Linux Mint - add file type to "new file" context menu category

Question

I am trying to add a new file extension to cinnamon's new file menu

1. right click

2. create new document

3. I would like to add entries in this list

I remember that I have done this before based on a tutorial, but it seems to have disappeared from the web since.

I can remember that the source is a directory, but can't recall the path from which it fetches the file types and default contents.

Where can I find this directory?

• OS: Linux Mint 18.3
• desktop: cinnamon
• file manager: nemo

Update/Research: According to this article's 7th point, the directory I'm looking for is ~/Templates, which doesn't exist on my system. Since my context menu already has custom file templates I suspect it has been moved to another location between versions. which exists but is a bit tricky, see answer.

Answer 1

The Templates directory for your locale can be found by typing on the terminal:

xdg-user-dir TEMPLATES

Any files stored in that directory appear as menu entries of the new file context menu. The menu entry text is derived from the filename by removing the file extension, if that file has one.

For example, the following command creates a menu entry Testfile which creates a file containing just the word “test”:

echo test >$(xdg-user-dir TEMPLATES)/Testfile.txt

Answer 2

Ok, after a bit more research I found the answer to my problem.

• the template directory is indeed at ~/Templatesbut its name is translated to the language of the desktop environment
• the translation is not "cosmetic", Nemo and the terminal can both access ~/Sablonok ([hu] locale version of "templates"), and they both fail to locate ~/Templates
• viewed in Nemo, the directory has an icon with a paper in a standing position, the letter 'a' written on it, a visible thin solid grey margin around the letter, and a triangular ruler in the bottom left corner. This is in Nemo 3.6.5, Linux Mint 18.3, Cinnamon desktop environment, every possible theme setting on default. Anyone else's icon might differ with different software, software version, or custom themes.
• according to this forum post, specifically altair4's answer, it is possible that the directory doesn't exist and you need to manually create it. This information might be outdated as it's from 2009.

I don't have sources on names for any other locale besides [en] and [hu] as I have found the directory accidentally, not through systematic searching on the web.