Bug 251772 - Cannot set multiple desktop columns: pager widget required to modify kwin settings
Summary: Cannot set multiple desktop columns: pager widget required to modify kwin set...
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 105779
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: openSUSE Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
: 251771 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2010-09-20 00:57 UTC by Mats Ahlgren
Modified: 2012-04-13 19:23 UTC (History)
0 users

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


Attachments

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Mats Ahlgren 2010-09-20 00:57:58 UTC
Version:           unspecified (using KDE 4.4.4) 
OS:                Linux

This is a major usability issue with regards to multiple desktops.

When using the Desktop Wall, one can configure it to have a custom number of
rows. This is not synced with the true geometry of the virtual desktops. There
is no preference in Personal Settings to change the number of desktop columns.
Such a preference should exist in PersonalSettings>Desktop>MultipleDesktops and
should be synced with the DesktopWall plugin.

The workaround is impossible to figure out for normal users. It is this:
- right-click on kicker
- add a widget
- go through the list of widgets until you find one named "Pager"
- add this widget to kicker or the desktop
- right-click on it and modify the settings

One had to show and modify a completely unrelated UI element in an entirely
different part of the operating system, that users may not even know exists, in
order to change a setting which should have appeared in
PersonalSettings>Desktop>MultipleDesktops.

The fact that this appears to be a kwin bug further confounds the issue. It is
actually a kde desktop settings usability bug where the only solution is
completely unrelated to what the user would expect.

----------------------------

further clarification, from irc chatlog:

> hello, it seems that despite setting PersonalSettings>DesktopEffects>AllEffects(tab)>DesktopGrid>(config icon)>LayoutMode="Custom" and NumberOfRows=3, the geometry of my desktops is not a grid
> for example when I switch desktops, the desktop pager shows a grid which looks like row1=[1,2,3,4,5] row2=[6,7,8,9,BLANK(invalid desktop)]
> is this a bug?
> interesting, I think it may be; the only way I've found to fix this is to find the "pager" widget and manually add it to kicker, then edit the plasma widget settings; this will tell kwin what the correct virtual desktop layout is -- going to report usability issue that pager settings should be part of Personal Settings (thank you though for the amazing work)

Reproducible: Always
Comment 1 Mats Ahlgren 2010-09-20 00:58:49 UTC
*** Bug 251771 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 2 Mats Ahlgren 2010-09-20 01:56:00 UTC
This bug has another really bad effect:
It breaks session management because, even though new windows are created properly on the multiple desktops when logging in, there is a sudden flicker and some windows get shoved onto random desktops -- this forces the user to manually replace most of their windows.

I believe this effect is caused by how kwin integrates with the plasma pager widget. Imho, the column/row layout of the virtual desktops should not be in a subcomponent.
Comment 3 Mats Ahlgren 2010-09-20 01:59:56 UTC
sorry, please ignore previous comment #2; cause unrelated
Comment 4 Thomas Lübking 2010-09-20 15:38:45 UTC
EWMH spec issue, see
http://standards.freedesktop.org/wm-spec/latest/ar01s03.html#id2568337
(or read through the dupe)

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 105779 ***
Comment 5 Martin Flöser 2012-04-13 19:23:51 UTC
Bulk change: move all KWin kcm bugs to product kwin