Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

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bobalex
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Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Hi,

I dislike the little arrows on the shortcut icons on my LM 19 Cinnamon desktop. I could (and have done previously) renamed all the emblem-symbolic-link.png and emblem-symbolic-link.svg icons to emblem-symbolic-link.png.bak and emblem-symbolic-link.svg.bak respectively. But that’s too much like a Windows fix. Takes too long to do something insignificant.

I’ve read that I can create a launcher to open a folder but I haven’t found anywhere how to do that and I’ve Googled like crazy.

I have 5 shortcuts on my desktop to folders I reference multi-times a day. I’d love it if they didn’t have those !@#$%&* little arrows on them.

Thanks.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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all41
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by all41 »

Try it like this:
Right click on the desktop icon and choose Properties.
In that window click on the icon box at the left.
That will allow navigation to an icon you like.
icons are in /usr/share/icons
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bobalex
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Hi - I can change the icon no problem ... but whichever I choose there's a little arrow on it signifying "shortcut" I guess. My issue is getting rid of those arrows.
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all41
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by all41 »

Do the same right click and choose Properties and look under the Emblems tab for checkmarks, especially Default
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bobalex
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Nothing is checked. I do see the crummy little arrow though. It's the emblem for "link".
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all41
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by all41 »

How did you create that shortcut with the un-dismissable arrow?
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bobalex
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Right click on folder, click on "Make Link" (which then makes a link with a !@$%&* arrow on it), and cut and paste the link onto the desktop.
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

An easier way:

To create symlinks in Linux Mint Cinnamon:
In the file manager (Nemo) open the View menu > Extra Pane.
Open the Desktop folder in one pane, and the source folder in the other pane.
Click on the folder or file you want to symlink.
Hold down SHIFT-CTRL and drag the folder to the other pane. A symlink will be magically created.

And it'll still have those arrows on it
gm10

Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by gm10 »

I don't think it's possible to get rid of the symlink emblem other than removing the icon from the icon set. At least I know of no way.
bobalex wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:49 pm I’ve read that I can create a launcher to open a folder but I haven’t found anywhere how to do that and I’ve Googled like crazy.
Yep, that will work. You can create a launcher by right clicking on the desktop. You'll need to add the full path to the folder, no ~/ shorthand.
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop (SOLVED)

Post by bobalex »

A poster on FB’s Linux Mint for Beginners showed me how to make a desktop launcher for a folder

Open terminal, enter command

$ xed ~/Desktop/link.desktop
Then paste this data, (7 lines), into xed :-

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=(name you want to use for the folder’s link)
Comment=(however you want to describe the link)
Icon=(path to icon to use)
Exec=(path to folder)
Terminal=false

Save file. Return to terminal, enter command :-

$ chmod +x ~/Desktop/link.desktop

And there on the desktop will be a link to the folder without the !@$%&* little linky arrow!

I believe this is the first instance in 3 years I’ve found where it’s harder to do something in Linux than in Windows.
gm10

Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop (SOLVED)

Post by gm10 »

bobalex wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:08 am I believe this is the first instance in 3 years I’ve found where it’s harder to do something in Linux than in Windows.
Hmm, just saw that Cinnamon doesn't allow you to create folder links via the UI. Just another reason why MATE is better. ;)

The proper format for folder launchers is this:

Code: Select all

#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Link
Icon=
URL=
Name=
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smurphos
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by smurphos »

It's pretty straightforward to make Desktop folder links from within Nemo. Right click on the target folder, click on Make Link, right click on the new Link to... shortcut, click on Move to, select Desktop.

Make link and Move to (and other right-click context options) may not be immediately apparent if you've never expanded the right click context menu (+ sign next to Open on it). Once you've expanded it once it stays expanded indefinitely unless you reduce it again.

Image
For custom Nemo actions, useful scripts for the Cinnamon desktop, and Cinnamox themes visit my Github pages.
gm10

Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by gm10 »

smurphos wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:30 pm It's pretty straightforward to make Desktop folder links from within Nemo.
Read the OP again. ;)

That little video tutorial is cool though.
bobalex
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Excellent movie about how to make folder links to the desktop. But ... you'll note that the shortcut still has the !@#$%&* little arrow on it.
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smurphos
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by smurphos »

gm10 wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:53 pm Read the OP again. ;)
That little video tutorial is cool though.
bobalex wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:58 pm Excellent movie about how to make folder links to the desktop. But ... you'll note that the shortcut still has the !@#$%&* little arrow on it.
Oops :roll:

Another gui option for Cinnamon, right click desktop, click create a launcher and input the launch command as nemo /path/to/folder or xdg-open /path/to/folder. Pick a satisfactory icon, save.
For custom Nemo actions, useful scripts for the Cinnamon desktop, and Cinnamox themes visit my Github pages.
bobalex
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by bobalex »

Thanks! That worked GREAT! Easier than typing. Just the way I like it.
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overkill22
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by overkill22 »

smurphos wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 12:59 am
gm10 wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:53 pm Read the OP again. ;)
That little video tutorial is cool though.
bobalex wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:58 pm Excellent movie about how to make folder links to the desktop. But ... you'll note that the shortcut still has the !@#$%&* little arrow on it.
Oops :roll:

Another gui option for Cinnamon, right click desktop, click create a launcher and input the launch command as nemo /path/to/folder or xdg-open /path/to/folder. Pick a satisfactory icon, save.
Creating a launcher in this way makes a problem though. When I open Nemo, then I use the launcher from Nemo, it will open a new instance of Nemo. That doesn't happen with a normal link (but the normal link has the shitty link-arrow-icon).
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Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by smurphos »

Then I guess the other way is to edit your icon theme to change the emblem-symbolic-link file to a transparent image or remove them as outlined by bobolex in his first post.

I don't think there is a command line option for nemo to use an existing instance. Within nemo the bookmarks feature is intended to allow quick access to commonly visited folders.
For custom Nemo actions, useful scripts for the Cinnamon desktop, and Cinnamox themes visit my Github pages.
gm10

Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by gm10 »

overkill22 wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:11 am Creating a launcher in this way makes a problem though. When I open Nemo, then I use the launcher from Nemo, it will open a new instance of Nemo. That doesn't happen with a normal link (but the normal link has the shitty link-arrow-icon).
That won't happen with a link launcher, either:
gm10 wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:52 am The proper format for folder launchers is this:

Code: Select all

#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Link
Icon=
URL=
Name=
What I forgot to mention there is that for nemo (Cinnamon) you need to set a custom icon for the launcher then to get rid of the arrows. And I don't mean the one you can define in the launcher, I mean the one you can define for any file by either right clicking in nemo and clicking on the icon to select another one, or from the command line gio set launcher.desktop metadata::custom-icon-name 'folder'.

That last step is not needed for caja (MATE).
endersondesign

Re: Getting rid of arrows on shortcut links on desktop

Post by endersondesign »

So, I've been using Mint+Cinn for a couple of weeks now, and it's generally about a million times less annoying and invasive than WinX. But, being a designer things like oversized arrows all over my desktop shortcuts triggers my OCD... I've spent hours today, trawling through the net to turn them off (like I can do simply in WinX Explorer) - and literally the only way is to rename multiple PNG files so they're hidden... Also, I'll have to redo it every time I change my icons...

IMO, it's shocking when the rest of my Mint experience has been so very slick!? Wish I could code - then I'd add it as an option to the Nautilus prefs...
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