Launcher item first available in Dash after relogin

[Mikkel Kirkgaard Nielsen]

Successfully installing virtualbox (package "virtualbox") on an almost vanilla Ubuntu 15.10 (wily) doesn't expose the application launcher in the Unity Dash. The desktop file is in place (at /usr/share/applications/virtualbox.desktop) but somehow Unity doesn't see it before logout/login or reboot.

The application runs fine when started from the command-line. I first installed using apt then removed and tried through Ubuntu Software Center with the same result. Seems like something is missing in the package's post-install.

Digging a bit I found https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UnityLaunchersAndDesktopFiles#Adding_a_.desktop_file_to_the_Unity_Launcher which suggest changes/additions to .desktop files ought to be picked up automatically but also says it can be forced by using the tool desktop-file-install. And indeed after using it to install the .desktop file as below, Unity knows about VirtualBox.

$ sudo desktop-file-install /usr/share/applications/virtualbox.desktop

1)
$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 15.10
Release: 15.10

2)
$ apt-cache policy virtualbox
virtualbox:
  Installed: 5.0.14-dfsg-0ubuntu1.15.10.1
  Candidate: 5.0.14-dfsg-0ubuntu1.15.10.1
  Version table:
 *** 5.0.14-dfsg-0ubuntu1.15.10.1 0
        500 http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ wily-updates/multiverse amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ wily-security/multiverse amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     5.0.4-dfsg-2 0
        500 http://dk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ wily/multiverse amd64 Packages

3)
I expect to be able to find and launch VirtualBox from the Unity Dash after installation of the "virtualbox" package.

4)
No launcher icon appear in Unity Dash (neither via the default lens nor the Application lens).

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

Hi, I already got some similar bug reports, however I think this is an unity specific issue, because I never had such issues with kde or gnome DMs...

I have no code that handles the desktop file, so the default postinst #DEBHELPER# automatically added macro should just work, and if it doesn't, the bug should be somewhere else.

Of course a patch / workaround is appreciated :)

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

trying to reassing to unity team