How to configure the menu in LXDE

I want to share with you this contribution from Ernesto Santana Hidalgo (from humanOS)Well, even though I'm not a LXDE user, I do know that here several of our readers like it (as well as FluxBox, OpenBox, and other minimalists LOL!)

The first thing we should know is that in LXDE there is no easy way to modify the menu system startup for which we have to go directly to the configuration files. Everything described below was done in WattOS, distribution based on Ubuntu 12.04. Let us begin:

To customize the menu we must modify the panel configuration file containing this. The file in question (for a particular user) is:

/home/{usuario-lex.europa.eu/.config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels

If we want to modify the menu that appears by default when creating a new user, we must modify, as root:

/etc/skel/.config/lxpanel/LXDE/panels

The first block we will see is Global enviroment, who contains the main features of our panel. This is mainly configuration of the panel color, transparency, size, etc.

Then we will see several blocks called Plugins. These are panel applets, such as launch icons or a menu. These blocks are composed of a field type = {type}, and a block called config containing its characteristics. But we will only focus on the plugin that interests us: menu.

By default we will find it this way:

Plugin {
type = menu
Config {
image=/usr/share/lxde/images/logout-banner-orig.png
system {
}
separator {
}
item {
command=run
}
separator {
}
item {
image=gnome-logout
command = logout
}
}
}

If we modify the default menu of the users that are created we must restart the lxpanel process. Now this line "image = / usr / share / lxde / images / logout-banner-orig.png" define the image showing menu icon. The first block that appears is system {}  which points to a system default menu containing the submenus Sound & Video, Office, Internet, Graphics, Accessories. All these elements are in / usr / share / applications format .desktop.

Create a launcher or menu item

If we want to add a launcher directly without it belonging to any submenu, we create an element with its fields as follows:

item{
name=[nombre del item](Opcional)
image=[Icono](Opcional)
command=[comando a ejecutar] //o action=[aplicación a ejecutar]
}

Create a new submenu

We can create a submenu, different from System. This will be made up of a field called name, which will contain the Submenu name and a field called image that will specify the icon. To add the launchers we use a block called item, which is the same as the block I explained before, but with the variant that instead of using a field called command it is called action. For example, if we wanted create a submenu for Wine, would be:

menu{
name=Wine
image=/usr/share/icons/Faenza/apps/scalable/wine.svg
item {
name=Configurar Wine
image=/usr/share/icons/Faenza/apps/scalable/wine-winecfg.svg
action=winecfg
}
item {
name=Desinstalar programas
image=/usr/share/icons/Faenza/apps/scalable/wine-uninstaller.svg
action=wine uninstaller
}
}

To modify the submenu system we must modify the .desktop aforementioned. Each contains a field called Category, which mentions in what category is cataloged. The LXDE menu interprets these categories as which System submenu they belong to. So if we want a certain .desktop item belongs to Accessories submenu, we just owe add that category, but in English (Accessories) and the categories that the menu takes by default are: Audio Video, Development, Educations, Ranges, Graphics, Network, Office, Settings, System, Utility.

Create a submenu within an existing one

If we want to create a submenu within these that are predefined by the system or one that we have created, for example, Wine, we modify the file lxde-applications.menu found in / etc / xdg / menus. Inside it are a series of labels. For example, the menu Educations:

http://paste.desdelinux.net/4710

If we want a submenu with a name to appear inside this experiment it would look like this:

http://paste.desdelinux.net/4711

The label refers to the category which we want to put in this case, those that belong to the IDE category will appear in the menu.

We can create a .directory for the new menu, which will have its name and photo. To include this file, we write the tag . If not created, the menu is displayed with a photo by default.

Create the .directory

Let's go to the folder / usr / share / desktop-directories. There are all .directory that are used in the menu that are nothing more than the settings of the menus or submenus to which they belong. Specifically experiment make reference to lxde-test.directory. We create a file with the same name that we specify in . Inside it we put:

[Desktop Entry]
Name= Prueba
Icon=applications-development
Type=Directory

In this way we create or modify menus and submenus in LXDE. A bit laborious but it certainly helps a lot to personalize the menu.

Clarification: in these last steps it is not necessary to restart the lxpanel process.