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Asked: 2018-11-30 21:46:22 +0800 CST

Create a '.desktop' shortcut for 'Show Applications' on Ubuntu 18.04

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I need to create a .desktop shortcut for 'Show Applications', so that I can pin it to the Plank dock to view all applications and search.

dock .desktop gnome-shell plank

3 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    First install xdotool by running the following command in Terminal

    sudo apt install xdotool

    The key combination Super+A shows the 'Show Applications' screen. The following command will simulate this specific combination

    xdotool key super+a

    So create a simple .desktop launcher and use the command above for the Exec= entry.

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  2. Although the answer above is the accepted and will certainly work if you use the xorg display server, following command directly "commands" Gnome Shell to show the applications overview.

    dbus-send --session --type=method_call --dest=org.gnome.Shell /org/gnome/Shell org.gnome.Shell.Eval string:'Main.overview.show(); if (! Main.overview.viewSelector._showAppsButton.checked) {Main.overview.viewSelector._showAppsButton.checked = true;} else {Main.overview.hide();};'

    So create a simple .desktop launcher and use the command above for the Exec = entry.

    Whereas xdotool may not work reliably on Wayland, this approach will also work on Wayland without issues.

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  3. I actually created a lightweight deb installer to do this, check out my repo here https://github.com/milan102/Ubuntu-Launchpad

    The installation instructions are in the github README. The program is a simple shell script that invokes the keyboard shortcut for showing applications (Super + A)

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