Launcher Studio

Launcher Studio is a GTK4 desktop application for creating and managing .desktop files on Linux. This intuitive tool lets you easily create custom launchers for your favorite applications, ensuring seamless integration with your desktop environment.

What Is Implemented

• Unified action flow between menu and toolbar for New, Open, and Save
• Unsaved changes protection before destructive navigation (New, Open, Quit)
• Save As action with .desktop extension enforcement
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions
• File chooser filter for .desktop files
• Backup creation on overwrite (<file>.desktop.bak)
• Centralized .desktop parsing in DesktopEntry
• Parser and writer unit tests for round-trip and sanitization
• Icon service caching to reduce repeated theme scans
• AppImage-friendly executable picker (auto chmod + executable-safe Exec output)
• Lucide icon search with local SVG download for persistent .desktop icons

Features

• User-friendly GUI for creating .desktop files.
• Supports all major desktop entry fields, including advanced options.
• Localized fields for multi-language support.
• Automatically saves launchers to ~/.local/share/applications.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+N: New
• Ctrl+O: Open
• Ctrl+S: Save
• Ctrl+Shift+S: Save As
• F5: Refresh
• Ctrl+Q: Quit
• F11: Toggle fullscreen

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before using Launcher Studio, ensure the following requirements are installed:

• Rust (latest stable version)
• GTK4 development libraries

Build and Run

Clone the repository, compile the application, and run it:

git clone https://github.com/MrArnaudMichel/launcher_studio.git
cd launcher_studio
cargo build --release
./target/release/launcher_studio

Development Run

cargo run

Quality Checks

cargo fmt --check
cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
cargo test

Roadmap

Quick wins

• Improve inline validation feedback in form fields
• Add explicit overwrite confirmation in Save As
• Display current file state in window title (* when dirty)

Mid-term

• Asynchronous file loading/saving to keep UI responsive
• Add parser test fixtures for complex real-world .desktop files
• Add CI pipeline for formatting, linting, and tests

Long-term

• Extended source browser for user and system application directories
• Advanced preview with grouped sections and validation markers
• Packaging matrix (Deb + Flatpak)

License

This application is licensed under the MIT License, allowing free use for personal or commercial purposes.