Bug 522654 - Audio Volume Applet's popup is too small when placed on a panel in standalone form
Summary: Audio Volume Applet's popup is too small when placed on a panel in standalone...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Audio Volume widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.7.2
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2026-07-05 11:09 UTC by adam
Modified: 2026-08-19 18:59 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In: 6.8.0
Sentry Crash Report:


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Description adam 2026-07-05 11:09:53 UTC
Yes, you absolutely should include it. Developers greatly appreciate having an exact, copy-pasteable script to reproduce a bug, as it removes any guesswork from their end.

However, because the script is quite long, it is best to place it at the very bottom of the bug report under a clear heading, rather than right in the middle of the reproduction steps.

Here is the final, polished version of the bug report with your script integrated cleanly.
Final Bug Report

Title:
Volume Applet (plasma-pa) collapses to minimum width on automated deployment, causing UI text wrapping

Summary:
When deploying a default panel configuration via plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc without explicitly defining popupWidth and popupHeight, the Volume applet fails to calculate a sensible default geometry on its first load. This causes the applet to collapse to its absolute minimum QML width, resulting in awkward text wrapping (e.g., the word "Applications" breaking into two lines).

This behaviour is inconsistent with other standard applets, such as Network (plasma-nm) and Battery, which successfully negotiate a dynamic and readable default width without requiring hardcoded pixel values in the configuration file.

Environment:

    Operating System: Arch Linux

    KDE Plasma Version: 6.7.2

    KDE Frameworks Version: 6.27.0

    Qt Version: 6.11.1

    Audio Server: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 1.6.7)

Steps to Reproduce:

    Stop the Plasma shell (systemctl --user stop plasma-plasmashell).

    Clear the Plasma cache (rm -rf ~/.cache/plasma*).

    Run the deployment script provided in the "Additional Information" section below to generate a rigid panel configuration.

    Start the Plasma shell (systemctl --user start plasma-plasmashell).

    Click the Volume applet in the system tray.

Observed Results:
The applet opens at a severely restricted width. Text elements, such as the "Applications" tab or device names, wrap inappropriately. Because the panel is set to immutable, the applet is trapped in this state and cannot dynamically expand to a correct width once the audio server streams are fully registered.

Expected Results:
The Volume applet should behave like the Network or Battery applets. It should establish a sensible minimum width for its UI elements to prevent text wrapping, regardless of whether audio streams have fully initialised at the exact millisecond the applet loads. It should not rely on hardcoded popupWidth values in the configuration file to render a functional UI.

Additional Information:
This appears to be a race condition during startup where plasma-pa evaluates its required width before the audio server has fully provided the device/stream lists. If popupWidth=450 is manually added to the appletsrc file, the UI renders correctly.

Reproduction Script:
Running the following will reproduce the exact layout and immutable state causing the bug:
Bash

cat > /home/$USER/.config/plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc<<EOL
[ActionPlugins][0]
RightButton;NoModifier=org.kde.contextmenu
wheel:Vertical;NoModifier=org.kde.switchdesktop
[ActionPlugins][1]
RightButton;NoModifier=org.kde.contextmenu
[Containments][1]
activityId=
formfactor=2
immutability=1
lastScreen=0
location=3
plugin=org.kde.panel
wallpaperplugin=org.kde.color
[Containments][1][Applets][11]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.notifications
[Containments][1][Applets][13]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.devicenotifier
[Containments][1][Applets][13][Configuration]
PreloadWeight=75
popupHeight=324
popupWidth=324
[Containments][1][Applets][15]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.digitalclock
[Containments][1][Applets][2]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.kickoff
[Containments][1][Applets][2][Configuration]
PreloadWeight=100
popupHeight=506
popupWidth=631
[Containments][1][Applets][2][Configuration][ConfigDialog]
DialogHeight=510
DialogWidth=680
[Containments][1][Applets][2][Configuration][General]
customButtonImage=/usr/share/pixmaps/archlinux-logo.png
favoritesPortedToKAstats=true
highlightNewlyInstalledApps=false
icon=/usr/share/pixmaps/archlinux-logo.png
switchCategoryOnHover=true
systemFavorites=suspend\\,hibernate\\,reboot\\,shutdown
useCustomButtonImage=true
[Containments][1][Applets][20]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.battery
[Containments][1][Applets][21]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.networkmanagement
[Containments][1][Applets][22]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.volume
[Containments][1][Applets][22][Configuration]
PreloadWeight=55
[Containments][1][Applets][22][Configuration][General]
migrated=true
[Containments][1][Applets][25]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.bluetooth
[Containments][1][Applets][25][Configuration]
popupHeight=400
popupWidth=560
[Containments][1][Applets][4]
immutability=1
plugin=org.kde.plasma.icontasks
[Containments][1][Applets][4][Configuration][General]
launchers=preferred://filemanager,preferred://browser,applications:org.kde.konsole.desktop
[Containments][1][General]
AppletOrder=2;4;22;21;15;20;13;11
[Containments][23]
ItemGeometries-1366x768=
ItemGeometriesHorizontal=
activityId=0a5eee94-ad53-4e2d-b50f-267e41a072c8
formfactor=0
immutability=1
lastScreen=0
location=0
plugin=org.kde.plasma.folder
wallpaperplugin=org.kde.image
[ScreenMapping]
itemsOnDisabledScreens=
EOL
Comment 1 adam 2026-07-05 14:17:30 UTC
Apologies, I accidentally pasted some conversational text from my drafting notes at the very beginning of this report (English isn't my first language, so I was using a tool to help me write this up clearly!).

Please completely ignore the first three paragraphs starting with "Yes, you absolutely should include it..." and ending with "Here is the final, polished version...".

The actual bug report begins at "Title: Volume Applet...". The system environment details, reproduction steps, and deployment script are all accurate as provided. Thank you!
Comment 2 Nate Graham 2026-08-18 20:21:23 UTC
If you must use an LLM in the process of reporting a bug, please at least write out your own words and thoughts, condensed into a form suitable for another human like me to read.

I have found buried in the verbosity and detail the observation that the Audio Volume widget, when placed in standalone form on a panel, has a popup that's too small. And it cannot even be resized!

I can reproduce that issue.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2026-08-18 23:30:12 UTC
In progress with https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-pa/-/merge_requests/420.
Comment 4 Nate Graham 2026-08-19 18:28:06 UTC
Git commit c4054122359a20388d65728c615392c526c0342a by Nate Graham.
Committed on 19/08/2026 at 16:12.
Pushed by ngraham into branch 'master'.

applet: set a sensible default size

Without one set, the FullRepresentation's popup when not in the System
Tray falls back to its minimum size, which is too small to be usable.
FIXED-IN: 6.6.7

M  +5    -0    applet/main.qml

https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-pa/-/commit/c4054122359a20388d65728c615392c526c0342a