Configuring Desktop Objects and Appearance

Your KDE desktop comes with a predefined set of desktop icons. By adding various objects such as folders, files, or widgets, you can create additional icons on your desktop and arrange them as you like.

Procedure 3.1. Adding Program Icons to the Desktop

To create a link to an application and place it on the desktop or the panel, proceed as follows:

  1. Click the main menu button and browse to the desired application.

  2. Right-click and select Add to Desktop or Add to Panel from the context menu that appears. If these menu items are not available, your desktop elements are probably locked. Unlock them first as described in Section 1.2.1, “Locking and Unlocking Desktop Objects”.

  3. To change the icon position on the desktop, left-click the icon and drag it to the desired place.

To delete an icon from your desktop, right-click the icon and select Remove this Icon.

Widgets

Procedure 3.2. Adding Widgets to the Desktop

Widgets are small applications that can be integrated into your desktop or your panel.

  1. To add widgets to you desktop, right-click an empty patch on your desktop and select Add Widgets.

    If these menu items are not available, your desktop elements are probably locked. Unlock them first as described in Section 1.2.1, “Locking and Unlocking Desktop Objects”.

  2. In the dialog box that appears, you can limit the selection of widgets that is shown with the drop-down list at the top or by entering a search string into the input field.

  3. Select a widget and click Add Widget. The widget appears on your desktop or in your panel.

  4. To position the widget on your desktop, left-click the widget and drag it to the desired place. To align all widgets to a grid, right-click an empty patch on the desktop and select Align Horizontally or Align Vertically.

To remove a widget from your desktop, right-click the widget and select the Remove... entry. Conversely, hover your mouse pointer over the widget and click the X symbol in the frame.

Procedure 3.3. Configuring Widgets

In order to configure widgets, the desktop elements need to be unlocked as described in Section 1.2.1, “Locking and Unlocking Desktop Objects”.

  1. To configure a widget, hover your mouse pointer over the widget until a translucent panel appears on the left or right side of the widget, showing a number of symbols.

    If the panel does not appear, your widgets are probably locked. Unlock them first as described in Section 1.2.1, “Locking and Unlocking Desktop Objects”

  2. To change the widget size, left-click the resize symbol in the panel and keep the mouse button pressed while moving your cursor across the desktop to scale the widget size.

  3. To rotate the widget in any direction, left-click the arrow symbol in the panel and keep the mouse button pressed while moving your cursor in a circle across the desktop. There is a sticky boundary in the horizontal and vertical positions where you can clamp the widget, if you like. You can also arrange it in any tilted position.

  4. To change the contents, settings, or properties of a widget, left-click the wrench symbol in the panel. In the configuration dialog box that appears, set the options according to your wishes.

Use the X symbol in the panel if you want to close the widget.

Virtual Desktops, Background and Screen Saver

Procedure 3.4. Changing the Desktop Background

You can change the background colors of your desktop or select a picture to use as the background.

  1. Right-click an empty patch of the desktop and select Desktop Settings. A configuration dialog appears.

  2. In the Wallpaper section, choose from the Type drop-down list if you want to use an Image, a Slide Show or a Color as background.

    • For an image wallpaper, choose a wallpaper from the Picture list. Click Get New Wallpapers to download and install new wallpapers. To use a custom picture, click the folder button beneath the list and select an image file from the file system. Define the Positioning of the image.

    • To have multiple images appear in Slide Show mode, define the directory from which to select the pictures and set the interval after which to change the images.

  3. Set the other options in the configuration dialog according to your wishes, and click OK to save your changes and leave the configuration dialog.

Procedure 3.5. Adding Additional Virtual Desktops

Some users might need more desktops than provided by default.

  1. Right-click the desktop previewer in the panel and select Configure Desktops. A configuration dialog appears where you can increase or decrease the number of virtual desktops. You can also change the default names of desktops.

  2. Click OK to apply the changes and close the configuration dialog.

  3. For the names of the desktops to appear in the desktop previewer rather than the number, right-click the desktop previewer and select Pager Options+Desktop Name.

Procedure 3.6. Using Different Options for Each Virtual Desktop

Though somewhat more complicated than with KDE 3.x, you can configure your virtual desktops in a way that allows you to use different wallpapers or widgets on each.

[Note]Combining Virtual Desktops with Plasma Activities

Note that the implementation in this release of KDE is still in an experimental state. Some features may not work as expected.

To access the relevant configuration options, you need to show the cashew icon at the upper right corner first (in openSUSE it is not visible by default). To do so, right-click an empty patch on your desktop and select Desktop Settings. In the dialog that appears, click Type below Desktop Activity and select the Desktop - Default Desktop Containment entry from the list. Click OK to confirm the settings and to close the dialog. Now the cashew icon is visible at the upper right corner of your desktop.

  1. Click the cashew icon at the upper right corner of your desktop and select Configure Plasma.

  2. In the Plasma configuration dialog, activate Different Activity for Each Desktop and click OK.

    From now on, each of your virtual desktops will have separate plasma activities. This will allow you to have a different wallpaper on each virtual desktop, as well as a completely separate set of widgets.

  3. Now switch to the virtual desktop you want to configure and set a custom background as described in Procedure 3.4, “Changing the Desktop Background” or add new widgets for the virtual desktop as described in Procedure 3.2, “Adding Widgets to the Desktop”.

To make all virtual desktops appear the same again and to remove the binding between virtual desktops and activities, zoom out of your current desktop again and deactivate Different Activity for Each Desktop in the Plasma configuration dialog.

Procedure 3.7. Configuring the Screen Saver

openSUSE® comes with predefined screen saver settings that you can adjust.

  1. Start the Personal Settings from the main menu by selecting Favorites+Configure Desktop.

  2. On the General tab, select Desktop.

  3. In the dialog that opens, click Screen Saver.

  4. In the list of screen savers, click a screen saver to see a preview in the right side of the dialog.

  5. Click Setup to adjust options like speed or shapes.

  6. You can also choose to view a blank screen instead or to let KDE start a random screen saver. Find these options at the end of the screen saver list.

  7. Under Settings, determine after how long a time of inactivity the screen saver should start and whether a password is required to unlock the screen after the screen saver has started.

  8. Click OK to apply the changes and close the configuration dialog.

Panel

You can customize the KDE panel according to your preferences. Applications and widgets can be added to the quick launch area or the system tray in the main panel or to additional panels. Panel elements and additional panels can be moved to different places or be completely removed at any time.

Procedure 3.8. Customizing the Panel

  1. Right-click an empty patch in the panel and select Panel Settings to access any panel options. Conversely, click the cashew icon at the end of the panel. The panel changes view and shows its configurations options.

    If the menu item and the icon are not available, your desktop objects are probably locked. To unlock, right-click and select Unlock Widgets first.

  2. To move panel objects to a different place within the panel, hover the mouse cursor over the respective panel object (for example, program icon, pager, task manager, system tray). The mouse cursor turns into a crosslines-like form. Move the cursor to the desired position in the panel, then click again to fix the object in the new position.

  3. To change the panel width, click and drag the small arrow icons at the far left and right end of the settings panel.

  4. To change the panel height, click the Height button and move the mouse cursor to the desired end location.

  5. To place the panel at different sides of the screen use the Screen Edge button. Drag and drop the panel to the preferred location.

  6. If you need additional widgets on your panel, add them with the Add Widgets... button as described in Step 2.

  7. To remove program icons or widgets from the panel, right-click the unwanted object and select the menu item to remove the icon or widget.

    The icons in the system tray usually belong to applications running in the background. Therefore you can only remove those icons if you close those applications (right-click the icon and select Quit).

  8. To prevent the panel and widgets from being moved accidentally, use Lock Widgets.

  9. For additional configurations options like alignment and functions (like auto hide), click More Settings....

  10. If all panel changes are according to your wishes, close the settings panel with the red close button on the right side.