Creating an application launch bar on a Raspberry Pi can significantly enhance your productivity by providing quick access to your most-used applications. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a simple and efficient application launch bar using the lightweight panel application, tint2.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

• A Raspberry Pi running Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian)
• An internet connection
• Basic knowledge of terminal commands

Step 1: Install tint2

First, we need to install tint2, a lightweight panel/taskbar for Linux systems. Open your terminal and execute the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install tint2

Step 2: Configure tint2

Once tint2 is installed, you can start configuring it to create your application launch bar. The configuration file for tint2 is located at ~/.config/tint2/tint2rc. If the file or directory does not exist, you can create them:

mkdir -p ~/.config/tint2
cp /usr/share/doc/tint2/examples/tint2rc ~/.config/tint2/

Now, open the tint2rc file in your favorite text editor:

nano ~/.config/tint2/tint2rc

Step 3: Edit the Configuration

In the tint2rc file, you will find various settings that control the appearance and behavior of the panel. To add application launchers, locate the # Launcher section and add your applications:

# Launcher
launcher_padding = 2 2 2
launcher_background_id = 0
launcher_icon_size = 32
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/pcmanfm.desktop
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/terminal.desktop
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/chromium-browser.desktop

You can add as many applications as you need by specifying the path to their .desktop files, which are usually located in /usr/share/applications/.

Step 4: Start tint2

To start tint2, simply run the following command in your terminal:

tint2 &

To ensure tint2 starts automatically on boot, add it to your autostart file. Open the autostart file in your text editor:

nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add the following line at the end of the file:

@tint2

Step 5: Customize Further (Optional)

You can further customize the appearance and behavior of your launch bar by tweaking other settings in the tint2rc file. For example, you can change the panel's position, size, and color.

Example Configuration

Here's an example of a simple tint2rc configuration:

# Panel
panel_monitor = all
panel_position = top center
panel_size = 100% 40
panel_margin = 0 0
panel_padding = 0 0 0
panel_background_id = 0

# Taskbar
taskbar_mode = multi_desktop
taskbar_padding = 2 2 2
taskbar_background_id = 0

# Launcher
launcher_padding = 2 2 2
launcher_background_id = 0
launcher_icon_size = 32
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/pcmanfm.desktop
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/terminal.desktop
launcher_item_app = /usr/share/applications/chromium-browser.desktop

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a customized application launch bar on your Raspberry Pi, making it easier and faster to access your favorite applications. tint2 is a versatile and lightweight option that fits well with the Raspberry Pi's resource constraints.