Bug 423374

Summary:	When the appImage has a self updating scheme, the application launcher meets an error.
Product:	[Plasma] plasmashell	Reporter:	mateMat <mathieu>
Component:	Application Launcher (Kickoff) widget	Assignee:	David Edmundson <kde>
Status:	RESOLVED WORKSFORME
Severity:	normal	CC:	plasma-bugs
Priority:	NOR	Keywords:	usability
Version First Reported In:	5.18.5
Target Milestone:	1.0
Platform:	Appimage
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description mateMat 2020-06-22 22:57:19 UTC

SUMMARY
When an appImage updates itself, the application launcher loses the link to the original integrated application, breaking the ability to launch it from menu.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Install an appImage that updates itself (like LBRY) with one version older.
2. Get the notification within the app there is a new version, click the update.
3. Close the application and try to reopen it from Application launcher

OBSERVED RESULT
Plasma sends a error message:
Could not find the program '/home/mathieu/Applications/LBRY_0.45.2.AppImage'

EXPECTED RESULT
There are so many ways to can be fixed that it depends on how coding phylosophy. But I would request the user to point to the newer program. It is simple efficient and a quick fix for that very problem that will occur over and over as appImage are getting used.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Kubuntu 20.04
KDE Plasma Version: 5.18.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.68.0
Qt Version: 5.12.8
Kernel Version: 5.4.0-38-generic
OS Type: 64-bit

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Comment 1 David Edmundson 2020-06-22 23:21:45 UTC

Can you expand on how you added the appImage application to the launcher?

does this file /home/mathieu/Applications/LBRY_0.45.2.AppImage exist after the upgrade or is it some new name.

Comment 2 mateMat 2020-06-23 15:04:17 UTC

Sure thing David,

When I use them, I simply dropped the appImage into the ~/Applications folder I made and then double clicked on it. It works the first time, but the second time I double click on it it says: "The file file:///home/mathieu/Applications/LBRY_0.45.2.AppImage is an executable program. For safety it will not be started."

I should have mentioned that while I was trying to enhance the mangement of these programs, I have used a ppa to manage the appimage (https://github.com/TheAssassin/AppImageLauncher), and now I have reinstalled it, and it automatically updated the symlink within the application launcher listing to match the newly updated version.

So my problem is fixed, I had to reinstall the appImageLauncher package and it works fine.
However while I was on Neon, last month, I did not have to install this package, the application launcher was populated with appimage without my intervention and it was working great.

If you can try to reproduce the steps, without having to install this appImageLauncher it would be great, but if you are asking it this way, I assume you have tried already.

Cheers

Comment 3 David Edmundson 2020-06-23 15:45:29 UTC

From a purely KDE POV, we don't add entries into the menu it's someone else doing that - some code in the appimage. 

Given setup is out of our control, so are updates.

I believe that's all within the realm of appimagelauncher, so maybe they fixed something

Comment 4 mateMat 2020-06-24 10:45:43 UTC

OK, thanks.