How to list executable files of a certain package?

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#1

Hi there.Sometimes it happens, that when I install some application, game or something else via yast, that I can’t find it anywhere in the main menu afterwards, so the only way to run it is from konsole. However even from there you must know the name of the executable file, which runs the application. I did for instance install the game extreme-tuxracer,and as I already mentioned, it didn’t appear in the menu. So I went to konsole.

rpm -qa *racer*

to find the package recently installed. And

rpm -ql extreme-tuxracer

to get the new installed files, however I didn’t find the way to grep these files such a way to get only executables. I know there is command

find / -executable

which shows all executables files, depending on the directory you select, but still there is no way (or I don’t know it :)) to combine these two command to get only executable files of a certain package. Ok, in my case I did find it via google (it’s etracer) but maybe it would be interesting also for others to know if there is some general principle that solves cases like this. Any suggestion much appreciated, thanks.

#2

When you go to YaST > Software > Sofware Magement and search and select the package there. In the lower-right field you get a short description. There are tabs there. When you choose “installed files” you get a list of all the files that come with the package and the executables are in bold.

IMHO, when you install software there should be a manual which tells you, among a lot of other things, how to execute. E.g. the man pages of a normal Linux tool.

That not all packages (that contain user executable programs) register themselves in the KDE or Gnome menu is due to the fact that the packager did not add this functionality to the package. And then YaST has the same problem as you have: which executable is the main one, and in which (sub)menu should it be placed?

When you have found the executable(s) you need, you can of course create entries for them in KDE-menu youself. Or create an icon that starts it on your desktop. Or both. Whatever you like.

#3

hcvv that is very helpful, thanks :slight_smile:

#4

Often the executeable file is stored in a “bin” directory.

Given that you could just list the contents of the installed rpm, using the filter ‘grep’ to filter for any occurences of bin.

For example to see what executeables are stored in a “bin” directory in ffmpeg, one would type:

oldcpu@hal1000:~> rpm -ql ffmpeg | grep bin
/usr/bin/ffmpeg
/usr/bin/ffplay
/usr/bin/ffserver
#5

if you want to find which executable on your system belongs to which RPM, do:

rpm -qf /path/to/exec/executable

#6

thanks guys :slight_smile: