Hardware Forums - View Single Post

Fred · 12-10-2005, 07:30 AM

CONFIGURING YOUR KDE DESKTOP - Pt. 1

Introduction
KDE is probably the single most customizable user desktop environment currently in existance. The aim of this tutorial is to cover a few basic ways we can tune the KDE desktop to look & feel more like our ideal "dream interface". Before we proceed, please have a look at this animated KDE diagram, which illustrates the some typical (but optional) components of a KDE desktop:

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dive right in. When you first boot up, Your desktop should look something like this:

Multiple Desktops
"Why should I bother?"
So why should you bother even having more than one desktop? You only have one monitor and can only see one desktop at a time, right? This option is very helpful when you are the type of person that does more than one thing at a time. On top of that, instead of having one, cluttered desktop, you can have a few, organized desktops. And when you're using a photo editing program, such as gimp, it is nice to have an entire desktop dedicated to each picture you are working with. Also, you can keep your tools on a separate desktop as the pictures so that it doesn't take up precious space in your work area.

"Where can I click to change desktops?"
See the box with a couple of numbers to the bottom-right? Those are your different desktops.

Adding More Desktops
If you want more, right click on the numbers, and go to “Configure virtual desktop.” Here, you can add and name desktops. If you right click on the box that has your desktops in it, and go to show, you are able to enable transparency, which can be nice (and fitting, if you follow this walkthrough to the end).

Add a Taskbar
If you want to add another taskbar for specific programs, etc. right click on the taskbar at the bottom and go to add->panel->child panel. It will immediately pop up on the left of the screen. You can put it in a different location by clicking and dragging it to the new location on your desktop.

If you like the taskbar at the top of the screen that shows you what Programs you have open (like Mac OS), then you can right click on your desktop and go to “configure desktop. Next, select Behavior

In the middle, you can see a section called “Menu Bar at Top of Screen.” Try the different options to see which one you like best.

Resizing Your Taskbar
To resize your taskbar, right click on any taskbar and go to “configure panel.”

Select the taskbar you want to configure out of the drop-down menu entitled “Settings for:” then adjust the length accordingly. You may also want to select a position so that it's in a location that best suits you. While you're here, you can also mess with the option “size” to adjust how large or small your taskbar is. When you're done, your desktop may look something like this -->

Transparent Taskbars
You can enable transparency on your taskbars by right clicking and going to configure panel, then clicking on the tab, “Appearance.” At the bottom, you'll notice the section “Panel Background.” Check “Enable transparency” then go to Advanced Options and adjust the “tint amount” and color according to your preferences.

When you're done, it should look something like this:

12-10-2005, 07:30 AM	#2 (permalink) Top
Fred Moderator Join Date: Jun 2004 Age: 23 Male Posts: 659 Times Helpful: 37 Status: Offline My Computer	CONFIGURING YOUR KDE DESKTOP - Pt. 1 Introduction KDE is probably the single most customizable user desktop environment currently in existance. The aim of this tutorial is to cover a few basic ways we can tune the KDE desktop to look & feel more like our ideal "dream interface". Before we proceed, please have a look at this animated KDE diagram, which illustrates the some typical (but optional) components of a KDE desktop: Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dive right in. When you first boot up, Your desktop should look something like this: Multiple Desktops "Why should I bother?" So why should you bother even having more than one desktop? You only have one monitor and can only see one desktop at a time, right? This option is very helpful when you are the type of person that does more than one thing at a time. On top of that, instead of having one, cluttered desktop, you can have a few, organized desktops. And when you're using a photo editing program, such as gimp, it is nice to have an entire desktop dedicated to each picture you are working with. Also, you can keep your tools on a separate desktop as the pictures so that it doesn't take up precious space in your work area. "Where can I click to change desktops?" See the box with a couple of numbers to the bottom-right? Those are your different desktops. Adding More Desktops If you want more, right click on the numbers, and go to “Configure virtual desktop.” Here, you can add and name desktops. If you right click on the box that has your desktops in it, and go to show, you are able to enable transparency, which can be nice (and fitting, if you follow this walkthrough to the end). Add a Taskbar If you want to add another taskbar for specific programs, etc. right click on the taskbar at the bottom and go to add->panel->child panel. It will immediately pop up on the left of the screen. You can put it in a different location by clicking and dragging it to the new location on your desktop. If you like the taskbar at the top of the screen that shows you what Programs you have open (like Mac OS), then you can right click on your desktop and go to “configure desktop. Next, select Behavior In the middle, you can see a section called “Menu Bar at Top of Screen.” Try the different options to see which one you like best. Resizing Your Taskbar To resize your taskbar, right click on any taskbar and go to “configure panel.” Select the taskbar you want to configure out of the drop-down menu entitled “Settings for:” then adjust the length accordingly. You may also want to select a position so that it's in a location that best suits you. While you're here, you can also mess with the option “size” to adjust how large or small your taskbar is. When you're done, your desktop may look something like this --> Transparent Taskbars You can enable transparency on your taskbars by right clicking and going to configure panel, then clicking on the tab, “Appearance.” At the bottom, you'll notice the section “Panel Background.” Check “Enable transparency” then go to Advanced Options and adjust the “tint amount” and color according to your preferences. When you're done, it should look something like this: