Hi,

I noticed in Dolphin I can not get the often used function of editing text files on the system disk which require a password.
In KDE 4.x I simply would right-click the file in Dolphin, choose Root actions ==> Open as text, type he password and go.
Now this feature is not there although when I look in the settings "Open as Root" is marked but does not show up in the right-click menu.
I installed service "Root actions" from within the settings but still no luck.
How can I get this feature I so often use?

I found the same issue when I installed Neon KDE. I tried everything I could think of, and some wierd suggestions I found on Google.

In the end, I gave up on using Dolphin for root functions. Instead I installed Krusader.

Dolphin in Plasma 5.x doesn't work when started as root, with no icons and a messed up layout. Krusader on the other hand runs quite happily as either User or Root.

Krusader is more powerful than Dolphin and will do anything you used to do with Dolphin in KDE 4.

Cobber wrote:Dolphin in Plasma 5.x doesn't work when started as root, with no icons and a messed up layout.

I don't agree with you on this point, at least this is not what I see here. When I "sudo dophin" I get the same dolphin window as when I open it as normal user, only I can edit file son the system disk since I am root.
But this is not what I am after.
What I mean is this:
open dolphin
open for example folder /etc
open folder samba
right-click on file smb.conf, select "Root actions", followed by "Open as text", type the password to become root and edit the file. Save and close it. Ready.
This is standard in KDE 4.x, now it is gone, or at least I can't find it or set it up.

DeMus wrote:open dolphin
open for example folder /etc
open folder samba
right-click on file smb.conf, select "Root actions", followed by "Open as text", type the password to become root and edit the file. Save and close it. Ready.
This is standard in KDE 4.x, now it is gone, or at least I can't find it or set it up.

Things are obviously different in Mint, but the issue you are describing is the same in Neon, except you don't even get root options on right-click.

I did try several workarounds, but they invariably caused Plasma to crash, or the inability to open applications such as Synaptic without a reboot.

The facility appears to be gone in KDE 5 and that is why I installed Krusader.

Cobber wrote:The facility appears to be gone in KDE 5 and that is why I installed Krusader.

I also did it, saw what it was and it looks indeed like Norton Commander, a program I also never used so I uninstalled it immediately. I missed my folder/disk list in the left panel of the screen which makes it so easy to jump from here to there. I do not need to have 2 windows all the time (maybe this can be changed to 1, I don't know, did not really give it much time to find out), no I love Dolphin, but with the features it had in KDE 4.
I don't understand why developers remove perfect features from a product when they release a new version. Can somebody explain that to me?
Like the different backgrounds in the virtual desktops? Why is it gone? What is the reason behind it? Was it blocking something else and therefore needed to be expelled, or what? Or is it that the developers want you to use Activities instead of virtual desktops? Somehow people don't like Activities, I never read somebody really loves them and can't live without them. Virtual desktops is something many people love to separate different, let's call them activities, and have a screen for Photography, one for Multimedia, one for this, one for that but without what many people think the complicated use of Activities. I once tried Activities in a KDE distro in a VM (forgot which one) and I didn't see many differences between the two.
Instead of stopping activities, KDE decided to stop virtual desktops, or at least make them less attractive so people have no other choice. In my opinion a bad decision. Why not give the people what they want? They are your customers and you need to keep them happy and satisfied.

DeMus wrote:Hi,

I noticed in Dolphin I can not get the often used function of editing text files on the system disk which require a password.
In KDE 4.x I simply would right-click the file in Dolphin, choose Root actions ==> Open as text, type he password and go.
Now this feature is not there although when I look in the settings "Open as Root" is marked but does not show up in the right-click menu.
I installed service "Root actions" from within the settings but still no luck.
How can I get this feature I so often use?.... I love Dolphin, but with the features it had in KDE 4.
I don't understand why developers remove perfect features from a product when they release a new version...

Third party add on

Root Actions Servicemenu: https://www.kde-look.org/content/show.p ... tent=48411 is a third party add on.

The developer (kubicle) is writing on the application KDE-Look page:

Version: 2.9

***IMPORTANT***
- You need to have "ruby" installed for Automatic installation to work
- Make sure you get the latest version, the automatic download from dolphin seems to download a really old version (2.7.3) for some mysterious reason. Manual download from kde-apps/kde-look will guarantee you'll get the latest version.
****

Problem solving example: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthrea ... ootactions


KDE-LOOK

KDE-Look is part of the OpenDesktop.org and is now owned by the Blue Systems
- openDesktop.org. 15 years in review: http://karlitschek.de/2016/01/opendeskt ... in-review/
- openDesktop.org changes: http://karlitschek.de/2016/01/opendesktop-org-changes/

- https://forum.opendesktop.org/t/welcome ... rg-forum/8

As most of you might have noticed, we are in the middle of transitioning opendesktop.org stores to new servers and also a new backend. All product, user and comment informations should be preserved. All login accounts are kept. If you experience any issues to login to the new servers, please post here or send us an email, we're watching out for your feedback and listening. Note that if from time to time some categories or products may not showing up temporarily, don't panic, as everything is being saved and evaluated to be made available again. One of the biggest transitions will be kde-look.org, which will take the most time, since OD resources are tightly integrated into Plasma's GHNS service. The whole transition could take up to another 12-15 weeks. One of the first features of our new backend is a new mutiple files upload service, which should eleminate the need for posting links to 3rd party storages.

- GHNS: http://newstuff.kde.org

The 'Get Hot New Stuff' slogan refers to the ability of KDE applications to download data and extensions, and provides users with the possibility of sharing their creations with the rest of the world...

Yes the inability to have custom backgrounds for each virtual desktop is one of the features that put me off KDE 5. That is why I am not upgrading Mint to V18. I am using Neon on a separate partition, simply to see how Plasma 5.x works.

The reason why Dolphin is no longer allowing root actions from the context menu, seems to be tied to the logic that GUI applications should never be run as Root. Ubuntu is very clear about this, as it is a security risk. If you want to edit a file as root, then you are supposed to do it via the terminal, not by using a GUI application. It seems KDE 5 is enforcing that principle.

Progress very often does not mean 'better', but you can't stop it. New rules mean learning new methods. I am old enough to have followed computer operating systems from the early days of DOS, through each version of Windows, and now the move in Linux from KDE 4 to KDE 5. I too hate it when new operating systems are worse than the previous one. But that is the way it is, and there is nothing we can do about it.

I too tried the addon Rog131 refers to, but I wouldn't recommend it.

@Rog131: I have copied the 2.9 version to /usr/local/bin (which is in my $PATH variable) but still no success. The right-click menu in Dolphin does not show it. How to proceed from here?

DeMus wrote:@Rog131: I have copied the 2.9 version to /usr/local/bin (which is in my $PATH variable) but still no success. The right-click menu in Dolphin does not show it. How to proceed from here?

The Root actions service menu has a perl scrip an two desktop files.




The desktop files need to be placed to the KDE service path:

KDE4:

Code: Select all

kde4-config --path services

=>
(If the distribution is using ~/.kde/)
~/.kde/share/kde4/services/ServiceMenus/
or
(If the distribution is using ~/.kde4/)
~/.kde4/share/kde4/services/ServiceMenus/
and
/usr/share/kde4/services/ServiceMenus/


KF5 (KDE Frameworks 5):

Code: Select all

kf5-config --path services

=>
~/.local/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus/
and
/usr/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus/



The KDE (file managers and plasma folder view) should show the service menus when the desktop files are at the right place.


The executable perl scrip need to be placed to the executable path:

Code: Select all

echo $PATH

Older - KDE Service Menus: https://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tu ... vice_Menus

Rog131 thank you very much. I didn't know about the two desktop files, I only copied the .pl file and then it didn't work. Now it does.
Thank you so very much

This doesn't work in Neon. Some of the essential packages mentioned are not installed and do not show as available in Synaptic.

The version of Dolphin is also fully ported to KDE 5 and the problem with service menus is a known bug. Krusader is also fully ported to KDE 5, which is why it works so well in Neon (http://developer.kde.org/~cfeck/portingstatus.html).

Guess I'll wait until Mint 18 is released as stable and see if it works there, although I still like Neon as a clean, lean and up-to-date KDE desktop.

Thanks for the guide Rog131, it helped a lot in figuring out why it doesn't work.