PortableActivate v3 - activate/deactivate portable applications

[gyrog]

v3 announcement at viewtopic.php?p=45091#p45091.

********************Original message follows**************************
This is meant to be the 'sfs_load' for ".AppImage" v2 files and portable applications that are directories, like the @mikewalsh 'LAUNCH' collection.
After downloading a portable application, (and extracting if necessary), you run this utility and select the new application file/directory,
once it's "activated", the new application is available in the PATH and in the Puppy menu if it's a GUI.

## Uasge:
To "activate", run "PortableActivate", click on "Activate" and follow the dialogs.
After reboot, the portable application should still be integrated into Puppy.

When you no longer want to use the application, run "PortableActivate", select the appropriate file, then click on "Deactivate",
then delete the portable application file/directory.

PortableActivate, also has an "Executable" button, clicking this will produce a dialog to select a ".AppImage" file to make it executable.
This is there because a downloaded ".AppImage" file usually does not have "execute" permission set.
There is no need to do this if you "Activate" the ".AppImage" file.

## Download:
I've released PortableActivate as "AppImage" files at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/7fxgg1aygy6vi/portact.
Download 'PortableActivate-i386.tar' for 32 bit Puppies, or 'PortableActivate-x86_64.tar' for 64 bit Puppies.
Extracting the downloaded ".tar" file will produce a ".AppImage" file that has "execute" permission set.

So, download a PortableActivate ".tar" file, and extract it:

Code: Select all

tar xf PortableActivate-i386.tar

Then execute:

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PortableActivate-i386.AppImage

click on "Activate", and select the ".AppImage" file, thus "activating" the PortableActivate ".AppImage" file,
or
in a console, run:

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PortableActivate-i386.AppImage --appimage-extract

rename the "squashfs-root" directory to "PortableActivate", and "activate" that directory by executing 'PortableActivate-i386.AppImage',
or if you are running "ROX-filer" you can simply execute the "PortableActivate" directory, by clicking on it.

## How:
PortableActivate does this by creating a small number of files:
a symbolic link to the portable application somwhere in the PATH that gives it precedence,
if the portable application is GUI, it also creates:
an icon file in '/usr/share/pixmaps',
and a ".desktop" file in '/usr/share/applications',
in each case it will use a symbolic link if possible, otherwise it copies or generates a file.

Thus, PortableActivate has a small footprint in your "save", provided you store the portable application itself somewhere in '/mnt/home', outside the aufs stack.

[gyrog]

I've uploaded new versions of 'PortableActivate-i386.tar' and 'PortableActivate-x86_64.tar' to https://www.mediafire.com/folder/7fxgg1aygy6vi/portact.

Extracting a downloaded ".tar" file will produce a ".AppImage" file that has "execute" permission set.

The ".AppImage" files are now called 'Portable_Activate-i386.AppImage' and 'Portable_Activate-x86_64.AppImage',
because the ".desktop" file now contains "Name=Portable Activate", so it will appear in the menu as "Portable Activate" not "PortableActivate".

Apart from the extra "height" in the main dialog, the changes are about improving the code, mostly it does more checking for things not working.

Hm..., forgot to bump the version number, it still shows v1.

[gyrog]

PortableActivate v3 - activate/deactivate portable applications

This is a redo of the 'activate' internals, the application still performs tthe same functions.

## Patch:
It now uses ".desktop" files in the root directory of any portable application.
For each ".desktop" file it:
1. Uses the "Exec=" line to name a symbolic link to the AppImage or AppRun/LAUNCH, in the 'PATH'.
2. If "Terminal=false" then,
it uses the "Icon=" line to name a symbolic link in '/usr/share pixmaps' to the image with the same name in the root direcory of the AppDir,
and it creates a symbolic link to this ".desktop" file in /usr/share/applications',
If it's processing an AppImage, it copies the image and ".desktop" files instead of using a symbolic link.

## Download:
I've released PortableActivate as an "AppDir" file at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/7fxgg1aygy6vi/portact.
Download 'PortableActivate_AppDir-3.tar.gz'.
Extract the downloaded ".tar.gz" somewhere on a Linux partition, that is always mounted, producing a 'PortableActivate' directory that is the AppDir.

## 1st. Run:
If the directory appears in you FileManager as an icon other than the normal "folder" icon, just click it.
Otherwise, drag the diretory to the desktop, then click on the icon on the desktop.
Otherwise, open the directory, and run the 'AppRun' file.

## Activated:
It is suggested that the first portable applicatiion that you "activate" should be "PortableActivate" itself.
Then it can the be run from a terminal as "portact" or from the desktop menu as "Setup->PortableActivate".