Document adding md-manuscript to the XFCE menu

Add an XFCE section to the install guide covering Whisker Menu
favourites (right-click → Add to Favorites), panel/desktop launcher
alternatives, and menu-refresh commands. Fold XFCE equivalents into the
on-screen keyboard, HiDPI, and X11 tips, and add a troubleshooting row.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
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2026-07-26 15:29:31 -05:00
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# Installing md-manuscript on a Surface tablet (Debian 12 "Bookworm")
These steps build the app from source and set it up for touch use on a Microsoft
Surface running Debian 12 with the GNOME desktop. You do **not** need the
Surface running Debian 12. They assume the **GNOME** desktop, with **XFCE**
equivalents called out where they differ (see *[Add md-manuscript to the XFCE
menu](#add-md-manuscript-to-the-xfce-menu)*). You do **not** need the
`linux-surface` custom kernel for this app — any working Debian 12 desktop is
fine.
@@ -85,8 +87,9 @@ hardware. The result is `~/md-manuscript/target/release/md-manuscript`.
## 4. Install the binary and a launcher
Put the binary on your `PATH` and add a GNOME app entry so it appears in the
Activities/app grid and can be pinned to the dash (handy for touch):
Put the binary on your `PATH` and add a desktop app entry so it appears in your
applications menu (GNOME app grid / XFCE Whisker Menu) and can be pinned for
touch:
```sh
# 4a. Binary
@@ -121,6 +124,49 @@ You can now launch **md-manuscript** by tapping its icon, or run
---
## Add md-manuscript to the XFCE menu
XFCE reads the same `~/.local/share/applications/md-manuscript.desktop` launcher
from step 4, so the app already appears under **Office** in the applications
menu. To pin it as a favourite:
**Whisker Menu (Favourites).** The Favourites feature lives in the *Whisker
Menu* (the modern XFCE menu), not the classic *Applications Menu* plugin. Open
the Whisker Menu, type `md-manuscript` (or find it under *Office*), then
**right-click it → "Add to Favorites."** It moves to the Favourites column at the
top-left of the menu, where you can right-click to reorder or remove it.
If your panel still has the classic *Applications Menu* (which has no
favourites), install and switch to Whisker:
```sh
sudo apt install -y xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin
```
then right-click the panel → *Panel → Add New Items… → Whisker Menu* (and remove
the old menu plugin).
**Panel launcher (alternative).** To place it directly on the panel: right-click
the panel → *Panel → Add New Items… → Launcher → Add*, then right-click the new
launcher → *Properties*, press ****, and pick **md-manuscript** from the list.
**Desktop icon (alternative).** Copy the launcher onto the desktop:
```sh
cp ~/.local/share/applications/md-manuscript.desktop ~/Desktop/
```
(right-click it → *Allow Launching* the first time, if prompted).
If it doesn't show up in the menu, refresh the database and restart the panel:
```sh
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications 2>/dev/null || true
xfce4-panel -r
```
---
## 5. First run
1. In the top bar, set **Workspace** (default `~/Manuscript`) and tap **Open**
@@ -143,15 +189,19 @@ You can now launch **md-manuscript** by tapping its icon, or run
## Surface-specific tips
**On-screen keyboard (detached from Type Cover).**
GNOME Settings → *Accessibility* → *Typing* → turn on **Screen Keyboard**. It
pops up automatically when you tap a text field. For terminal-heavy setup you may
find it easier to attach the keyboard for the one-time install.
GNOME Settings → *Accessibility* → *Typing* → turn on **Screen Keyboard**; it
pops up automatically when you tap a text field. XFCE has no built-in one — install
`onboard` (`sudo apt install -y onboard`) and start it manually. For a
terminal-heavy setup you may find it easier to attach the keyboard for the
one-time install.
**HiDPI / tiny or huge UI.**
Surface screens are very high resolution. The app follows the desktop's scale
factor, so set it once in GNOME Settings → *Displays* → **Scale** (enable
*Fractional Scaling* if you want values like 150%/175%). If you run under X11 and
the size is still off, launch with an explicit factor:
*Fractional Scaling* if you want values like 150%/175%). On XFCE, use *Settings →
Appearance → Fonts → Custom DPI* and/or *Settings → Display*, or raise `Xft/DPI`
in *Settings Editor*. Because XFCE runs on X11, you can also launch with an
explicit factor (this works on GNOME-under-X11 too):
```sh
WINIT_X11_SCALE_FACTOR=1.75 md-manuscript
```
@@ -168,6 +218,8 @@ login screen, or force X11 for one launch:
```sh
WINIT_UNIX_BACKEND=x11 md-manuscript
```
XFCE is X11-only on Debian 12, so there is no Wayland toggle to worry about and
the `WINIT_X11_SCALE_FACTOR` variable above applies directly.
---
@@ -199,5 +251,6 @@ rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/md-manuscript.desktop
| **📂 Browse** buttons do nothing / no dialog appears | Install `xdg-desktop-portal` and `xdg-desktop-portal-gtk` (step 1b); you can still type paths by hand. |
| Build error mentioning `rustc … is not supported` | `rustup update`, then `cargo build --release` again. |
| `cargo: command not found` | Run `. "$HOME/.cargo/env"` or open a new terminal after installing rustup. |
| UI text far too small/large | Adjust GNOME *Displays → Scale*, or set `WINIT_X11_SCALE_FACTOR` (X11). |
| UI text far too small/large | Adjust GNOME *Displays → Scale* (or XFCE *Appearance → Fonts → Custom DPI*), or set `WINIT_X11_SCALE_FACTOR` (X11). |
| Not in the XFCE menu / no **Add to Favorites** | Run `update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications` and `xfce4-panel -r`; favourites need the *Whisker Menu* (`xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin`), not the classic Applications Menu. |
| **⟳ Sync** does nothing / errors in the Log panel | Set `git config --global user.name/user.email`, and ensure the `origin` remote and your SSH/HTTPS credentials are configured. |