Alternitive to KDE's System Settings app?

[soup-n-sandwich]

Guys is there an alternative or replacement for the KDE4's System settings app (Configure Your Desktop)?
I need to add and remove some items from this app.  I would also need to add applications that are non-kde such as Compiz (among others).  Before I start working on making one does anybody know if one already exists? 
Basically I'm looking for ONE place for user preferences (that don't require preferences) including everything from setting Desktop backgrounds to adjusting window decorators with Emerald.
I've made one in the past but it takes lot of time to create this. 
Is there a way to edit the KDE System Settings (CYD)?

[Mark342]

I remember a project that was made to integrate the PCC tools into the KDE system settings.
It was in the 2010 Beta 1, but was removed in Beta 2.

Let me dig up the link for ya:
http://mypclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=2670.0

I don't know where the final code has gone, maybe someone else knows.

You could also use the PCC and just add more "links" to it.
Most won't be embedded into the GUI like the drak tools, but it'll get the job done.
You can use this post as a guide for getting new "links" added to the PCC.

Simply use the above post to add new "links" and modify the "binary" field to point to the binary of an application.
You can also add it's own icon by placing an icon in /usr/share/mcc/themes/default/ and changing the "icon" field to say the name of the icon without the .png extension.

In case there is no binary available for that app, you must put this in a perl script:

Code: [Select]

#!/usr/bin/perl
`command line command to launch tool`;
Where "command line command to launch tool" is the command that launches the program.
And modify the binary field to point to that perl script.

Oh, and be sure to set the "Embedded" field to -1.

[soup-n-sandwich]

Wow!  Mark you rock!
That's a huge lump of great information, thanks.
I would say that the most important thing about whatever I find for this issue is that non-kde apps need to be added.  It looks that that modification will work for that. However what about removing existing kde app within the System settings?  I guess if I can locate the config file for the Systems Settings app I could modify it.
Any idea where that is?

You see in my last project (which was based on PCLOS 2009.1) I completly rewrote the control center and turned it into Desktop Preferences.  This desktop preferences replaced Kcontrol.  I did this because Kcontrol-edit, the editor didn't work at all so I was forced to make a better solution.  This new Desktop Preferences combined every user preference (non root access) item and made it available in one place.  So any Kcontrol item I wanted I added it and the ones I didn't want there I just left them out.  Non-kde items where added in the approprate category such as KeyTouch, Compiz, Emerald, Hardinfo and many more.
I have to admit it would be really nice to have just one control point and have a tabbed section for drake control admin config stuff and the rest would resided under the standard tabs that are already in System Settings app.  I assumed that this whole new KDE4 System Settings config files where all binaries and that I could modify it...but is that the case?  Are they binaries or python scripts?   If they are scripts...do you know where they are located?

Here is another solution.  What would it take to get the old PCLOS 2009.1/Mandriva Control center scripts working in PCLOS 2010.7?  Here is what I tried already.
I took my "Desktop Preferences" app and all it's supporting files and directories and move them to test as a stand along app in PCLOS 2010.7....no go.  It's looking for difference perl modules...but if somebody could help me sort out what it needs to work a package could be made of my app and it could be programed/hacked to have any app embedded within it.
Remember that PCLOS 2009.1 was KDE 3.5.10 based so Kcontrol was used and not System Settings in KDE4.  I was just thinking that if I could only get some time to really look into what this older 2009.1 CC needs and supply that just for this Desktop Prefernces app in PCLOS 2010.7 it would work as long as the supporting files/icons/script/links were supplied with it.
Here is a shot of my Desktop Preferences app. showing  two images.  Most of the items that you see are from the Kcontrol center (all of the applets are called seperatly using the command for that given kcontrol app) but some of them, like Compiz,  Emerald, KeyTouch  are obviously all stand along apps..that are all integrated under one "roof".






Thanks again Mark
Soup

Hey my images didn't show up!  How is that "Insert Image" icon on the forum suppose to work?