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Currently there are 4 activity types for the desktop: newspaper, folder view, desktop and search and launch. I think each of these layouts has its own strong and weak points, but as they are activities, and not plasmoids, they cannot be mixed (except the folder view plasmoid).

What I propose is that the other activities would also be offered as a plasmoid, and that regular plasmoids could be used as activities. This would enable multiple use cases (especially if the Unlock specific plasma containments would also be implemented (brainstorm.php?mode=idea&i=87240#anchormain)).

Using activities as plasmoids:

1. A newspaper activity (which is much more orderly than the default desktop activity) with a small "desktop plasmoid" in it to contain some clutter.

2. A regular desktop activity containing a non-full-screen search and launch activity.

3. A nicely organized desktop activity (locked) containing another, unlocked "desktop plasmoid" which contains the clutter you don't want on the organized part. (This one also needs the other idea to be implemented).

Using plasmoids as activities:

1. Web browser activity

2. News feed activity

...

This is really three different suggestions: allow people to choose the containment type for the already-existing container widget, make a web browser activity, and making a news feed activity. The second (web browser activity) already exists and will be marked duplicate if you try to post it. The other two are valid, but should be posted as separeate ideas. You can edit this idea and then post a second one, or I can close this and you can post two new ideas, either way is fine.

Using all widgets directly as activities is not possible and will be marked as wontfix. First, widgets expect to be able to grab mouse clicks, but that conflicts with the needs of activities to be able to grab mouse clicks. For, example, they can assign menus to right-click or use the mouse wheel to change the desktop. With how plasma currently works, users are able to assign those functions to whatever buttons they want, but individual widgets expect buttons to work in a consistent manner. For instance the lancelot part/shelf widget has a scroll bar, how would that work? Further, many widgets will simply not work as an activity due to how they are designed, for instance the quickaccess widget only ever appears as an icon. If you tried to make this an activity you would just get one huge icon covering most of the screen.

I see your point when it comes to random plasmoids being used instead of activities.

I can't seem to find any info on the containment plasmoid... There is nothing on kde-look.org, nor in the kubuntu repositories... I'll try to find out more first and then I'll make a new post.

cloudslayer wrote:

I can't seem to find any info on the containment plasmoid... There is nothing on kde-look.org, nor in the kubuntu repositories... I'll try to find out more first and then I'll make a new post.

the containment plasmoid is call container
http://kde-look.org/content/show.php/Co ... 6516181f.c

the plasmoid Container is not a containment, it is simply a plasmoid able to contain other plasmoids, so it can't put other activities on the desktop

giucam wrote:the plasmoid Container is not a containment, it is simply a plasmoid able to contain other plasmoids, so it can't put other activities on the desktop

"A plasmoid able to contain other plasmoids" is the very definition of a containment.

no, i'm talking from a technical point of view. Plasma doesn't see that plasmoid as it sees the desktop or the panel. It is a Plasma::Applet, while the desktop is a Plasma::Containment. There are some important differences and thus it has some limitations.