exec-desktop - executes desktop configuration files also with parameters and doing this it cares also for the 'Recently Used' history (provided by Starbuntu)

exec-desktop [<Path of the desktop configuration file>] [<Parameters>]
or short: exec-desktop [<Name of the desktop configuration file>] [<Parameters>]

How to execute a desktop file or an item of the appmenu with parameters

Desktop file:

This works best with the Starbuntu program exec-desktop, which is predefined for this file type. This program processes even complex commands in the desktop configuration file like e.g. Exec=sh -c '<Shellscript Code>' as well as any parameters for them and records the parameter file name(s) in the 'Recently used' history ( = $HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/recent.history) if the file type is listed in $HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/recent.types. The maximum of the history entries is defined as 'max_recent_lines' in $HOME/.config/openbox/environment. You call this program as follows:

exec-desktop [<Path of the desktop configuration file>] [<Parameters>]

or short: exec-desktop [<Name of the desktop configuration file>] [<Parameters>],

because the paths of the local and global folder applications are predefined in the environment variable $PATH and the desktop configuration files there are marked as executable.

The alternatives xdg-open or Rox don't accept any parameters for the desktop configuration files and gio launch or gtk-launch accept parameters but only in a limited manner.

Attention:

Since exec-desktop can also process shell scripts with arbitrary parameters as commands in the desktop configuration files, Starbuntu has often moved away from the strict requirement that these parameters can only be file paths or Internet addresses and their placeholders must be at the end of the command line. In these cases, the mentioned alternatives do not work.

Nor the universal Starbuntu program all-open can process any parameters of desktop configuration files because it interprets these ones as further files.

Item of the appmenu:

After selecting the AppMenu entry, click on the right part of your cursor bar below the 'Parameters' tab. A box for parameter entry opens. You confirm this with the return key. Then you either press the return key again or you double-click on the cursor bar further to the left or simply click on 'OK'. After that, the selected application will be executed with the entered parameters.

/usr/local/bin/exec-desktop
$HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/recent.history
$HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/recent.types

max_recent_lines
  maximum of the history entries, defined in $HOME/.config/openbox/environment
PATH
  contains the local and global folder "applications"

Peter Starfinger <info@die-starfingers.de>