How to make files executable from dmenu

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 06:31:37

Hello,
I am using i3wm and dmenu; I have also downloaded a version of Dwarf Fortress from their 'file depot' as opposed to using pacman or yaourt with the arch or aur packages (official & aur packages are not the latest).

So now to execute the file I open a terminal, cd to the file location then ./startlnp to start.
I would rather not do this, can someone please point me in the right direction for what I need to do to make that (or a shell script?) file executable within dmenu.

I have read the section of the arch wiki on manually adding files to dmenu, which pointed me to environment variables to modify $PATH. But perhaps that was not what I am after (I didn't get it anyway). I imagine what I am trying to do is a fairly basic Linux task, I just don't know where to look...

jasonwryan · 2017-03-27 06:39:34

dmenu traverses PATH for the list of applications to display. Your options are:

1. Add the directory where the executable is to your PATH (covered in the wiki article)
2. Move the executable into a directory already in your PATH

or the correct answer

3. Use the package manager to install applications so that you don't have to use ugly hacks to work around this issue.

And to you point about the latest packages, that is not correct. You can update either the official PKGBUILD or the AUR one to point to the latest sources.

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 07:26:05

Thanks very much for the reply.

So I was on the right track... I will reapply my brain to understand what is in the wiki and how it relates to me.

I have done point 3, but like I said it's not the latest version. And I agree it is an ugly hack. But I like learning new things, regardless of the aesthetics.

And I agree that updating the packages would be the most useful thing to do in this case; that had not occurred to me. Is that something a arch (and linux) beginner could realistically achieve? I like to learn... I guess I will trawl the wiki and see if I should give it a shot...

Thanks again for your reply.

jasonwryan · 2017-03-27 07:31:53

The version in the repos is 0.43.05 which is the current stable release according to their website. What version are you installing?

Trilby · 2017-03-27 11:10:58

eddievxx wrote:

And I agree that updating the packages would be the most useful thing to do in this case; ... Is that something a arch (and linux) beginner could realistically achieve?

If you can't, then you really shouldn't be using archlinux.

In many cases, all you'd need to do is change the pkgver number in the PKGBUILD.

Although, like Jason, I can't find any newer upstream release than what is currently in the repos.

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 18:48:59

jasonwryan wrote:

The version in the repos is 0.43.05 which is the current stable release according to their website. What version are you installing?

It is the version with the LNP which includes the first 64-bit version of Dwarf Therapist. Compare with the AUR package https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/dwar … s-lnp-git/

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 18:58:38

Trilby wrote:

If you can't, then you really shouldn't be using archlinux.

I don't know if I can't, I haven't looked into it yet.

Trilby wrote:

In many cases, all you'd need to do is change the pkgver number in the PKGBUILD

OK, I will investigate and see what is involved.
Cheers.

jasonwryan · 2017-03-27 19:34:40

eddievxx wrote:

jasonwryan wrote:
The version in the repos is 0.43.05 which is the current stable release according to their website. What version are you installing?
It is the version with the LNP which includes the first 64-bit version of Dwarf Therapist. Compare with the AUR package https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/dwar … s-lnp-git/

This is meaningless to me. Post a link to the actual source file you are downloading. The AUR version you linked to is a -git version which means it pulls HEAD.

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 21:37:20

http://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=12762

jasonwryan · 2017-03-27 21:49:42

So that version, by their naming scheme, is older than the one in the official repos...

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 21:53:47

The one in the official repo is the vanilla version of Dwarf Fortress. It does not have the LNP nor Dwarf Therapist. They are both 0.43.05.
The AUR package I linked previously has the LNP, but it is 0.43.03.

Edit: by both I mean the one in the official repo and the one I want to use from the File Depot.

Last edited by eddievxx (2017-03-27 22:01:22)

jasonwryan · 2017-03-27 22:19:09

eddievxx wrote:

The AUR package I linked previously has the LNP, but it is 0.43.03.

As I said above, the AUR package is a -git package: it pulls the latest commit...

eddievxx · 2017-03-27 23:47:35

Regardless of where it comes from, the AUR package is version 43.03 (as of today, I am currently reinstalling it and that is what it is extracting), the one from the file depot that I am now using is 43.05.

seth · 2017-03-28 06:16:23

Jason, the PKGBUILD pulls "http://bay12games.com/dwarves/df_${_pkg … ux.tar.bz2" and some stuff from git (I've no idea what even dwarf fortress is ;-)

@eddievxx, just edit the pkgver and _pkgver variables - i'm not sure whether dwarf fortress even has a git repo, at least it dosn't seem to be used by that package for the core game (it's a game, isn't?)

eddievxx · 2017-03-28 23:02:06

seth wrote:

@eddievxx, just edit the pkgver and _pkgver variables - i'm not sure whether dwarf fortress even has a git repo, at least it dosn't seem to be used by that package for the core game (it's a game, isn't?)

Yes, a game.
After reading the AUR Rules of submission I have instead flagged the maintainers of the existing AUR package that a newer version is available. If they choose not to action this for whatever reason I will have a look at making the changes myself.

Cheers!

Arch Linux

#1 2017-03-27 06:31:37

How to make files executable from dmenu

#2 2017-03-27 06:39:34

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#3 2017-03-27 07:26:05

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#4 2017-03-27 07:31:53

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#5 2017-03-27 11:10:58

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#6 2017-03-27 18:48:59

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#7 2017-03-27 18:58:38

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#8 2017-03-27 19:34:40

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#9 2017-03-27 21:37:20

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#10 2017-03-27 21:49:42

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#11 2017-03-27 21:53:47

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#12 2017-03-27 22:19:09

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#13 2017-03-27 23:47:35

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#14 2017-03-28 06:16:23

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

#15 2017-03-28 23:02:06

Re: How to make files executable from dmenu

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