sure that it works well in different versions. A function like you expect may be possible, but I don't think it's worth programming it. Because it is just a optical enhancement and too much work. I hope you understand my point of view.

garuffalo-1 year ago

Fair enough. Still love the applet!

RT Cunningham-1 year ago

Never mind. I completely ignored the group setting during edits.

RT Cunningham-1 year ago

I like the separators, but one more thing would make them better, a group title. Perhaps a group title could be a separate item. Other than that, this applet is perfect.

SelfMadeSystem-2 years ago

Would it be possible to add files and folders in addition to regular apps? I don't think you would need to change much. I was thinking you could just reuse the current way you save applications, but add a `type` parameter that could be either `app` or `file` and have the `command` be something like `exo-open ${file}`. You could also automatically add the icon by just using the system's way to find icons. Thank you

SelfMadeSystem-2 years ago

I have discord (same username) if you want to chat about it. I might be interested in helping

mchilli-2 years ago

Hi, to be honest this applet is an app launcher, not a file opener. But it could open your files or folders as well, if you extend your command with the parameter you want. For eg.: `nemo /path/to/your/folder` or `xdg-open /path/to/your/file` I personally use it also this way. But ok I will build in some functionality. If you select a normal file automatically pretend the command with `xdg-open` and use the default mimetype icon.

ggabri-2 years ago

Configuration window does not show. (21.1)

mchilli-2 years ago

Hi and also sorry. But its' the same as for "likengmx".

likengmx-2 years ago

Linux Mint 21.1 Applet configuration window does not show, although in panel appears its icon. Also high cpu usage, sometimes several minutes, top shows Xorg 100%. I don't understand how an applet can hoard all the cpu. There must be a serious flaw somewhere.

mchilli-2 years ago

Hi and sry you have trouble with my applet. I tried it on different machines and also tested it with live systems from Mint 19 - 21.1, but I can't reproduce this issue. Thats why I struggle to find the reason for this bug. I suspect the problem is somewhere in the "widgets.py" file, maybe a missing dependency or else. Hopefully you can help me to fight this issue?! I'm interested in fixing it!

likengmx-2 years ago

Hi, I'll try my best. Mint 21.1 clean install Python 3.10.6 Computer Thinkpad X390 Yoga When Xorg freezes due to this applet, there are no errors in cinnamon debugger (melange), but related messages in .xession-errors are: -------------------------- Window manager warning: last_user_time (1150433) is greater than comparison timestamp (1144937). This most likely represents a buggy client sending inaccurate timestamps in messages such as _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW. Trying to work around... Window manager warning: 0x3c00007 appears to be one of the offending windows with a timestamp of 1150433. Working around... (cinnamon:1272): Gdk-WARNING **: 21:58:28.543: Native Windows wider or taller than 32767 pixels are not supported .. (last message repited 20 times per second) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xorg freezes until you kill process xlet-settings Let me know how I can help you better to trace the problem.

mchilli-2 years ago

hm, did you have a second screen on your notebook maybe a 4k display? Btw can you comment out line 172 in "/home/USERNAME/.local/share/cinnamon/applets/app-launcher@mchilli/widgets.py", like this: # self.connect("realize", get_window) and let me know if the settings window will open now?

likengmx-2 years ago

OK. After commenting that line everything seems to be going well. The configuration window appears and xorg does not freeze. There are also no messages in .xsession-errors. I am not using any external monitor.

mchilli-2 years ago

ok can you change the function in line 179 to this: def on_check_resize(self, window): log(window.get_size().height) and tell me whats the output in the debug.log file inside the applet folder?

likengmx-2 years ago

that log does not work, window is probably null. it works if you modify this line adding the funciton argument: window.connect("check-resize", self.on_check_resize(window))

mchilli-2 years ago

sry first you have to reverse the comment in line 172 from previous post.

likengmx-2 years ago

I did it. It was required to reach the function with the log, but anyway it didn't work. Then I tried with log("test") and it worked, so window should be null. I moved your log to the previous, calling function and it worked, heigh was 600. So the problem was that def on_check_resize(self,window) was not receiving the second argument.

mchilli-2 years ago

oh ok weird. So lets revert all changes in widgets.py back to original and change the following: line 170: window.connect("check-resize", self.on_check_resize, window) line 179: def on_check_resize(self, object, window):

likengmx-2 years ago

it does not work. Settings windows does not show. I added a log(height) to function on_check_resize and debug.log grows fast with what seems like random numbers (14139,29049,...).

likengmx-2 years ago

OK. I found the problem. When you extend the list with -152 the main window increases height, so there is an infinite loop calling on_check_resize, increasing window height to infinite. It is solved when I use -155 instead -152. Forget about null pointers, my previous messages, maybe it was my mistake. So, with your original widgets.py problem is solved with -155 in this laptop. So you have to better calculate this parameter, because it seems dependent on the machine or desktop.

likengmx-2 years ago

More details. You can reproduce this bug changing in Desktop, font selections "text scaling factor" to 1.4. So it does not depend on the version of Linux but on the user scaling fonts at least.

mchilli-2 years ago

yeah you're right, thanks. If I change the value more down, like 140 the same problem appear on my maschine. I'm currently thinking about how can I better calculate the list height. Maybe set the value 200 is enough. But I think it's not an elegant way to solve this.

likengmx-2 years ago

I suppose the good method would be to see what is the protocol to resize childrens in this environment. In any case to avoid always an infinite loop, maybe setting a maximum allowed height. if self.height != height and height<800: or similar.

mchilli-2 years ago

OK can you check it please and replace your widgets.py with this: https://github.com/mchilli/cinnamon-spices/blob/master/applets/app-launcher%40mchilli/files/app-launcher%40mchilli/widgets.py Please tell my if this works, so I can create a PR.

likengmx-2 years ago

OK. It seems to work. The only anomaly is that when you maximize window and then un-maximize, the height does not restore.

mchilli-2 years ago

Yep I have notice that too, it's because that the height will be increase when you maximized the window but doesn't forcefully decrease when go back to normal. But I think for now its ok, maybe I can challenge this later.

likengmx-2 years ago

better: if height<800: self.scrollbox.set_size_request(-1, self.height - 152)

likengmx-2 years ago

better 2: if self.height != height: self.height = height if height>800: height=800 self.scrollbox.set_size_request(-1, height - 152)

He-Zu-3 years ago

Hi, my Python Version is 3.9.2 many greetings

He-Zu-3 years ago

Hello, there is no entry in the looking glass log. But you're right, it's up to my system. I started LMDE5 from a Live Boot Stick and installed the applet. It works perfectly. I have no idea where the problem is with my installation. One more thing I found. When I open the settings and then restart cinnamon, the settings window opens, but I can't operate anything in it. I will continue to search if I can find something. Thanks for the help

mchilli-3 years ago

Ok, sounds unfamiliar. Could it be possible that there's something wrong with your python version? The custom list widget, where you configure your apps in the settings, is the only difference from other applets.

He-Zu-3 years ago

Hi, I wanted to use your applet. Installation works. Add apps too. However, I can't get into the settings. When I select "Set up" an icon opens in the taskbar but the window for the settings does not open. I'm using Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE5) Cinnamon Version 5.4.12 Any idea why. Thanks for help.

mchilli-3 years ago

hm, can you configure the applet before you add any apps? maybe there is an error message in the looking glass log!? I've tested it with a fresh lmde5 installation and everything works fine.

freewee-3 years ago

I recently use Mint Cinnamon and I was looking for an alternative to Classicmenu indicator, that is a litle bit "recalcitrant"! I found your applet very interesting, the first tests seem conclusive... The drag and drop is very efficient! I will transfer all my shortcuts ( I really have a lot!!). Perhaps 1 improvement (for me!): No clicks over the menu... And I' m not sure it would be possible: opening the applet within my old "Plank"? Anyway many thanks for this great applet!

freewee-3 years ago

Really nice! But something is missing (I think!): I don't find how to make sub-menus!! Many thanks

mchilli-3 years ago

Hey, nice to hear that you like it. Submenus can created when you edit an application and click the plus button next to the group selection. If you mean the old "Plank Dock", then no its not possible, sry. Greetings

freewee-3 years ago

Thank you! About submenus, I wanted to say "sub-submenus"!!

mchilli-3 years ago

oh ok, but i think there is no possibility for this in cinnamon

freewee-3 years ago

Thank you! I will use it without that!

fazla86-4 years ago

good and useful applet one annoying thing is that every time the application configuration in applet is changed, it freezes the whole system, for about 10-15 seconds in my case. The CPU hits the 100%. Even if I just change applications order in the list, it freezes. other than that, it is perfect my system is: Linux Mint 20.2 Cinnamon 5.0.7 Intel© Core™ i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.30GHz × 4

fazla86-4 years ago

UPDATE: After removing the swap, wait is reduced to 2-3 seconds. yaaaay :D I have 16GB of RAM memory and could simply remove 2GB swap on my system

RT Cunningham-4 years ago

Drag 'n' drop now works for me, with the latest update.

mchilli-4 years ago

Hey, nice to hear that it works now!

RT Cunningham-4 years ago

Drag 'n' drop doesn't seem to work. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

mchilli-4 years ago

Maybe ;-), you pick an application from the menu and drag it to the app-launcher. I've created a demo gif to demonstration: https://git.io/J0tiv

RT Cunningham-4 years ago

I can only add applications manually.

RT Cunningham-4 years ago

Okay, I did exactly that and nothing at all changed.

mchilli-4 years ago

Hm strange, ok can you tell me more informations e.g. OS with version and Cinnamon version? So I can try to reproduce the issue. Do you have the latest version of the applet?

RT Cunningham-4 years ago

Mint 20.2, Cinnamon 5.05 I don't understand why it wouldn't work. Every other applet does.