New To Kubuntu - Had A Couple Questions About Configuration

[apetech]

Hi Folks - I'm new to Kubuntu 19.10 (and Linux), I've been running Kubuntu about 2 weeks now and had a couple general configuration questions:

1- is there a way to minimize (chosen) windows to the tray as icons?
2- is there a way to hide (chosen) tray icons into the "popup arrow" or whatever you'd call it?
3- is there a way to edit the right-click context menu?

4- mouse properties - I notice there is no way to choose the number of lines the middle scroll button makes. I read somewhere that there is a way to get this functionality back, has anyone been able to do this?

That's about it for now, any advice appreciated

[GreyGeek]

1 - In the upper right corner of an app window are three icons: down arrow, up+down arrow and a white circle with an x in it. The down arrow minimizes an app to the task bar (not the system tray).
2 - "popup arrow"? Right mouse in a blank area of the system tray and select "system tray settings". In the "General" settings select the entries you want to display. In the "Entries" option set each device to auto, show or hidden, as you desire.
3 - on the desktop, task bar, system tray, or in an app?
4 - Settings --> Input Devices --> Mouse --> Advanced --> Mouse wheel scrolls by

[Don B. Cilly]

1) Not that I know of. But choosing "Icons-only Task Manager" by right.clicking the task bar and > Show Alternatives, reduces the amount of space taken by minimised windows a lot.
It's what I use, and it may be useful to you.

2) As GreyGeek says.

3) As far as I know, you can remove entries from the right-click (on desktop) menu but not add them.
From the right-click menu itself, Configure Desktop> Mouse Actions.



4) No-eyed deer ;·)

[apetech]

Thanks for the replies folks

I had 2 questions about the command line (how to automate something)

1
I have a standalone instance of my browser in a folder on the desktop - to run the browser I need to run it from konsole with this argument:
"./vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile &"
Is there a way I can make a one-click .bat file to automate that, rather than typing in the konsole to run it?

2
To open my bitlocker partition, in konsole I need to run the following;
sudo dislocker /dev/sda2 -u -- /media/Storage
sudo mount -o loop /media/Storage/dislocker-file /media/Storage_mount

this will ask for my password then open the drive
again could I make some sort of one-click script for this?

My command line knowledge is rather poor, I figured it'd be more efficient to ask for help rather than arbitrarily experiment
thanks!

[Don B. Cilly]

Sure. In a text editor, say Kate, paste:

#!/bin/bash
cd [the directory you keep the vivavldi thing in] ## say it's in ~/.mystuff, cd ~/.mystuff
./vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile & exit

Save it as, say, viv.sh in, say, ~/.mystuff
Make it executable:
chmod +x ~/.mystuff/viv.sh

Then you can make an entry for it in, say, your Application launcher.
To do that, right-click on it (usually bottom left corner of desktop).
Edit Applications. Choose a category, click New Item... (top bar). Call it, say, Vivaldi thingy.
Under Command, paste: ~/.mystuff/viv.sh (or navigate to it).
Close the window, you will be asked to save or discard.

In fact, you can skip the .sh file altogether and paste ./vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile & exit into the "Command" field directly, but it's good to learn a bit about shell scripts anyway
The answer to the next question is pretty much the same, I'll explain in more detail later, have to do a couple of things.

[Don B. Cilly]

For the second one, try

pkexec bash -c "dislocker /dev/sda2 -u -- /media/Storage;mount -o loop /media/Storage/dislocker-file /media/Storage_mount"

in a terminal and see if it works.
If it does, make an entry in the Application Launcher with that as command.

I'm not sure about multiple pkexec commands, but it should work.

[apetech]

Don - thanks alot for the help - I still can't get it, i'm getting an error in the konsole.

I'll ask this way::
ok - so the exact path to my vivaldi is /home/liam/Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)/
how would you create the script to run it with the parameter: --user-data-dir=profile &

Sooner or later i'll get it figured out I imagine

[Don B. Cilly]

- I still can't get it, i'm getting an error in the konsole.

Which error would help to diagnose the problem...

It's probably the spaces and brackets in the directory name though.
Try single quotes - ' 's.
Like:

/home/liam/'Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)'/vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile & exit
Or with double quotes - " ".

[apetech]

Which error would help to diagnose the problem...

It's probably the spaces and brackets in the directory name though.
Try single quotes - ' 's.
Like:

/home/liam/'Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)'/vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile & exit
Or with double quotes - " ".

I had the quotes in place I just didn't include them on the forum post.

Anyway, in the konsole this works fine: #!/bin/bash cd '/home/liam/Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)/'

it changes directory

at that point I don't know how to run vivaldi with the argument --user-data-dir=profile &

im starting to feel a bit like a neanderthal

[Don B. Cilly]

But if you
/home/liam/'Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)'/vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile & exit
you get an error? What error?

And have you tried the pkexec thing?

[apetech]

i've got this saved as vivaldi.sh on the desktop and it works:

!/bin/bash
cd '/home/liam/Secondary Program Directory (Linux)/Vivaldi Standalone 1 (Linux)/'
./vivaldi --user-data-dir=profile &

With konsole this runs my browser in standalone mode correctly.

But clicking on the vivaldi.sh file on the desktop does nothing. Also I tried to make an entry to it in the launcher menu, when I click the shortcut, konsole pops up and reads: Warning: Could not start program '/home/liam/Desktop/vivaldi' with arguments '/h
ome/liam/Desktop/vivaldi'.
Warning: execve: Exec format error

Whats next? Thanks for all the tips btw

[apetech]

And have you tried the pkexec thing?

For unlocking the bitlocker partition this works - I saved it as unlock.sh, now I can open a terminal and type sh unlock, and it prompts for my bitlocker password, then opens the drive

#!/bin/bash
sudo dislocker /dev/sda2 -u -- /media/Storage
sudo mount -o loop /media/Storage/dislocker-file /media/Storage_mount

[jglen490]

I'm just curious. What is your goal with running a browser as "stand alone" - and I'm not sure what that means either!

Like I said, just curious.

And that comes from never having perceived of a need to use bitlocker, or any sort of encrypted disk/partition/directory/file, and the like. At least on a single user machine. Just standard Linux, judicious sudo for elevated permissions, and being careful with link clicking and such. I've tried Linux antivirus, and found them to be disturbingly useless, and a waste of CPU cycles

[apetech]

jg - standalone browser means you can have different browser configs - I use one for work related stuff with relevant bookmarks etc, and another for personal use. It's trivially easy to set up in windows, but here with linux it's taking me some work, due I imagine to the fact that my command line skills are poor. I'm learning some things, so it works out fine. Thanks for askin

[Don B. Cilly]

But clicking on the vivaldi.sh file on the desktop does nothing

Did you make the scripts executable? Like
chmod +x /home/liam/Desktop/vivaldi.sh

or right-click on it, Properties, Permissions, tick the "Is executable" box.

Warning: Could not start program '/home/liam/Desktop/vivaldi' with arguments '/home/liam/Desktop/vivaldi'.

Check that your entry points to /home/liam/Desktop/vivaldi.sh - just once ;·)
Or post the entry here. It's clearer if you use CODE boxes - highlight the text and press the # icon in the post toolbar.

BTW, you can run shell scripts either by using sh /path/to/script.sh or by having them executable and containing the shebang (#!/bin/bash) - or #!/bin/sh, whatever - at the top.

[EDIT] Try the pkexec thing. If it works, it's much slicker ;·)