Cardapio – The awesome replacement menu applet that just keeps on giving

By Joey Sneddon, Published June 17, 2010

Since we first featured panel menu-replacement applet Cardapio several weeks back the application has evolved at an awesome pace – even my initial want for Zeitgeist integration is on the way!

In case you haven’t tried it out since then here is a short rundown of what has changed and been added since: -

Google and Tracker search integration; search your apps, the web & your files.
Pin your favourite apps, files and websites by right-clicking on the relevant icon and choosing "Pin this item"
Cardapio handles all panel orientations (top, left, bottom, etc) and changes the applet icon size in keeping with your panel size
Cardapio has an easily configurable applet icon and name – call it menu, use a shovel as an icon – whatever you want you can now do via the Preferences window.
You can resize the Cardapio window to your preferred size simply by dragging the edges like any other GNOME window
No-need to hack Gconf to show the applet icon – it's there from the get-go
Simple plug-in support
Open to set menu to show on mouse-over

Installation

Installing Cardapio via its official PPA is recommended. This allows you will remain up-to-date with the latest fixes and features: -

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tvst-hotmail/cardapio
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install python-keybinder cardapio

Cardapio Launchpad page

Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

AW
The add-apt-repository && update && install terminal song and dance is getting old… I’m thinking about hacking together a Ruby app so I can do one-click installs like regular apt repositories.

http://mpscripts.com Thomas Boxley
If you decide to do it, when you get done please share.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7GXJ4CL5A6A5YPPUO47UQXGP5Y Johan
It’d be easier if Launchpad had automatic packaging of repo information. Just download a deb, install, it fetches keys and adds repo info in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ and BOOM, you got it. Let’s send someone an angry email.

Anonymous
Kinda like Google Chrome .debs?

xshaneyx
I’m a huge fan of this applet also.
It seems to have come such a long way in a short space of time.
It has even replaced my beloved MintMenu now as my default menu, something I could never see happening a couple of weeks ago.
Not only that, I filed 2 bugs against a couple of issues and both were solved in less than 2 days!!

Anonymous
I filed a bug last night, it was fixed and in trunk in 13 minutes!

MixiM
The developer of cardapio is very dedicated, I can see it just from spending time on launchpad! I already love this project and it has great potential to end up as a standard solution for Ubuntu, I think!
Anonymous
I’ve always liked the regular menu because of it’s simplicity, but I’ve always missed having a search function. I’ll try this some days and see if it fits with my workflow.

Felixalberto26
I thought the same thing tried mint menu but it failed, slow and buggy plus startup time was a mess, plus a lot of ram. Replaced the default gnome-menu with cardapio about a week ago and it’s amazing, fast, responsive, customizable, easy to use, plus built in search, and you can open it with a shortcut key so it’s as good as Gnome-do, except without file search. But it’s amazing suggest you give it a try.

Anonymous
Not only is the Mint Menu slow and buggy, but it has also a completely messy design IMHO. It takes a lot of unnecessary screen space too.
But I think I can get along with Carpadio pretty well.

http://twitter.com/KyleClarkeNZ Kyle Clarke
I love this menu, it really does have a lot of potential, especially on something like the UNE as it’s small footproot suggests.
I think it could be a little prettier, maybe just changing the menu’s colour to match the panel or something like the indicators. That’s all really…
That said and done, It really feels like part of the OS and I would like to see someone consider it as a default, even for Maverick.
Anonymous
Cardaio shure seems to be a nice app. But for some reason I cant quite put my finger on I still prefer Mint Menu – at least at the moment.
Nevertheless, a great app with great potential!

http://sloshy.livejournal.com/ Ryan Peters
Ditto. mintMenu is awesome.

Anonymous
is this ppa just for lucid (im using 9.10 because i have gpu issues in 10.04)? when i try in install it says W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/tvst-hotmail/cardapio/… 404 Not FoundE: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

http://dieki.myopenid.com/ Dieki
Hm… it works on my Lucid system. Odd.

Anonymous
i don’t use 10.04 i use 9.10

Anonymous
If you go into software sources and edit the repository changing lucid to karmic, then you can try and install it. I’m using maverick so I have to do that to every ppa, it is very annoying.
Anonymous
Yep, the PPA is just for Lucid right now, but you should be able to install from bzr without a problem.
$ bzr clone lp:cardapio
$ cd cardapio
$ sudo make install
$ cd ..
$ sudo rm -rf cardapio
(If anyone knows how to make the PPA work for other versions of Ubuntu, please write a bug report with that info and I’ll fix it)

Thomas B.
My Cardapio doesn’t have the ability to pin icons, resize by dragging, or customizable icon :/ I’ve ran all the updates. Could it be because I’m using Mint?

Anonymous
No, these features should work everywhere. Can you tell me which version of Cardapio you are using? (the latest is 0.9.107)
Maybe you didn’t log out / log back on after updating Cardapio? (Or, as a shortcut, you can remove it from the panel, then re-add it)
Linux’s insanely long uptimes can be a problem sometimes, I guess :)

Anonymous
It retained the one thing I fear loosing – one click access to my places. I can relax now.
One thing I don’t like in menus (or anywhere) are scrollbars. Although they seem to be a necessary evil – they’re about as ergonomic as eating a T-bone steak with chopsticks. Gnomes existing menus side-step these very gracefully with their overflow-scoll* system. You can see it in the Preferences menu if you’ve added a few things like ccsm or the Nvidia tools.
*not their real name.

http://twitter.com/KyleClarkeNZ Kyle Clarke
I agree, for menus etc this practice should be considered the norm.
Anonymous
I also don`t like those scrollbars especially the horizontal one .I think that could be fixed if cardapio didn`t show the full names of apps and shorten them .
And there seems to be a bug report for this already : https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/592470
Anonymous
Yes, I have made an effort to make sure that places is still on top, since I used them all the time. However, I may end-up making the category ordering configurable. We’ll see…

badhat
Does anyone else have the problem that the cardapio menu opening causes docky to crash if you have the weather applet? I noticed this on the “stable” PPA of docky.
Also I cannot change the cardapio icon… doesn’t PNG work?

badhat
and when I say “menu” I mean the properties menu… not the “super + space” menu haha
moody
Yeah, it says you can change the icon in the preferences menu… but all I see is the icon name. How do you change the icon to any icon you want???

Anonymous
You should be able to type the path to any icon you want, including png files. If that’s not working, please open a bug report.

moody
that worked… why didn’t i think of that? :P

Anonymous
Someone posted a bug about this, although I suspect that was you :)
If any one else is having this problem, please post here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/595742

AW
Cardapio + Global Menu + Docky + Gnome Do is pretty sweet. Feels like another planet. Just wish that Cardapio picked up emblems and places I’ve “short-cutted.”

Anonymous
Yep, there is a bug report on this: https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/595314
I will fix it before version 1.0 comes out in a few weeks.

Anonymous
If you want to have a tease with your buddies Ubuntu install .. install this app discreetly (after they’ve issued a sudo command themselves) and right click and choose ‘Properties’. Change the ‘Applet Label’ field from “Ubuntu” to “Applications Places System”.
It’s fun to see their faces. WTF!?! :D

Anonymous
Haha! Nice prank man!
Anonymous
Amazing :)

Andres
I’m an Ubuntu newcomer, i use Cardapio since the first version published here, want to say that is amazing. Congratulations to the Cardapio developer, he is doing a great job with this application, go on!!!

Anonymous
Glad to hear this!

Anonymous
why are we pouring resources into menus and applets when gnome 3.0 will replace them all

http://thealphanerd.wordpress.com/ Calvin
Because GNOME 3 sucks. It will be the Windows XP+Vista butthurt all over again.
Good thing there is XFCE: it can use GNOME applets, and it behaves like GNOME 2 too, and I have a feeling they won’t change.

Anonymous
The only big problem I have with Xfce is that some of the default applications really suck, and can’t be changed easily.
Take the file manager Thunar for instance. It really sucks, you can’t even browse in local networks. I wanted to use Nautilus instead, but it was a real pain making it default. To make it open as default when opening a folder from the places-menu or from another application (chromium), I had to make a script, and it didn’t always work very well. Same thing with the text editor, almost impossible changing the default.
It shouldn’t be that way, and before I do the transition they should really fix that.

Anonymous
I’m the Cardapio dev. I think you definitely have a point here, so I decided to write down my thinking on this:1) I’m not sold on Gnome Shell. There are some really great ideas in there, but there are also some others that I just can’t live with — and they seem to be written in stone for now. For example: changing the entire screen and animating all windows/workspaces just to launch an app is not a good idea, in my view.2) Gnome will keep the panel around for a while, even as they start deploying Shell as the default experience. Those of us who prefer this option will be able to stick with Cardapio.3) Finally I think Cardapio also serves as a “living mockup” from which Shell and Ubuntu Unity developers can get inspiration. And I really hope they do :)

Anonymous
Fair enough. I have actually been running gnome-shell, although it seems to run fast and stable especially considering it is still months from a final release, the menu could use some work. Also I was commenting as a whole I seem to be seeing more and more splintered development for gnome, such as unity. It will be interesting to see if and how all these projects come back together as there are so many good ideas going around.

http://twitter.com/MaxFragg Maximilian Henry
its a nice tool and its just nice that you can get the feeling of the bleeding edge, since there are at least small updates allmost every day
Anonymous
needs to be more like windows
-option to lock locations on the right while navigating popular/new apps on the left.
there is potential but you can’t ignore the huge user base (pretty much every pc user) and development thats gone into shaping the layout of windows’ start menu.

Anonymous
I don’t understand what you mean since I don’t have Windows. Can you post more info either here or (preferably) as a Cardapio blueprint?
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio

Anonymous
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/design-discussion
added a picture

Anonymous
I do not agree. There is a need to go beyond redmond, and this particular project is a step forward in that way. Creative solutions that breaks the common-sense. Thats what I am looking for, and Cardapio has it.

ernsm
I’d like to use tracker but dunno how to install it.. :( hlp anybody?

Anonymous
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tracker-team/tracker-unstable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get tracker

Anonymous
you mean “sudo apt-get install tracker”

Animeshmeher
Well for me cardapio is still not a default because, the docky’s side panel, overlaps cardapio menu.
I dont know where to file a bug for it ..
Developer if you are checking please help..

Anonymous
Hi Animeshmeher
https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio here is were you can file bugs for Cardapio
Anonymous
There was a bug filed about this, and the Docky devs decided it’s most likely Docky’s fault.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/595233

Anonymous
What’s going on.. -.- On my account it displays only dot on panel but on the other account it work flawlessly… Same machine.

Anonymous
Had that problem too. You have to delete your gnome-panel entries in .gconf folder in your home directory, then reinstall gnome panel to remove the dot. It’s weird.

Anonymous
Still the same :/ .gconf/apps/panel right?

http://twitter.com/KyleClarkeNZ Kyle Clarke
I just created a new top panel under the “broken one” dragged all the icons down on to it, and then deleted the broken panel. All snapped into place nicely and the dot is gone, with a working cardapio menu.

Anonymous
https://answers.launchpad.net/cardapio/+faq/1178

Anonymous
I don’t want to remove it from panel… I want to make this thing work!

Anonymous
Yes, i know :)
But you should try removing it first, using the manual method from that link. Then you can log off, log back on, and re-add Cardapio. It should work at that point.

Anonymous
Did not work, when I add Cardapio it displays dot again :) I tried it few times. I think deleting whole panel is easier method but I tried both ways.
Anonymous
Then please try running it on the terminal, so I can see if I forgot some dependency:
$ cardapio run-in-window
Reply here if you get any error messages.
Anonymous
$ cardapio run-in-window
** (cardapio:1941): CRITICAL **: menu_proxy_module_load: assertion `dbusproxy != NULL’ failed
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “/usr/local/bin/cardapio”, line 35, in
applet_factory(app, None)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2735, in applet_factory
cardapio = Cardapio(hidden = True, panel_button = button, panel_applet = applet)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 141, in __init__
self.build_ui()
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 677, in build_ui
self.build_applications_list()
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 1852, in build_applications_list
self.add_slab(node.name, node.icon, node.get_comment(), node = node, hide = False)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 1870, in add_slab
self.add_tree_to_app_list(node, section_contents)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2208, in add_tree_to_app_list
button = self.add_app_button(node.name, node.icon, parent_widget, ‘app’, node.desktop_file_path, tooltip = node.get_comment(), app_list = self.app_list)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 1994, in add_app_button
button = self.add_button(button_str, icon_name, parent_widget, tooltip, is_app_button = True)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2069, in add_button
icon = self.get_icon(icon_name, icon_size_pixels)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2156, in get_icon
icon_pixbuf = self.icon_theme.load_icon(icon_name, icon_size, gtk.ICON_LOOKUP_FORCE_SIZE)
glib.GError: Brak ikony “facebook” w motywie
The last one is saying that it’s missing facebook icon :)
Anonymous
So, searching for “menu_proxy_module_load: assertion `dbusproxy != NULL’ failed” I find the following pages
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/appmenu-gtk/+bug/593474
http://ohioloco.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1513329
The consensus on those pages is that removing appmenu-gtk solves this problem. So you can choose to either remove it or see if there’s an update that fixes this problem.
(if removing it doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll see what else could be causing it…)
Anonymous
More errors ;)
$ cardapio run-in-window
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py:473: GtkWarning: Failed to load type module: (null)
self.builder.add_from_file(self.uifile)
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py:2117: GtkWarning: Failed to load type module: (null)
builder.add_from_file(self.uifile)
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
`menu_proxy_module_load’: python: undefined symbol: menu_proxy_module_load
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “/usr/bin/cardapio”, line 35, in
applet_factory(app, None)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2743, in applet_factory
cardapio = Cardapio(hidden = True, panel_button = button, panel_applet = applet)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 146, in __init__
self.build_ui()
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 687, in build_ui
self.build_applications_list()
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 1866, in build_applications_list
self.add_slab(node.name, node.icon, node.get_comment(), node = node, hide = False)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 1884, in add_slab
self.add_tree_to_app_list(node, section_contents)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2202, in add_tree_to_app_list
button = self.add_app_button(node.name, node.icon, parent_widget, ‘app’, node.desktop_file_path, tooltip = node.get_comment(), app_list = self.app_list)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2008, in add_app_button
button = self.add_button(button_str, icon_name, parent_widget, tooltip, is_app_button = True)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2063, in add_button
icon = self.get_icon(icon_name, icon_size_pixels)
File “/usr/lib/cardapio/cardapio.py”, line 2150, in get_icon
icon_pixbuf = self.icon_theme.load_icon(icon_name, icon_size, gtk.ICON_LOOKUP_FORCE_SIZE)
glib.GError: Brak ikony “facebook” w motywie
I don’t know, it may be caused by 64bit architecture? But in past it worked without any problems so I don’t know :/
Anonymous
It seems that the load_icon function is crashing when the “facebook” icon isn’t found. This is despite the fact that before that line in the code I actually do a search to see if the icon exists, and the “facebook” icon seems to pass that test. But maybe it doesn’t exist for the icon size that I’m trying to load. So I’m adding some exception handling code for that line, and let’s hope that fixes the problem. Try reinstalling Cardapio from the PPA tonight :)
In the meantime, just to quench my curiosity: can you post the result of the following commands for me?
$ python
>>> import gtk
>>> print gtk.ver
What do you get?
Anonymous
(2, 21, 1)
It’s after print gtk.ver and I’m updating Cardapio right in a moment :)
Anonymous
Just for debugging purposes, can you try removing the facebook app from your menu and running Cardapio?
If that fixes it, let me know how to install the facebook app that you are using so I can debug from my side.
Anonymous
It finally worked :) and that app, it’s: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/05/facebook-apps-for-ubuntu.html
Anonymous
Sadly, after update it’s still the same :/
Anonymous
It seems that the load_icon function is crashing when the “facebook” icon isn’t found. This is despite the fact that before that line in the code I actually do a search to see if the icon exists, and the “facebook” icon seems to pass that test. But maybe it doesn’t exist for the icon size that I’m trying to load. So I’m adding some exception handling code for that line, and let’s hope that fixes the problem. Try reinstalling Cardapio from the PPA tonight :)
In the meantime, just to quench my curiosity: can you post the result of the following commands for me?
$ python
>>> import gtk
>>> print gtk.ver
What do you get?
Anonymous
So, searching for “menu_proxy_module_load: assertion `dbusproxy != NULL’ failed” I find the following pages
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/appmenu-gtk/+bug/593474
http://ohioloco.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1513329
The consensus on those pages is that removing appmenu-gtk solves this problem. So you can choose to either remove it or see if there’s an update that fixes this problem.
(if removing it doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll see what else could be causing it…)

YankeeDDL
Hello. Out of curiosity, what’s the difference between Cardapio and the menu implemented, for example, in Linux Mint (Gnome version)?
Doesn’t anyone think that Cardapio is a duplication of something already existing (I don’t know what is the name of the ‘tool’ for Linux Mint menu, but it sure looks a lot like it).
Anyone is free to develop what he/she wants, of course, but this seems a bit of a “redundant” effort. Doesn’t it?

http://blog.anantshri.info anantshri
MintMenu is the name of tool in mint and its derived from USP Ubuntu System panel . I would suggest a merger of both cardapio and usp for quick development.

http://twitter.com/KyleClarkeNZ Kyle Clarke
I think the development so far is pretty damn quick. The over all development of this project is quite good actually.

http://blog.anantshri.info anantshri
agreed that this project is developing quickly but another project putting efforts in a separate line it would i suppose be better we they both work together development might be quickened a lot more

http://www.pcmuze.tumblr.com/ PC_Muze
I love it!
Anonymous
This is looking sharp! Cardapio is really taking shape very fast!
ampulse
Not that it applies to me, but users that are new to ubuntu/linux might find it helpful to know where the installation commands should actually be entered (=terminal)? just a thought.
niftynix
This is pretty nice, and a step up from the Gnome one, but I like mintMenu better.
Anonymous
Can I get the system menus?
At the moment I just have Applications and Places.
I can get the system stuff by searching, but would be nice to have it normally.

Anonymous
We are discussing the best way to implement that on this blueprint: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/always-show-administration-and-preferences

Anonymous
ok, many thanks, ill keep watching. :)

daas88
I’ll give it a try. Is it just me or you haven’t showed us a screenshot of cardapio application menu? I think I’ve only seen screenshots of searchs…
http://blog.anantshri.info anantshri
agreed that this project is developing quickly but another project putting efforts in a separate line it would i suppose be better we they both work together development might be quickened a lot more
http://twitter.com/KyleClarkeNZ Kyle Clarke
I just opened a bug for this, what do you guys think?
It’s a few design tweaks.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/596369
Ubuntupunk
And now for an alternative to AlaCarte menu editor, which sucks big time. Something faster, better, more powerful etc.
Seventh Reign
I just want to add that the screenshot included above does not do this Menu justice at all. I would have to rate Cardapio a close 2nd behind the MintMenu, the best available menu.
No
I would like to see drives under places. Good motivation to do it myself, though.
Anonymous
I really hate to revive a dead thread, but this seems to be the best place to ask for my relatively small question: What format are we supposed to use to edit the Cardapio hotkeys? I tried to change it, it did nothing, and I’ve changed it back to “Space”, if that what it was originally. I really want it back to default–my fault. Anyway, even after logging out and then back in, the combination doesn’t launch the menu. Help, please?

Anonymous
Bump.

http://twitter.com/kastbh Kaustubh Padegaonkar
I get a
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/threading.py”, line 525, in __bootstrap_inner
self.run()
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/softwareproperties/ppa.py”, line 60, in run
self.add_ppa_signing_key(self.ppa_path)
File “/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/softwareproperties/ppa.py”, line 79, in add_ppa_signing_key
‘”signing_key_fingerprint”: “(w*)”‘, lp_page)[0]
IndexError: list index out of range
error.

Cardapio – The awesome replacement menu applet that just keeps on giving

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