This is a new, two days since release 11.2 install on a freshly formatted drive. I lost the KDE 4.3 default semitransparent Desktop Window with all the desktop folders.
I believe what happened was when the mouse went across this window, the window side pop out with the X at the bottom appeared, the mouse pointer continued onto the “old style” desktop far away from this pop out and I clicked on blank “old style” desktop. This window appears to have treated this as selecting the X in the pop out, which I probably went over without clicking on my way past it and this window is gone. I have changed to “folder view” since I can’t figure out how to restore this window for the “default desktop view”.
How do you restore the semitransparent default Desktop Window when its no longer in its own “view”?
The jury is still out on the obviously improved, but still not ready for prime-time KDE 4.3. I feel like a Microsoft OS user being forced into using a “new” burdensome/buggy interface I don’t want or need at all. Even the KDE 4.3 manual admits some things (only some?) will not work as expected. The KDE 3.5 interface did everything I “needed” quickly and without problems. I’ve already had enough abuse from MS, please stop emulating them.
I am trying to restore the semitransparent Desktop Window that is automatically provided on any fresh 11.2 w/ KDE install (the now missing semitransparent window with all the home/desktop directory files in it).
I apologize if I’m being dense and missing something simple. I right click on the “old style” empty desktop, left click on “Folder View Settings” and a window titled “Desktop Settings – Plasma Workspace” is opened. Under the “Appearance” tab there is “Desktop Activity”, Type drop down where I can select:
Folder View
Desktop
Plain Desktop.
In the Appearance tab I have “Desktop Theme” and “Wallpaper” to select from. I do not see any “Show the Desktop folder” selection. If I select anything except Type “Folder View” I loose all the desktop icons when I apply it. Only the Type “Folder View” will show the desktop folders, except it is without the semitransparent Desktop Window
Only after I select the Appearance tab Type “Folder View” there are three new tabs: “Location”, “Display” and “Filter”. Under the new folder view “Location” tab there is a button for “Show the Desktop folder”. It was always checked and I have tried “Show a place” and “Specify a folder” without any change after switching back to Appearance tab “Desktop” view. I tried home/desktop as a “Specify a folder” path with no change.
The 11.2 install default that used to have the semitransparent Desktop Window was “Appearance” tab Type “Desktop”.
The semitransparent Desktop Window is still missing.
Right click on the desktop -> Desktop Settings -> Make sure Type is set to Desktop, OK and close the window.
then
Right click on the desktop -> Add Widgets -> choose Folder View -> Add Widget, this will make it appear on the desktop.
then
Right click inside the new window that appeared -> Folder View Settings -> Location -> Show the Desktop Folder and OK.
You can add multiple folder widgets and use them to present various directories around the filesystem, for example /home/user or videos or… lots of other stuff too.
Annoying behavior. If I reboot with widgets unlocked, the new semitransparent window that was set to desktop before the reboot appears as home after the reboot when I log in. It has to be set to show the desktop again, but all the previously specifically ordered icons positions are moved, even if file view was set to lock the icon positions. Very annoying to have to rebuild the desktop window icon position placements again. I don’t remember the long gone installed default desktop window switching to from desktop to home when booted unlocked. I did notice that when the replacement window widget is first added, it uses home as its starting point. I guess this is a hard default just because it was manually installed from the widget menu. I guess I will have to never reboot with widgets unlocked.
I also noticed when I lock, then unlock the widgets, this desktop window will not move when locked (it works of course), but it never recovers and allows me to move it again after unlocking the widgets (I never get the side pop-up either). So far I only tried the reboot with widgets unlocked, which allowed this home/desktop window to be moved again after the reboot (side pop-up worked also). Guess how I discovered the unlocked widget reboot problem!
The nasty problem is how to restore the ability to unlock widgets and move the semitransparent desktop window without an unlocked reboot. The only method I have so far scrambles the desktop window icon placement after the reboot.
I’m trapped in a maze of twisty passages that are all alike :).
@Mike: I feel your pain. I get really uncomfortable and sometimes frustrated when new features (good, bad, or indifferent) can easily be triggered by accident, sometimes with disastrous results. (I have similar issues with newer features in OS X, especially gestures.)
I’m very glad I found this thread since I had the exact same problem; thanks very much to those who contributed the solution. I think some of the desktop options/features could use some refinement - the configuration can become confusing if nothing else - but I’m happy to have my desktop back to the default appearance.