Hide taskbar in one activity for a sort 'reading mode'

[Karut]

Hey there!

I just came aboard with KDE Plasma 5 and I am impressed by the new interface. I have special request namely a sort quiet, distraction-free activity where you can hide the taskbar (and deactivate notifications). Is there a way to do that with activities?

Thanks!

[claydoh]

No, this has no been possible for quite some time now. Very very early versions of KDE 4 did have this ability, but it proved problematic for some reason. I used this feature for the exact reasons you do. Others do like this idea:

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=292094


Now, a workaround of sorts is possible to get this:
The panel is just a container for widgets. The System Tray , digital clock, Taskbar, Kmenu, etc are all individual widgets. On your main Activity, you could simply delete the panel, then add each individual widget you use in a normal panel to your desktop, and resize and arrange them to your liking. Then, when you add a new Activity, you will not have a panel on it.

Downside is that every new activity you create will be without any panel, or panel related widgets

[humufr]

Be careful. Do not use this in plasma5. Hiding a panel is buggy. There are no possibility to get appear after it is hidden.

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=343448

[oshunluvr]

Can't one have a second desktop with no panel? Effectively leaving the panel and all it's widgets on desktop 1 and switching to desktop 2

[oshunluvr]

Nevermind - just found out they removed the independent desktop feature from Plasma 5 in favor of Activities - which almost no one likes - dumb move, IMO.

[humufr]

Yep and unfortunaly they said they did it so the user will have to understand how the developer want them to use the activities.
What they did is just gnomeify KDE at multiple levels:

- removing option
- decide for the user what it is good for them
- using exactly the same apradigm than gnome in terme of activities. Even the activities management is very similar (but on the other side of the screen).

I think that is a big mistake to go towards the same kind of desktop. It's in the difference that KDE is good not beeing the same boring stuff not adaptable and not configurable for he unique workflow of the user.

[oshunluvr]

Yep and unfortunaly they said they did it so the user will have to understand how the developer want them to use the activities.
What they did is just gnomeify KDE at multiple levels:

- removing option
- decide for the user what it is good for them
- using exactly the same apradigm than gnome in terme of activities. Even the activities management is very similar (but on the other side of the screen).

I think that is a big mistake to go towards the same kind of desktop. It's in the difference that KDE is good not beeing the same boring stuff not adaptable and not configurable for he unique workflow of the user.

I totally agree

[vinnywright]

yes this one reason I stay in my 14.04 install most of the time ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

VINNY

[Karut]

Thanks for your plentiful replies!

Now, a workaround of sorts is possible to get this:
The panel is just a container for widgets. The System Tray , digital clock, Taskbar, Kmenu, etc are all individual widgets. On your main Activity, you could simply delete the panel, then add each individual widget you use in a normal panel to your desktop, and resize and arrange them to your liking. Then, when you add a new Activity, you will not have a panel on it.

Downside is that every new activity you create will be without any panel, or panel related widgets

Thanks! But I have the option to also add a new panel to the new activities. Its just the default setting that changed.

Be careful. Do not use this in plasma5. Hiding a panel is buggy. There are no possibility to get appear after it is hidden.

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=343448

But they are not talking about hiding the panel as in deleting it or autohiding it if the mouse is not near the upper edge(?). That overlapping-windows-hide-the-taskbar-feature they are speaking of would also be a at least partial solution to my problem, thanks. But
in that case the notifications would still be there I guess and I want them gone as well.

[humufr]

Thanks for your plentiful replies!



Thanks! But I have the option to also add a new panel to the new activities. Its just the default setting that changed.



But they are not talking about hiding the panel as in deleting it or autohiding it if the mouse is not near the upper edge(?). That overlapping-windows-hide-the-taskbar-feature they are speaking of would also be a at least partial solution to my problem, thanks. But
in that case the notifications would still be there I guess and I want them gone as well.

I am speaking hiding in the sens of autohiding. This is the one's buggy , same for the "window can be above". If you want to see the panel you have to click on it it will not raise automatically.

[Karut]

For me the autohiding works just fine.