CHANGELOG.md

2.4.2 (2025-12-09)

Enhancements

• Allow for arbitrary Info.plist properties in macOS app bundles. (#195, #410 via #415)

Bug fixes

• For Linux platforms, MimeTypes with defined glob patterns are now properly handled when xdg-mime is not on the system. (#290 via #403)
• When uninstalling shortcuts as administrator, check user locations if no system shortcuts have been found and prefixes contain .nonadmin files. This allows removing single-user shortcuts as an administrator. (#341 via #414)

Contributors

• @marcoesters
• @lrandersson

2.4.1 (2025-10-20)

Bug fixes

• Add entry point to recipe. (#395)
• Pass __spec__ to apipkg initializers to allow module discovery in PyInstaller. (#396)
• Catch COM errors during registry tests. (#398)

Contributors

• @jaimergp
• @marcoesters

2.4.0 (2025-10-02)

Enhancements

• Add a CLI and conda plug-in. (#368 via #372)
• Support NSCameraUsageDescription, NSMainCameraUsageDescription, NSMicrophoneUsageDescription, and NSAudioCaptureDescription in macOS app bundles. (#362 via #375)

Bug fixes

• Prepend XDG_MENU_PREFIX to filename when writing applications.menu file on Linux. (#340)

Other

• Replace the deprecated conda.cli.python_api module with the CondaCLIFixture. (#389)

Contributors

• @drammack
• @jaimergp
• @jrice1317
• @marcoesters
• @mrclary

2.3.1 (2025-07-25)

Bug fixes

• Restore behavior where the absence of a platform key in the MenuItem platforms dictionary disables shortcut creation for that platform. (#234, #240 via #350)
• Allow null for icon and platforms.(win|osx|linux). This bumps the schema version to 1-1-1. (#345 via #351)
• Restore menuinst.default.json and menuinst.schema.json to prevent errors during conda update. (#358 via #359)

Other

• Update _schema.py to use pydantic v2. (#351)
• Fix some type hints. (#352)

Contributors

• @dbast
• @larsoner
• @JTignor-Raltron
• @jaimergp
• @zklaus
• @marcoesters
• @soapy1

2.3.0 (2025-06-16)

Enhancements

• Version the JSON schema using SchemaVer. Current version is 1-1-0. Previous versions are still available as 1-0-0 (as published in menuinst v2.0.0), 1-0-1 (as published in menuinst v2.1.0), and 1-0-2 (as published in menuinst v2.2.0) (#288)
• Add activator for env files generated by conda 25.3+. (#321 via #330)

Bug fixes

• Make sure the Pydantic field descriptions make it to the generated JSON schema. (#281)
• Use $schema to indicate which schema will validate the menuinst shortcut. This means that menuinst shortcuts must now include a $schema key pointing to a URL containing the relevant menuinst JSON schema version. (#282 via #283, #313)
• Remove quotes around SETUPTOOLS_SCM_PRETEND_VERSION recipe variable. (#317)

Deprecations

• $id key is no longer required in the schema, and is now deprecated. (#282 via #283)

Other

• Add setuptools_scm to build recipe. (#309)
• Replace deprecated run_command function with conda_cli. (#310)
• Use ruff for linting and formatting. (#315, #318)
• Check and pretty-format JSON files. (#315)
• Increase timeout for Windows shortcuts tests to 30 seconds. (#319)

Contributors

• @dbast
• @jaimergp
• @marcoesters

2.2.0 (2024-11-08)

Enhancements

• Partially backport privilege elevation logic from v2 to v1. (#260)
• Add support for SingleMainWindow in the Linux platform-specific options to allow disabling the New Window option in the app's context menu. (#264 via #265)

Deprecations

• In v2-style schemas, Windows setting quicklaunch default value is now false and using it is considered deprecated. (#244 via #272)

Docs

• Add missing comma to base/non-base example. (#248)

Other

• Update Python versions in canary builds: remove version 3.8 and add 3.12. (#266)
• Drop Python 3.8 from the CI test matrix. (#263)

2.1.2 (2024-08-07)

Bug fixes

• Display shortcut name in Windows' "Open with" menu entries. (#225)
• Fix default MIME type registration on Linux. (#226 via #227)
• Add setuptools to recipe host requirements. (#237)

Contributors

• @jaimergp
• @marcoesters
• @zklaus

2.1.1 (2024-06-07)

Bug fixes

• Only delete menus when they do not contain any items. (#218)

Contributors

• @marcoesters

2.1.0 (2024-05-21)

Enhancements

• Support different name for shortcuts within and outside base environment (support v1 behavior). (#180)
• Support the NSSupportsAutomaticGraphicsSwitching flag for MacOS apps. (#194)
• Add option to create a Windows Terminal profile. (#196 via #200)
• Improve error handling for installing identical MacOS apps and warn about overwriting shortcuts on other platforms. (#203 via #205)
• Expand variables when creating working_dir and use os.path.expanduser logic for default working_dir on Windows. (#211 via #212)

Bug fixes

• Do not inject the AppKit launcher unless event_handler has been set. Only affects macOS. (#179 via #183)
• Render all menu name instances for Linux. (#201)
• Fix Windows registry key access mode when adding icon file to file type association. (#191 via #206)

Docs

• Add notes on "missing" Start Menu directories on Windows and on how to migrate pywscript and pyscript to menuinst v2 (#181)
• Fix API Reference hyperlinks. (#190)

Other

• Pin Visual Studio version to 2022 for canary builds to account for changes to GitHub runners. (#215)

Contributors

• @JTignor-Raltron
• @jaimergp
• @marcoesters

2.0.2 (2024-01-11)

Bug fixes

• Render placeholders in menu_name key. (#175)

Contributors

• @jaimergp

2.0.1 (2023-12-11)

Enhancements

• Update winshortcut C extension to support Python 3.12. (#164)

Bug fixes

• Fix a regression in 2.0.0, where v1-style Windows shortcuts would fail to start applications that required environment activation. Addressed by adjusting an invalid import in menuinst v1's legacy cwp.py. (#167 via #168)

Other

• Add support for pydantic v2 in menuinst._schema. (#166 via #169)

Contributors

• @jaimergp
• @kenodegard

2.0.0 (2023-09-14)

Enhancements

• Add support for file extension and URL protocol association on Windows. (#117)
• Add support for URL protocol and file type association in all operating systems. Adds tests and examples. (#118 via #119, #135)
• Add app_user_model_id field on Windows shortcuts to group taskbar icons together. (#127 via #133)
• Enable automatic elevation on Unix platforms too, and add tests. (#137 via #138, #139)
• Add recipe and CI workflow steps to build and upload canaries to conda-canary. (#144, #145, #149)
• Implement auto-elevation logic in Unix systems so it doesn't depend on pre-existing .nonadmin files. (#150 via #156)

Bug fixes

• Ensure some v1-only import paths are still available for backwards compatibility. (#151)
• Do not capitalize ${DISTRIBUTION_NAME} in v1-style menuinst JSON documents. (#153)

Docs

• Create Sphinx-based documentation following community practices (constructor, conda-libmamba-solver). Absorbs and updates the existing info in wiki and non-deployed docs. (#112)
• Add development documentation. (#131)

Other

• Enable and apply pre-commit with isort/flake8/black. (#116, #125)
• Adjust workflows to only target main after merging the cep-devel branch. (#141)
• Move cwp.py from the repository root to menuinst._legacy subpackage. It's still shipped to %PREFIX% in the conda package. (#145)

Contributors

• @aganders3
• @dbast
• @jaimergp

New Contributors

• @dbast made their first contribution in conda#116
• @aganders3 made their first contribution in conda#119

1.4.20 (2023-10-30)

• Add support for Python 3.12 (#165)

1.4.19 (2022-08-17)

• Remove pywin32 dependency (#103)

1.4.18 (2021-09-10)

• Merge in various patches used by conda-standalone (#85)

  • Do not assume menuinst wants to operate on sys.prefix
  • Do not use runAsAdmin when the user is not an admin
  • Allow menuinst to operate on non-base prefix
  • Update various tests

1.4.17 (2021-07-14)

• Use distribution name as part of the Start Menu item (#77)
• Transfer repository to conda GitHub organization (#81)
• Switch from AppVeyor to GitHub Actions for CI (#78, #82, #83)

1.4.16 (2019-03-13)

• Command line option starting with minux, or a space shall not be quoted

1.4.15 (2019-03-13)

• tagged in gonzalo_refactor branch

1.4.14 (2018-05-29)

• clean up and restructure elevation logic
• unquote HOMEPATH env var as default target location

1.4.13 (2018-05-23)

• Change HOME to HOMEPATH for default shortcut start path

1.4.12 (2018-05-10)

• set default workdir to %HOME% so that it is dynamic per-user
• fix recursion infinite loop with background processes that had insufficient permissions

1.4.11 (2018-02-06)

• fix #60 more cmd.exe-specific hacking (#61)
• fix #54 incorrect locale handling (#62)
• fix logging traceback from #54 (#63)

1.4.10 (2017-10-17)

• better fix for shortcut handling and tidy-ups

1.4.9 (2017-10-17)

• fix cmd.exe / %ComSpec% system shortcut quoting

1.4.8 (2017-09-16)

• fix non-root pythons being used to call cwp.py #47

1.4.7 (2017-05-19)

• Fixes for Python 2 Unicode conversion in win32.py

1.4.6 (2017-05-17)

• Fix cwp.py after changes to menuinst.knownfolders

1.4.5 (2017-05-13)

• Also use OutputDebugStringW for logging for pythonw.exe

1.4.4 (2017-01-23)

• Set CONDA_PREFIX environment variable in cwp.py, fix PATH

1.4.3 (2017-01-19)

• fix fallback to user-mode shortcut if elevation denied, #39

1.4.1 (2016-05-26)

• Disable 'quicklaunch' shortcuts for SYSTEM user (#33)

1.4.0 (2016-05-25)

• Add license explicitly (BSD 3-clause) (#26)
• Rework elevation on Windows to not use separate batch file (#27)
• Improve support for non-ascii characters (#27)
• Migrate to Windows KnownFolder instead of CSIDL for win > XP (#27)
• support istalling as SYSTEM user on Windows (for SCCM usage) (#29)
• Add Appveyor for build testing (#30)
• Drop CSIDL support in favor of uniform KnownFolder usage (#31)

1.3.2 (2016-01-11)

• keep temporary directory around, due to strange Windows race condition

1.3.1 (2015-12-03)

• add Windows elevation, see PR #22

1.3.0 (2015-12-02)

• add menuinst entry point module menuinst.main
• fixes for Windows XP

1.1.2 (2015-10-27)

• remove all use of root_prefix (it is always sys.prefix), and subprocess calls to Python (which does not work on Windows XP with pythonw.exe)

1.1.0 (2015-10-15)

• add suffix for environment name to shortcuts on win, #4
• clarify root prefix / env prefix distinction (affects menu names)

1.0.4 (2014-07-30)

• support 'script' key to shortcut to arbitrary executable

1.0.3 (2013-10-28)

• make it compatible with python 3

1.0.2 (2013-10-16)

• add initial support for recognition of non-admin installations
• make the shortcut function unicode

1.0.1 (2013-06-19)

• fix minor bug on Windows
• install system wide on Windows

1.0.0 (2013-02-25)

• simplified and changed API
• removed egginst dependency
• renamed appinst to menuinst
• only supports Windows for now

historical AppInst changelog

2012-06-12: 2.1.2

• use explorer for filebrowser on Windows (PR 2)

• fixed shortcuts have wrong executable (PR 3)

2012-04-25: 2.1.1

• added ability to specify a working directory via a 'working_dir' key … in a shortcut definition. This is then used on win32 only to set the 'Start in' directory of the created shortcut.

• On windows the target length is limited to about 260 chars and we use python -m webbrowser instead of running the full path to the module to reduce the length of the target.

2011-03-14: 2.1.0

• added menu and shortcut removal ability on MaxOSX and Linux

• removed registry path stuff on Windows, and hence pywin32 dependency

• add ability to have a menu icon on Linux <custom_tools>/menu.ico

• removed separate rh3 and rh4 modules

• simplified much of the code

2010-12-09: 2.0.4

• This version has been used for a long time.

10 October, 2008 (DP): - API: Finished refactoring that created the application_menus.py module which allows data-driven creation of application menus for both KDE and Gnome on RH3, RH4, and probably other modern Linux distributions. The RH4 implementation creates application menu files that conform to FreeDesktop.org's Desktop Menu Specification 1.0. Though users may need to modify the application_menus.py module to get it to try that implementation on another distribution or version.