Can't add volume control to System Tray

[evans62]

My list of Plasma widgets is very small and I can't figure out how to get more. If I click on Add Widgets-> Install New Widgets from Internet , I cant figure out how to get more.

I keep getting the feeling I am not getting the most out of KDE because Plasma and/or Compiz is overriding it. Does that make any sense?

[Stormbringer]

Re: Can't add volume control to System Tray

I shall assume that you are using Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE 4.1.3...

Is KMix running?

If not, perhaps you could try (if you've not done so already):

1.) Start KMix
- KMenu -> Applications -> Multimedia -> Sound Mixer (KMix)
or
- KMenu -> Applications -> System -> Terminal (Konsole) -> type "kmix" and press the "enter" key

That should hopefully bring up:
A.) the full KMix Mixer window (mine has two "front" sliders, a "PCM" slider, and a headphone slider),
B.) the version with only the master channel slider (which opens the full mixer window when the "mixer" button is clicked), and/or
C.) the system tray icon (right-click and select "show mixer window" to get the master channel slider, then click the "mixer" button).

2.) Once the full mixer window is open, select: Settings -> Configure KMix.

3.) Check/activate the boxes next to "Dock in system tray" and "Enable system tray volume control".
(On mine, there are five check boxes and all of them are checked.)

4.) Click "Apply", then click "OK".
(You may or may not have to reboot the system for any changes to take effect.)
Repeat steps (1) and (2) to make sure that the options listed in step (3) are still activated.

5.) Test the volume control. I find that Amarok and a good song are helpful for this step...

For setting volume controls:

6.) Go to: KMenu -> Applications -> System -> Terminal (Konsole).
- Open the "keyboard and Mouse" menu (near the lower-right corner of the window).
- Click on "Keyboard shortcuts".
- Select "KMix" from the drop-down list labeled "KDE Component".
- Ensure that whatever keys you want mapped to volume control are mapped to "Decrease Volume" and "Increase Volume" (without the extra text/options). For wheel-type volume control, select the "Custom" radio button, click the wrench button next to the "Custom" radio button, and scroll the wheel in whichever direction you wish to use to decrease/increase volume.
- Click "Apply"

7.) Right-click on the KMix icon in the system tray select "Select Master Channel". Select the appropriate master channel and test the volume control settings (This may take several trial-and-error iterations. On my system, the appropriate master channel turned out to be the second/lower-listed "front" channel, as it's apparently the one that controls the volume for everything, while the first/higher-listed "front" and "PCM" only changed the volume for certain things, but not others; that might be something particular to my system/install, however...).


This process allowed me to have volume control through both the volume wheel on the front of my laptop and the system tray (controlled by hovering the cursor over the icon and using the mouse's scroll wheel to adjust volume), as well as the pop-up volume indicator bar (when the volume wheel is used) on my system.

I hope this helps! Please post how it turns out.
Good Luck!

P.S.: For more widgets ("plasmoids"), go to the plasmoids section of KDE-Look.org (at http://www.kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=70x77x78). Most have install instructions on their info page, and there is a general set of instructions at http://www.kde-look.org/help/index.php?type=70.

[evans62]

Re: Can't add volume control to System Tray

Thanks for the detailed instructions,. My bad. I didn't have system tray activated, just task manager. Good info on the plasmoids!

- J