.desktop file fails with unhelpful error message "The was an error launching the application"

[Karl-Philipp Richter]

Launching a .desktop file can result in the error message "The was an error launching the application". Such unhelpful message hiding the cause of the failure and leaving the user incapable of fixing the it should not be included in any application ever programmed/released including nautilus.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.10
Package: nautilus 1:3.20.3-1ubuntu3.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.8.0-32.34-generic 4.8.11
Uname: Linux 4.8.0-32-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zcommon znvpair zavl
ApportVersion: 2.20.3-0ubuntu8.2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sat Dec 24 00:34:23 2016
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-12-12 (377 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151021)
SourcePackage: nautilus
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to yakkety on 2016-10-17 (67 days ago)
usr_lib_nautilus: gnome-terminal 3.20.2-1ubuntu5

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. The issue you are reporting is an upstream one and it would be nice if somebody having it could send the bug to the developers of the software by following the instructions at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/GNOME. If you have done so, please tell us the number of the upstream bug (or the link), so we can add a bugwatch that will inform us about its status. Thanks in advance.

[Ads20000 (ads20000)]

Filed here: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/nautilus/issues/357

[Ads20000 (ads20000)]

(Applies to Ubuntu 17.10 and the Files 3.28 Nightly Flatpak)

[Ads20000 (ads20000)]

Karl (or anyone else wanting this bug fixed) can you answer this question on GitLab please? Otherwise this bug may not be fixed: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/nautilus/issues/357

[Ads20000 (ads20000)]

* https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/nautilus/issues/357#note_114616

Where the Files developer says: 'How can we make the error message more helpful in such a case?'

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Closed upstream: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/nautilus/issues/357