[kde-linux] Custom launcher on KDE4 toolbar?

[Art Edwards]

Thanks for the replies. Menu Editor did the trick. I can now work in
KDE. It's a really nice looking environment with some very nice apps. I
have been going back and forth between
gnome and KDE. Now, I might stay here.

Again, thanks.

Art Edwards



Duncan wrote:
> 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.
>
>