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Setting Environment Variables in .desktop Files

One of the key parts of customizing our desktop experience is setting environment variables. Environment variables help boost our software experience.

Today, we are going to take a look at two methods for setting environment variables in .desktop files.

Method 1: Using the `env` Command

The `env` command lets us manipulate environment variables.

Suppose we want to set the `GTK2_RC_FILES` variable to `gtkrc.custom` before running Eclipse.

Here are the steps:

1. First, open the .desktop file for editing.
2. Then, modify the `Exec` line as follows:

   Exec=env GTK2_RC_FILES=gtkrc.custom /path/to/eclipse

   Here,

   • `env` is the command to set the environment variable.
   • `GTK2_RC_FILES` is the name of the environment variable we want to set.
   • `gtkrc.custom` is the value we want to assign to this variable.
   • `/path/to/eclipse` is the command we want to run after setting the environment variable.

Method 2: Crafting a Wrapper Script

Alternatively, we can configure environment variables in .desktop files by creating a wrapper script.

1. First, create a script with the following content:

   
#!/bin/sh
export GTK2_RC_FILES=gtkrc.custom
exec /path/to/eclipse "$@"

   Here,

   • `export` is the command that sets the environment variable.
   • `GTK2_RC_FILES` is the name of the environment variable we want to set.
   • `gtkrc.custom` is the value we want to assign to this variable.
   • `/path/to/eclipse “$@”` is the command we want to run after setting the environment variable.
   • The `”$@”` makes sure that all arguments passed to the script will be forwarded to the Eclipse command.
2. Then, make the script executable by running the following command:

   chmod +x eclipse.sh
3. Next, set the Exec line in the .desktop file to:

   Exec=/path/to/eclipse.sh

This method makes sure that our customization won’t be overwritten when the application package receives updates.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to set Environment Variables in .desktop Files.