Desktop Application Menu

Adding a desktop file will put your application in the Applications menu when you install it.

Add the following to debian/install file

*.desktop usr/share/applications

Simple PyQt5.desktop

Create a file called Simple PyQt5.desktop in the simpqt-0.0.1 directory. Note most file managers will drive you nuts if you rename as they automaticly add .desktop when you save the name so if you rename a .desktop be sure and delete the .desktop.

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Simple PyQt5
Comment=We just Open a GUI
Exec=simpqt
Icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/linuxcncicon.png
Categories=Utility;
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=true
StartupWMClass=simpqt
Name[en_US]=Simple PyQt5

Rebuild the deb as before open a terminal in the simpqt-0.0.1 directory and use the following command

dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc

Reinstall the application and the menu will show up in Applications > Accessories.

So now the directories and files look like this after building the deb.

john@d10cave:~/gui-deb$ tree
.
├── simpqt
│   ├── debian
│   │   ├── changelog
│   │   ├── compat
│   │   ├── control
│   │   ├── copyright
│   │   ├── debhelper-build-stamp
│   │   ├── files
│   │   ├── install
│   │   ├── manpages
│   │   ├── rules
│   │   ├── simpqt
│   │   │   ├── DEBIAN
│   │   │   │   ├── control
│   │   │   │   └── md5sums
│   │   │   └── usr
│   │   │       ├── bin
│   │   │       │   └── simpqt
│   │   │       ├── lib
│   │   │       │   └── python3
│   │   │       │       └── dist-packages
│   │   │       │           └── libsimpqt
│   │   │       │               └── simpqt.ui
│   │   │       └── share
│   │   │           ├── applications
│   │   │           │   └── Simple PyQt5.desktop
│   │   │           ├── doc
│   │   │           │   └── simpqt
│   │   │           │       ├── changelog.gz
│   │   │           │       └── copyright
│   │   │           └── man
│   │   │               └── man1
│   │   │                   └── simpqt.1.gz
│   │   ├── simpqt.substvars
│   │   └── source
│   │       └── format
│   ├── man
│   │   └── simpqt.1
│   ├── Simple PyQt5.desktop
│   └── src
│       ├── simpqt
│       └── simpqt.ui
├── simpqt_0.0.1_amd64.buildinfo
├── simpqt_0.0.1_amd64.changes
├── simpqt_0.0.1_amd64.deb
├── simpqt_0.0.1.dsc
└── simpqt_0.0.1.tar.xz

19 directories, 28 files