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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Manuel Ricart
ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98

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Virtual Desktops

In KDE you have the ability to work in more than one desktop at a time. This ability is useful if you perform different tasks that require various groups of applications running at the same time.

Using a virtual desktop is similar to hiding applications, except that when you move between desktops, all applications belonging to that desktop are restored to their previous state. For example, you can use one virtual desktop to compose your email and read Internet news, another for a task such as programming or writing, and yet another to play a game or do anything that strikes your fancy.

In KDE you can have up to eight different virtual desktops. By default, however, only four are available. (Later, in the section “Changing the Number of Virtual Desktops,” you’ll learn how to customize the number of desktops you have accessible.) Different desktops have different color backgrounds to help you tell them apart. By default, the virtual desktops are called One, Two, Three, and Four, but you can rename them as you see fit.

The Virtual desktops feature and KDE’s Workspace Auto-restore feature make a powerful combination. You will find more information on the KDE Workspace Auto-restore feature later in the section “The KDE Workspace Auto-restore Feature.”

Switching Between Desktops

To switch between virtual desktops, click the desktop button in the panel (see the following figure). If you like keyboard commands, you can also press Ctrl+Fn, where n is the number of the virtual desktop you want to view. You can also press Ctrl+Tab to cycle between the various desktops.


To switch between desktops, click the button for the desktop you want to visit.

If you click on a task button for an application that is active in a different desktop, you will also switch to that desktop.

To switch between applications and desktops and get a list of the current tasks organized by desktop, press Ctrl+Esc. (Alt+Esc also works for this purpose. And, you can use the Windowlist menu in the panel for this purpose. See “Accessing Windows that Overlap” in Chapter 2, “Working with Windows.”)

Sending an Application to a Different Desktop

To send an application to a different desktop, you can use the window menu and pick the appropriate desktop from the To desktop submenu. The window menu is accessible from all KDE windows (see the following figure).


Use the To Desktop submenu to move an application to a different desktop.

Alternatively, you can right-click the window’s title bar to display a number of menu commands, including the To desktop submenu. Note that the icon displayed for this menu will be different depending on the application you are running.

When you send an application to a different desktop, the application disappears from the current desktop and reappears in its new desktop. To see the application again, view the desktop to which you sent it.

Sharing an Application Across Virtual Desktops

There are some applications that you must use in all desktops. A good example of this is the file manager. Instead of having multiple KFM windows in different desktops, it might be better to share the application with all desktops. You use the pin icon (also called the stick button) in a window for this purpose (see the following figure). Windows that have this button pressed will be accessible from all desktops.


To “pin” a window and make it visible from all desktops, click the pin icon on a window’s title bar.


Pinning a window displays it in all desktops. In this figure, the KFM window is shared by all virtual desktops.

Desktop Pager: Switching Between Applications and Desktops

KDE also includes a desktop pager application called, appropriately enough, Desktop Pager. A desktop pager is an application that provides a miniaturized view of all your virtual desktops and the windows they contain.

Switching between desktops and applications is just a matter of picking the right button and the application you want. Applications windows are labeled according to the application to which they belong.

Desktop Pager is available from the Application Starter menu under the System application group. You can also start the pager by issuing the command kwmpager on a shell.

Enabling the Active Desktop Borders Options

You can configure virtual desktops so that if you move a window and touch the edge of the screen, you automatically switch between desktops. This feature might feel more natural for moving applications across desktops. The desktops are arranged in the same geographic positions as shown on the panel and on the Desktop Pager tool (see the previous figure).

To enable the Active Desktop Borders feature, you’ll need to access the KDE Control Center Application from the Application Starter Menu. Once the Control Center window appears, expand the Desktop category by clicking the plus sign next to it, and then choose the Desktop option. Check the Enable active desktop borders option (see the next figure). (This item is also available from the Application Starter by choosing the Settings menu, clicking Desktop, and then choosing Desktop from the submenu.)


The Desktop Pager (kwmpager) displays buttons with a thumbnail view of all your virtual desktops. To change to a desktop, just click on the desktop button you want.


You can enable Active Desktop Borders in this dialog box.


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