Bug 435749 - Calculator: allow editing the input
Summary: Calculator: allow editing the input
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Calculator widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: master
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords: usability
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2021-04-15 00:22 UTC by Dan Dascalescu
Modified: 2025-10-21 09:16 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Calculator misleading cursor (37.45 KB, image/png)
2021-04-15 00:22 UTC, Dan Dascalescu
Details

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Description Dan Dascalescu 2021-04-15 00:22:02 UTC
Created attachment 137619 [details]
Calculator misleading cursor

The "Calculator" Plasma widget doesn't allow editing the input, despite the hover mouse cursor being the shape of an insertion point.

I think strict skeumorphism doesn't help at all here. This software runs on a computer, not a physical calculator. It's fine to simulate the interface, but to forbid features a computer allows, like placing the cursor arbitrarily in the input, I find to be counter-productive.

I had to install GNOME calculator, along with a few hundred megs of flatpak dependencies, in order to simply be able to edit the formula I had typed in the calculator.

(Not sure where to file this - the process name is "plasmawindowed" but I don't see a "Calculator" component in this "plasmashell" product.)
Comment 1 2wxsy58236r3 2021-04-15 02:33:10 UTC
> I had to install GNOME calculator, along with a few hundred megs of flatpak 
> dependencies, in order to simply be able to edit the formula I had typed in the 
> calculator.
I recommend using krunner for simple calculations, or kcalc for advanced calculations.
Comment 2 Dan Dascalescu 2021-04-15 22:10:31 UTC
KCalc still doesn't allow editing the input.

KRunner does, but it's not a "real" window, and goes away if I switch focus to another application to copy input from there or inspect something else.
Comment 3 2wxsy58236r3 2021-04-16 05:21:26 UTC
> KCalc still doesn't allow editing the input.
Oops, sorry.

How about qalculate-gtk? It requires libqalculate and gtk3, and these 2 packages are probably installed - KDE requires libqalculate, and chromium, audacity, etc. requires gtk3.
Comment 4 Niccolò Venerandi 2025-10-21 09:16:39 UTC
This is not what the calculator widget is for. If you want to want to perform more complex math, other widgets can help you there; as an example, the Application Launcher is able to do even very complex maths through the search box, allows editing the input, and allows to be pinned to stay open. The calculator widget is not meant to be that.