[kde-linux] Custom launcher on KDE4 toolbar?

[Duncan]

Art Edwards posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:36:45 -0600 as excerpted:

> I have just set up KDE4 on a jaunty box (AMD-64). Is there yet a simple
> way to add a custom launcher? If not, is there a way to make the kicker
> see other applications. I would like to put lyx and xemacs on a toolbar.
> Of all the bells and whistles (weather reports, etc.) putting a simple
> launcher that allows the user to choose the application and an icon
> seems pretty basic. I have tried modifying an existing launcher. It
> reminded me of the toast scene from "Five Easy Pieces."

Both of these are possible.

You don't mention which version of kde4, and "Jaunty" doesn't tell me 
much as I'm a Gentoo user, but there's some differences between 4.2 and 
4.3 -- the 4.x version jumps come out every six months and include some 
pretty big improvements, while the 4.x.y versions come out monthly, and 
include minor fixes.  4.3.1 is current, with 4.3.2 due on the first Oct. 
or so, and I'm running current, so if you're behind that, the details 
might be slightly different, but if you can't do it with what you have, 
you can either upgrade, or wait for the next Ubuntu and upgrade with it.

First, changing the menu.  If you right click on the kicker icon, you can 
choose menu editor.  You can add, change and move around stuff on the 
apps menu from there, to your heart's content.

Of course you can also switch to the lancelot kicker alternative menu 
(here on Gentoo at least, it's part of the kdeplasma-addons package), or 
revert to the classic kde 3.5 style kmenu.  The classic choice is another 
option in that right-click menu, or it's available as a plasmoid in the 
add-widget, and that's where you'll find lancelot as well, in the add-
widget dialog.  (BTW, there's a whole new and much improved plasmoid 
explorer that'll replace the current add widget solution, for 4.4, I've 
been reading about it on kde-planet.  It was just checked in a couple 
weeks ago.)  Lancelot actually has another menu you can modify as well, 
its system menu.

Second, you can actually drag stuff from the kicker and lancelot menus, 
to the desktop or any panel, to create launchers.  You can do this with 
individual app icons, or whole submenus.  Thus, if desired, you could 
create your own application favorites menu or whatever you want to call 
it in kmenuedit, copy whatever menu items to it from wherever else in the 
apps menu they may be, and then after saving that so the apps menu is 
changed accordingly, you could drag that submenu from there to the panel 
or desktop and have your own little launcher menu, with just the things 
you want.

Third, there's a quick-launch widget you can add (again, to the desktop 
or any panel).  By default it comes with konqueror and dolphin configured 
as icons, but you can right click and add whatever you'd like, browse to 
the program, whatever.

Fourth, there's all sorts of additional plasmoids available for download 
at kdelook.  You can browse it in konqueror, or from the add widget 
dialog, choose install new widgets, download new plasma widgets.  Tuxbar 
is one you could search for (on-site, I don't see it listed in the most 
downloaded, highest rated, or newest, the ones the plasmoid downloader 
shows), inUtileBar is another (like #2 on the most downloaded list), and 
TextLaunch is a bit different style (text buttons instead of icons, it 
appears), showing up in my newest plasmoids list ATM.

Also note that it's possible, using kmenuedit, to add hotkeys to anything 
in the memu to launch it directly.  That's actually how I had kde3 setup, 
using a keyboard hotkey launcher, and how I have kde4 setup, but see the 
next paragraph.

Unfortunately, khotkeys for kde4 doesn't work well with multi-key, they 
way I had kde3 setup, so I had to script my own solution.  I have one of 
those internet/multimedia keyboards with a bunch of "extra" keys, and use 
one of them as a launcher key, basically invoking a custom menu, then hit 
a second key that invokes the individual app I want to launch.  Basically 
what I did is setup a custom "Input Action" (in kmenu/systemsettings, 
input actions) that launches konsole with a special profile, etc, and 
runs a script in it.  That script reads a config file that lists all the 
apps I have setup, displaying them in a konsole based menu, along with 
the invoking key sequence.  It then waits for a single character as 
input.  When it gets one, it compares it against the config file to see 
if there's a match, and launches the associated application.  That 
special konsole window then closes.  Thus, I hit a single "launch" key to 
invoke the launcher, then a second key (possibly with modifiers) to 
invoke whatever app I want, from the launcher.  So, for instance, 
"Launch,f", starts the application I've configured as my filemanager 
(dolphin in this case), "Launch,t" starts my terminal window applet of 
choice (konsole), "Launch,w" my web browser of choice (konqueror), etc.

So I don't use icon launchers but keyboard hotkey launchers, here.  But 
that's just a matter of style.  Use what works best for you.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman