No “Add to Panel” menu in GNOME 3 Classic

[mward]

Hi all, this is my first post. We're preparing to roll out CentOS 7 as our successor to RHEL6, but I'm stumped on one thing that should be relatively simple...I can't right-click the top panel and select "Add to Panel" to add custom launchers like we could in RHEL6. Our users are going to have an absolute fit if they can't add a Thunderbird icon for one-click Thunderbird access, for example, to that top panel.

Everything I search on this topic suggests holding a combination of Alt, Altgr, Super, etc. and right-clicking (with num lock on and off, or with left click also held down). None of these work. Simply nothing happens.

I'm aware of gnome-tweak tool, but I can't see how to add custom launcher icons from that. I also know that we can install Gnome extensions from the GNOME extension site, but I'm not seeing one which would allow us to get the good old "Add to Panel" choice.

It's strange, because we haven't done any crazy customizations --- this is pretty much CentOS 7 out of the box, yet it seems like no one else has encountered this problem or asked this question. Am I just completely stupid or something?

Thanks in advance

For what it's worth, these are all the gnome packages that are installed:

gnome-abrt-0.3.4-6.el7.x86_64
gnome-backgrounds-3.8.1-3.el7.noarch
gnome-bluetooth-3.8.2.1-3.el7.x86_64
gnome-bluetooth-libs-3.8.2.1-3.el7.x86_64
gnome-boxes-3.8.3-11.el7.x86_64
gnome-calculator-3.8.2-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-classic-session-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-clocks-3.8.2-8.el7.x86_64
gnome-color-manager-3.8.2-6.el7.x86_64
gnome-common-3.7.4-4.el7.noarch
gnome-contacts-3.8.2-6.el7.x86_64
gnome-desktop-2.32.0-15.el7.centos.x86_64
gnome-desktop3-3.8.4-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-desktop3-devel-3.8.4-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-desktop-devel-2.32.0-15.el7.centos.x86_64
gnome-devel-docs-3.8.1-2.el7.noarch
gnome-dictionary-3.8.0-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-disk-utility-3.8.2-5.el7.x86_64
gnome-documents-3.8.5-10.el7.x86_64
gnome-doc-utils-0.20.10-5.el7.noarch
gnome-doc-utils-stylesheets-0.20.10-5.el7.noarch
gnome-font-viewer-3.8.0-3.el7.x86_64
gnome-getting-started-docs-3.8.3.0.2-3.el7.noarch
gnome-icon-theme-3.8.2-3.el7.noarch
gnome-icon-theme-extras-3.6.2-3.el7.noarch
gnome-icon-theme-legacy-3.8.2-3.el7.noarch
gnome-icon-theme-symbolic-3.8.2.2-2.el7.noarch
gnome-initial-setup-0.13.1-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-keyring-3.8.2-10.el7.x86_64
gnome-keyring-pam-3.8.2-10.el7.x86_64
gnome-menus-3.8.1-4.el7.x86_64
gnome-online-accounts-3.8.5-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-online-accounts-devel-3.8.5-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-packagekit-3.8.2-10.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-bonobo-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-canvas-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-desktop-2.32.0-20.el7.centos.x86_64
gnome-python2-gconf-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-gnome-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-gnomekeyring-2.32.0-20.el7.centos.x86_64
gnome-python2-gnomevfs-2.28.1-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-python2-libwnck-2.32.0-20.el7.centos.x86_64
gnome-screenshot-3.8.3-3.el7.x86_64
gnome-session-3.8.4-11.el7.x86_64
gnome-session-xsession-3.8.4-11.el7.x86_64
gnome-settings-daemon-3.8.6.1-12.el7.x86_64
gnome-settings-daemon-updates-3.8.6.1-12.el7.x86_64
gnome-shell-3.8.4-45.el7.x86_64
gnome-shell-browser-plugin-3.8.4-45.el7.x86_64
gnome-shell-extension-alternate-tab-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-alternative-status-menu-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-apps-menu-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-auto-move-windows-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-common-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-drive-menu-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-gpaste-3.3.1-1.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-iok-0.20130430-1.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-launch-new-instance-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-native-window-placement-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-places-menu-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-systemMonitor-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-user-theme-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-window-list-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-windowsNavigator-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-workspace-indicator-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-shell-extension-xrandr-indicator-3.8.4-12.el7.noarch
gnome-system-log-3.8.1-5.el7.x86_64
gnome-system-monitor-3.8.2.1-6.el7.x86_64
gnome-terminal-3.8.4-8.el7.x86_64
gnome-themes-standard-3.8.4-3.el7.x86_64
gnome-tweak-tool-3.8.1-7.el7.noarch
gnome-user-docs-3.8.2-4.el7.noarch
gnome-vfs2-2.24.4-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-vfs2-devel-2.24.4-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-vfs2-smb-2.24.4-14.el7.x86_64
gnome-video-effects-0.4.0-6.el7.noarch
gnome-weather-3.8.2-4.el7.x86_64

[WhatsHisName]

Easiest fix is to revert to a GNOME 2 desktop by installing MATE Desktop from epel.

Code: Select all

# yum --enablerepo=epel group install "MATE Desktop"

...but I suggest looking at the list of packages and --exclude= anything you don't need/want. It is a very long list.

The MATE Desktop Environment is the continuation of GNOME 2...

I / others have been very satisfied with MATE after having similar WTF moments with GNOME 3.

[mward]

Easiest fix is to revert to a GNOME 2 desktop by installing MATE Desktop from epel.

Thanks for this suggestion. I installed MATE Desktop and am pleased with it's similarity to what we had in RHEL6. I think we'll have far less negative user feedback by using this instead. One curious thing is that the actual desktop itself doesn't seem to be interactable (can't right-click it), my ~/Desktop contents aren't being displayed, and my wallpaper is also not being displayed.

Most Google searches say to set /org/mate/desktop/background/show-desktop-icons to enabled/true to fix this, but my setting already IS enabled/true.

Any ideas? Thanks.

EDIT: Nevermind. I wasn't able to install a "group" of packages for some reason, so I just did "yum install mate*". This left out a critical component: the file system manager caja. After installing that, all is well

[WhatsHisName]

Funny, I was just writing a response saying that I had a similar experience when I tried to install a few mate-* rpms to get it working. Installing the MATE Desktop group fixed them.