Provide an installer for Linux

[avlapp]

Describe the request

Provide some way of automatically configuring the Linux system for the Arduino IDE installation:

• Application menu item
• Application icon
• MIME types

This will be accomplished by generating a "desktop entry" file (.desktop file).

🙂 It will be more convenient for Linux users to use Arduino IDE.

Describe the current behavior

No installer is provided for the Linux build of Arduino IDE.

🙁 Users must launch Arduino IDE directly from the installation package or else figure out how to create the desktop entry manually.

Arduino IDE version

Original report

Not stated

Last verified with

117b2a4

Operating system

Linux

Operating system version

Any

Additional context

This is accomplished by Arduino IDE 1.x users by running the install.sh script that is included in the built package:

https://.com/arduino/Arduino/blob/89539b1131f8cde9f7a83225f21c811071af53a8/build/linux/dist/install.sh

Related

• New Linux AppImage Launcher for gnomel #356
• Add application icon for Linux #131
• Improve Linux installation instructions or update install.sh with udev rules #951
• adding arduino-linux-setup.sh script Arduino#6053
• Linux DEB and RPM support #1711
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/install-does-not-create-an-icon-anywhere-during-install/1344960

Additional requests

• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/problems-with-appimage-installation/1133440
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-very-poor-installer-for-linux/1200277
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/ide-2-x-dont-work-on-ubuntu-24-04lts/1335638/8
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/installing-arduino-2-3-4-on-latest-mint-linux-22-ubuntu-6-8-0-51-generic/1342302
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/upgraded-linux-to-24-04-1-lts-how-to-restore-desktop-link/1351553
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/auto-update-for-linux-distributions/1370607/3

Issue checklist

• I searched for previous requests in the issue tracker
• I verified the feature was still missing when using the latest nightly build
• My request contains all necessary details

[avlapp]

That goes fast...
FYI for Processing, when I install it with sudo in /opt using the install.sh script, everything went well, except it seems I had to run the following command as normal user to get Desktop icon. Not sure if this also applies to stable / former Arduino IDE. I'll check tonight or tomorrow.

xdg-desktop-icon install /usr/share/applications/processing-pde.desktop

[avlapp]

Yes, it seems the script doesn't add a desktop shortcut icon when running the ./install.sh script of the stable IDE as root.

After running the install script, I had to run as normal user (not root):
xdg-desktop-icon install /usr/share/applications/arduino-arduinoide.desktop

I wonder if that shouldn't be /usr/local/share/applications though. It's a local install I would think.

[avlapp]

I'm not an expert, but reading this tells me that if one installs in /opt, no files of that package should be placed outside of /opt
https://tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Filesystem-Hierarchy/html/opt.html

It could be that the xdg tool is placing the *.desktop file in /usr/share/applications, when used as root.

[avlapp]

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/196636/system-wide-desktop-file-installation-for-unpackaged-software
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_entries

A bit confusing. I tend to think that those tools (xdg-tools, desktop-file-install) are for packaged packages (which you can install via apt etc.).

Maybe the best way for third party package is to copy the *.desktop file to the right place (/opt/arduino-/usr/share/applications/arduino-arduinoide.desktop) (?)

Or to arduino-/usr/share/applications/arduino-arduinoide.desktop (as it is now, its a users/ system administrators choice where to place the arduino folder. This probably should be in /opt, but it's not a requirement.

And then make a symbolic link from the Desktop folder to the Arduino *.desktop file in /opt/arduino....

But this has to be confirmed by someone more knowledgeable then I am on this topic.

[avlapp]

A symlink from /usr/local/share/applications/arduino-arduinoide.desktop to /opt/arduino..../arduino-arduinoide.desktop, should add arduino to the menu.

A symlink from ~/Desktop to /opt/arduino..../arduino-arduinoide.desktop should add a shortcut on the Desktop to open Arduino.

Would be a solution, for a system wide installation probably. Like I said, needs confirmation though. I could be wrong.

[avlapp]

I think I would install in /opt instead of /usr/local for a package like Arduino.
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/11544/what-is-the-difference-between-opt-and-usr-local

[SuperNinja-4965]

I just thought I'd share that i am helping with working on a flatpak (on flathub) release for the new Arduino IDE.
At the moment it only exists as a pull request and further decisions are to be made as to whether or not to add this to its own flatpak package (or have it in a beta branch then moving it to release upon full release of v2).
Here is the pull request as of right now: flathub/cc.arduino.arduinoide#42
I understand this doesn't solve the install script issue (which will be useful for those who would like to install on linux), but this allows an alternate installation method of the new IDE.

Related #356

[pabloab]

Are you against installing using Flatpak?