Bug 160311

Summary: Access Desktop right-click menu when in Dashboard (Ctrl-F12)
Product: [Unmaintained] plasma4 Reporter: Martin Fitzpatrick <martin.fitzpatrick>
Component: generalAssignee: Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs>
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL    
Severity: wishlist    
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Compiled Sources   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Martin Fitzpatrick 2008-04-03 12:06:08 UTC 
Version:            (using Devel)
Installed from:    Compiled sources
OS:                Linux

When using dashboard to show widgets, right-click (desktop) actions are not available. I'm not sure if this is in the intended behaviour (I can understand if it were, since the 'Dashboard is not a Desktop') but it means related actions such as aligning icons and locking widgets are not available. This means to do this you need to exit the Dashboard, get back to the Desktop and do it there.

Seems clunky. I'm wont specify a suggested solution as I'm unsure of the intention here, I'll leave it up to the people that know :)

Thanks.
Comment 1 Pino Toscano 2008-04-03 12:11:38 UTC 
Well, I'm not a plasma developer, but IMHO it would feel strange to "operate" (with a popup menu) on something I cannot see (lack of feedback).
Comment 2 Martin Fitzpatrick 2008-04-03 12:16:34 UTC 
Pino: I'm using the desktop without compositing here and Ctrl-F12 brings up the desktop/background but without the toolbar. With that setup it seems strange that the desktop is there but you can't do anything with it... 

...but with compositing on I agree it is perhaps a little bit weird. It depends I guess if you can interpret it as clicking on the shading!

Not sure what to suggest.
Comment 3 Aaron J. Seigo 2008-04-03 16:57:38 UTC 
yes, clicks on the background of dashboard being ignored is indeed purposeful. this is for a few reasons (people who accidently launch it try and "click it away", with a CM it's translucent and not recognizable as teh desktop at all, etc.)

this is one of the reasons we have the desktop toolbox. providing access to all useful tools there is something that is a work in progress (mostly defining which are useful and stable enough to appear there). things like grid alignment of icons won't really matter so much in 4.1 (stay tuned =)
Comment 4 Martin Fitzpatrick 2008-04-03 19:26:20 UTC 
Seems fair. I realise that the icons-on-the-desktop are going the way of the dodo so access to that is not really important.

Are there plans to somehow visually show the "dashboard is not a desktop" when compositing is off: they currently look identical minus the panels. Not a biggie, just wondering. Thanks for the response.