#1128232 krusader: Krusader file associations broken: missing /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu symlink

Package:
krusader
Source:
krusader
Description:
twin-panel (commander-style) file manager
Submitter:
Pierre Chevalier
Date:
2026-02-16 17:37:01 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1128232#5
Date:
2026-02-16 17:35:19 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

Krusader cannot remember file associations and shows an empty dialog box when
trying to open files, it seems that the reason is that the following file
does not exist: /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu


Steps to reproduce:

1. Install krusader on Debian Sid without a full KDE Plasma environment
2. Launch Krusader
3. Try to open a PDF file (for instance) by pressing Enter
4. The "Open with" dialog appears empty with no applications listed
5. Enter /usr/bin/evince in the dialog box, or navigate to this file
6. Enable the option to remember the filetype association
7. Krusader launches evince correctly
8. But next time one tries step number 3 (open a PDF), same behaviour happens
9. Krusader creates phantom .desktop files (evince-2.desktop, evince-3.desktop,
   etc.)
6. File associations are never saved


Expected behavior:

The dialog should show available applications and remember the user's choice.


Solution:

Creating this symlink fixes the issue:
  sudo ln -s /etc/xdg/menus/plasma-applications.menu /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu


After creating the symlink and running "kbuildsycoca6 --noincremental",
Krusader works correctly.


Suggested fix:

The krusader package should either:

- Create this symlink in postinst script
- Or add a dependency/recommendation that ensures it exists
- Or patch Krusader to look for plasma-applications.menu as a fallback


Thanks in advance for the maintenance job!
Best regards,
Pierre