Launcher Bar (Cinnamon Applet)

Launcher Bar is a lightweight vertical launcher applet for the Cinnamon desktop. It is configured via a simple JSON file and reloads automatically when the file is saved.

Launcher Bar is inspired by Command Launcher, with a focus on simple, file-based configuration, and has been tested on Linux Mint 22.

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Features

• Vertical launcher bar for any Cinnamon panel
• Supports:
  • Desktop applications
  • Custom executables
  • Wine applications (with environment variables)
• Optional dividers for grouping launchers
• Automatic reload on configuration changes
• Minimal dependencies and stable behaviour

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Installation

Clone the repository and copy the applet directory into Cinnamon’s applet path:

git clone https://github.com/infidelus/launcherbar.git
cp -r launcherbar@infidelus ~/.local/share/cinnamon/applets/

Then reload Cinnamon or restart the desktop session.

Configuration

Launcher Bar is configured using a JSON file located at:

~/.config/cinnamon-launcher-bar/config.json

The applet automatically reloads when this file is saved.

An example configuration is provided in:

examples/config.example.json

Example Configuration

Launchers are organised into named groups, which are displayed sequentially in the panel.

{
  "groups": {
    "Default": {
      "items": [
        { "desktop": "firefox.desktop" },

        {
          "name": "Custom App",
          "exec": ["/full/path/to/executable"],
          "iconPath": "/full/path/to/icon.png"
        },

        { "type": "divider" },

        {
          "name": "Wine App",
          "exec": [
            "wine",
            "/path/to/app.exe"
          ],
          "env": {
            "WINEPREFIX": "/path/to/wineprefix"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Supported Item Types

Desktop application

{ "desktop": "firefox.desktop" }

Custom executable

{
  "name": "My App",
  "exec": ["/path/to/executable"],
  "iconPath": "/path/to/icon.png"
}

Divider

{ "type": "divider" }

Notes

• Configuration changes are applied automatically when the file is saved
• Invalid JSON will display a warning icon in the panel
• Paths containing spaces are fully supported

License

MIT