# Desktop Menu Specification

This document defines how to construct a user-visible hierarchy of applications, typically displayed as a menu. It allows third-party software to add menu items that work for all desktops, and allows system administrators to edit menus in a way that affects all desktops. 


### Mailing list

Discussion of this specification should occur on [[xdg|https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg]]. 


### Git

The specification is maintained [[in the xdg-specs git repository|https://cgit.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-specs/tree/menu]]. See [[Getting Involved|GettingInvolved]] for more on how to contribute.

### Spec

 * [[Latest version|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/]]
 * Version 1.0 - [[html (one page)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-1.0.html]] - [[html (multiple pages)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/1.0/]] - [[xml|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-1.0.xml]]
 * Version 0.9 - [[html (one page)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.9.html]] - [[html (multiple pages)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/0.9/]] - [[xml|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.9.xml]]
 * Version 0.8 - [[html (one page)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.8.html]] - [[html (multiple pages)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/0.8/]] - [[xml|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.8.xml]]
 * Version 0.7 - [[html (one page)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.7.html]] - [[html (multiple pages)|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/0.7]] - [[xml|https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-0.7.xml]]

### See Also

The [[xdg-utils|http://portland.freedesktop.org/wiki/XdgUtils]] package is a useful implementation of this specification.  It provides simple interfaces to create menu entries or desktop icons on a Free Desktop. xdg-utils should save a typical application developer considerable time and heartburn.