I just added and modified a .desktop file in my /home/user/.local/share/applications folder.  Is there any way to refresh the icon and caption in the list of applications without logging out?
How do I refresh Gnome 3 applications
desktop;gnome3
You can restart the gnome-shell by pressing Alt+F2 and then typing in either restart or just r and pressing Enter.Otherwise I've noticed that it automatically refreshes .desktop files after waiting a little while.