reterminal-dm4/emmc-provisioning/cloud-init/TASKBAR-ICON.md

Taskbar (start menu) icon

The icon you see in the taskbar that opens the application menu is the start-here icon from the current icon theme. On Raspberry Pi OS with rpd-labwc (wf-panel-pi + wfplug-menu), that icon is resolved by name: start-here in the places context.

On the default PiXtrix theme, start-here is a symlink to the Raspberry Pi logo (rpi.png). To show a different icon, replace start-here with your own image in the same theme (or in a custom theme that overrides it).

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How to change it

Option 1: Replace on the device (one-off)

After first-boot, SSH in and replace the icon files. The panel uses PiXtrix by default; start-here there is under places:

• Paths: /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/<size>/places/start-here.png
• Sizes present on Raspberry Pi OS: 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96 (and optionally 22 for legacy).

Steps (as root):

# Backup originals (currently symlinks to rpi.png)
for s in 16 24 32 48 64 96; do
  [ -L /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/${s}x${s}/places/start-here.png ] && \
  cp -P /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/${s}x${s}/places/start-here.png /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/${s}x${s}/places/start-here.png.bak
done

# Replace with your PNG (one size – e.g. 32x32 – then scale for others, or use a scalable SVG and generate PNGs)
# Example: copy your icon to 32x32 (panel default icon_size is 32)
cp /path/to/your-icon.png /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/32x32/places/start-here.png
# Remove symlink first if it was a link:
rm -f /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/32x32/places/start-here.png
cp /path/to/your-icon.png /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/32x32/places/start-here.png

# Repeat for other sizes, or use ImageMagick to scale:
for s in 16 24 48 64 96; do
  convert /path/to/your-icon.png -resize ${s}x${s} /usr/share/icons/PiXtrix/${s}x${s}/places/start-here.png
done

Then restart the panel (or log out and back in):

pkill wf-panel-pi
# Panel is usually restarted by the session; if not, log out and in again.

Option 2: Deploy via first-boot (file server)

first-boot.sh (step 05) already does this: if start-here.png is present in the first-boot folder on the file server (same URL as splash.png, e.g. http://10.20.50.1:5000/files/first-boot/start-here.png), it is downloaded and installed as the taskbar start button icon in PiXtrix (all sizes 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96). If ImageMagick (convert) is installed, the icon is resized per size; otherwise the same image is copied to each size. Place start-here.png in your portal first-boot folder (e.g. next to splash.png) and re-provision or run first-boot; no extra config needed.

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Specs for the new icon

So that it looks correct in the taskbar and in the menu, use these specs:

Property	Value
Icon name	Must be installed as start-here (in places context) so the panel finds it.
Format	PNG (preferred for raster), or SVG if you generate PNGs per size.
Sizes	16×16, 24×24, 32×32, 48×48, 64×64, 96×96 px (panel default is 32px).
Aspect	Square (1∶1). The panel shows it in a square cell.
Background	Transparent (PNG with alpha) so it fits any panel background.
Content	Simple, recognizable at 16–32 px (logo or symbol). Avoid fine detail.
Theme path	PiXtrix/<size>x<size>/places/start-here.png (or override via a custom theme).

Recommendation

• Source asset: One PNG at 32×32 or 64×64 (or one SVG), then generate the other sizes to avoid scaling artifacts.
• Design: High contrast, clear at 24–32 px; works on both light and dark panel (or match your panel colour).
• File server name: e.g. taskbar-icon.png or start-here.png; first-boot script would download it and install to the paths above.

If you want, the next step is to add a small script (and optional first-boot wiring) that downloads taskbar-icon.png from the file server and installs it as start-here in all required sizes.