[Solved] Pin a launch icon to the panel

[Daisuke]

I am running Linux Mint 19.2.

After installing some applications, I had both a desktop icon and an icon in the task tray, aka panel on Linux (I think).
If I right-clicked on the desktop icon, there was an option to "pin to panel" which was useful. This has disappeared.
If I use the LM menu to find a certain program, right click on it, and choose "Add to Panel", I get the same three icons: firefox, terminal, and file explorer.
These get added to a panel on the right side side of the task bar (windows terminology) instead of to the left side. For a while, these three icons were grouped.
If there is a way to:
1- restore the right click menu item, "Add to Panel"?
2- to have item added to the left panel? (I think there are three zones but I do not how to change the default)
3- to have the actual item selected added to the panel?

I know that I have broken something but it is not clear what!
Thank you.

[LanceM]

What version of Mint 19.2? Cinnamon, Xfce, or Mate? Sounds like Xfce. If so, right click those icons and choose move. Then you can drag and drop to the left. Once moved you can lock by right clicking and choose lock. If an icon won't move, you might have to unlock it first the same way.

[smurphos]

It sounds like Cinnamon to me and you have inadvertently removed the default Grouped-Window-List applet.

Right click on the panel and choose the option add to panel to bring up the Applet's settings module.

Review what applets are currently active (they will have a tick). You have two choices for applications on the panel. What add to panel options are available depends on which one(s) are present on the panel. Make sure you have at least one of these on the panel. Then restart Cinnamon with Ctrl-Alt-Esc - this fixes a bug you are experiencing with add to panel in that it continues to add new panel launchers after the first one is created until a Cinnamon restart.

1) Panel launchers - basically just a launcher for the the app in question. No Window list and no grouping functionality. Supports add to panel from the menu.

2) Grouped-Window-List - Pinned apps, grouping, window-list functions. Supports Add to panel from the menu and pin/unpin from right click context menu of running applications.

Once on the panel you can position either applet via right click on the Panel > check Panel Edit Mode. Then you can drag and drop the Panel launcher or Grouped-Window-List applet to your preferred position. Un-check Panel Edit mode when done.

[Daisuke]

Thank you so much smurfos and blueocean for your helpful replies.
I do have the Cinnamon "flavor" of Linux Mint and will remember to include that information next time.

Although I tried to follow your helpful suggestions, another problem appeared, cascading off the original change to the panel. This affected the way a graphical application has it window either "minimized" or restored.

When I pressed the "Minimize" button (upper right corner) of any graphical app in the panel, instead of minimizing the display, it was suspending the process. Then when I pressed the icon in the task bar, a whole new process started up. It took me a few times to figure out what was going on. One clue was the fact that the underline bar showing the status of the application as "minimized" was missing.

Finally, I found an option to "Restore all settings to default" under Troubleshooting in the right click menu of the panel.
While this seemed perhaps overkill, I decided to try it and it worked perfectly. Now the panel and its icons respond in the normal way.
The only behaviour no longer present is the "Add to Panel" menu item on the right-click menu of the icon on the desktop. Since the LM menu allows me to add an application to the panel, the other functionality is redundant.

I think Linux Mint is a wonderful system, and a great alternative to Windows. However, I think this is a case where someone might consider a minor tweak to the results of clicking the "Modify panel->Remove panel" option under the right click menu. I believe that it was clicking this option which led to the cascading problems with the panel icon behaviour. One option might be to give a dire warning! (Perhaps I got one and ignored it! I do not want to try it again!) Another might be to include a message in the warning that to revert the change, "Troubleshooting->Restore all settings" will be necessary.

In any case, I am going to mark this issue "SOLVED" and again express my gratitude for your time.

[LanceM]

To add an item to the panel, go to the menu and type its name in the search. When it shows up in the list to the right, then right click it and choose add to panel.

[smurphos]

Although I tried to follow your helpful suggestions, another problem appeared, cascading off the original change to the panel. This affected the way a graphical application has it window either "minimized" or restored.

When I pressed the "Minimize" button (upper right corner) of any graphical app in the panel, instead of minimizing the display, it was suspending the process. Then when I pressed the icon in the task bar, a whole new process started up. It took me a few times to figure out what was going on. One clue was the fact that the underline bar showing the status of the application as "minimized" was missing.

Glad you sorted it out - what you had there were panel launcher icons, not grouped-window-list icons. Now you've worked out revert to a default panel set-up I'd suggest you experiment a bit with the Applets available to add to the panel to familiarise yourself with panel management.

[Daisuke]

Thank you! I have many fronts to tackle as I come up to speed on Linux.
I have worked on Unix systems in the past, Solaris primarily. But for the last 20 years, I used Windows.
But your suggestion is in my queue! So glad I finally made the switch

[oxygenfarm]

I've had a similar problem with newer versions of Mate.
I like to install a 'Quit' icon onto the panel but cannot find the good old 'add to panel'.
Help appreciated.

[Moem]

I've had a similar problem with newer versions of Mate.

I'm sure someone can help you with that. Please ask your question as a new topic, since that is the way we do things here. Thank you!