I use both screens. The laptop has a resolution of 1366x768 and the flatscreen monitor connected via hdmi has a resolution of 1920x1080. It seems that in setting up a panel the top screen edge of the notebook screen is detected and I can place a panel there. I cannot make it auto hide. If I place it at the top of the external monitor or along the sides of a monitor it will auto hide. If I configure the panel while only using the laptop's screen, it will auto hide. But adding the external monitor will display it.

There have also been instances when I am not connected to the external monitor and when turning on my laptop the default panel is gone. Later when I reconnect the external I find the panel has relocated itself to the bottom of the external screen.

If anyone has suggestions I'd be happy to hear them.
Thank you,
Mike

Disappearing panel (and background?) sounds like related to https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=347195

About the inability to autohide the panel, can you please post the output of "xrandr -q"?

luebking wrote:About the inability to autohide the panel, can you please post the output of "xrandr -q"?

xxxxx@LinuxLaptop:~> xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1366 x 768, maximum 16384 x 16384
LVDS connected primary 1366x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 193mm
1366x768 60.00*+
1280x720 59.86
1152x768 59.78
1024x768 59.92
800x600 59.86
848x480 59.66
720x480 59.71
640x480 59.38
HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

I was at work when I ran the command. No external monitor at that time. It will autohide when used with just the laptop screen.

=)
"For the dualscreen situation"

luebking wrote:=)
"For the dualscreen situation"

OK, I'm home now.

xxxx@LinuxLaptop:~> xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1848, maximum 16384 x 16384
LVDS connected primary 1366x768+277+1080 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 193mm
1366x768 60.00*+
1280x720 59.86
1152x768 59.78
1024x768 59.92
800x600 59.86
848x480 59.66
720x480 59.71
640x480 59.38
HDMI-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
1920x1080 60.00*+
1680x1050 59.88
1280x1024 75.02 60.02
1440x900 59.90
1280x960 60.00
1280x800 59.91
1152x864 75.00
1280x720 59.97
1024x768 75.08 70.07 60.00
832x624 74.55
800x600 72.19 75.00 60.32 56.25
640x480 75.00 72.81 66.67 60.00
720x400 70.08
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

> LVDS connected primary 1366x768+277+1080
Autohiding and strutting is not supported for "in between the screens" panels.
Strutting ("do not cover") lacks support by the NETWM spec while autohiding is a physical issue, which *might* be addressed by an instantly showing panel (the activation area is only 1px height, you crossed that with the mouse before noticing it and the system cannot just push back the mouse, because you could no longer reach the other screen. Therefore the panel would have to show the very moment the activation area is reached. This might actually be already supported by KWin - would have to look it up.

=> Arrange the screens in a way so that the panels are not "between" them (eg. aside each other)

I'm not sure that I understand all of that but I do know that it works well at the side of the screen. Just not the top which is 'in-between'. Currently it stays in-between at the top of the laptop screen but does not hide. I can live with that. It's when all the panels jump to the external monitor and I have to drag them back down that's a hassle. But for now it's behaving.

Thanks for the info.
Mike