https://wiki.archlinux.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=IFSS&feedformat=atomArchWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T21:21:19ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.41.0https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=RealPlayer&diff=137459RealPlayer2011-04-16T22:47:26Z<p>IFSS: Added conversion of RealMedia files info</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Audio/Video (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
This article describes how to play .rmvb video files.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
The most simple way is to install [[VLC]], which plays .rmvb now, as well as many other video format.<br />
# pacman -S vlc<br />
<br />
Or you can install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=1590 realplayer] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
Next, start it with:<br />
$ realplay &<br />
<br />
On the first run, a configuration wizard will set up the necessary options.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Conversion of RealMedia Files==<br />
As RealMedia files are not widely (nor well) supported, it may be useful to convert them to another format. [http://ffmpeg.org/ FFmpeg] can be used for this.<br />
# pacman -S ffmpeg<br />
<br />
For example, to convert the video '''foo.rm''' to an mp4 file:<br />
ffmpeg -i foo.rm -vcodec mpeg4 -sameq -acodec libfaac -ab 94208 foo.mp4</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133278KDE2011-03-09T17:15:23Z<p>IFSS: /* Window Decorations */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133274KDE2011-03-09T17:09:18Z<p>IFSS: /* I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon */ Updated Phonon backend information to current status</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133271KDE2011-03-09T16:40:41Z<p>IFSS: /* "Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133269KDE2011-03-09T16:37:54Z<p>IFSS: /* Low 3D desktop performance */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133268KDE2011-03-09T16:36:15Z<p>IFSS: /* Strigi Search */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133267KDE2011-03-09T16:31:51Z<p>IFSS: /* Nepomuk */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133266KDE2011-03-09T16:30:47Z<p>IFSS: /* Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings */ Updated location of setting</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133265KDE2011-03-09T16:28:48Z<p>IFSS: /* Samba/Windows support */ Settings location formatting</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133264KDE2011-03-09T16:26:56Z<p>IFSS: /* KWin */ Updated location of settings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133261KDE2011-03-09T16:23:02Z<p>IFSS: /* All sorts of *bars */ Updated settings location</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your ~/.profile or similar. qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133259KDE2011-03-09T16:13:40Z<p>IFSS: /* Plasma */ Updated the location of the workspace setting for Plasma Netbook</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your ~/.profile or similar. qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>IFSShttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Dvorak&diff=132122Dvorak2011-02-26T01:48:09Z<p>IFSS: /* Typing Tutors */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Input devices (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Dvorak}}<br />
This is a quick blurb for setting or converting your keymaps to dvorak instead of qwerty.<br />
<br />
==Setting Dvorak On The Console==<br />
To convert to dvorak on the console, type<br />
loadkeys dvorak/dvorak<br />
<br />
To make this change permanent, set<br />
KEYMAP=dvorak/dvorak<br />
in /etc/rc.conf.<br />
<br />
==Setting Dvorak In X==<br />
To change to the dvorak layout in X, see [[Xorg#Keyboard_settings]]<br />
<br />
==Special Note For Swedish People==<br />
Swedish people interested in trying dvorak can find the swedish "version", called svorak, at [http://www.aoeu.info aoeu.info]! To convert to svorak in X you do not need to download any additional files from www.aoeu.info.<br />
<br />
==Typing Tutors==<br />
Console: [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=12590 DvorakNG]<br />
<br />
GUI: [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/kdeedu-ktouch/ KTouch] (includes Dvorak lessons in English, French, German & Spanish)</div>IFSS