[kde-linux] Sidux uses Kubuntu KDE version for desktop

[Duncan]

denis posted on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:24:36 -0700 as excerpted:

> yep you're correct, I reloaded the home from Kubuntu into Sidux. I will
> copy all the important stuff into a new home directory as you suggest. I
> tried that already yesterday and copied what I thought was only program
> data files over into a separate directory which I then tarred and copied
> to a separate disk. Then I wiped the Sidux disk with Dban, reinstalled
> Sidux, unpacked the home directory and when prompted to use the KDE3
> settings for KDE4 the screen went to the kubuntu desktop again. What a
> mess.

Well, the desktop (activity) wallpaper's definitely a per-user (and per 
activity and/or desktop) setting.  So it'd logically be stored in plasma's 
application settings.  KDE stores application settings in two places, 
depending on whether the app uses only one or two config files
($KDEHOME/share/config) or an entire subdir of files
($KDEHOME/share/apps/<application>).  $KDEHOME defaults as shipped by kde 
to $HOME/.kde (where $HOME is the user's home dir), tho various 
distributions change the .kde slightly, to .kde4 or the like.

Can you take note of the setting when using the default sidux install, and 
put the same selection back in after you restore your user settings?  For 
kde 4.4.x, look under Desktop Activity Settings, Wallpaper.  But it looks 
like it may not list enough info about it (the path info) in ordered to be 
able to reselect it, if it's not in the default location.  (I'm using 
wallpapers in the default location, so I don't know how it shows others.)

Meanwhile, back to the config files.  FWIW, in KDE they're all generally 
human readable (and editable) text files.  I just checked the apps dir.  
The only plasma related subdirs there seem to be plasmoid related.  So it 
looks to be in the config dir.  I actually see about a half-dozen plasma* 
config files there.  Now, which one of those?

Found it!

Look in $KDEHOME/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc .  It's a slightly 
modified *.ini file format, sections denoted with [] (slightly modified as 
multiple [] labels define a section), followed by keyword=value pairs.

However, as you're just upgrading, you'll likely not have a whole lot 
customized, and can simply rename or delete the entire file (as usual, 
recommend rename/move until you know you're not losing other settings you 
want to keep, then delete).  Note that it's best to do so while kde or at 
least plasma-desktop is shut down.  So do it either from a text console, 
no kde running, or enter killall plasma-desktop (or
kquitapp plasma-desktop if you prefer the kde method) in a konsole window 
or krunner, then do the file rename/delete, then restart plasma-desktop 
using krunner or whatever.

If it turns out that there are other settings there that you want to keep, 
just check the GUI settings for the name of the currently selected 
wallpaper, do a search for it in that file to get the correct section 
(which looks like [Containments][<number>][Wallpaper][image] , here, I 
have two such sections as I've two activities setup).  The key should be 
Wallpaper= , with a value similar to </path/to/wallpaper/> , something 
like /usr/share/wallpapers/<name>/ for the system defaults.  Note that 
kde4 uses individual wallpaper subdirs by default now, with each one 
containing a collection of images in different resolutions, so an 
appropriate one can be chosen.  If you download additional wallpapers from 
kde-look using the kde kgetnewstuff gui, those will likely be wallpaper 
packs as well, but they'd be stored in $KDEHOME/share/wallpapers instead 
of the system dir.  Of course, individual images can be chosen as well, 
and that's likely what you'll have there with settings imported from kde3.

As with the above file rename, I'd suggest editing this file with kde or 
at least plasma-desktop shut down, again using krunner or konsole to do 
the shutdown and restart before and after your editing.

-- 
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