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{{Template:I18n/Language Navigation Bar|Plasma/Introduction_to_Plasma}}
<languages />
<translate>


{{Info|If you are looking for the Plasma FAQ, the current version is available [[Plasma/FAQ | on this page]].}}
== At A Glance == <!--T:4-->


== An introduction: what Plasma is, and what it does ==
<!--T:85-->
 
Plasma is the KDE workspace. Actually it is a technology that can adapt to many types of devices. Currently there are two varieties of Plasma: The Plasma Desktop environment which is the focus of the majority of our pages and Plasma Mobile, the new cool  environment for pads and smartphones. The [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Netbooks|Plasma Netbook]] environment was removed in KDE Plasma 5 and replaced with the Application Dashboard menu.
''Plasma'' is the desktop interface for ''KDE Software Compilation 4'', including the application launcher (start menu), the desktop and the desktop panel (often referred to simply as the task bar, although that is only one component of the panel).
 
== Plasma at a glance ==


<!--T:5-->
A typical Plasma desktop looks like this:
A typical Plasma desktop looks like this:


[[Image:KDESC_Default_Desktop.png|512px|center]]
<!--T:6-->
[[Image:Plasma_Desktop.png|600px|center]]


The three key components of a Plasma desktop are:
<!--T:7-->
The four key components of a default Plasma desktop are:


* '''The panel''', better known as task bar, which provides room for the application launcher, the list of tasks (programs), clock and system tray;
<!--T:8-->
* '''The [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Panels|panel]]''', sometimes referred to as "the task bar", it provides room for the application launcher, the list of windows (programs), clock and system tray;
* '''The desktop''', the area where widgets and icons reside;
* '''The desktop''', the area where widgets and icons reside;
* '''The Plasma toolbox''' This is located at the top right of the screen. There is also one on the right of the panel.
* '''The [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma#Folder_Views|folder view]]''', a widget that lists the content of a folder on your computer, giving you quick access to basic file management tasks;
* '''The Plasma toolbox''' This is located at the top left of the screen as well as at end of the panel. These are used to access configuration and other options quickly and reliably.


=== Finding your way around Plasma ===
<!--T:71-->
All of these default items are fully configurable and can host a wide variety of tools and content.


You can use Plasma as you would use the desktop of any other operating system, by accessing the application menu (K Menu), viewing the currently active programs on the taskbar, accessing icons on the system tray, and so on.
=== The Plasma Desktop FAQ === <!--T:1-->


An important part of Plasma are the so-called widgets. Widgets are the individual units of the desktop and they include (although they are not limited to) the application menu, icons, the system tray, the clock...  Widgets can exist on the desktop itself, or be inserted in the panel. Panels and desktops are actually special kinds of widgets, meant to contain other widgets (in Plasma terms, they are called "Containments").  
<!--T:72-->
A "Frequent Asked Questions" for the current version of the Plasma Desktop is maintained [[Special:mylanguage/Plasma/FAQ/Index | on this page]]. It provides succinct answers to common questions as well as links to FAQs for older versions.


How does that relate with desktop usage? Plasma has also some new features with respect to traditional desktop usage. We have already mentioned the Plasma toolboxes, sometimes also called "cashews": those are the way to start interacting and customizing Plasma. By clicking on them, a menu will pop up on the screen with a variety of choices: from there you can add widgets to your panel or desktop, resize, add or remove panels, and other operations.
=== Finding your way around Plasma === <!--T:9-->


=== Desktop and icons ===
<!--T:10-->
You can use Plasma as you would use the desktop of any other operating system, by accessing the [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Kickoff|application launcher]], viewing the currently active programs on the [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Tasks|taskbar]], accessing icons on the system tray, and so on.


As you may notice from the screenshot, there are no icons placed directly on the desktop. Instead, they are placed inside a container, better known as Folder View. Although there are a number of technical reasons for doing so, the Folder View can perfectly act as a desktop replacement (in fact, it shows the Desktop folder by default). You can drag icons over it, cut, copy, paste, rename files and also create new folders/files.  
<!--T:11-->
An important part of Plasma are the "widgets". Widgets are the individual units of the desktop and they include (although they are not limited to) the application menu, icons, the system tray, the clock, etc. Widgets can exist on the desktop itself, or be inserted into the panel, on the screen saver or on the dashboard among other places. Widgets exist for a large number of tasks besides usual desktop helpers, including microblogging (Twitter, identi.ca), unit conversion calculators, weather forecasts, file sharing and much more. Panels and desktops are also special kinds of widgets themselves, meant to contain other widgets.  


The main differences from the usual Desktop folder are essentially two:
<!--T:12-->
How does that relate with desktop usage? Plasma has some new features with respect to traditional desktop usage. We have already mentioned the Plasma toolboxes: those are the way to start interacting and customizing your Plasma Desktop. By clicking on them, a menu will pop up on the screen with a variety of choices: from there you can add widgets to your panel or desktop, resize, add or remove panels, change the wallpaper and other operations.


* You can have more than one Folder View on the desktop itself;
</translate><span id="Folder_Views"></span><translate>
* You can set Folder View to show also different folders (both local and on the network).


Aside from the Folder View, you can put on the desktop all kinds of widgets, such as weather reporting widgets, notes widgets, file watchers... There are no limits on what you can customize.
===  Folder Views === <!--T:13-->


=== Widgets everywhere ===
<!--T:14-->
As you may notice in the screenshot above, there are no icons placed directly on the desktop. Instead, they are placed inside a container called a "Folder View". By default, the Folder View shows the Desktop folder and allows you to drag files to it, open them, cut, copy, paste, rename files and also create new folders/files.


In KDE SC 4.x Plasma supports not only widgets written specifically for Plasma (also known as Plasmoids) but also ones from other sources such as Google Gadgets and Dashboard Widgets from Mac OSX. Additional widgets can easily be found and installed through [[Glossary#Get Hot New Stuff|Get Hot New Stuff]].
<!--T:16-->
You can have more than one Folder View on the desktop, and they can also be placed in panels. You can set Folder View to show any folder, local or remote, you have access to. Each Folder View can be moved and resized independently to your preference.


Widgets that are docked into the panel usually have an Options menu, while those on the desktop have the configuration options within the 'handle', the shaded area which pops up, sometimes right or sometimes left of the widget.  Clicking and holding the mouse on the blank part of the handle will allow you to drag the widget to the desired position.
<!--T:73-->
Folder View can also be set as the default full-screen desktop background for a more traditional "icons scattered on the desktop" layout.


[[Image:Handle.png|300px|center]]
=== Panels === <!--T:30-->


You have four tools on this handle.  The top one is the re-sizer.  Click and hold on the tool and you can drag the size.
<!--T:31-->
 
[[Image:Panel_Settings.png|512px|center]]
The second tool is a rotate tool.  Again, click and hold the tool, while rotating to desired angle.
 
[[Image:Handle_rotate.png|300px|center]]


<!--T:74-->
Panels allow you to place widgets around the edges of the screen. These collections of widgets can be configured in various ways, including making them automatically hide when not in use or aligned to certain areas of the screen.


The third is the wrench or spanner which allows you to configure that particular widget's settings.
<!--T:75-->
By default, there is one panel at the bottom of the screen, but you can add more panels, move and otherwise configure the default panel and remove panels you no longer want. The widgets in all of the panels may also be adjusted to your liking.


Finally, the forth tool is used on some widgets like the Picture Frame. If you use the Picture Frame widget for example, it will open the image viewer.
<!--T:76-->
For more information on configuring panels in Plasma Desktop and what they are capable of doing for you, visit the [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Panels|Plasma Panels]] page.


Some of our favourite widgets are discussed on ''[[Plasma/Plasmoids|the Plasma Widgets page]]''
<!--T:89-->
[[Special:myLanguage/LatteDock|Latte Dock]] is an alternative panel.


=== The start menus ===
=== Widgets === <!--T:18-->


Start menus etc.
<!--T:80-->
[[Image:WidgetsPlasma.png|thumb|150px|left|Plasma Widgets]]


=== The Panel ===
<!--T:19-->
Plasma supports widgets written specifically for Plasma (also known as Plasmoids) as well as widgets from other sources such as Google Gadgets, Superkaramba and some Dashboard Widgets from Mac OSX. Additional widgets can easily be found and installed through [[Special:myLanguage/Glossary#Get Hot New Stuff|Get Hot New Stuff]].


[[Image:Panel_Settings.png|512px|center]]
<!--T:82-->
To see the widgets that are installed on your system and ready to use open the Plasma Widget Explorer by either
* opening the Desktop Toolbox in the upper right corner of the screen and selecting <menuchoice>Add Widgets</menuchoice>,
* opening the Panel Toolbox furthest to the right in the Panel and  selecting <menuchoice>Add Widgets</menuchoice>, or
* right clicking on the Desktop and choosing <menuchoice>Add Widgets</menuchoice> from the context menu.


The panel can be configured by clicking on the toolbox on the right of the panel which puts the panel into configure mode. This lets you configure the panel to fit your needs.
<!--T:83-->
To place a widget on the Desktop simply drag it from the Widget Explorer to the Desktop. To place a widget in the panel first open the Panel Toolbox and from there open the Widget Explorer (click <menuchoice>Add Widgets</menuchoice>), locate the widget you wish to add and drag it to the desired position in the Panel. <br clear=all/>


'''Panel Alignment:''' Allows the alignment of the panel to be set in three pre-set positions.
<!--T:84-->
{{Note|1=You can not add widgets if they are locked. Open the Desktop Toolbox or the Panel Toolbox or right click on the Desktop - if you see an item labeled <menuchoice>Unlock Widgets</menuchoice> then select that, and then proceed to add widgets to your Desktop or your Panel.
<br />
When you are done adding widgets you might want to lock widgets again: Open a Toolbox or the Desktop context menu and click <menuchoice>Lock Widgets</menuchoice>.}}


'''Always Visible:''' Keeps the panel visible at all times, even when windows are maximised.
<!--T:20-->
Widgets that are docked into a panel usually have an Options menu, while those on the desktop have the configuration options within the 'handle', the shaded area which pops up when hovering over the widget.  Clicking and holding the mouse on the blank part of the handle will allow you to drag the widget to the desired position.


'''Auto Hide:''' Hides the panel off screen until the mouse is placed near the screen edge.
<!--T:21-->
[[Image:Handle-new.png|300px|center]]


'''Windows can cover:''' This allows windows to cover the panel and if maximised, will cover the panel.
<!--T:22-->
You have four tools on this handle.  The top one is the re-sizer.  Click and drag on the tool to resize the widget.


'''Windows go below:''' This allows windows to go below the panel, even when maximised.
<!--T:23-->
The second tool is a rotate tool.  Again, click and hold the tool, while rotating to the desired angle.


'''Maximise Panel:''' Makes the panel fit to the screen edges, if it has been resized.
<!--T:24-->
[[Image:Handle-new-rotate.png|300px|center]]


'''Remove this panel:''' Removes the current panel.


'''Lock Widgets:''' Locks the panel and widgets in position.
<!--T:25-->
 
The third is the wrench or spanner which allows you to configure that particular widget's settings.
'''Add Spacer:''' Allows you to add a spacer into the panel giving space between the items in it.
 
'''Add Widgets:''' Allows widgets to be added to the panel.


'''Height:''' Allows the panel height to be adjusted.
<!--T:26-->
Finally, the fourth tool is the "expanded view" tool and is available only on widgets that support this feature, such as the Picture Frame or Web viewers. When clicked, the Picture Frame widget will, for example, open the currently viewed in an image viewer while the Web Slice widget will open the web page in a full web browser window.


'''Screen Edge:''' Allows you to drag the panel to any of the four edges of the screen.
<!--T:27-->
A list of Plasma widgets with their own page can be found [[Special:myLanguage/Category:Widgets|here]], and some of our favourite widgets are discussed on ''[[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Plasmoids|the Plasma Widgets page]]''


[[Image:Panel_Settings_resize.png|512px|center]]
</translate><span id="Activities"></span><translate>


The arrows on the edge, just below the main settings allow the panel's size to be adjusted. Dragging the arrow makes the panel smaller or larger. Dragging the arrow pointing down, moves the panel's position.
== Activities == <!--T:49-->


== Advanced usage ==
<!--T:86-->
The icons shown in the screenshot have small buttons in the top right and bottom right. The small pause button in the top right prevents the activity from being included when switching through Activities using <keycap>Super + Tab</keycap>. It also opens up an "x" to delete the activity.  To change the names of the activities, look for the small wrench in the bottom right of the icon.


Special cases not covered here
<!--T:81-->
[[Image:Activities-Plasma5.6.png|thumb|150px|left|Plasma Activity Explorer]]


=== Activities and the Zooming User Interface (ZUI) ===
=== Use Cases === <!--T:54-->


KDE Plasma has brought a lot of new features to the modern linux desktop, however many people are only using a fraction of the desktop's full potential. One of the most useful and underused features is the plasma activities. The basic idea behind is that your desktop space is limited to how many widgets it can hold. A user will want to use a lot of widgets but doesn't want their desktop to be cluttered. The answer to this problem is activities; they allow you to specialize each desktop to whatever task you need to accomplish. To make a new activity you have to click on the toolbox in the upper right hand corner, from there click zoom out. The desktop will zoom out then click add new activity under the small desktop. It will make a new desktop right next to it. Now go click the zoom in button under the new desktop. With this desktop you can add whatever widgets to this desktop and it will not affect the other desktop.
<!--T:55-->
A user likes web comics so they add their favorite web comics via the comics widget. The user now has a full desktop activity dedicated to their favorite web comics.  Now the user is happy with the web comics, but the user now has to go to work, so the user creates an activity with the folder view widgets set to the folders of the projects the user is currently working on. After work the user goes home and works on a side project of writing romance novels. The user always gains inspiration by looking at pictures of the user's significant other. The user now creates a new Activity but now puts pictures frame widgets with pictures of the user's significant other. The user also has a folder view of the romance novel project folder. Now no matter what the user is doing the user has a custom tailored activity to match it.


==== Activities and Virtual Desktops ====
<!--T:56-->
Go to [http://hanswchen.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/how-do-you-use-activities/  this blog] to read a few tips on using activities. [http://chani.wordpress.com/category/activities/ Chanis blog] has a number of examples as well as screencasts about activities.


Virtual desktops, the ability to have a separate sets of windows on separate desktops, can tie in with Activities. You can have a different activity on each virtual desktop. In Plasma Desktop 4.4, this can be configured by entering System Settings and navigating to Desktop -> Multiple Desktops, and checking "Different Activity for Each Desktop".
== Widget Layouts and Virtual Desktops == <!--T:51-->


In Plasma Desktop 4.3, You configure this by zooming out and choosing "configure Plasma". Then select "use a different activity on each desktop" and zoom in again.
<!--T:52-->
Virtual desktops, the ability to have a separate sets of windows on separate desktops, can tie in with Activities. You can have a different activity on each virtual desktop. In Plasma Desktop 4.4, this can be configured by entering <menuchoice>System Settings</menuchoice> and navigating to <menuchoice>Desktop -> Multiple Desktops</menuchoice>, and checking <menuchoice>Different Activity for Each Desktop</menuchoice>.


=== Use Cases ===
<!--T:53-->
In Plasma Desktop 4.3, You configure this by zooming out and choosing <menuchoice>configure Plasma</menuchoice>. Then select <menuchoice>use a different activity on each desktop</menuchoice> and zoom in again. <br clear=all/>


A user likes web comics so they add their favorite web comics via the comics widget. The user now has a full desktop activity dedicated to their favorite web comics.  Now the user is happy with the web comics, but the user now has to go to work, so the user creates a activity with the folder view widgets set to the folders of the projects the user is currently working on.  After work the user goes home and works on a side project of writing romance novels.  The user always gains inspiration by looking at pictures of the user's significant other. The user now creates a new Activity but now puts pictures frame widgets with pictures of the user's significant other.  The user also has a folder view of the romance novel project folder.  Now no matter what the user is doing the user has a custom tailored activity to match it.
==Hints and Tips== <!--T:57-->


Go to [http://hanswchen.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/how-do-you-use-activities/  this blog] to read a few tips on using activities.
<!--T:90-->
There is subpage [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Tips|Plasma/Tips]] enumerating a lot of useful tips for Plasma.


==Hints and Tips==
===Tweaking Plasma=== <!--T:64-->
===The Taskbar===
'''Accessing the Taskbar Settings Menu:''' Click the panel toolbox (aka cashew), then right-click on the taskbar.  From there you can access the Taskbar Settings dialog.  The following settings are particularly useful:


::'''Grouping and Sorting:''' Grouping can be by program name, manually, or not at all.  (You can also choose to only enable grouping if the taskbar is full.)  Similarly, Sorting defaults to alphabetically, but it can also be by desktop, manually, or not sorted.
<!--T:65-->
* Learn how to [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/TweakingPlasma#A_Windows_Vista-like_sidebar_with_clock_and_news|add a sidebar with clock and news]].


::'''Only Show Tasks from the Current Desktop:''' A checkbox on the Filters section.
<!--T:66-->
* Customize your Plasma by [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/TweakingPlasma#Using_Multiple_Plasma_Themes|mixing multiple Plasma themes]].


::'''Have More than One Row on the Taskbar:''' If you use many applications at one time you may find it advantageous to set Maximum Rows and then Force Row Settings.
<!--T:87-->
* Learn how to [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Create_a_Look_and_Feel_Package | create a look and feel package]].


::'''Showing or Hiding Tooltips:''' A simple checkbox in the Appearance section of the General page.
<!--T:88-->
* Learn how to [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/How to create a Unity-like look and feel theme using Plasma’s Desktop Scripting API|create a Unity-like look and feel theme using Plasma’s Desktop Scripting API]].


===Tweaking Plasma===
<!--T:91-->
::Learn how to [[Plasma/TweakingPlasma#A_Windows_Vista-like_sidebar_with_clock_and_news|add a sidebar with clock and news]]
* Learn how to [[Special:myLanguage/Tutorials/Using_Other_Window_Managers_with_Plasma|change the default Window Manager in Plasma]].


::Customize your Plasma by [[Plasma/TweakingPlasma#Using_Multiple_Plasma_Themes|mixing multiple Plasma themes]]
===Reloading Plasma=== <!--T:77-->


<!--T:78-->
Sometimes you might want to reload Plasma, like right after changing system language so the changes takes effect, or because of a problem with the desktop. To do that, open a terminal(or [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Krunner|KRunner]]) and run these commands:


<!--T:79-->
{{Input|1=kstart5 plasmashell --replace}}


== More Information == <!--T:67-->


== Further information ==
<!--T:68-->
* [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/FAQ/Index | The Plasma FAQ's]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/HowTo/Index | Plasma HowTo's - short screencasts]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Glossary | Glossary]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Plasmoids| Some of our favourite plamoids]] - why not add yours?
* [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Installing Plasmoids|Here's how to install more Plasmas widgets]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Krunner|Learn the versatility of KRunner]]


* [[Plasma/FAQ | The Plasma FAQ]]
* [[Plasma/HowTo | Plasma HowTo - short screencasts]]
* [[Glossary | Glossary]]
* [[Plasma/Plasmoids| Some of our favourite plamoids]] - why not add yours?
* [[Plasma/Installing Plasmoids|Here's how to install more Plasmas widgets]]


<!--T:69-->
{|style="text-align:right"
{|style="text-align:right"
|'''Back to [[An_introduction_to_KDE|the Introduction page''']]
|'''Back to [[Special:myLanguage/An_introduction_to_KDE|the Introduction page''']]
|}
|}


[[Category:Desktop]]
<!--T:70-->
[[Category:Plasma]]
</translate>

Latest revision as of 00:28, 21 December 2022

Other languages:

At A Glance

Plasma is the KDE workspace. Actually it is a technology that can adapt to many types of devices. Currently there are two varieties of Plasma: The Plasma Desktop environment which is the focus of the majority of our pages and Plasma Mobile, the new cool environment for pads and smartphones. The Plasma Netbook environment was removed in KDE Plasma 5 and replaced with the Application Dashboard menu.

A typical Plasma desktop looks like this:

The four key components of a default Plasma desktop are:

  • The panel, sometimes referred to as "the task bar", it provides room for the application launcher, the list of windows (programs), clock and system tray;
  • The desktop, the area where widgets and icons reside;
  • The folder view, a widget that lists the content of a folder on your computer, giving you quick access to basic file management tasks;
  • The Plasma toolbox This is located at the top left of the screen as well as at end of the panel. These are used to access configuration and other options quickly and reliably.

All of these default items are fully configurable and can host a wide variety of tools and content.

The Plasma Desktop FAQ

A "Frequent Asked Questions" for the current version of the Plasma Desktop is maintained on this page. It provides succinct answers to common questions as well as links to FAQs for older versions.

Finding your way around Plasma

You can use Plasma as you would use the desktop of any other operating system, by accessing the application launcher, viewing the currently active programs on the taskbar, accessing icons on the system tray, and so on.

An important part of Plasma are the "widgets". Widgets are the individual units of the desktop and they include (although they are not limited to) the application menu, icons, the system tray, the clock, etc. Widgets can exist on the desktop itself, or be inserted into the panel, on the screen saver or on the dashboard among other places. Widgets exist for a large number of tasks besides usual desktop helpers, including microblogging (Twitter, identi.ca), unit conversion calculators, weather forecasts, file sharing and much more. Panels and desktops are also special kinds of widgets themselves, meant to contain other widgets.

How does that relate with desktop usage? Plasma has some new features with respect to traditional desktop usage. We have already mentioned the Plasma toolboxes: those are the way to start interacting and customizing your Plasma Desktop. By clicking on them, a menu will pop up on the screen with a variety of choices: from there you can add widgets to your panel or desktop, resize, add or remove panels, change the wallpaper and other operations.

Folder Views

As you may notice in the screenshot above, there are no icons placed directly on the desktop. Instead, they are placed inside a container called a "Folder View". By default, the Folder View shows the Desktop folder and allows you to drag files to it, open them, cut, copy, paste, rename files and also create new folders/files.

You can have more than one Folder View on the desktop, and they can also be placed in panels. You can set Folder View to show any folder, local or remote, you have access to. Each Folder View can be moved and resized independently to your preference.

Folder View can also be set as the default full-screen desktop background for a more traditional "icons scattered on the desktop" layout.

Panels

Panels allow you to place widgets around the edges of the screen. These collections of widgets can be configured in various ways, including making them automatically hide when not in use or aligned to certain areas of the screen.

By default, there is one panel at the bottom of the screen, but you can add more panels, move and otherwise configure the default panel and remove panels you no longer want. The widgets in all of the panels may also be adjusted to your liking.

For more information on configuring panels in Plasma Desktop and what they are capable of doing for you, visit the Plasma Panels page.

Latte Dock is an alternative panel.

Widgets

Plasma Widgets

Plasma supports widgets written specifically for Plasma (also known as Plasmoids) as well as widgets from other sources such as Google Gadgets, Superkaramba and some Dashboard Widgets from Mac OSX. Additional widgets can easily be found and installed through Get Hot New Stuff.

To see the widgets that are installed on your system and ready to use open the Plasma Widget Explorer by either

  • opening the Desktop Toolbox in the upper right corner of the screen and selecting Add Widgets,
  • opening the Panel Toolbox furthest to the right in the Panel and selecting Add Widgets, or
  • right clicking on the Desktop and choosing Add Widgets from the context menu.

To place a widget on the Desktop simply drag it from the Widget Explorer to the Desktop. To place a widget in the panel first open the Panel Toolbox and from there open the Widget Explorer (click Add Widgets), locate the widget you wish to add and drag it to the desired position in the Panel.

Note

You can not add widgets if they are locked. Open the Desktop Toolbox or the Panel Toolbox or right click on the Desktop - if you see an item labeled Unlock Widgets then select that, and then proceed to add widgets to your Desktop or your Panel.


When you are done adding widgets you might want to lock widgets again: Open a Toolbox or the Desktop context menu and click Lock Widgets.


Widgets that are docked into a panel usually have an Options menu, while those on the desktop have the configuration options within the 'handle', the shaded area which pops up when hovering over the widget. Clicking and holding the mouse on the blank part of the handle will allow you to drag the widget to the desired position.

You have four tools on this handle. The top one is the re-sizer. Click and drag on the tool to resize the widget.

The second tool is a rotate tool. Again, click and hold the tool, while rotating to the desired angle.


The third is the wrench or spanner which allows you to configure that particular widget's settings.

Finally, the fourth tool is the "expanded view" tool and is available only on widgets that support this feature, such as the Picture Frame or Web viewers. When clicked, the Picture Frame widget will, for example, open the currently viewed in an image viewer while the Web Slice widget will open the web page in a full web browser window.

A list of Plasma widgets with their own page can be found here, and some of our favourite widgets are discussed on the Plasma Widgets page

Activities

The icons shown in the screenshot have small buttons in the top right and bottom right. The small pause button in the top right prevents the activity from being included when switching through Activities using Super + Tab. It also opens up an "x" to delete the activity. To change the names of the activities, look for the small wrench in the bottom right of the icon.

Plasma Activity Explorer

Use Cases

A user likes web comics so they add their favorite web comics via the comics widget. The user now has a full desktop activity dedicated to their favorite web comics. Now the user is happy with the web comics, but the user now has to go to work, so the user creates an activity with the folder view widgets set to the folders of the projects the user is currently working on. After work the user goes home and works on a side project of writing romance novels. The user always gains inspiration by looking at pictures of the user's significant other. The user now creates a new Activity but now puts pictures frame widgets with pictures of the user's significant other. The user also has a folder view of the romance novel project folder. Now no matter what the user is doing the user has a custom tailored activity to match it.

Go to this blog to read a few tips on using activities. Chanis blog has a number of examples as well as screencasts about activities.

Widget Layouts and Virtual Desktops

Virtual desktops, the ability to have a separate sets of windows on separate desktops, can tie in with Activities. You can have a different activity on each virtual desktop. In Plasma Desktop 4.4, this can be configured by entering System Settings and navigating to Desktop -> Multiple Desktops, and checking Different Activity for Each Desktop.

In Plasma Desktop 4.3, You configure this by zooming out and choosing configure Plasma. Then select use a different activity on each desktop and zoom in again.

Hints and Tips

There is subpage Plasma/Tips enumerating a lot of useful tips for Plasma.

Tweaking Plasma

Reloading Plasma

Sometimes you might want to reload Plasma, like right after changing system language so the changes takes effect, or because of a problem with the desktop. To do that, open a terminal(or KRunner) and run these commands: 

kstart5 plasmashell --replace

More Information


Back to the Introduction page
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