Ubuntu - "Open With"

Ever wonder how to easily specify which program ought to (by default) open a given file type? Wonder no more: Right click on a file of the type in question, then click "Properties" and select the "Open With" tab. There you will be able to either select a program by clicking on its check-box, or add a new program.

Happy Ubuntuing!

Ubuntu Templates

Ever wonder why, when you right click on your desktop or in a folder, and select "Create Document", it tells you there are "No templates installed"?


Ubuntu expects you to have a ~/Templates folder (which should have been created when you installed Ubuntu). You may have deleted this at some point, and even if you hadn't, it probably didn't have anything in it. If you'd like to have some handy file templates, just create a ~/Templates folder. Then put some files in it. Whala! They should be available next time you use this right-click menu.

If you try it, and they don't show up, you'll need to edit this file:

~/.config/user-dirs.dirs

And make sure the following line exists:

XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/Templates"

It turns out that Ubuntu is smart enough to automatically edit this file for you, should you move (and maybe even rename) this folder. However, if you delete it, Ubuntu will set this line to use your home folder as the default location.

While you are editing this file, you might want to take a look at some of the other lines; you may find them useful.

Happy Ubuntuing!