Packages-provided menu files should be in /usr/share/menu/, unless
the menu files are actually executable binaries, in which case they go in
/usr/lib/menu/. System-local menu files should be in
/etc/menu/. User-specific menu files should be in
~/.menu/
Here is an example to describe the syntax of such a file:
?package(gnumeric):\ specifies what packages need to be installed
multiple requirements should be separated by
comma
needs="X11"\ what kind of environment this command expects
section="Applications/Office"\ in what section this menu entry should be
title="Gnumeric"\ the title of the menu entry
command="gnumeric" \ the command to run
hints="Gnome,Spreadsheets" \ some hints about menu placement.
icon="/usr/share/pixmaps/gnumeric.xpm" the path to the icon to use.
A number sign ("#") can be used to include comments. An entry must
be terminated by a newline; however you can use a backslash to escape a
newline.
Values must be quoted with ", and meta-characters (", backslash,
newline) must be escaped with a backslash.
You can include several entries in the same file.
The file must be encoded in 7-bit ASCII. This is necessary to accomodate
window managers that do not support 8-bit encodings. However the translations
are not limited in encoding.
?package(...) contains a comma-separated list of packages that
need to be installed for the menu entry to be displayed. That should include
the package containing the menu file and any packages necessary to run the
command not depended on by the package nor essential. Users can use
pseudo-package names starting with "local." which are
assumed to be always installed.
The fields needs, section, title and
command are mandatory. Other fields are optional. Custom fields
are supported, so you can add new fields for you own purpose. If a field is
specified multiple times in a menu entry, the last instance will be used.
3.3 The title field
The title must follow the following requirements:
It must be short. There is an optional longtitle field for users
that want longer titles.
It must be properly capitalized. Use Emacs and not emacs.
It must be unique. Two entries must not have the same title.
3.4 The needs field
The following needs are documented for use in the Debian menu.
X11: if this program runs under X11.
text: if it runs under a terminal. X11 window managers will spawn
an X terminal emulator.
vc: if it runs under a linux virtual console but not under a X
terminal emulator.
wm: if it is a X11 window manager. The current window manager
will exec(2) this program to avoid "Another window manager is
running" errors.
A menu manager can use a special needs value reflecting the menu
manager name for menu entries that must only be displayed in this menu manager.
Examples include fvwm modules, dwww menu entries.
A program like gnuplot which can be run on X11 as well as on a text terminal
should not have an extra entry with needs=X11 with an
hard-coded call to an X terminal emulator, because this would defeat the
configuration mechanism of menu that allow to choose which window manager is
called.
On the other hand, if a program (like emacs) can be run as real X
application as well as in a terminal, two entries should be listed, otherwise
the program will always be run in an xterm (or rxvt).
However, two entries are not allowed to have the same title. The title must be
unique.
3.5 The section field
The section field holds a slash-separated list of hierarchical
sections components.
The authoritative list of Debian's menu structure is maintained in the
Debian Menu sub-policy document which is part of the Debian Policy package.
The current menu structure was drafted in 2006 by Linas Zvirblis with input
from the debian-devel mailing list.
The menu structure below is included only for convenience and is not
authoritative. If it disagrees with the structure in the Debian Menu
sub-policy, please send a wishlist bug to the menu package.
Packages must be placed in leaf sections. Please do not put your
packages into any other sections.
Applications
Normal applications
Accessibility
Tools to aid people with disabilities or for machines lacking usual input
devices.
Examples: gok, yasr, dasher.
Amateur Radio
Anything relating to HAM radio.
Examples: baken, hamsoft, twlog
Data Management
Interactive database programs, collection managers, address books, bibliography
tools, etc.
gaby, alexandria, mdbtools
Editors
Editors, other than office word processors, for text-based information.
Examples: ksubtile, nano, hexedit
Education
Educational and training softwares.
Examples: gtypist, gcompris, quiz
Emulators
Software that allows you to run non-native software or more than one OS at a
time.
Examples: wine, dosemu, qemu
File Management
Tools for file management, archiving, searching, CD/DVD burning, backup, etc.
Examples: file-roller, mc, baobab
Graphics
2D and 3D graphics manipulation software.
Examples: gimp, inkscape, imagemagick
Mobile Devices
Software that allows you to interface with mobile devices (phones, PDAs, etc.).
Examples: kandy, gnokii, gnome-pilot
Network
Network related software. This is a three-level section, do not put entries
directly here.
Communication
Mail, USENET news, chat, instant messaging, IP telephony, video conferencing
software, etc.
Examples: xchat, gaim, mutt
File Transfer
File transfer software such as download managers, FTP clients, P2P clients,
etc.
Examples: amule, gftp, d4x
Monitoring
Network monitoring software
Examples: gip, ettercap, iptstate
Web Browsing
Web browsers, tools for offline browsing, etc.
Examples: elinks, epiphany-browser, webhttrack
Web News
Web feed (RSS, Atom, etc.) and podcast aggregators.
Examples: akregator, kitty, liferea
Office
Office suites, word processors, spreadsheets, CRM, ERP, financial sofware, etc.
Examples: openoffice.org, tinyerp-client, gnucash
Programming
IDEs, debuggers, etc.
Examples: anjuta, gdb, eclipse
Project Management
Timetable managers, group task trackers, bug tracking software, etc.
Examples: planner, bugzilla, gnotime
Science
Scientific and engineering-related software.
Astronomy
Astronomy-related software.
Examples: celestia, spacechart, stellarium
Biology
Biology-related software.
Examples: arb, ncbi-tools-x11, seaview
Chemistry
Chemistry-related software.
Examples: chemtool, kalzium, xdrawchem
Data Analysis
Software designed for processing, extracting, and presenting generic scientific
data.
Examples: fityk, ygraph, mn-fit
Electronics
Circuit design tools, simulators and assemblers for microprocessors, etc
Examples: geda, gnucap, tkgate
Engineering
CAD, UML tools, diagram-drawing and other engineering-related software.
Examples: tcm, dia, qcad
Geoscience
Geoscience-related software.
Examples: earth3d, qgis, therion
Mathematics
Mathematics-related software.
Examples: gcalctool, snappea, xeukleides
Medicine
Medicine-related software.
Examples: mssstest, gnumed-client, xmedcon
Physics
Physics-related software.
Examples: kxterm, ifrit, paw
Social
Social sciences-related software.
Examples: gnomesword, hanzim, bibletime
Shells
Various shells to be used inside a terminal emulator.
Examples: bash, ksh, zsh
Sound
Sound players, editors, and rippers/recorders.
Examples: beep-media-player, grip, audacity
System
System related software.
Administration
Administrative and system configuration utilities, also tools for personal user
settings.
Tools for manipulating specific hardware, especially non-standard laptop
hardware.
Examples: toshutils, nvclock-gtk, nvtv
Language Environment
This section is reserved for language-env as a special case.
Monitoring
System information and monitoring tools, log viewers, etc.
Examples: top, hal-device-manager, gtkdiskfree
Package Management
Package managers and related tools.
Examples: aptitude, deborphan, smartpm
Security
Security, cryptography and privacy related software, antiviruses, tools to
track and report bugs, etc.
Examples: gpgkeys, bastille, avscan
Terminal Emulators
Graphical terminal emulators.
Examples: xterm, gnome-terminal, rxvt
Text
Text oriented tools like dictionaries, OCR, translation, text analysis
software, etc.
Examples: kdrill, stardict, turkey
TV and Radio
TV-in, TV-out, FM radio, teletext browsers, etc.
Examples: gradio, gatos, alevt
Viewers
Software for viewing images, documents and other (non-video) media.
Examples: gqview, evince, gthumb
Video
Video players, editors, and rippers/recorders.
Examples: istanbul, totem, kino
Web Development
Software for web site editing, web programming, and site administration.
Examples: bluefish, screem, gphpedit
Games
Games and recreations
Action
Games that involve a lot of action and require fast reflexes.
Examples: xsoldier, supertux, xmoto
Adventure
Role playing and adventure games, interactive movies and stories, etc.
Examples: beneath-a-steel-sky, egoboo, kq
Blocks
Tetris-like games involving falling blocks.
Examples: crack-attack, frozen-bubble, netris
Board
Games played on a board.
Examples: phalanx, xshogi, xboard
Card
Games involving a deck of cards.
Examples: pysol, ace-of-penguins, xpat2
Puzzles
Tests of ingenuity and logic.
Examples: xmpuzzles, sgt-puzzles, enigma
Simulation
Simulations of the real world in all detail and complexity.
Examples: flightgear, torcs
Strategy
Games involving long-term strategic thinking.
Examples: wesnoth, widelands, netpanzer
Tools
Server browsers, configurators, editors, and other game-related tools that are
not games themselves.
Examples: xqf, crystalspace
Toys
Amusements, eye-candy, entertaining demos, screen hacks (screensavers), etc.
Examples: xdesktopwaves, xphoon, xpenguins
Help
programs that provide user documentation
Examples: debian-reference, apt-howto, dhelp
Screen
Programs that affect the whole screen.
Saving
Tools for blanking the screen. Entries of screen hacks and configuration GUIs
should go to other appropriate sections.
Examples: xscreensaver, xlockmore
Locking
Tools for locking the screen.
Examples: xscreensaver, xlockmore
Window Managers
X window managers.
Examples: fluxbox, metacity, waimea
FVWM Modules
FVWM-based window manager modules. As only modules related to the running
window-manager are displayed, do not create subsections for specific
window-managers.
Examples: fvwm, fvwm-gnome, fvwm95
Window Maker
This section is reserved for wmaker as a special case.
All wmaker specific entries must go here.
Users wanting to access some menu entries quickly can also put them in the root
menu. This is done by using section="/". Package-provided
menu entries must never use this feature.
3.6 The command field
The command field holds the command that should be executed when the menu entry
is selected. Commands will be executed with sh -c using
execl("/bin/sh","sh","-c",command)
or the equivalent.
3.7 The icon field
Please make sure the icons you specify are always available on the system. So,
if you want to have an icon with your menu entry, the preferred method is to
supply the icon with that package. Icons sould generally be installed in the
directory /usr/share/pixmaps.
Debian package maintainers should ensure that any icons they include for use in
the Debian menus conform to the following points:
The icons should be in xpm format.
The icons may not be larger than 32x32 pixels, although smaller sizes are ok.
The background area of the icon should be transparent, if possible.
You can provide both 16x16 and 32x32 pixels icons using the variables icon16x16
and icon32x32 so that the user can configure menu to use one or the other.
If you, as a system administrator, don't like the icons in the menus, simply
change the icon() function from the file
/etc/menu-methods/menu.h, and run update-menus.
3.8 The hints field
Hints are used to help menu structure generated menus in a more optimal way.
For example:
The above hints will tell menu to consider grouping
emacs together with other editors that are marked similar. For
example, if vi on your system has a hints="Small,Expert"
definition, and there are too many entries in the
/Applications/Editors menu entry, then menu will consider creating
a /Applications/Editors/Expert submenu, and put both
vi and emacs in it. (Of course, only if you have
hint_optimize=true in your /etc/menu-methods/menu.h
file).
3.9 Entries for menu sections.
It is possible to add entries for menu sections, but it is not mandatory since
section entries are created automatically. However, this allows to specify
fields for sections like icon and sort. The syntax
for menu sections entries is the same as for regular entries, the
section field holding the name of the parent section. For example
The problem with the stuff in the task bar is that all items are displayed all
of the time. So, if 1500 Debian packages all were to register a button, the
buttons would quickly fill the screen, making the exercise useless. The few
applications that are considered important enough to be listed in the task bar
usually vary widely on each system, making it impossible to select a ``happy
few'' apps that are allowed there on every Debian system. If you (as a local
system administrator) want your fvwm2 to have a few buttons, you
can install files for those packages in /menu/$package, containing
a menu entry like this: