KDE Plasma 5.8.5 deployment - Plasmashell Containment Bug

[Marco Martin]

On Tuesday 24 January 2017, Thomas Weissel wrote:
> Hello Everybody!
> I have a huge problem deploying my kde plasma neon images in the classrooms
> of my school and wanted to know if i am alone with it.
> 
> On every classroom notebook there is a beamer attached. The classroom
> notebook displays are set to clone.
> 
> Right after every boot the desktop is empty ! ?
> I have to use alt+tab or meta+tab (switch activities) to make the widgets
> visible again.  (but there are no other activities or desktops)
> 
> I found out that switching the resolution to 1024x768 creates a new section
> in plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc
> 
> All my widgets are configured for

before 5.8.5 there was a bug that caused containments to proliferate, a new 
one create each startup.

I guess you did hit it as i see [Containments][92] that is a very high id.

in 5.8.5, it's supposed at the first startup to clean up all the eventual cruft 
that was left by that old bug, so it's maybe possible a containment gets lost 
on the first startup, as it makes sure the hundreds old one are erased, but 
then the problem should never happen again (which apparently, it does).

now, the bug in the youtube video is very interesting...
do you still have somewhere the *exact* plasma-org.kde.desktop-appletsrc file 
that causes it?
also the plasmashellrc file would be useful. (also, is the beamer connected 
when this happens?)

I can try if i can get a local system to reproduce the issue

> here is a video that demonstrates the behaviour...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95z7yuZQLCo
> 
> 
> there is only one desktop an one acitvity.. so why is plasma doing that and
> how can i work around it or fix it?
> 
> should i open a bug report ?

with enough info would be useful, yes (the files is said, plus exactly the 
multiscreen setup, even just a screenshot of the systemsettings screen 
configuration module should give enough an idea)

> i have the same problem with a blank new configfile..
> it's really weird..  if i add something (a launcher for dolphin for
> example) to the desktop containment an i want to move it - it disappears to
> the other desktop/aktivity as i found out !!
> ( but there is none - its more like a parallel universe)
>  i can immediately switch between those mysterious desktop/activities by
> making the acitvity switcher visible or hitting meta+tab

if you get again to reproduce the problem exactly, can you send here, or on 
bugzilla those 2 files?

> after a reboot i can configure widgets as expected on the current activity
> (they stop going through the black hole)..  but i still have this other
> invisible activity i can switch to if i want
> 
> Is there a way to deacitvate activities completely ??

no, but having only one is in pratiche the same thing (the activities context 
menu item can be removed as well)

-- 
Marco Martin