Linux Mint Forums

The right click open with dialogue gives only option to choose from installed applications, or search web, which is basically useless for any compiled software or that which is downloaded as binaries and not meant to be "installed" as such.

This basic feature should be a gimmie, to add a custom application to "open with" the same as one can add a custom launcher in the menu or so.

I would like to know how to do this please.

I'm confused: let me see if I have this correct. When you right-click on a file in the menu offered you have no other option but to use those listed.
My installation allows me to hit show other applications as well as look on the net. When I hit 'find other applications' it lists all those installed. There should be two buttons. One labled 'show other applications' and 'find applications online'.
I am using Mint 14.
Hope this helps....... and if not, at least you have a reply and someone cares.

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I have these buttons. Installing app-install-data allows the program to search on-line for application to install to deal with said file.

This is not what I want I have the applicaion right here on the desktop that I want to associate with this file type, and Cinnamon wont let me add the executable of that file so I can open it easily.

As I say, I compile, lets say Blender, from source, becasue the repository versions are buggy and unsupported by blender.org anyway, and I want associate .blend files with the executable inside the /blender folder on my desktop, because that is the blender I will be using anyway for all my Blending. Can't do it. Which completely blows.

Cheers anyway. All the best.


EDIT I'll say how I think it should work as a BARE MINIMUM...

It should be that when you right click a file, and choose properties -> open with, or open with directly, it gives you the list of application that are available in the MENU - accessories, games, graphics, internet.. etc. Menu items can be easily added, their executable location set and all that, if associating a file directly without the menu is too difficult (whatever)..

See my post

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 8&t=114175

I had similar issue running LMDE UDP 5, cinnamon DE. Flemur's remark got me on the right track.

det4100 Thank you for the reply.

After some digging around, the "solution" for me seemed to be as follows.

Adding the item in the menu, by right clicking the menu -> edit menu, and adding the executable path and such to a new entry in the desired category.

This creates a .desktop file in ~/.local/share/applications.

Had to then edit the .desktop file with text editor (it showed as alacarte-made.desktop in the terminal so had to type that instead of what it showed in file browser). And add %u to the end of the line starting Exec=/

This then made the program show up in the right click -> open with other applicaiton -> show applications dialogue.

After choosing the new entry, it now works as an association with the desktop files.

Appreciate the help, as ever, thank you very much.

Hesitant to mark this as "Solved" because this work around is absolute crap and one shouldn't have to do this for such a simple thing. I thought mint / cinnamon was supposed to be a power users desktop, with functions like this built in.. it worked fine in mint 13, so if this "dumbing down" of features the the way forwards, I'm out.

See you

6 months later and this obvious and necessary functionality is still missing in Mint. I am disappointed

fig_wright wrote:6 months later and this obvious and necessary functionality is still missing in Mint. I am disappointed

Then install someting into Mint that will bring this functionality back: It will eventually show up in the menu > System Tools > Thunar File Manager

If not just open it in a terminal: Now you have a file manager that still has this capability: Right click any file with an extension that you want to associate with a custom command > Open with other Application > Use a custom command.

You should get something that looks like this: Associating it in thunar associates it everywhere.

Easiest way to achieve this with cinnamon is to right click on a file then in properties you can associate any program or several programs to open the file and set one as default.
As with most things Linux, you just have to know where to look.

Thanks altair4 for the tip on using Thunar file manager it worked perfectly. Cheers.