(Solved) Documents that end with ".odt".

[BoDill]

Since my computer screen is virtually covered with symbols, probably actually known as quick links, or icons, or something like that, (at any rate, I click on them to get to places on the Internet, or in my computer). I have been able to put relevant symbols on most of them, for instance, I put the Facebook "F" on the on that I click on to open my Facebook page, and I put the Linux Logo on the one that I click on to get to Linux, etc. etc.

Now I have such an icon on my desktop that gets to a document that I intend to update once in awhile, and its name ends with ".odt". So far, I haven't been able to put a symbol (or picture, or whatever) on it to make it stand out. It simply looks like a small white rectangle ( I have a few of these, but I want to high-lite this one). Can you help me, or is this not possible? Any help will be sincerely appreciated!!!

If I am not making my self clear, it is because I'm NOT a computer whiz, as many of you know from my past posts.

BoDill

[RIH]

.odt is a Libre Writer document. As a default icon it puts something like a snapshot of a page of writing - as below.

odt.png (65.02 KiB) Viewed 526 times

If you right mouse click on this icon and select Properties the following will appear.

If you left mouse click on the actual icon while in this Properties screen you will be allowed to search your computer for a replacement icon.
I put them in /Home/.icons to make them easy to find.
Select the new icon and exit out of properties.

odt2.png (18.78 KiB) Viewed 526 times

[Coggy]

If you left mouse click on the actual icon while in this Properties screen you will be allowed to search your computer for a replacement icon.

Well, you live and learn. I had no idea that was possible. It even has a LibreOffice text icon - a blue rectangle with white lines.

[BoDill]

First, thank you for your response.

Now, the window that comes up when I click on “Properties” does not look like your window, and I have not figured out how to copy and paste it, so I will try to describe it….

Across the top are tabs for General, Emblems, Highlight, and Permissions. Clicking in the upper left hand corner of General does nothing, clicking on Emblems opens a short list of symbols that don’t interest me. (Your window has, Basic, Permissions, Open With, and Emblems).

Across the top of this window it says, “Facebook.odt – Properties”. (Your window does not have a dash between "Untitled 1.odt, and Properties").

On the inside of the window are listed (where you have Type:, Size, Etc.).

Name: FacebookNotes.odt

Kind: OpenDocument Text
Open With: LibraOffice Writer
Location: /home/bo/desktop.

I hope this makes sense. At any rate, it is not like your example, and I do not know how to proceed.

BoDill

[Schultz]

What desktop are you on, Cinnamon, Mate, or Xfce? I am on Mate and the instructions RIH gave work on Mate. Do any of the tabs show the icon in the upper left corner? That's all you need to look for, when you find it click on it.

[BoDill]

I am using, "Linux Mint 21.3".

Please believe me when I say that I have clicked on everything available on the window with no luck before I would bother the forum. This problem is not because of laziness, I just can't get it to work....

BoDill

[Schultz]

That doesn't answer the question.

[BoDill]

I guess I don't know how to answer your question.....or how to find the answer.

By the way, while I was waiting, I entered "Which Desktop" in the search box, and got over 50,000 posts!

So I haven't learned how to answer your question yet.

It is now almost 3 PM here and I am going to take care of some other stuff for awhile.
BoDill

[Schultz]

I'm guessing it should be on the "General" tab you mentioned.

You can find out your desktop by running this command inxi -Sz in the terminal, and pasting the results back here (and if you do, please use the Code tags, it's the icon that has this </> in it, right above the text box you type in).

[BoDill]

To Shultz,

You are answering my questions faster than I can type them!!!!

I haven't figured out exactly how to put the answers in the correct format yet, and I am in a hurry to leave, but in the Xfce Terminal it says, "Xfce 4.18.1".

I won't be back for a couple hours.....

BoDill

[Schultz]

Okay, so your desktop is Xfce. I don't run Xfce, but I do have a DVD disk with an OS with Xfce on it, so I can boot that up, and see how Xfce handles this. I'm also ready to walk out my door right now, so I'll try this out in a couple of hours or so.

[Schultz]

So I booted up the disc that has Xfce on it, and surprisingly I could not find a way to change an individual desktop icon (this would be enough of a reason for me to not switch to Xfce). Under the General tab clicking on the icon does nothing. However, you can add an emblem from the emblem tab. It puts the emblem of your choice on the bottom right side of the desktop icon. You can also use two emblems. It puts the second one on the bottom left. Other than this, I don't see anything else you can do. Maybe an Xfce expert can give more info.

[RIH]

Sorry, as the question was in the Main Edition Support I assumed that the desktop was Cinnamon.
I have never used the XFCE desktop and have no idea if what you want is achievable..

[istrs]

.odt is a Libre Writer document. As a default icon it puts something like a snapshot of a page of writing - as below.
odt.png
If you right mouse click on this icon and select Properties the following will appear.
odt1.png
If you left mouse click on the actual icon while in this Properties screen you will be allowed to search your computer for a replacement icon.
I put them in /Home/.icons to make them easy to find.
Select the new icon and exit out of properties.
odt2.png

Is it possible to make that apply to all files from same file extension?

[RIH]

Is it possible to make that apply to all files from same file extension?

Unfortunately that is a lot more complicated.
This thread might help you with that...
viewtopic.php?t=414567&hilit=change+icons

[billyswong]

Is it possible to make that apply to all files from same file extension?

Unfortunately that is a lot more complicated.
This thread might help you with that...
viewtopic.php?t=414567&hilit=change+icons

Disabling thumbnail for a file type is *different* from changing icon for a file type.
Here's a discussion of LibreOffice files, but for Cinnamon DE. viewtopic.php?t=389528
(Also work for Mate DE with minor substitution, swapping the keyword form cinnamon to mate)

Of course the method in that topic doesn't apply to Xfce.
What available in Xfce are:
- Disable thumbnails for files shown on desktop
Right click empty space of desktop > Desktop Settings > Icons > uncheck "Show thumbnails".
- Disable thumbnails for files shown in Thunar the file manager
Within Thunar, Edit > Preferences > Display > Show thumbnails > "Never".

The above 2 methods will also disable thumbnails for photo. If one want to remove thumbnails for office file selectively... It will be a lot more intrusive to achieve so in Xfce.

The office files thumbnails are generated by libgsf-bin, which in turn is a dependency of thingy, a preinstalled Linux Mint software that I almost never used myself, calling itself "Library" in start menu. If you don't use that "Library" software too:

In terminal, type (or uninstall them through GUI)

Code: Select all

apt remove thingy libgsf-bin

Then in file manager, go to /home/your-username/.cache/thumbnails. Delete the content within to clean up the existing thumbnail cache. This will also remove existing photo thumbnails and they have to be regenerated. In theory one can remove thumbnail caches of office files within that folder selectively too, but I don't have a easy method to achieve that efficiently.

[BoDill]

To All,

My first statement is “Thank you” for your attention.

Now, since I barely understand some of the responses, I will simply put the problem icon (if that is what it is called) next to the related icon that works; that is, I have a clickable link (icon) to Facebook, and I put the Facebook logo on it, next to it is the icon that I use to keep notes on my Facebook activity; that is the one that simply looks like a sheet of paper, and I cannot put a “picture”on it.

Again, if I am not making sense, I apologize.

Since my desktop is covered with icons, and I have put “pictures” on several of them, I am still at a loss as to why this particular one is different, but then I am not real savvy about computer stuff. My simple solution to the problem is to put the “Facebook sheet” icon next to the “Facebook” icon. Though this messes up my organization method a little, it will work.

I have to say that due to my situation, having put pictures on dozens of icons on my desktop, I will probably never quite understand why this particular one is different. There is no need to get into a detailed explanation as to “Why”, because I will probably not understand it.

For the benefit of all, I am sincerely grateful for your help and especially your patience. At 78 years old, I have almost no memory, but I am pretty sure that I started using Linux because of the help available when I have problems.

On more than one of my posts, I have asked that responses be written like you are addressing a child, and on many occasions, you have managed to do that, and for that I am grateful…….

BoDill

[billyswong]

Xfce contains less feature in general than Mate and/or Cinnamon. Not true for all areas but you get into this particular corner that Xfce is lacking. If you are running Mate/Cinnamon, you will have achieved what you want by following what @RIH showed you at the beginning of this topic.

In Xfce, only ".desktop" files can enjoy custom icon. ".desktop" files are presented as shortcut link to users. Your clickable facebook link on desktop is an example of ".desktop" file. It doesn't contain the content of the website but just a pointer to where the website is at.

For any other file types, Xfce provides no per-file icon customization. Your .odt is a sheet of paper if you open it in LibreOffice? Okay we present you a sheet of paper. Fill the .odt content with enough text, and you will see the icon showing you those text as dark shades on the paper. This kind of icon is called "thumbnail". This is similar to how if you save a photo in your computer, you will see the photo minimized as icon for that photo file.

For local files to enjoy custom icon in Xfce, a strange trick is to create/store your document in somewhere else, than link the document back to your desktop through this ".desktop" file.

Step 1. Create a new folder on your desktop for this "somewhere else".
(a) Right click on desktop > click "create folder" > name it for example "doc_links" > click "create".

Step 2. Move your .odt files into this new folder
(a) Mouse Drag and drop your files into this "doc_links" folder on desktop.
(b) Do one file for test first and repeat only after you succeed all the subsequent procedures

Step 3. Create .desktop files pointing to those .odt
(a) Right click on desktop > click "create url link"
(b) "Name:" is for the icon label shown on desktop
(c) "URL:" is for where your local file is located
<i> Your .odt file in test should now be located in "/home/my_username/Desktop/doc_links/filename.odt"
<ii> Substitute "my_username" above with your actual user name, "filename.odt" with your actual file name.
<iii> If you are not sure, double click to open the "doc_links" folder on desktop, then you can see the name in location bar. Follow the uppercase/lowercase there.
(d) "Icon:" is where you change the icon. You should be familiar with it as you have changed other link icons before.
(e) Click "create" to finish.
(f) If the icon doesn't appear, press [F5] on keyboard.

Hope above suggestion is helpful to your case.

[BoDill]

To billyswong,

I cannot believe your patience!!!! And, as usual, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

Now, I looked at this post just as I was "out the door" for some errands. So.....before I come back, perhaps you, or someone, can tell me if it is possible to switch to Mate? For some reason, I believe that I was using Mate in the past, but recently I had my computer drive replaced with a much bigger drive, and the local "computer guy", who did the replacement, told me up front that he doesn't know much about Linux.

Since I barely know what I am talking about, I ask if it is possible to switch to Mate? If that is possible, perhaps you can direct me to a place where I could find VERY elementary directions about how to do that?

Depending on the answer to this post, I will do what billyswong instructed, or update to Mate, or both.

I should be back in a few hours........

BoDill

[billyswong]

I can't provide a detailed instruction on how to switch DE in-place as I have never tried that. One can of course backup every personal files into another drive then reinstall the OS with matching installer. This will get things done in a clean way. But I worry this may be too hard for you to follow by yourself...

I see your signature shows you get 2 laptops running Linux Mint Mate? Are they installed by yourself or done by shop too?