Bug 498874

Summary: Delete Desktop Folder; /home folders that is "printed" onto your screen is permanent
Product: [Plasma] plasmashell Reporter: zkyraimo
Component: Desktop icons & Folder View widgetAssignee: Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs-null>
Status: RESOLVED NOT A BUG    
Severity: normal CC: hein, nate, notmart
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: master   
Target Milestone: 1.0   
Platform: Other   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: 3rd comment request.
Additional image to 3rd comment
One last image to 3rd reply

Description zkyraimo 2025-01-19 03:50:29 UTC 
SUMMARY:
Delete Desktop Folder. Reboot, Login. You will see all of the folders (not the hidden folders), and it's icons projected onto the screen. All of the contents within home folders are projecting on top the desktop screen. But I have no desktop folder. I cannot delete those folders because it's permanent. I have no way to remove it from my screen because desktop folder doesn't exist. I did create desktop folder again. Reboot it. And it's still there. In Dolphin, all of the folders that is printed onto the screen doesn't exist. It acts like it's behaving normally. So there it is, I have folders icons with contents laying it out on the wallpaper, I cannot remove it,  and thereby ruining my beautiful wallpapers. It's irreversible to delete those folders / files btw.  Thank God that you all build a "trash folder."  I basically undo all of the actions. 

Of course, all devs would say, "but why would you do that? Delete Desktop?" For me, Why not? I want clean up my folders? I never use Desktop folder, right?  Templates, and all other useless folders that KDE produced. It's ruining my /home folder. I want to dial it in. I want a prestige clean folder system. 

Why did I posted in shell?  Well it isn't tied to Dolphin, but I did used Dolphin to delete Desktop folder.  In fact, I could use konsole, "rm -r Desktop/", and it would end up with same results. Right?  So really, it's a KDE/Plasma thing.  

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Delete Desktop folder
2.  Reboot

OBSERVED RESULT
You cannot remove folders from your screen because it's tied with actual contents in the folder. 

EXPECTED RESULT
Deleting those folders should; delete icons, and syslink to those folders (for the sake of simplicity like windows), and it's gone. It has no effect of destroying all of the contents. In reality, those folders became a literal contents that is printed on-top the screen which, if somebody dares to delete it, it can destroy their entire lifehood of data.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
ArchLinux x86_64 
Kernel: 6.12
DE: Plasma 6.2.5 
WM: kwin
Comment 1 Marco Martin 2025-01-20 11:51:53 UTC 
can't quite reproduce:
if i delete the desktop folder and restart, i do end up with a Desktop folder recreated with a link to home inside, which i can delete without problems
Comment 2 zkyraimo 2025-01-21 05:03:05 UTC 
(In reply to Marco Martin from comment #1)
> can't quite reproduce:
> if i delete the desktop folder and restart, i do end up with a Desktop
> folder recreated with a link to home inside, which i can delete without
> problems

That's quite opposite for me. I cannot delete it. There is desktop folder, but nothing is in it. I'll have to nuke this whole OS.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2025-01-21 21:05:42 UTC 
I see the same thing Marco does: when I delete the ~/Desktop folder and restart, a new ~/Desktop folder gets created.

Can you attach a screenshot of the "Location" page of the Plasma desktop settings window? I wonder if this issue only reproduces when using special settings.
Comment 4 zkyraimo 2025-01-26 01:13:36 UTC 
Created attachment 177682 [details]
3rd comment request.

I had to manually create desktop, even after deleting it, and reboot, it doesn't automatically create new desktop folder. I deleted it, and reboot to make a point.  In another screenshot, it says, "folder does not exist."
Comment 5 zkyraimo 2025-01-26 01:14:05 UTC 
Created attachment 177683 [details]
Additional image to 3rd comment
Comment 6 zkyraimo 2025-01-26 01:17:32 UTC 
Created attachment 177684 [details]
One last image to 3rd reply

As you see, it's all on the desktop. Desktop folder should say, "it has * number of items in the dolphin - second column section.
Comment 7 Nate Graham 2025-01-27 17:53:38 UTC 
Can you take a screenshot of System Settings > Session > Location?
Comment 8 zkyraimo 2025-01-28 00:00:47 UTC 
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #7)
> Can you take a screenshot of System Settings > Session > Location?

Ohhh. I did not know there was a setting for that. Apparently, It was missing. It was pointing to home folder.  (/home/user). That make sense. I re-linked it to new Desktop folder. Applied the changes. Every folders on the desktop wallpaper is gone. Wow! I'll keep that in mind next time. 

Thank you so much!
Comment 9 Nate Graham 2025-01-28 00:02:22 UTC 
You're welcome!