qvm-run - - service qubes.StartApp+ question

[Qwyet]

Hello all,

I'm running qubes 4.0.1 with KDE. I've installed Libre office to a fedora 30 template using dnf. Reboot the template(fedora-30-fuzer), reboot the app vm and add Libre office to it via qubes manager.

My app menu now shows Libre office under the appropriate app vm menu, but the option doesn't work. Further investigation shows that the menu is attempting to issue the following command:

qvm-run -q -a --service -- Dsktop-Writing qubes.StartApp+libreoffice

I attempted to run this command from dom0 and got the same nothing that I got from selecting the menu option. From the template I am able to launch libreoffice with the command: libreoffice --writer so the app it self works.

The command

qvm-run -q -a --service -- Dsktop-Writing qubes.StartApp+libreoffice --writer

Returns the error "--writer is not an arg of qvm-run"

I've attempted the following variations of the above qvm command.

qubes.StartApp+libreoffice+--writer
qubes.StartApp+libreoffice-writer
qubes.StartApp+libreoffice--writer
qubes.StartApp+libreoffice'-writer'
Qubes.StartApp+libreoffice'--writer'

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance

[unman]

I use KDE too.
I've just checked this and `qubes.StartApp+libreoffice-writer` works for
me. Both in Debian and Fedora.

`qubes.StartApp+libreoffice-startcenter` launches the generic starter.
`qubes.StartApp+libreoffice` does nothing.

unman

[Jackie]

Qwyet:

Hi,

qubes.StartApp is used to run a .desktop file, so
qubes.StartApp+libreoffice is looking for a file called
libreoffice.desktop in the root volume (ie in the template). If there
isn't one, the command won't work. You can find the .desktop file that
runs the libreoffice --writer command, and change the command in the
shortcut in dom0 to match, or if there isn't one you can create one.

Alternatively you can replace the qubes.StartApp+libreoffice with the
desired command (in this case libreoffice --writer) so it just runs the
command directly, and it will work. (Not sure if any of the flags for
the qvm-run command need to be changed in this case tho.) IIRC there's
some reason why qubes.StartApp is preferred to just running the command
directly in the shortcut, but i don't remember what it is.

This page gives a lot more info about application shortcuts, but it
doesn't seem to mention the possibility of just running the command
directly in the shortcut (i think it used to?)

https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/managing-appvm-shortcuts/

[Qwyet]

Thanks for the reply! That helped a lot. Thank you. Unman that also got me up and running. Thank you.