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Desktop Icons

🖥 Adding Desktop Icons for New Users

When creating a custom Ubuntu-based ISO with Cubic, you can include preconfigured desktop icons so that new users immediately see them after account creation.

1️⃣ Location for Desktop Icons

  • Place your .desktop files in the /etc/skel/Desktop/ directory of your custom-root:
custom-root/etc/skel/Desktop/

  • Purpose:

  • The /etc/skel directory acts as a template for new user accounts.

  • Any file or folder here is automatically copied into a new user’s home directory (~/Desktop) when the account is created.

2️⃣ File Format

  • Desktop icons are standard .desktop files.
  • Example structure of a .desktop file:
[Desktop Entry]
Name=My App
Comment=Launch My App
Exec=/usr/bin/myapp
Icon=/usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/myapp.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Utility;

Tips:

  • Ensure the Exec path points to the correct executable inside your ISO.
  • Icon should point to an image installed in the system (e.g., /usr/share/icons/).
  • Use proper capitalization and .desktop file extension.

3️⃣ Displaying the Icons

  • Modern GNOME desktops require the Desktop extension to show icons on the desktop.
  • Make sure your ISO includes “Desktop Icons NG (DING)” or a similar extension.
  • Without it, users will not see any icons, even if the .desktop files are correctly placed.