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sashoalm
Asked: 2011-06-23 10:15:20 +0800 CST

Setting the working directory

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I want to create a quick launch icon for MATLAB, but it won't start if the working directory is not the same as the directory where the executable is. Can I specify the working directory in the 'Custom Application Launcher'?

Custom launcher

launcher

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    You can set the working directory natively, but for some reason it's not supported in the user interface. The underlying .desktop file itself supports a Path key for "the working directory to run the program in" (see the spec) as long as your launcher is an "Application" type.

    So just open the .desktop file in a text editor (if you're having trouble finding it, you can create the launcher on your desktop and find it in ~/Desktop, then move it later), and add a line at the end that says Path=YOUR_PATH.

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  2. Change the Command to this (substituting the correct paths of course): 

    bash -c "cd /path/to/directory && /path/to/directory/executable"
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