Add Synaptic to the Mate-Menu

Tips, Tricks and Tutorials Tutorials & Guides
#1

This will be changed in a future update, but until then it could be helpful.

If you are like me and love the Mate-Menu then maybe you also have install Synaptic. But whenever you click on the Package Manger link in the menu the Ubuntu Software Center starts. So I wanted to change that and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it to be.

Fire up the terminal, backup /usr/lib/ubuntu-mate/mate-menu/plugins/system_management.py and open it with your favorite editor. I will use geany.

cd /usr/lib/ubuntu-mate//mate-menu/plugins/
sudo cp system_management.py system_management.py.bak
sudo geany system_management.py

And search for the following lines (lines 143-146):

if os.path.exists("/usr/bin/software-center"):
      Button2.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "/usr/bin/software-center" )
elif os.path.exists("/usr/bin/synaptic-pkexec"):
       Button2.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "/usr/bin/synaptic-pkexec" )

Replace them with the following:

if os.path.exists("/usr/bin/synaptic-pkexec"):
      Button2.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "/usr/bin/synaptic-pkexec" )
elif os.path.exists("/usr/bin/software-center"):
      Button2.connect( "clicked", self.ButtonClicked, "/usr/bin/software-center" )

Log out and in again. The next time you click in the Package Manager button it will start Synaptic. The most beautiful thing is, whenever you uninstall Synaptic it will automatically start the Ubuntu Software Center again.

1 Like
Installing Synaptic, as quickly as possible
Make MATE Menu open what you want
(Solved) Setting Synaptic/Gdebi As Default Package Manager?
(Solved) Setting Synaptic/Gdebi As Default Package Manager?
#2

Some kind of configuration option should be available for this!

#3

True, but I think this should be default. People who install synaptic are likely not to use the Ubuntu Software Center.

2 Likes
#4

Good point. If you install Synaptic it should be used in preference to Software Center. I’ll change that, or you could submit a pull request on my BitBucket :wink:

1 Like
#5

Change is committed upstream. The next version released will prefer Synaptic over Software Center.

4 Likes
#6

I know your thread is about Synaptic but I just thought I would throw this tip in:

If you right click any downloaded .deb package > Properties > Open With > select Gdebi Package Installer as default and then on > Close (Gdebi must be previously installed), then any further deb packages will automatically open with Gdebi in the future: