Bug 424226

Summary: Manually added wallpapers/desktop backgrounds (from hard disk) are not (always) saved
Product: [Plasma] plasmashell Reporter: Edward Viesel <Edward.Viesel>
Component: Image & Slideshow wallpaper pluginsAssignee: Marco Martin <notmart>
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE    
Severity: normal CC: nate, plasma-bugs
Priority: NOR    
Version: 5.18.5   
Target Milestone: 1.0   
Platform: Ubuntu   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Edward Viesel 2020-07-15 08:49:58 UTC
If I add photographs or wallpapers I have saved on my hard disk to my desktop via "Customize layout", they are not saved at first. After a number of attempts, I may manage to save them.


STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Do a right click on the empty desktop. Choose "Customize layout". Choose "Arbeitsfläche einrichten" (probably something like: "configure desktop").Go to "Hintergrundbild" (left-hand menu) (something like: "background image" or "wallpaper").Click on "Bild hinzufügen" (something like: "add image").
2. The first bug is actually that I could not see my saved images. Deleting "Bilddateien" (image files) from "Filter" in the file manager allowed me to see the images. After that this bug did not occur again; I was always able to see my images in the file manager.
3. Select the image(s) you want as new wallpaper (desktop background) and click on "Öffnen" ("open").
4. Then select the image you want to actually have as your current wallpaper, and click on "OK".
5. Then shutdown your computer. Restart the computer.

OBSERVED RESULT
Everything works initially. However, if you reboot the computer, the images are no longer saved in the desktop settings (see above), and the desktop image has reverted to the one that was used before. I repeated the above process about 5-6 times, and after that the images were saved. I have tried this on a PC and a notebook. It hasn't yet worked on the PC, but the notebook finally saved the changes (as I said, after 5-6 attempts).

EXPECTED RESULT
No matter whether I reboot or shutdown the computer, all the saved images should be saved, and the image I chose should be remembered and displayed on the empty desktop at startup. There should be no need to repeat the process.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: 
macOS: 
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 5.18.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.68.0
Qt Version: 5.12.8

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 Edward Viesel 2020-07-15 09:07:14 UTC
Okay, it seems that manually added wallpapers are not saved in the folder:

/usr/share/wallpapers/

I was trying to add the images from a USB drive (pen drive/USB stick). Once I had disconnected the USB drive, the images had no valid path, and the images were, of course, no longer available.

Images downloaded via Plasma are saved in /usr/share/wallpapers/.

Images added manually are obviously just added via a link. Once the source is gone, the images are gone as well.

I would be a good idea to somehow copy the manually added images to a system folder like /usr/share/wallpapers/, not just to add a link. I actually think that's how it was handled many years ago (I haven't used the option of adding wallpapers manually for years).
Comment 2 Edward Viesel 2020-07-15 09:09:27 UTC
... On my notebook, I probably saved them to a folder on the hard disk after 5-6 attempts (see first comment). That's why it "suddenly" worked. The images were physically present on the hard disk and had a valid path.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2020-10-05 21:53:36 UTC
> I was trying to add the images from a USB drive (pen drive/USB stick).
> Once I had disconnected the USB drive, the images had no valid path, and the 
> images were, of course, no longer available.
Yep. You need to save them to a location that's accessible. We hope to improve this automatically in the future: Bug 399905.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 399905 ***