Version: (using KDE KDE 3.2.1) Installed from: RedHat RPMs this is both a bug report and a wish, although I'm filing it as a wishlist item. My problem is that when I set thet panel size to Large, I get 3 rows os thin taskbar buttons. This makes it hard for me to select tasks. I wish that there was an option to configure the vertical size of the taskbar buttons, or the number of rows so I can have for example 1 single row of tall buttons instead of 3 rows of short buttons. This would make the button bigger and therefore easier to select.
Seconded. I upgraded from 3.1.5 to 3.2.1 and, without changing any settings at all in KDE, the default size of icons in the taskbar changed from two rows to three rows. I know the same number of *things* appear in there, but it looks so much more cluttered now - the icons are necessarily smaller, which is how I used to pick out the app that I wanted. Some changes to default behaviour between releases are good .. but visual changes like this are pretty subjective. Please -- an option to select this setting would be hugely appreciated. Thanks, Jedd.
I forgot to put in some details - sorry about that. I used to use the 'Large' size setting for the panel, but after experimenting I've found that it automatically flicks to 3-rows when you get to 58 pixels. 57 pixels is pretty danged close (as far as I can tell on this 1600x1200 screen it's effectively identical) to 'Large', and still gives 2-rows. This might be a rounding off error (or feature) in the code, assuming that anything > 19.00 pixels are needed in order to go into 3-row mode. Jedd.
I think implementing something like that would be a bit of config overkill.. this is something that is dependent on panel size, so the configurability is already there (change your panel size)
Panel size and taskbar config are two separate things IMHO. I prefer a big panel because of the big icons which are easier to click on. On the same token, big taskbar buttons are also easier to click. However, with the current setup I must have 2 rows minimum.
Sashmit, I understand what you're saying about config overkill. But I'm not suggesting a GUI interface is called for. Just an entry in an rc file somewhere would be enough. It's not something everyone's going to want to fiddle with, certainly, but if there's an algorithm to work out how to automatically calculate it (and that algorithm's going to change periodically) then there should be a way to over-ride that with a line in a config file.
Was just experimenting with a new style, and selected the option in Control Center | Desktop | Panels | Appearance - to allow a transparent panel. Without transparency, KDE thinks I want three rows of very small icons once I move from 57 to 58 pixels high. With transparency, KDE changes its mind about what I want -- the shift from two rows of readable icons & text, to three unreadable rows, occurs when changing the panel height from 53 to 54 pixels. Go figure. I'm all for Progress, but one of the things that a lot of KDE users are trying to get away from is arbitrary and choice-reducing changes in their desktop environment whenever they upgrade to a new version. This is what Those Other People (you know the ones) have to suffer every few years. I don't want whatever it is that Steve Jobs thinks I need. And yes, I know, this is a small issue, but the past few releases of KDE have introduced all kinds of bizarre irritations in the name of making life easier for someone [else]. I still love it, but it's putting up a fight.
Okay this is simply getting out of hand, the upgrade to KDE 3.4 has changed the taskbar from three rows to FOUR. It is virtually impossible to select the app you want without pixel-hunting. Also if you use any font size for the taskbar over 10 on my 1600x1200 display, the text is too large for the button and part of it vanishes.
This is with a custom kicker size of 72 pixels, since even the "large" size is too small for the screen.
So by looking at the KDE roadmap, we should be able to work out the rough date of when we're likely to go blind (or to evolve eyeballs that work shorter frequency light than is currently considered to be in the visible spectrum). Did you try a transparent panel, and see what the change-point is in both situations? Maybe I'll stick with 3.3.x for a while longer ...
Happily enough, 3.5.x didn't make this any worse. It's still broken, but it hasn't become *more* broken with the latest release. Ie. forced transition from a comfortable 2 rows to a near impossible to read 3 rows when you go from 53 to 54 pixels high.
system tray icon size should be adjustable and you should be able to tie it in with the size of the taskbar height... two rows, one row, 3 rows... you choose.
> system tray icon size should be adjustable Agreed. But system tray is not the taskbar. > and you should be able to tie it in with the size of the taskbar height... In pixels? It is already done. In rows? No -- I would like to have one-row taskbar and 2-rows tray. Besides -- it is so hard to set the rows for the taskbar AND for the tray (*)? (*) when such feature will be available
Going back to the original bug reported here. Now, on KDE 4, you can configure the number of rows in the taskbar. So I'm closing this. If someone needs to configure it on the systray, please open a wish against it. Many thanks to everybody!