Can't run Node RED — "Invalid desktop entry file: '/usr/share/applications/Node-RED.desktop'"

Question

I tried running Node RED after I tried to install another node red because I didn't know that I needed to copy the IP address on the console and type it in the search bar (I might be wrong; I'm still very new to the Raspberry Pi) but when the console lists that it removed the preinstalled Node RED it won't install Node.js LTS.

Now I can't get into the pre installed Node RED; it says:

Invalid desktop entry file: '/usr/share/applications/Node-RED.desktop'.

How can I resolve this error?

menu://applications/Development/Node-RED.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Node-RED
Comment=Flow based application composer for the Internet of Things
Icon=/usr/share/icons/gnome/scalable/apps/node-red-icon.svg
Exec=node-red-start
Type=Application
Encoding=UTF-8
Terminal=true
Categories=Development;

Answer 1

It sounds like Node RED isn't installed properly after all. Your .desktop file is throwing an error because node-red-start doesn't exist (not because the .desktop file is in any way invalid or corrupt).

I'm not sure exactly what steps you've done so far, so it might be easier to start with a fresh Raspbian image and follow along with the official instructions. Node RED is preinstalled in the Raspbian image (for any version later than November 2015), so you can just use that. It'll be a little out of date, though, so you should also run:

update-nodejs-and-nodered

to update to the latest Node RED. You'll then be able to use it (either from the menu or the terminal) without any issues.

If you don't want to try the 'nuclear' option of wiping your SD card and starting from scratch, you'll need to reverse all the extra steps you did, and then follow the installation instructions given on their website. That said, I personally would just start with a new image, because it avoids any potential problems that could be caused by the broken Node RED install you currently have.