Linux in a Nutshell, Third Edition

The Panel and Taskbar

The kpanel program runs the panel and the taskbar. The panel is the control bar across the bottom of the screen. The panel is used to find and launch applications and navigate among windows and desktops. It contains the menu, which organizes the installed KDE applications into submenus; the disk navigator, which provides a menu-driven display of filesystem contents; and the desktop pager. Additional buttons that open applications, directories, and URLs can be added to the panel.

The Desktop Pager and Window List

Like most window managers, kwm (KDE’s window manager) can divide your workspace into multiple desktops. Different application windows can be open on each desktop, reducing the amount of clutter on your screen. You can switch among desktops by using the desktop buttons on the panel or by using the window list. The panel displays a grid of buttons, one for each virtual desktop, and their names (One, Two, Three, etc., by default). Clicking on a button will switch your screen to the corresponding desktop.

If you click the window list icon, it displays a menu divided into sections for each desktop and items for each window they contain. (The window list is also accessible by middle-clicking on the desktop background.) For example, if desktop two contains an open file manager window, you can click on it in the window list, and you will switch to desktop two and activate the file manager window.

You can configure the number of virtual desktops and ...