In earlier Ubuntu versions, you can create desktop shortcuts launching favorite applications on right-click-desktop-context-menu. You can create the desktop launchers to quickly run a script and launch system locations, etc. But, Ubuntu 12.04 doesn’t have this option on right-click context menu. This tutorial shows how to easily create desktop launchers in Ubuntu 12.04 Precise using nautilus plugin called arronax.

Arronax is a plugin for Nautilus to create and modify application starters (technically: .desktop files).

Arronax adds a menu item “Create starter for this file” to the context menu (that’s the menu you get when you right-click a file in the file manager). If the file is an application starter you get an item “Modify this starter” instead.

If you have icons on your desktop enabled Arronax adds a menu item “Create starter” to your desktop’s context menu.

Then you’ll get this window to modify the launcher.

See the launcher on desktop, it can be easily drag and drop onto Uinty Launcher

To install arronax plugin for nautilus on Ubuntu 12.04

Arronax is alpha software, being developed and tested on Ubuntu 12.04 “Precise Pangolin”. It may have bugs didn’t noticed yet. Use it at your own risk!

Arronax can be installed from this ppa: ppa:diesch/testing. Use graphical way installing it, or use command line:

launch terminal from the dash home or press Ctrl+Alt+T, and execute following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:diesch/testing
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install arronax

Then restart nautilus. Log out and back in. Or execute:

nautilus -q