Desktop launcher rearrange problem

[michaelbr]

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS new install
Gnome, X11, dash-to-panel plugin
I have enabled “click-action” to minimize in Dconf-editor (org/gnome/shell/extensions/dash-to-dock), the trouble is when I click on the icon on the dock to maximize/minimize, it also rearrange some of the launchers on the desktop, is there anyway to make the desktop launchers fixed?

[1fallen]

@michaelbr

is there anyway to make the desktop launchers fixed?

This may not be what you want to hear, and I think they removed gnome-desktop-item-edit around the time of 19.10.
Yep I just checked:

$ apt search gnome-desktop-item-edit
byte 0/0 (END)

In GNOME, desktop launchers are not typically fixed in place due to the design philosophy of the desktop environment. However, you can customize the behavior of launchers to some extent. For instance, you can pin applications to the Activities overview or the application menu, which keeps them easily accessible but not fixed on the desktop itself. (You seem to know this much already)

If you specifically want to keep a launcher fixed on the desktop, you can manually place it where you want and avoid moving it. However, GNOME does not provide a built-in feature to lock launchers in place on the desktop.

[ogra]

Note that gnome doesn’t provide any support for launchers on the desktop at all anymore, they dropped that concept a while ago, the launchers on the desktop you can use in Ubuntu come from an in-house developed gnome extension called “Desktop Icons NG (next generation)” or in short DING …

There is likely some discrepancy between dash-to-dock and DING here…

[1fallen]

@ogra

Note that gnome doesn’t provide any support for launchers on the desktop at all anymore,

Thank You for that correction @ogra, It’s been a beat since I last used Gnome.

[michaelbr]

@1fallen

If you specifically want to keep a launcher fixed on the desktop, you can manually place it where you want and avoid moving it.

That’s the trouble, I’m not moving it, but the system does, when I maximize/minimize it, it rearranges the launchers on the desktop. It seems that I have to live with it. Thanks for replying.

[michaelbr]

Thanks you all for your replies, it seems I have to live with it, since it’s not supported any longer.

[ogra]

Err, no… It is just not part of gnome anymore, you should still file a bug to make the developers of the extension know about it (it might not get high priority treatment though, since it only happens with a very specific function of a third party extension enabled which does not come as a default setting)

To file a bug use:

ubuntu-bug gnome-shell-extension-desktop-icons-ng