{solved} System tray has become 'leftwing'

[wedgetail]

This should be an easy problem, but I am struggling.

I installed a MiniMe system, fully updated from Synaptic. Then added Opera and started configuring the panel as I want a few icons here, like user konq and root konq with my customised icons. I also have kwrite and konsole added from the pc menu.  

What happened is, the panel has gone astray and I am sure it is my making.  I actually had the panel partly set up before I did the full update and it seemed I lost the configuration (forgot to backup .kde4 etc) not too big a deal I copied .kde4 from my working MiniMe and perhaps that has caused me extra problems.  In the process I got the clock near system tray removed from the panel and could not get it back in to panel so I deleted clock on the desktop and used add a widget to get one back into the panel.

The main problem is that the clock and system tray insist on "hanging out" at the left of the empty space of the panel, right up against the separator I have added, I would dearly like to get the system tray and clock back to the right side?

Any suggestions?

[TerryN]

Try this, to see if it helps:

1) Unlock Widgets
2) Right click a blank part of the panel
3) Select Panel Options -> Panel Settings
4) Then on the Config strap that appears select More Settings -> Maximize Panel

It may be that the clock (and system tray) went off the right hand edge of the screen as a result of the update (or at least that's what happened on a couple of my boxes).

Terry

[Bald Brick]

This should be an easy problem, but I am struggling.

I installed a MiniMe system, fully updated from Synaptic. Then added Opera and started configuring the panel as I want a few icons here, like user konq and root konq with my customised icons. I also have kwrite and konsole added from the pc menu. 

What happened is, the panel has gone astray and I am sure it is my making.  I actually had the panel partly set up before I did the full update and it seemed I lost the configuration (forgot to backup .kde4 etc) not too big a deal I copied .kde4 from my working MiniMe and perhaps that has caused me extra problems.  In the process I got the clock near system tray removed from the panel and could not get it back in to panel so I deleted clock on the desktop and used add a widget to get one back into the panel.

The main problem is that the clock and system tray insist on "hanging out" at the left of the empty space of the panel, right up against the separator I have added, I would dearly like to get the system tray and clock back to the right side?

Any suggestions?

Do you have a task manager (Smooth Tasks) on your panel? Most of us use Smooth Tasks as a spacer. If you drag the system tray and clock to the right of the task manager (with widgets unlocked) the task manager will push them towards the right edge of the panel as it reserves all available empty space for itself. (If you've removed the task manager you will have to use spacers instead.)
 

[wedgetail]

Bald Brick
Yes indeed, I noticed for me something new, Smooth Tasks, and now I remember I did click on Smooth Tasks at some stage but did not see anything happen  I thought.

I can confirm that I in vain tried to drag the clock and system tray to the right, this is when I gave up and have just re-installed the original .kde4 (and lost a few icons). I now have the system tray and clock back where I like them.

I have Smooth Tasks installed and experimented with moving an icon to the right of the Smooth Task without problem.  The problem I did not mention above was that any task I opened would not show anywhere on Panel, I would only know by the presence in the pager,  Smooth Tasks would show nothing.  That had me a bit perturbed, the problem however has gone away with the new .kde4.

Can I ask what you mean by using ST as a spacer? I am looking for some form of divider between my icons and running apps.  Do I understand you have ST installed but do not have the running apps show up inside?

TerryN
Maximize Panel, that was one of the items I have been trying out and I did not see any change. I forgot about that until I read your post. 

[Bald Brick]

Bald Brick
Yes indeed, I noticed for me something new, Smooth Tasks, and now I remember I did click on Smooth Tasks at some stage but did not see anything happen   I thought.

I can confirm that I in vain tried to drag the clock and system tray to the right,

You have to click the panel cashew before you can drag them, but that you know of course. And then you have to drag them to the right of either a task manager or a spacer, or they won't stay put.

this is when I gave up and have just re-installed the original .kde4 (and lost a few icons). I now have the system tray and clock back where I like them.

I have Smooth Tasks installed and experimented with moving an icon to the right of the Smooth Task without problem.  The problem I did not mention above was that any task I opened would not show anywhere on Panel, I would only know by the presence in the pager,  Smooth Tasks would show nothing.  That had me a bit perturbed, the problem however has gone away with the new .kde4.

Did you right-click an empty space in Smooth Tasks and look at the settings:



As you can see you have some control over which icons Smooth Tasks will or will not show.

Can I ask what you mean by using ST as a spacer? I am looking for some form of divider between my icons and running apps.  Do I understand you have ST installed but do not have the running apps show up inside?

I let it do double duty. Its main purpose is of course to show running programs, but as it will fill up all available space it's also an excellent dynamic width spacer. If you click on the cashew and add normal spacers, they will always remain the size you give them.

Edit: This was misleading. You can set a spacer to flexible space, and then its width will change dynamically.

 I'll try to add a few snapshots.

TerryN
Maximize Panel, that was one of the items I have been trying out and I did not see any change. I forgot about that until I read your post.  

[Bald Brick]

wedgetail,

A few snapshots of my main panel -- first the whole panel:



The large empty area is the space taken up by Smooth Tasks.

Then:



Here the gaps are ordinary spacers. To make them visible:



You can adjust their width and position after clicking the cashew.

[wedgetail]

Bald Brick
Thank you, a picture tells a good story    
I can confirm that I have/had exactly the same settings for Smooth Tasks Settings, but I am not sure I recognised the importance of the item you point to.  This makes me think that I ought to have seen my running apps when the item is not ticked. The system is just a simple MiniMe that I use for testing Shotwell so I am quite happy to delete it if I have got it too mangled.  I feel however that replacing the .kde4 with the original for this system I may have recovered.

I understand how you use the spacers, from the looks of it you did not succeed finding a colour or where to change the spacer colour?  I seem to remember long ago now that you did look for that very early in kde4 life?  

As an experiment I have set a spacer 4 times wider than the one you show.  Will see how I feel about that apart from it is wasted space.  Since I am such an Opera fan I basically use Opera icon in the panel as  a 'marker' between custom icons and running apps icons, the confusion arises when Opera panel Icon is next to the opera apps icon and when I want to open a new instance of Opera I click the wrong one.  

I have 8 dt's on the pager, Dolphin, root Konq, user Konq, Kate, Kwrite, Konsole and Opera, Opera 'marks the end' a colourful spacer would then be very nice  

I still have not settled for the sequence order apart from Opera sitting at the end of the line.

[Bald Brick]

wedgetail,

It appears that I was mistaken when I wrote that normal spacers will always remain the size you give them. You can specify their size should be flexible, and if you do they seem to behave more or less like Smooth Tasks when it comes to how much space they occupy.

The spacers are normally invisible. If you want more colourful separators you probably have to replace them with some kind of icons.

[wedgetail]

Bald Brick
I will agree with you replacing with an Icon, and as a trial I have removed the wide spacer and using the PC menu symbol, I am considering moving the normal Menu symbol into the position just before the Smooth Tasks.  At the moment I am running a 'double-ganger' to see how I would feel about permanently having the PC menu here.

An elastic spacer, no I don't think I am in favour of that.