Appimage Desktop Integration Tools

Optional set of tools to assist users at verifying, activating, deploying and removing applications packaged as AppImage.

Premise:

• AppImage applications trust is defined by the presence (or not) of the executable bit.
• A non-executable AppImage file is an untrusted (read: potentially dangerous) application. It should only be executed by a sandboxing utility (for example firejail).
• An executable AppImage file is (with explicit permission from the user) a trusted and safe application.
• AppImage applications desktop integration is defined by the location of the file in <XDG_USER_HOME>/Applications or /opt/Applications. Such applications will be considered as "deployed". This means that it will be added to the desktop menu by coping its ".Desktop" file and icon to their respective XDG locations.
• An AppImage file in <XDG_USER_HOME>/Applications is available only for the current user.
• An AppImage file in /opt/Applications is available for all users.
• A non-executable AppImage file in <XDG_USER_HOME>/Applications or /opt/Applications is still considered untrusted its ".Desktop" file will be deployed but it must be modified to execute the application inside a sandboxing utility.

Workflow

A. Executing an AppImage:

1. Download a binary file.
2. Open it in your file browser (or in the terminal with xdg-open).
3. Wait for the signature verification to be completed.
4. Click Trust.
5. Click Run.

B. Executing an AppImage in sandbox:

1. Download binary file.
2. Open it in your file browser (or in the terminal with xdg-open)
3. Wait for the signature verification to be completed.
4. Click Run in Sandbox.

C. Deploy AppImage (using the first run utility):

1. Download binary file.
2. Open it in your file browser (or in the terminal with xdg-open)
3. Wait for the signature verification to be completed.
4. Click Deploy.

D. Deploy AppImage (using the Applications dir):

1. Download binary file.
2. Copy it to <XDG_USER_HOME>/Applications.
3. Wait for the signature verification to be completed.

E. Remove AppImage

1. Remoge AppImage file.

AppImage First Run

This aims to ease the verification and integration of newly downloaded appimages. The user is warned about the danger of using unreliable binaries. It allows to:

• To deploy the applications .desktop file and icons.
• To test the application by executing it once.
• To trust (set executable permission to the file)

User Applications Monitor

This aims to allow simple integration of appimages by monitoring a "desktop integrated" Applications folder, where the users can just copy the applications that they'd want and have them available from start menus and as mime-type handlers.

AppImage Desktop Integration configuration UI

Provides a simple interface to deploy and monitor the mentioned tools.

Issues

If you find problems with the contents of this repository please create an issue.

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