Making A Link-Shortcut-Alias On Desktop

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

HI ALL,

This maybe a newbie question, but can't figure it out.

On Linux or Windows you would right click the desktop and make a shortcut or link to application and that would be that.

On OS-X I find myself perplexed by this seemingly easy task.

I want to create a Shortcut (aka Alias) on the desktop to GIMP program which runs under X11. GIMP program resides in /sw/bin/gimp and I can launch it from the terminal command line or add it to X11 menu and launch it from there, but what I really want is a icon on my desktop. Now if the program resides in the Application folder I could make an Alias of it, but the GIMP program does not appear there.

So, any ideas of how to do this?

Thanks,

Joe :doctor:

James · Jan 1, 2005

gunnerjoe said:
HI ALL,

This maybe a newbie question, but can't figure it out.

On Linux or Windows you would right click the desktop and make a shortcut or link to application and that would be that.

On OS-X I find myself perplexed by this seemingly easy task.

I want to create a Shortcut (aka Alias) on the desktop to GIMP program which runs under X11. GIMP program resides in /sw/bin/gimp andI can launch it from the terminal command line or add it to X11 menu and launch it from there, but what I really want is a icon on my desktop. Now if the program resides in the Application folder I could make an Alias of it, but the GIMP program does not appear there.

So, any ideas of how to do this?

Thanks,

Joe :doctor:

When you go to "Programs" and click on Gimp doesn't it put the Gimp icon on your "launch bar" on your desktop? If so, simply right click on the Gimp icon and tell it to "stay" that way it will be on your desktop all the time and when you click on it, it will automaticly start X11 too.

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

No it does not show up as an icon in the Dock, maybe because it is an X11 app, I don't know. I know what you are referring to though, "Keep in Dock" on a right click on the icon of a running program.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Joe

James said:
When you go to "Programs" and click on Gimp doesn't it put the Gimp icon on your "launch bar" on your desktop? If so, simply right click on the Gimp icon and tell it to "stay" that way it will be on your desktop all the time and when you click on it, it will automaticly start X11 too.

johnnyluu · Jan 1, 2005

Sorry, this is a bit ranom and just an assumption. I don't really know anything and could be totally wrong, but cant you run terminal commands with an applescript? Just create a script that does the terminal command for running Gimp and then launch it from the script menu using the newly created applescript. Possibly.

James · Jan 1, 2005

gunnerjoe said:
No it does not show up as an icon in the Dock, maybe because it is an X11 app, I don't know. I know what you are referring to though, "Keep in Dock" on a right click on the icon of a running program.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Joe

Hmmmm... what version of OS X are you using? Try dragging the Gimp icon itself to the dock and if it works then use the Keep in dock function. Other than that I don't know what would work.

Macman · Jan 1, 2005

hold down control, click the gimp app, select make alias, then drag it to the desktop, or take it from the apps folder and drop it on the dock.

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

One possible solution

In finder I went to /sw/bin directory and tried to launch GIMP from there, it was asking what application to use to open GIMP, so once I figured out to point it to the application X11, it would continue to launch. Next I could copy GIMP from /sw/bin to the desktop, but I didn't see a way to just do an ALIAS. While I can now launch GIMP from the icon on my desktop, this seems like a round about way of doing something that should be so simple.

Any Ideas Greatly Appreciated!

Thanks

Joe

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

There is no make Alias when ctrl clicking GIMP, there is a copy, See my other post on that. Maybe no Alias because it it isn't seen as a Apple program... just a thought.

Thanks,

Joe

Macman said:
hold down control, click the gimp app, select make alias, then drag it to the desktop, or take it from the apps folder and drop it on the dock.

technologist · Jan 1, 2005

There is a binary executable (.app) version of the Gimp for OS X. It's the first link on http://gimp.org/macintosh/
You can put this .app in your Applications folder, and it'll work like any proper Macintosh application. (Though it still requires X11.)

You can also make an alias by holding down Command+Option (your pointer should have a curly arrow) and dragging to the Desktop.

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

technologist said:
There is a binary executable (.app) version of the Gimp for OS X. It's the first link on http://gimp.org/macintosh/
You can put this .app in your Applications folder, and it'll work like any proper Macintosh application. (Though it still requires X11.)

You can also make an alias by holding down Command+Option (your pointer should have a curly arrow) and dragging to the Desktop.

That's one way to do it

Murlyn · Jan 1, 2005

I believe the reason you are having these problems is because it's not a carbon/cocoa app thus the problems you are having. Now one way you can do it is by typing something like this in the terminal:

Code:

ln -s /sw/bin/gimp ~/Desktop/Gimp

That creates a symbolic link, which is more of a linux thing then a GUI Mac thing

gunnerjoe · Jan 1, 2005

Murlyn said:
I believe the reason you are having these problems is because it's not a carbon/cocoa app thus the problems you are having. Now one way you can do it is by typing something like this in the terminal:

Code:

ln -s /sw/bin/gimp ~/Desktop/Gimp

That creates a symbolic link, which is more of a linux thing then a GUI Mac thing

That's one way to skin that cat.

Thanks

guerom00 · Jan 3, 2005

Hi there,

You can also rename your application appending the suffix .x11app to tell OSX that it is a X11 application (in a Terminal) :

$ cd /sw/bin/
$ mv gimp gimp.x11app

After that, a double click will lauch directly Gimp

shaun89 · Jan 3, 2005

All that to get a shortcut?

gunnerjoe · Jan 4, 2005

guerom00 said:
Hi there,

You can also rename your application appending the suffix .x11app to tell OSX that it is a X11 application (in a Terminal) :

$ cd /sw/bin/
$ mv gimp gimp.x11app

After that, a double click will lauch directly Gimp

That's a nice trick. I can then do click ctrl-command and make the dang shortcut of the gimp.x11app to the desktop.

Boy that was easy

Thanks,

Joe

Making A Link-Shortcut-Alias On Desktop

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James

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