XDG-LIST(1)

📦 version 1.12, in nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable

💅 XDG-LIST(1) — like, the xdg-list manual page, bestie

okay so this is the page for xdg-list from the User Commands manual, and honestly? it's a little gem. let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

xdg-list — lists desktop entry files. that's the whole job. she lists. she's an icon. 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

xdg-list [options]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

xdg-list goes and finds desktop entry files — for auto-start, for x-sessions, or for applications — and then lists them out for you. literally that's it, that's the whole function, and she does it flawlessly. 💅

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

these are the options xdg-list recognizes. and listen — xdg-list uses getopt_long_only(3), which means unambiguous abbreviations of long options are supported, AND long options with a single dash work too. so you can be lazy with your dashes and she won't judge. no cap. ✨

🌈 COMMAND OPTIONS 🌈

the default is to list desktop files for applications and give you output. but when you specify any of these bad boys, the command mode changes, okay? main character shift.

  • -l, --list — outputs the list of effective lookup paths that xdg-list is using. like, she shows you her search order. transparency queen.
  • -h, --help — prints usage info to standard output and exits. bye bestie 👋
  • -V, --version — prints detailed version information and exits. she tells you who she is.
  • -C, --copying — prints detailed copying permissions and exits. legal era 💀

🧚 GENERAL OPTIONS 🧚

the following general options are recognized:

  • -X, --xsession — list desktop entries (sorted by application id) in the x-sessions directory instead of the applications directory.
  • -U, --autostart — list desktop entries (sorted by application id) in the auto-start directory instead of the applications directory.
  • -a, --all — print all matching desktop entries, not just the first. greedy in the best way 🍓
  • --skip-dot — skip directories in "XDG_CONFIG_DIRS" and "XDG_DATA_DIRS" that start with a dot. we don't see them. they're not here.
  • --skip-tilde — skip directories in "XDG_CONFIG_DIRS" and "XDG_DATA_DIRS" that start with a tilde, and entries that reside in "XDG_CONFIG_HOME" or "XDG_DATA_HOME". doubly skipping. overachiever 💜
  • --show-dot — if a directory starts with a dot and a matching desktop entry was found for that path, then print "./appid.desktop" rather than the full path. cute and compact.
  • --show-tilde — output a tilde when a directory matches the "HOME" directory. ~ supremacy 🏠

the default is to list files (sorted by application id) in the applications directory. periodt.

🔥 OUTPUT 🔥

the format of the output depends on whether xdg-list is operating in list mode or normal mode. two vibes. let's go.

⭐ LIST OUTPUT ⭐

when you run her in --list mode, xdg-list prints the full path of directories associated with auto-start, x-sessions, or applications — depending on the settings of the other options. the directories get printed one per line, in search order. and heads up: for applications, xdg-list will also list fallback directories in addition to applications directories. extra thorough, we love her 🎀

an example follows:

 $> xdg-list -l -U
 /home/brian/.config/autostart
 /etc/xdg/xde/autostart
 /etc/xdg/autostart

⭐ NORMAL OUTPUT ⭐

when you run in application, auto-start, or x-session modes, xdg-list collects all of the desktop files by application id in accordance with XDG specifications. then she prints the list, one application per line, sorted by application id. on each line, the application id comes first, immediately followed by a colon ":" and one space, followed by the full path of the .desktop file associated with that application id. 💅

important, bestie: note that all application ids are printed — the .desktop file is not checked for any fields that would suppress their display on a launcher, session manager, or display manager. it's giving raw data, no filtering, no vibes-based hiding. 🙈

an example follows:

 $> xdg-list -U
 at-spi-dbus-bus: /etc/xdg/autostart/at-spi-dbus-bus.desktop
 at-spi-registryd: /etc/xdg/autostart/at-spi-registryd.desktop
 deja-dup-monitor: /etc/xdg/autostart/deja-dup-monitor.desktop
 dhcpcd-gtk: /etc/xdg/xde/autostart/dhcpcd-gtk.desktop
 eekboard-autostart: /etc/xdg/autostart/eekboard-autostart.desktop
 gnome-settings-daemon: /etc/xdg/autostart/gnome-settings-daemon.desktop
 gsettings-data-convert: /etc/xdg/autostart/gsettings-data-convert.desktop
 icewmtray: /etc/xdg/xde/autostart/icewmtray.desktop
 pulseaudio: /etc/xdg/autostart/pulseaudio.desktop
 smproxy: /etc/xdg/xde/autostart/smproxy.desktop
 vboxclient: /etc/xdg/autostart/vboxclient.desktop
 zeitgeist-datahub: /etc/xdg/autostart/zeitgeist-datahub.desktop

🌿 ENVIRONMENT 🌿

these are the environment variables xdg-list examines. she's nosy (affectionate):

  • HOME — used by xdg-list to determine the user's home directory.
  • XDG_DATA_HOME — used by xdg-list to determine the user's XDG data directory. this defaults to $HOME/.local/share. the applications sub-directory under this directory is the first searched to locate desktop entry files. see the XDG Desktop Entry file specification for more information.
  • XDG_DATA_DIRS — used by xdg-list to determine the system XDG data directories. this defaults to /usr/local/share:/usr/share. the applications sub-directory under these directories are searched in order to locate desktop entry files. see the XDG Desktop Entry file specification for more information.
  • XDG_CONFIG_HOME — used by xdg-list to determine the user's XDG configuration directory. this defaults to $HOME/.config. the autostart sub-directory under this directory is the first searched to locate desktop entry files. see the XDG Desktop Entry file specification for more information.
  • XDG_CONFIG_DIRS — used by xdg-list to determine the system XDG configuration directories. this defaults to /etc/xdg. the autostart sub-directory under these directories are searched in order to locate desktop entry files. see the XDG Desktop Entry file specification for more information.

💀 BUGS 💀

xdg-list has no known bugs. not a single one. flawless behavior, we stan 🧚✨

but fr fr, if you do find something, please report bugs to the source code repository at <https://github.com/bbidulock/xdg-launch/issues>. she wants to hear from you.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

whereis(1), xdg-which(1).

💖 AUTHOR 💖

Brian Bidulock <mailto:bidulock@openss7.org>

okay that's the whole page!! 🎀 this came from xdg-launch 1.12, dated 2022-01-28 — the XDG-LIST(1) page itself. go forth and list your desktop entries, bestie, you've got this 💜🫶✨

📦 where this page comes from