AppImage Collection Launcher

Bash script to list, select, and run .AppImage files from collection, simply & quickly. With error handling included.

Summary

The script performs several steps, from checking the directory to executing the selected .AppImage file. Throughout the process, emphasis is placed on input validation and error handling to ensure smooth operation.

Use Case

I manage a large number of .AppImage files in my software collection, including various versions of applications, which I frequently update, remove, and add new ones. Manually integrating these applications to the OS is cumbersome, and I prefer not to spend any time searching for them.

Features

• Searches for .AppImage files in a specified directory.
• Allows the user to select which .AppImage to run via a terminal interface.
• Validates the user's input to ensure it corresponds to an available file.
• Handles common errors such as missing directory or invalid file selection.

Usage

1. Clone the repository or download the script.
2. Edit the APPIMAGE_DIR variable in the script to point to the directory containing your .AppImage files. (optional) Change the terminal application for selection.
3. Run the script bash AppImage.sh. (optional) I use keyboard shortcut and Script Menu (more)
4. Select the .AppImage to run by entering the corresponding number.

Requirements

• A bash terminal tilix (or a terminal emulator that supports -e option) to display the file list and interact with the user.

Detail

This bash script is designed to search a specified directory for .AppImage files, allow the user to select one of these files, and then execute it. The script is divided into several logical sections, which I will explain.

1. Defining the Variable and Initial Check

APPIMAGE_DIR="/home/mani/Apps"

This variable defines the path to the directory where .AppImage files are located. The path is on my device /home/mani/Apps.

2. Directory Existence Check

echo "=== START TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
echo "Specified directory: $APPIMAGE_DIR"

if [[ -z "$APPIMAGE_DIR" ]]; then
    echo "Error: The directory is empty."
    echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
    exit 1
fi

if [[ ! -d "$APPIMAGE_DIR" ]]; then
    echo "Error: '$APPIMAGE_DIR' is not a valid directory."
    echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
    exit 1
fi

echo "Directory exists: $APPIMAGE_DIR"

• The script outputs a message indicating that the troubleshooting process is starting.
• First, it checks if the APPIMAGE_DIR variable is empty. If it is, the script outputs an error and exits.
• Next, it verifies that the specified directory exists. If it doesn't, an error is displayed, and the script terminates.
• If the directory is valid, the script proceeds to search for files.

3. Searching for .AppImage Files

echo "I'm looking for .AppImage files in the directory: $APPIMAGE_DIR"
mapfile -t files < <(find "$APPIMAGE_DIR" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "*.AppImage")

• This section searches for all .AppImage files in the specified directory APPIMAGE_DIR.
• The find command is used with the -maxdepth 1 option to search only within the specified directory (without checking subdirectories), and the -name "*.AppImage" option filters for files with the .AppImage extension.
• The search results are stored in the files array.

4. Processing temporary list of Files

for file in "${files[@]}"; do
  echo "$file" | sed -E 's|.*/([^/_]*)_.*|\1|' 
done > /tmp/appimage_list.txt

• This loop iterates over all the files found in the directory and uses sed to extract the file names. The pattern s|.*/([^/_]*)_.*|\1| means:
• Remove all parts of the file path from the last slash to the first underscore, leaving only the file name between these characters.
• The results are saved to the first temporary file /tmp/appimage_list.txt.

5. Checking the Number of Files

echo "Files found: ${#files[@]}"
if [[ ${#files[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
    echo "No .AppImage files were found in the '$APPIMAGE_DIR' directory."
    echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
    exit 1
fi

• The script displays the number of files found and if no .AppImage files are found, it outputs an error and exits.

6. User File Selection

tilix -e bash -c "
    echo 'The following AppImage files are available in $APPIMAGE_DIR:'
    echo ''
    cat -n /tmp/appimage_list.txt
    echo ''
    read -p 'Enter the number of the AppImage you want to run: ' choice
    echo \$choice > /tmp/appimage_choice.txt
"

• The script opens a terminal window using the tilix terminal application (you can define another), where it displays a numbered list of the available .AppImage files using cat -n.
• The user is prompted to enter the number corresponding to the file they wish to run.
• This selection is saved to the second temporary file /tmp/appimage_choice.txt.

7. Validating the User Selection

choice=$(cat /tmp/appimage_choice.txt)
echo "Selection entered: $choice"

if ! [[ "$choice" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
    echo "Error: '$choice' is not a valid number."
    echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
    exit 1
fi

if ((choice < 1 || choice > ${#files[@]})); then
    echo "Error: The number entered is not within the available range."
    echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
    exit 1
fi

• The script reads the user's selection from the temporary file.
• It verifies if the selection is a valid number and within the valid range corresponding to the available files. If not, an error message is displayed, and the script exits.

8. Running the Selected File

app="${files[choice-1]}"
echo "Run: $app"
"$app" &

• Based on the user's choice, the script executes the corresponding .AppImage file in a new process.

9. Cleanup and Script Termination

rm /tmp/appimage_list.txt /tmp/appimage_choice.txt
echo "Application started. Temp files removed. Closing the script."
sleep 2
echo "=== END TROUBLESHOOTING ==="
exit

• At the end of the script, the temporary files /tmp/appimage_list.txt and /tmp/appimage_choice.txt are removed, a cleanup message is displayed, and the script exits.