"All Desktops" has Locked (Solved.)

[exwintech]

This is possibly a clever function of KDE4 - but I can't find how to undo it. That is - the Title-Bar Right-Click function to select where an app, directory, graphics-file, etc, opens - All Desktops, or Desktop 1 or 2 or 3, etc, seems to have "locked" at the "All Desktops" setting.

When I open an app - directory - JPG file - etc, it opens across all 6 Desktops. At present Firefox - with PCLOS Forum - is across all 6 Desktops.

I have Searched here - Googled - tried to look at all 5,000 (approx) 'settings' in KDE CC - and can't find how to correct it. Possibly because I don't know the name of the trendoid thing I'm looking for - so obviously don't know what in the KDE4-minefield I've altered or clicked on to cause it...

I rebooted 5 times, then did 2 shutdown-restarts hoping it might return to 'default'... No such luck...

There have been no updates done or intentional "configurings" done since it was working in the usual mode. The KDE is in Folder Scene mode, as far as I can tell....

Any help would be greatly appreciated - as a multi-desktop Linux with Windowsian single - if repeated - desktop usage is quite a pain...

Regards, Dave.

[gseaman]

This is probably not the answer, but I offer it just in case. At the left corner of the window decor is an icon which gives a selection of window setting options. Just to the right is a button with no label or pop-up describing it's function. It also looks almost the same if it is toggled on or off. If it is on, that window shows on all desktops.

Galen

[exwintech]

Gseaman - Thanks, but I was aware of that now (in KDE4) 'anonymous' icon. The top line of it is here the "To Desktops" > All Desktops, etc - you get if you Right-Click the title-Bar (whatever that's called now.)

So I can get at the list, headed by "All Desktops" - which in mine is ticked - with the 1-2-3 Desktop in use listed below. However, if I click say, '3' in that list - meaning the app, dir, etc, be seen only on that desktop - nothing happens - the "All Desktops" at the top remains ticked - and the opened item across all Desktops.

I must have done something that locks the All-Desktops function - or shifted what I think is the Folder Scenes view into some sort of 'between-desktops' lockup-mode.

I think my Scene for Desktop is the Folder View - if I click the fish-hook Wodgie-thing in the top right corner I get a dialog that says Folder Views and Settings, with something for Activities and making a Plasmoid thing, whatever for - but if I click "Folder" on that, a box with a "Layouts" field which has Grids and Groupings and such under it is initially in "Folder View" - though I might without noticing have clicked something and be in a plasmoid sub-function under that - with no apparent way to tell, as the modes aren't labelled.

Would I be risking losing my whole install if I got another Enviro from Synaptic, say Gnome, logged across into that - and from there "uninstalled" KDE4.x - is that possible? - then re-installed it.... Then logged across from Gnome into the now unglitched version of KDE4.x...?

As the "latest" Guide I can find by Googling, for KDE4.x is dated 2009 - it's very confusing.... Perhaps all the changes the various KDE4 teams were making for assorted parts of the hugely complex Enviro just became too complicated and difficult for the Guide-writers to keep current.

However, after a few months with KDE4.x I did have 6 usable Desktops with close to traditional / conventional functions - though never did find out how to make the icons (or what I still call "icons") stay in place across 6 Desktops - AND use a photo as a different "wallpaper" on each Desktop. The combined function doesn't seem to exist...

Was just hoping some of the more advanced people here know enough about KDE4.x to advise about this "Locked" thingy...

Regards, Dave.

[gseaman]

If you were to try something that drastic, you would not need to uninstall/reinstall. Instead, after you've installed and logged into a new desktop environment, you could just "mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-save" and log back into kde. A new 'clean' environment is created and the problem would be 'fixed'. The downside is that any customizations you've made are lost. My guess it that if you wait someone will know a fix that will allow you to keep you desktop.

Galen

[exwintech]

Gseaman - Thanks again for your attention. I think I found something similar on a site for 'can't be named' distro - its KDE flavour version... Followed it and now have a new logon with the old /home contents saved over to it - and all the rest at "default". You then remove the glitched logon and in effect, apart from /home contents, it's "start again".

I'm back to having 6 Folder scene view Desktops that run things independently, so at least can "do my things" adequately. It'll take a while to get back to where I was - more the removing of "unexpecteds" and making some keycuts, so on, than making user-functions with it. Trying to do "user-usable" adjustments in KDE4.x is like hobnail-boots dancing in a minefield, so I try to keep any "settings" to a minimum.

It can still run the KDE-related apps like Kdenlive properly, so will have to do until there's a better version....

Regards, Dave.

[gseaman]

I'm glad you found a workaround. Although I use kde4 regularly, I'll never be an expert because I mostly keep just the default settings. I only use a small subset of its "features".

Galen