Bottles Shortcut Creator (AppImage) 🍾🚀

A portable utility with a graphical interface (Zenity) designed to automate the creation of desktop shortcuts (.desktop files) for programs and games installed within Bottles (Flatpak version).

🌟 Why AppImage?

This tool is distributed as an AppImage, which means:

• Zero Installation: No need to install dependencies like yq or extra libraries.
• Portable: One single file that works across different Linux distributions.
• Steam Deck & Bazzite Friendly: Perfect for immutable systems where you want to keep your root filesystem clean.

🚀 Key Features

• Bundled Dependencies: Includes an internal yq binary to parse bottle.yml without system-wide installation.
• Graphical Workflow: Simple Zenity-based dialogs for selecting bottles, programs, and icons.
• Smart Icon Picker: * Manually choose PNG/ICO icons.
  • The picker automatically opens in the directory where the program's .exe is located.
  • Automatic fallback to the icon specified in Bottles' configuration.
• Flexible Location: Create shortcuts directly on your Desktop or in the Applications Menu.

🛠 Requirements

• Bottles installed via Flatpak.
• Zenity (standard on most Linux desktops like GNOME, KDE Plasma, or Bazzite).

📋 How to Use

1. Preparation

Before the first run, make sure the file has permission to execute:

• Right-click the .AppImage file -> Properties -> Permissions -> Check "Allow executing file as program".
• OR use the terminal:

  chmod +x Bottles_Shortcut_Creator-x86_64.AppImage

2. Step-by-Step Guide

1. Choose Mode: Select "Create shortcut from bottle program (recommended)".
2. Select Bottle: Pick the bottle containing your app.
3. Select Program: Choose the application from the list found in your bottle.yml.
4. Choose Icon: * The file picker will open in your app's folder.
   • Select an icon or click "Skip" (Pomiń) to use the default one.
5. Shortcut Location: Choose between "Desktop" or "Applications menu".

⚠️ Known Issues

• App not detected: If the program doesn't detect an application inside your bottle, create a shortcut manually within Bottles pointing to the desired file, then try running this tool again.
• Spaces in Bottle Names: If your bottle name contains spaces (e.g., "Toon car") and the created shortcut doesn't work, check the .desktop file with a text editor. Ensure that spaces haven't been replaced by dashes (e.g., "Toon-car") in the execution command.

🏗️ Technical Structure

The AppImage is built using the following structure:

• AppRun: The entry point that executes the main script.
• usr/bin/yq: Bundled YAML processor (MIT License).
• bottles-shortcut.sh: The core logic of the application.
• bottles.desktop & bottles.png: Metadata for the AppImage itself.

⚖️ License

This project is licensed under the GNU GPL v3. It is free software and will always remain free. Commercial use is not permitted.

Third-party software: This project bundles yq by Mike Farah, licensed under the MIT License.

🙏 Acknowledgements

• This project was developed with the assistance of Google Gemini, which helped with script optimization, documentation, and AppImage packaging guidance.

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Developed to simplify the Linux gaming experience on Bazzite, Steam Deck, and beyond.