Bug 423630 - [Steam] Create Start Menu icon
Summary: [Steam] Create Start Menu icon
Status: RESOLVED NOT A BUG
Alias: None
Product: krita
Classification: Applications
Component: General (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 4.3.0
Platform: Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Emmet O'Neill
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2020-06-28 20:41 UTC by markuss
Modified: 2020-06-30 22:00 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description markuss 2020-06-28 20:41:21 UTC
Since Krita from Steam runs just fine without Steam running and Steam is at most only capable to create an icon on the desktop, Krita from Steam should have an option to create a Start Menu icon.

Under Windows that would be a link in "%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Krita\krita\bin\krita.exe" (or wherever the Steam library is).

Not sure what the best way under Linux would be.

I suggest a checkbox in Settings > General that adds or removes the shortcut.
Comment 1 alpemwarrior 2020-06-29 07:21:19 UTC
On linux start menu entries are created via a .desktop file in /usr/share/applications/. However, I think steam can create those right? I've never had to create one myself.
Comment 2 Halla Rempt 2020-06-29 11:39:02 UTC
I don't think that this is krita's job and I have never seen any application on Windows that handles its start menu integration like that.
Comment 3 markuss 2020-06-29 19:02:01 UTC
(In reply to Boudewijn Rempt from comment #2)
> I don't think that this is krita's job

Krita does this job in the non-paid installer. All I ask is a little feature parity: An icon in the Start Menu.

The checkbox was just an idea. The exact method is not really relevant.

> and I have never seen any application
> on Windows that handles its start menu integration like that.

Usually games require Steam to run because of DRM. Luckily, Krita is different but as it is now, one has to manually navigate to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Krita\krita\bin".

Windows does not allow apps without a .lnk file in "%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs"  to Pin To Start.

I don't think my workflow is super weird in that I group productivity apps together in my Start Menu.
Comment 4 Halla Rempt 2020-06-29 20:30:13 UTC
Actually, apparently you can enable whether an application has a start menu entry in steam's settings?
Comment 5 markuss 2020-06-30 20:44:36 UTC
(In reply to Boudewijn Rempt from comment #4)
> Actually, apparently you can enable whether an application has a start menu
> entry in steam's settings?

Nope, only a desktop icon that links to steam://rungameid/280680 (which also means that Steam will launch first, ie. the startup time is horrible even with an SSD).

Quite frankly, I'm puzzled that a relatively minor request that would help people who paid for Krita would be so controversial.
Comment 6 Halla Rempt 2020-06-30 21:14:19 UTC
It is not controversial; it is nonsensical. No Windows application manages the presence or absence of an entry in the start menu in its settings dialog. That's the job of whatever mechanism installs the application.
Comment 7 Emmet O'Neill 2020-06-30 22:00:21 UTC
Hey kmi,

Steam kind of plays by its own rules in terms of how it installs things on your PC. Unlike our non-Steam installer, we basically just give it a depot of files, all of the installing and even the running is done the way Steam wants it done. There are a few options:

1.) Like any other game, you can ask Steam to create a desktop shortcut for Krita. I've heard some people have had success pinning that desktop shortcut to their menu by prefixing the path with "%windir%\explorer.exe" (i.e.: "%windir%\explorer.exe steam://rungameid/280680", for Krita). I just tried this and I couldn't make it work, though... Windows 10 is very fickle about what it lets you pin.

2.) Another option is to navigate to the folder where Steam installs Krita. (Right-click Krita in the Library > Manage > Browse local files.) From there you can find krita.exe in the bin\ folder, and pin that executable to the Window 10 start menu without issue. The minor downside being that, by doing this, you'll no longer be running Krita through Steam which will prevent Steam from seeing that you're running Krita, from what I can tell.

While it might not be the outcome you want, we wont be adding a checkbox like you've suggested to our settings menu. Krita is distributed through a lot of different channels on each platform, source code, .exe, .appimage, flatpak, distro repositories, Steam, Windows Store, etc. Each of these platforms and delivery methods has minor trade-offs and, while we want to make every one as nice as possible for our users, ultimately it wouldn't be sustainable to add a bunch of little workaround to the core of Krita.

As the person who has been managing Steam for a couple of years, there may be more that I can do to improve the way Krita on Steam integrates with the desktop, and I'll look into it when I have time. But for now please understand that Steam kind of sees itself as a package manager and launcher and it likes things to work a certain way and doesn't integrate very well with Windows or Linux desktops.

If neither of the above workarounds work for you, send me an email and I can see if I can help you get a refund on Steam and maybe move to the regular desktop version of Krita.
- Emmet