To run flatpak installed apps from dmenu.

flatpak-dmenu.md

To run a flatpak app from dmenu, you can create a symlink for the app in /usr/bin. You can find the flatpak apps binary link in /var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/ on ubuntu. E.g. to run Rocket Chat (installed from flatpak via software center), you can do something like this:

sudo ln -s /var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/chat.rocket.RocketChat /usr/bin/rocket-chat

This way you will be able to find it in the dmenu.

Resources:

• i3wm dmenu add .desktop file
• How To Create Menu Icon in Ubuntu for Installed Flatpak Application
• How to launch flatpak apps from dmenu/rofi?
• Where to find application after flatpak installation (gimp)

Maybe this could also work with dmenu or similiar.
With rofi I was able to list all installed flatpak applications. Just add this to your i3 configuration file before your dmenu command:

bindsym $mod+d exec --no-startup-id "XDG_DATA_DIRS=/home/<your_username>/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:/usr/local/share:/usr/share rofi -drun-reload-desktop-cache -show-icons -terminal alacritty -font 'Source Sans 3 12' -modi drun,run -show drun
                                                                           
                                     ^------------- this variable

@skyrhugur Hmm I don't see ending apostrophe for var XDG_DATA_DIRS ?

The best approach I found was using i3-dmenu-desktop.

1. Search for then change the dmenu_run in the i3config or if you have the default config you'll see alternatives slightly below the default line for dmenu_run.
2. Adjust accordingly using rofi or i3-dmenu-desktop by commenting/uncommenting.

Both rofi and i3-dmenu-deskotp ran on my system to display flatpaks without any other changes to the system.

Thank you so much! ❤️

Please don't do this, and instead add a directory to your PATH. It's a lot less hacky.

https://theevilskeleton.gitlab.io/2022/09/28/what-not-to-recommend-to-flatpak-users.html

I solve this by using a script that generates shell scripts of every flatpak app

#!/bin/sh

flatpak run <app>

https://github.com/AngelJumbo/flat-bin

@AngelJumbo kind stranger can you do something like this? * .firefox. *=firefox i will shit myself if you can do so.

im a complete noob at bash scripting and this would allow me easily execute my apps with bmenu

plus im working on a debian rice that is not arch so ability to be able to easily launch pretty much up to date apps while being not on ahem ROLLING DIISTROO ARCHBINGUS .

it will feel so good not rolling a russian roulette each time i update.

wait i figured out how to cut .appname. ill upgrade your script shortly so you will not requre to type in weird naming

• .firefox. *=firefox

@fislysandi I don't understand what is that, if it is a flatpak I already link my script in my other comment the only downside is that you have to run it every time that you install a new flatpak.

reason why i only need to cut out com. and org. is because sometimes some maintainers like to name their apps org."company"."appname", and org."appname"."company" if spotify and other apps just named like "company"."appname" my modification of the script wouldve been 100 % functional and basically cut out all the pain from flatpaks allowing to launch them without weird naming.

ok ill come back here tomorrow.

@fislysandi In general it's not a good idea to have a flatpak named like a regular binary, but if it works for you...... just avoid installing the same app from your regular package manager.

reason why i only need to cut out com. and org. is because sometimes some maintainers like to name their apps org."company"."appname", and org."appname"."company" if spotify and other apps just named like "company"."appname" my modification of the script wouldve been 100 % functional and basically cut out all the pain from flatpaks allowing to launch them without weird naming.

btw my script already cuts those parts....

hey i did it the other way so the app is named like this FirefoxFlatpak
i just had to change some things and i didnt need cut command

Nice one thanks

hey does anybody does know how to convert a variable into lowercase? i just need only this and i can post an improved version of flat-bin

the apps will be named like this lowercase(*)flatpak

In fedora I made this configuration below and when running dmenu it now correctly picks up the bins of the flatpaks
I use i3wm

1.To edit
vi /usr/bin/dmenu_run

2. Add line export

#!/usr/bin/sh
export PATH=$PATH:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin
dmenu_path | dmenu "$@" | ${SHELL:-"/bin/sh"} &

Here it worked correctly

When in doubt, do a search where the dmenu_run file is
sudo find / -iname "dmenu_run"

Gracias !!!!

Thanks

Lifesaver!

I found the path to be as follows:
For system installations, the directory is located at /var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin. For user installations, it’s located at ~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin.

thus, my dmenu_run file looked like the following (simlar to alissonzuza's)

#!/usr/bin/sh
export PATH=$PATH:~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin
dmenu_path | dmenu "$@" | ${SHELL:-"/bin/sh"} &

for context im using dwm and not i3

Achei o caminho o seguinte: Para instalações do sistema, o diretório está localizado em /var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin. Para instalações do usuário, ele está localizado em ~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin.

assim, o meu dmenu_run arquivo ficou com o seguinte (simlar para alissonzuza)

#!/usr/bin/sh
export PATH=$PATH:~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin
dmenu_path | dmenu "$@" | ${SHELL:-"/bin/sh"} &

para IM de contexto usando DWM e não i3

I believe that to be perfect it could be EXPORT like below
Considering system and user
export PATH=$PATH:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin:~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin

Thank you!

The best approach I found was using i3-dmenu-desktop.

1. Search for then change the `dmenu_run` in the i3config or if you have the default config you'll see alternatives slightly below the default line for `dmenu_run`.

2. Adjust accordingly using `rofi` or `i3-dmenu-desktop` by commenting/uncommenting.

Both rofi and i3-dmenu-deskotp ran on my system to display flatpaks without any other changes to the system.

This is the best answer so far.. nothing to do but to add a binding in the config

bindsym $mod+Shift+d exec --no-startup-id i3-dmenu-desktop

then reload config.. then execute the binding and i3-dmenu-desktop give you list of apps that can run in the desktop, INCLUDING the flatpaks..

I have tried using what @alissonzuza and @mlaiseca3 have suggested, and while it works, you have to type in the full name of the application instead of the short name.
For example, if you want to open the flatpak of DBeaver, you have to type in io., which will then make the io.DBeaver.DBeaverCommunity option appear.
If you were to type in DBeaver, it would not appear.

Because I did not like this behavior, I modified my dmenu_run file to be as follows:

#!/bin/zsh

export linkFlatpakFolder="$HOME/.config/flatpak-shortcuts"
export PATH=$PATH:$linkFlatpakFolder
local systemFlatpakFolder="/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin"
local userFlatpakFolder="$HOME/.local/share/flatpak/exports/bin"


local systemFlatpaks=$(ls -1 -a "$systemFlatpakFolder" 2>/dev/null | grep -v '^\.$' | grep -v '^\.\.$')
local userFlatpaks=$(ls -1 -a "$userFlatpakFolder" 2>/dev/null | grep -v '^\.$' | grep -v '^\.\.$')
# 1 line per flatpak. If any of the two directories does not exist, the variable will be empty


#Let's create syslinks to the flatpak binaries without including the full name
#NOTE: We need to ensure that there are no entries with the same name

rm -rf "$linkFlatpakFolder" 2>/dev/null

mkdir -p "$linkFlatpakFolder"


for (( i=1; i<=$(echo "$systemFlatpaks" | wc -l); i++ )); do
  local currentFlatpak=$(echo "$systemFlatpaks" | head -n $i | tail -n 1) #This is going to contain the full name
  local currentShortName=$(echo "$currentFlatpak" | awk -F. '{print $NF}') #The application name is always last.
  local currentShortName=$(echo "${(L)currentShortName}") #Make first letter of the name lower-case. (Use C instead of L for upper case)
  local fullPathToShortcut="${linkFlatpakFolder}/${currentShortName}"
  local duplicateIndex=1
  while [ -f "$fullPathToShortcut" ]; do #If the shortcut already exists, then add a suffix
    fullPathToShortcut="${fullPathToShortcut}-${duplicateIndex}"
	duplicateIndex=$(( 1 + $duplicateIndex ))
  done
  #Now create the symbolic link
  ln -s "${systemFlatpakFolder}/${currentFlatpak}" "${fullPathToShortcut}"
done

for (( i=1; i<=$(echo "$userFlatpaks" | wc -l); i++ )); do
  local currentFlatpak=$(echo "$userFlatpaks" | head -n $i | tail -n 1) #This is going to contain the full name
  local currentShortName=$(echo "$currentFlatpak" | awk -F. '{print $NF}') #The application name is always last.
  local currentShortName=$(echo "${(L)currentShortName}") #Make first letter of the name lower-case. (Use C instead of L for upper case)
  local fullPathToShortcut="${linkFlatpakFolder}/${currentShortName}"
  local duplicateIndex=1
  while [ -f "$fullPathToShortcut" ]; do #If the shortcut already exists, then add a suffix
    fullPathToShortcut="${fullPathToShortcut}-${duplicateIndex}"
	duplicateIndex=$(( 1 + $duplicateIndex ))
  done
  #Now create the symbolic link
  ln -s "${systemFlatpakFolder}/${currentFlatpak}" "${fullPathToShortcut}"
done

dmenu_path | dmenu "$@" | ${SHELL:-"/bin/sh"} &

Then, back in the terminal, I executed the following

rm "$HOME/.cache/dmenu_run" && cd "$HOME/programs/suckless/dmenu" && sudo make clean install 

And boom, it worked.

What the script does is that it creates symbolic links to the real flatpaks. The symbolic links do not carry the entire fully qualified name, but rather just the short name.

This way, I can just type DBeaver, and it will appear listed.

A solution that while not as short and elegant as the two above, works very well for me.

After you install a new flatpak, the link containing the symbolic links will be recreated, so you will always have all the flatpaks listed in dmenu

Love this, thanks.