KDE-Forum.org

I propose here a discussion I've started on kdelook.org:

http://kdelook.org/content/show.php?content=3782

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IMHO, what looks really pesky in KDE is kicker.

To summarize the contents of this post, I think kicker should be more gkrellm-like, allowing the artist who develops a theme for kde to have a panel that fits gracefully in the context rather than being a punch in the eye (wait, I'm not saying that it is plain awful, but it definitely is if compared to the beauty and quality of certain styles, windecs and icon sets that we can use with kde).

The idea is to have a fully customizable panel, being able to define themes for it which (among the other things):

- set some properties of the behaviour of kicker (some of which are actually editable and some not), such as having applets looking flat rather than sunk in the panel, hiding the applet handles, defining the parameters of the "mouse over icon" effect and so on.

- define a sort of a "window decoration" for the panel: a stylish border, a "titlebar" and custom "hide left/right/bottom/top" buttons, with custom positions as well (just as an xmmms skin, or an enlightenment windec); moreover, it would be lovely to have buttons to performs other actions too, such as having a button to show/hide the desktop (iconify any window), another one to toggle auto-hide on/off etc.

- define a set decorations for the panel itself, that is a background (color. gradient, or pixmap based), setting panel translucency (if available), stylish panel tiles ... got the idea?

This themes would make it possible to be rearranged into custom combos: just the way you can apply a kde-theme and decide to affect, say, just the wallpaper and the windec, you could decide to change just the panel windec and behavior, keeping on with the previous panel background.

I'd be glad to read your comments on this topic; mostly, as I'm not a kde developer and I never gazed at the source code, I'd love to know how far is this from being realizable.

Thanks

Quoted

Original von Kenneth

But can't you already define the parameters of the "mouse over icon" effect already in the Control Center under LookNFeel/Icons/Advanced?

Of course you can, but a theme can do it for you toghether with many other things.
When setting up you redsktop, you can set the background, the iconset, the window decoration etc.. or you can just pick up a theme that will set all this things up for you.
Got the difference?

Daniele

Quoted

Original von SuGa

I only complain about the fact, that you can only set the background-image/color for the main panel and not for a childpanel too

I don't understand what you mean.
Saying that kicker is themeable means that any panel can have a theme applied.

Daniele

I've added new screenshot to the kdelook entry that will help making the concept clearer:

http://kdelook.org/content/show.php?content=3782

Daniele

Quoted

Original von Kenneth

My main panel's settings carry on to any child panel's that I make, SuGa.

This is an implementative choice I've never understood.
I don't know why there can be just one main panel, and all other panels have to be "extensions" of the first.
I would treat any instance of a panel just as a special window with a different behaviour, but I think the user should be free to have as many indifferent panels as he wants.

Daniele

Quoted

Original von Berkz

Danielle shouldn't you post this in the Kde Developer --> Feedback section. It say's

Quoted

Post here for Ideas & Feedback for the Developers

By the way I think your idea is great. But I think we should call it a skinnable kicker. In my head Theme is more like overall kinda thing...

Best Regards, Berkz

I would be glad to post it to developers, but I don't know how.
I couldn't find a proper link on kede websites. If you could tell me where to post it I would as soon as possible

Daniele (with just one "l" :-)