Make MATE Menu open what you want

Wait, can't I do that already?
Yes, yes you can. But I am talking about the stuff on the left side. This thread contains what I believe are improvements over the default MATE menu to afford users more customization and convenience when using Ubuntu MATE.

Below, for the time being are only changes I made to system_management.py, which have have the following options:

  • Package Manager
  • Control Centre
  • Terminal
  • Lock Screen
  • Logout
  • Quit

If you're coming from Linux Mint, you'll notice Software Manager is missing, and if you look in the code, Software Manager is ripped out completely. I've tried before adding it back into the code, sadly this wasn't an option for a novice like me. The replacement content below will alter the following;

  • Package Manager
  • Supersede Synaptic with Ubuntu Software Centre Open Synaptic
  • Terminal
  • Use default X terminal as defined via update-alternatives
  • Lock Screen
  • Use XDG Utils for screensaver

Copy the below and paste it into system_management.py, optionally copy it as superuser with a different name to revert back just in case you don't like the changes below;

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

# Copyright (C) 2007-2014 Clement Lefebvre <[email protected]>
# Copyright (C) 2015 Martin Wimpress <[email protected]>
#
# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
# GNU General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program; if not, write to the
# Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
# 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.

import gettext
import gi
import os

gi.require_version("Gtk", "2.0")

from gi.repository import Gtk
from mate_menu.easybuttons import *
from mate_menu.execute import Execute
from mate_menu.easygsettings import EasyGSettings

# i18n
gettext.install("mate-menu", "/usr/share/locale")

class pluginclass( object ):

    def __init__(self, mateMenuWin, toggleButton):

        self.mateMenuWin = mateMenuWin
        self.toggleButton = toggleButton

        self.builder = Gtk.Builder()
        self.builder.add_from_file( os.path.join( '/', 'usr', 'share', 'mate-menu',  'plugins', 'system_management.glade' ))

        self.systemBtnHolder    = self.builder.get_object( "system_button_holder" )
        self.editableBtnHolder  = self.builder.get_object( "editable_button_holder" )
        self.scrolledWindow = self.builder.get_object( "scrolledwindow2" )

        # These properties are NECESSARY to maintain consistency

        # Set 'window' property for the plugin (Must be the root widget)
        self.window = self.builder.get_object( "mainWindow" )

        # Set 'heading' property for plugin
        self.heading = _("System")

        # This should be the first item added to the window in glade
        self.content_holder = self.builder.get_object( "System" )

        # Items to get custom colors
        self.itemstocolor = [ self.builder.get_object( "viewport2" ) ]

        # Gconf stuff
        self.settings = EasyGSettings( "org.mate.mate-menu.plugins.system_management" )

        self.settings.notifyAdd( "icon-size", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-control-center", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-lock-screen", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-logout", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-package-manager", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-terminal", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "show-quit", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "allow-scrollbar", self.RegenPlugin )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "height", self.changePluginSize )
        self.settings.notifyAdd( "width", self.changePluginSize )
        self.settings.bindGSettingsEntryToVar( "bool", "sticky", self, "sticky" )

        self.GetGSettingsEntries()

        self.content_holder.set_size_request( self.width, self.height )

    def destroy( self ):
        self.settings.notifyRemoveAll()

    def wake (self) :
        pass

    def changePluginSize( self, settings, key, args ):
        self.allowScrollbar = self.settings.get( "bool", "allow-scrollbar")
        if key == "width":
            self.width = settings.get_int(key)
        elif key == "height":
            if (self.allowScrollbar == False):
                self.height = -1
                self.scrolledWindow.set_policy( Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC, Gtk.PolicyType.NEVER )
            else:
                self.scrolledWindow.set_policy( Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC, Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC )
                self.height = settings.get_int(key)

        self.content_holder.set_size_request( self.width, self.height )


    def RegenPlugin( self, *args, **kargs ):
        self.GetGSettingsEntries()
        self.ClearAll()
        self.do_standard_items()

    def GetGSettingsEntries( self ):

        self.width = self.settings.get( "int", "width")
        self.allowScrollbar = self.settings.get( "bool", "allow-scrollbar")
        self.scrolledWindow.set_policy( Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC, Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC )
        self.height = self.settings.get( "int", "height")
        self.content_holder.set_size_request( self.width, self.height )
        if (self.allowScrollbar == False):
            self.height = -1
            self.scrolledWindow.set_policy( Gtk.PolicyType.AUTOMATIC, Gtk.PolicyType.NEVER )
        self.content_holder.set_size_request( self.width, self.height )
        self.iconsize = self.settings.get( "int","icon-size")

        # Check toggles
        self.showPackageManager = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-package-manager")
        self.showControlCenter = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-control-center")
        self.showTerminal = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-terminal")
        self.showLockScreen = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-lock-screen")
        self.showLogout = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-logout")
        self.showQuit = self.settings.get( "bool", "show-quit")

        # Plugin icon
        self.icon = self.settings.get( "string", "icon" )
        # Allow plugin to be minimized to the left plugin pane
        self.sticky = self.settings.get( "bool", "sticky")
        self.minimized = self.settings.get( "bool", "minimized")

    def ClearAll(self):
        for child in self.systemBtnHolder.get_children():
            child.destroy()
        for child in self.editableBtnHolder.get_children():
            child.destroy()

    #Add standard items
    def do_standard_items( self ):

        if ( self.showPackageManager == True ):
            Button2 = easyButton("synaptic", self.iconsize, [_("Package Manager")], -1, -1 )
            Button2.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "/usr/bin/synaptic-pkexec" )                   
            Button2.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button2, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button2, _("Install, remove and upgrade software packages") )

        if ( self.showControlCenter == True ):
            Button3 = easyButton( "gtk-preferences", self.iconsize, [_("Control Center")], -1, -1 )
            Button3.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "mate-control-center" )
            Button3.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button3, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button3, _("Configure your system") )

        if ( self.showTerminal == True ):
            Button4 = easyButton( "terminal", self.iconsize, [_("Terminal")], -1, -1 )
            Button4.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "x-terminal-emulator" )
            Button4.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button4, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button4, _("Use the command line") )

        if ( self.showLockScreen == True ):
            Button5 = easyButton( "system-lock-screen", self.iconsize, [_("Lock Screen")], -1, -1 )
            Button5.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "xdg-screensaver lock" )
            Button5.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button5, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button5, _("Requires password to unlock") )

        if ( self.showLogout == True ):
            Button6 = easyButton( "system-log-out", self.iconsize, [_("Logout")], -1, -1 )
            Button6.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "mate-session-save --logout-dialog" )
            Button6.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button6, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button6, _("Log out or switch user") )

        if ( self.showQuit == True ):
            Button7 = easyButton( "system-shutdown", self.iconsize, [_("Quit")], -1, -1 )
            Button7.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "mate-session-save --shutdown-dialog" )
            Button7.show()
            self.systemBtnHolder.pack_start( Button7, False, False, 0 )
            self.mateMenuWin.setTooltip( Button7, _("Shutdown, restart, suspend or hibernate") )

    def ButtonClicked( self, widget, Exec ):
        self.mateMenuWin.hide()
        if Exec:
            Execute( Exec )

    def do_plugin( self ):
        self.do_standard_items()

To make changes for which button opens what, you can change that past line 141.
#####Edited since original posting, to provide buttons without conditionals since this is intended for Ubuntu MATE and nothing more.

1 Like

In the default Synaptic supersedes Software Centre because people who install Synaptic are more likely to use Synaptic than the Software Centre.

I accept the fact that it might be useful for some people, but I still have a question. If you want to use the Software Centre, why install Synaptic? What’s the benefit? I ask this because in 2015 I raised this as an issue to change this to the current state, see Add Synaptic to the Mate-Menu

The other changes might be very helpful though.

Software centre is fairly useful for finding certain commercial applications (which would be unavailable in Synaptic, I suppose?) and browsing through various software packages as presented through a store, complete with user reviews of the software so you can know whether or not something you are intending to install is a steaming pile of open-source waste or worth your bother.

I had always used it as a means of browsing through software metapackages anyway, and left the specific stuff (the odd lib here or there, some other lib for software to fix an issue, version locking etc.) to Synaptic. It is that specific use case that I am targeting.