How do I remove the "new activity" item from the desktop?

[John Woodhouse]

Duncan are you effectively saying that everybody may be forced to use this 
cashew at some point? Sounds a bit odd as it's a sort of localised right click 
on the desktop - and yet more mouse miles as a result over those already 
judiciously added by 4. On the there hand is does reduce 2 actions to 1. Show 
desktop - right click becomes on click but show desktop is needed for other 
reason in most peoples cases.


There has been some strange moves all over in recent years removing things from 
the desktop, tucking documents and of course video's in  a sub directory. Easily 
fixed fortunately by creating links to them on the desktop. My windoze lap top's 
desktop is absolutely plastered as a result I just can't be bothered to navigate 
to them. Frankly what it boils down to is I can't see the point in having a 
largely empty screen. Many many others can't either.

John


----- Original Message ----
> From: Duncan <1i5t5.duncan at cox.net>
> To: kde at mail.kde.org
> Sent: Mon, 30 May, 2011 8:53:12
> Subject: [kde] Re: How do I remove the "new activity" item from the desktop?
> 
> J posted on Sun, 29 May 2011 17:58:01 -0400 as excerpted:
> 
> > How do I  remove the "new Activity" widget from the top right of the
> > desktop? I'm  willing to "hide" it, but I would rather REMOVE it.
> > 
> > My desktop  is in folder view, but it still shows in "plain desktop"
> > as well. I'm  trying to get a very clean desktop set up, and that is one
> > of the last  hurtles I have left.
> 
> In general, it's always a very good idea to mention  which version of 
> whatever you're asking about, that you're using.  For  most kde apps, the 
> version of kde is sufficient, tho if the app has its own  (different) 
> version, including that too can be useful, especially for kde  apps shipped 
> separately or if you're in doubt as to whether it's shipped  with kde 
> itself or shipped separately, as may be the case on distributions  that 
> don't make that distinction obvious.  (plasma, however, the app in 
> question here, is part of kde itself, so just the kde version will  do.)
> 
> This is particularly true in this case, since kde/plasma's  development of 
> activities is still very active and features and  configuration changes 
> sometimes rather drastically between  versions.
> 
> Further, mentioning what distribution (and version) you use is  useful as 
> well, since sometimes they've changed the defaults as kde ships  them.
> 
> In this case the above would be very helpful as I've run every  released 
> minor and nearly every micro version of kde since 4.2.4 thru the  current 
> 4.6.3, and don't recognize the "new Activity" widget by that  name.  But 
> I'm not running the current 4.7 first beta (4.6.80), and if  you per chance 
> are, there very well might be such a widget.  But if you  report your kde 
> version and I see you're not running the beta, unless your  distribution 
> changed the name of something, I can assume that you're simply  using a 
> different name for something I'm already familiar with, and start  guessing 
> what that might be. (Not knowing what to call a particular widget  isn't 
> unusual at all, so having to play guessing games isn't unusual,  either.  
> Most times everybody gets on the same page after 2-3 rounds of  replies...)
> 
> What I /suspect/ you're referring to is alternately called  either "the 
> cashew" (due to the shape) or "the toolbox" (based on its  function).  In 
> 4.6.3, if you hover over it, the tooltip says "Tool  Box", with a short 
> description of its functionality.  But an almost  sure identifier since 4.3-
> ish is that it's black and white until you hover  over it, in which case 
> the icon turns to color, with the major feature being  a yellow
> cashew/tear-drop/half-yin-yang.  (Previous to that it was  always color, 
> but IDR the specific version in which the desaturated default  was 
> introduced.)
> 
> If the toolbox/cashew is indeed what you're  referring to, then with 
> widgets unlocked, you can drag it along the edge,  with "indents" in the 
> dragging behavior at the corners and the center of  each edge.  With the 
> normal desktop activity, at least, you can also  place a plasmoid (plasma 
> widget) on top of it, of course first dragging the  cashew along the edge 
> to where you'd like to position the plasmoid, if  necessary.
> 
> Do be aware, however, that the cashew/toolbox is designed and  assumed to 
> always be accessible.  Most/all present functionality  available thru the 
> toolbox/cashew is available elsewhere as well, but that  isn't guaranteed 
> to always be the case, so in hiding, disabling or otherwise  making 
> inaccessible the cashew, you are risking losing access to perhaps  vital 
> functionality as you upgrade to new versions.  Still, the  irritation of 
> the cashew is sufficient for some people that they're willing  to take that 
> risk.
> 
> For the reasons stated above, there's no built-in  way to hide the activity 
> cashews (tho panel cashews are only visible when  widgets are unlocked) and 
> doing so DOES risk losing access to various  functionality as activities 
> and plasma itself come into their own, but if  you prefer that risk to 
> seeing it, as some do, there's a hide-the-cashew  plasmoid available for 
> installation from kde-look.org.  Whether it even  works with current kde I 
> don't know as it was developed early in kde4's  cycle, probably 4.1 or so, 
> when the cashew was always color and was I  believe larger than it is 
> today, so MUCH more irritating.  YMMV, you  assume all risks for 
> installing, etc, but that's what you're after if you  are willing to take 
> that risk.
> 
> If the toolbox/cashew is NOT what  you're referring to... then my next 
> guess would be the activity bar  plasmoid.  If /this/ is the case, then 
> removing it is far easier, as  it's simply a plasmoid like any other, and 
> thus can be added/removed like  any other.  Unlock widgets, context-click 
> (generally, right-click, with  traditional pointing devices and 
> configuration), select remove as  appropriate.
> 
> If you're referring to something new in the 4.7 beta  (4.6.80) or in master/
> HEAD, well, as I said, I've not installed that, so  don't know anything 
> about it.
> 
> > Also, if anyone knows how... how  do I turn off the transparency on the
> > "folder view" icons on the  desktop?
> 
> This question is far easier to answer as I (think I) know what  you're 
> talking about. =:^)  Transparency for such items is a property  of the 
> plasma theme you choose.  So change that.
> 
> Kcontrol (um...  systemsettings that mostly aren't systemsettings, but 
> instead user-specific  kde settings, so the kde4 name systemsettings is 
> entirely inappropriate,  while even when it is global system settings as 
> with setting the time, it's  the kde way of doing so, so the kcontrol name 
> used in kde3 remains far more  accurate than the kde4 term, and I choose to 
> continue using the accurate  term even if it forces an explanation like 
> this every time!), workspace  appearance and behavior, workspace 
> appearance, desktop theme.  At least  that's the kcontrol location in kde 
> 4.5 and 4.6.  4.5 reorganized the  kcontrol layout, so if you're running an 
> earlier version, you'll need to  search a bit, but it is in kcontrol that 
> you'll find it.
> 
> Again, if  the shipped themes aren't sufficient, there's more available at 
> kde-look,  which is where the get-new-themes button gets them from, but it 
> may be  easier to browse kde-look directly.  It's also possible to  mix-and-
> match the themes used for individual components, using the details  tab 
> (found elsewhere in pre-4.5 kcontrol), so if you prefer an Oxygen theme 
> kickoff and an Air theme widget background, that's doable. =:^)  Of  course 
> you can also modify the theme files themselves using an ordinary text 
> editor and/or replacing the images, as like most of kde's config, they're 
> simple text files (pointing at separate image files where  appropriate).
> 
> FWIW, I use the professional theme from kde-look,  text-edited slightly 
> since I originally downloaded it back in the kde 4.2.4  or 4.3.0 timeframe 
> to correct a minor tooltip visibility issue I was  having.  It's far more 
> transparent than most themes, one of the reasons  I prefer it.   I suppose 
> one of these days I should check to see if it  has been updated on kdelook 
> since my original download...
> 
> -- 
> 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
> 
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