Hi, 
The VDG is focus on an consistent design for plasma and we are also looking into the Desktop Grid Effect. 

Here you get the information how it should work in general: http://user-prompt.com/look-and-feel-of-plasma-sidebars/ 

So the idea is for the desktop grid effect that you have an Title on top that the user know it's the destkop grid than above the desktop previews and on bottom an panel for global actions e.g. remove last desktop, add new desktop, ... future things 

The thing is that it is really nice that the user can add desktops without using SystemSettings. And if you get the same behaviour in ALL Plasma views it would be better to understand. e.g. in the Grid View noone knows what the plus and delete button are used for because there is no tooltop or label. 

Would it be a way you would like to go or do I don't understand your problem.

> The thing is that it is really nice that the user can add desktops without using SystemSettings.

Yes, it is nice and it should be enabled by default. But I never use these buttons, so they are unwanted clutter I want to get rid of. My desktops are mapped nicely to my keyboard (Meta+F1 to F12), so without adding or removing keys to my keyboard it does not make much sense to add desktops. And if I touch these buttons accidentaly (convertible laptop), it will mess up windows opened on last few desktops.

So there should be simple checkbox in effect configuration to hide any additional controls, like these buttons.

> The VDG is focus on an consistent design for plasma and we are also looking into the Desktop Grid Effect. 

According to what I've seen in KDE5, it would make more sense to add the same toolbar with three lines as it is in desktop corner. Clicking this little toolbar  would open bigger toolbar with buttons to open desktop settings and desktop grid effect settings. Also it could show additional buttons over desktops in the grid, so any particular desktop could be removed and new desktop added at any position.

But still, there should be option to hide all this, because when user does not ever adds or removes desktops, he does not need any of this.

Sorry, but that won't get implemented. Desktop Grid has reached a state where I won't accept changes which complicate the source further.

Hi Martin,

Christian Fuchs started an thread about the present windows mode (https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=285&t=128215). with the linked bugs. 

I know that there will come no changes cause of the code maintanance. The code for the desktop grid is from 2006 - 2007.

I would start some threads about the different views in our VDG forums to find out what are the settings the users want to have and make some design examples. 

When there is someone how will renew the 8 year old code base the overall design will be finished.

(In reply to andreas_k from comment #4)

> When there is someone who will renew the 8 year old code base the overall
> design will be finished.

That's a silly approach (sorry ;-)

You start with a concept and then implement it.
Starting with a code overhaul and then finding the new concept in it is a certain way to new cruft.
Proof: looooooooong experience (aka list of mistakes)

(In reply to Martin Gräßlin from comment #3)
> Desktop Grid has reached a state where I won't accept changes which complicate the source further.

If I can do it in one line, it's accepted?
:-P

Just looking at desktopgrid, there's more room for minor improvements - I'll do some patches until the VGD team has made up a mind =)

Also the hash is never accessed but only traversed, ie. should be a list of QPair or at best a QMap... (QHash is really the worst of all options here)

I can do my job. that's the issue. I can't do anything in the codebase. So I can only offer to look what the requirements are and how they fit's our HIG.

but thanks for your support. I will start immediately with our part.

(In reply to Thomas Lübking from comment #6)
> (In reply to Martin Gräßlin from comment #3)
> > Desktop Grid has reached a state where I won't accept changes which complicate the source further.
> 
> If I can do it in one line, it's accepted?
> :-P

Well this feature: no, cannot. Needs config parsing, exposing a new string in UI, making sure that the hiding works properly, etc. Clearly not one-liner.

Other improvements to the code base: sure.

(In reply to Martin Gräßlin from comment #8)

> Well this feature: no, cannot. Needs config parsing, exposing a new string
> in UI, making sure that the hiding works properly, etc. Clearly not
> one-liner.

It *is* one line in the actual effect code.

Yes of course: exposing the option requires more lines in the config stuff, I didn't take that for "complicate the source further", though.

Btw, this also can serve as workaround for #351869.

That bug has a fix available - and we don't workaround this way.
If that's the only intention, this bug is clearly WONTFIX.

No it is not the intention at all -- I met that bug after submitting this feature request.

(In reply to Martin Gräßlin from comment #3)
> Sorry, but that won't get implemented. Desktop Grid has reached a state
> where I won't accept changes which complicate the source further.

As there is no interest to accept any changes I will respect that. If there is an developer please leave a message at the VDG forum and we will work on an detailed approach according to http://user-prompt.com/de/look-and-feel-of-plasma-sidebars/

Git commit fbfc573a8ab421c33b46a6a638747e0517e93c57 by Thomas Lübking.
Committed on 29/10/2015 at 22:36.
Pushed by luebking into branch 'master'.

desktop grid: add option to hide buttons

one does indeed not change the desktop count
that often...
FIXED-IN: 5.5
REVIEW: 125228

M  +2    -1    effects/desktopgrid/desktopgrid.cpp
M  +3    -0    effects/desktopgrid/desktopgrid.kcfg
M  +9    -2    effects/desktopgrid/desktopgrid_config.ui

http://commits.kde.org/kwin/fbfc573a8ab421c33b46a6a638747e0517e93c57