Re: gambas3.desktop install idea to detect installed toolkits...

[gbWilly <gbWilly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 at 23:11, Benoît Minisini <benoit.minisini@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 
> Maybe I didn't understand, but I don't see the point here.
> 
> Desktop files are static, and when you click on them, there is no way to
> tell the desktop to detect which library is actually installed and
> dynamically define the menus associated with the desktop file.
> 

Bruce made a script for Autotools that after install detects what toolkits are actually installed and replaced the gambas3.desktop file.
So, above is one side of the story.

When it comes to packaging gambas, the second part of the story, Debian/Ubuntu allows for post install scripts to run, an I presume other distro's do as well.

I slightly modified Bruce's script to become a post install script in my Debian recipe and did a test build, installed gambas3 on a virgin system and it worked.
See attached screenshot on a Mint 22, that shows no QT4 as there is none. This was a fresh install from packages made with a post install script added to the debian recipe.

So the installer just installs the regular desktop file, uses the freshly installed gbx3 to figure out what toolkits are installed and creates a new gambas.desktop file to replace the installed one. Simple as that.

If you're interested I'll do a merge request with the change.
It should be possible for OpenSuSe and Arch Linux as well, but you'll have to ask the experts on those distro's.

gbWilly

GambOS
Gambas3 for Debian/Ubuntu

...there is always a Catch if things go wrong!

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