Executable file

The Desktop doesn't launch Python files directly. Instead, the Desktop launches the executable specified with the Execkey in the .desktop file. This executable is usually a simple shell script that does two things:

it switches to the application's directory
it launches Python and passes it the application's main Python file (which resides in the application's directory).

Here are details:

Run time location: /usr/bin

File name extension: Can be anything

Example: /usr/bin/pyglade

Type: For Python applications, this is generally an executable shell script.

Sample:

#!/bin/sh
cd /usr/share/pyglade
python main.py

Key points:

/usr/share/pygladeis the application directory that contains the application's Python code
- Note: as with all other run-time paths, this path is relative to the UME's root (or the chroot when working in an Image-Creator target).
python main.pylaunches the Python interpreter and passes it the application's Python file, namely main.py


Application auto-discovery via the .desktop file		Main Python file