Fancy Tasks

Source (link to git-repo or to original if based on someone elses unmodified work): Add the source-code for this project on opencode.net

Description:

Plasmoid providing fancy visualization of tasks, launchers and jobs for those who need full power of task manager and fresh look.
Developed and tested on KDE 4.8 with Qt 4.8 (Kubuntu 12.04).

Some screen casts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5i2S1xCKPk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj4W6cqycl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfqtnncLNcQ

Milestone 1.1 (current) will be last one using libtaskamanager and hopefully will be soon replaced by currently developed data engine based version (which should lower requirements back to KDE 4.6 or maybe earlier, depending on which one shipped first functional version of tasks data engine).

Milestone 2.0 will bring new dock management library which will allow for more advanced features. There will be also new, QML based, applet interface (might be available earlier, depends on progress on library).

Note that included panel was made only for test and could make various problems, use it on your own risk (I'll focus on it later).

This applet uses standard libtaskmanager like other task managers in KDE, so before you report bug check if it also happens in other applets (for example default Tasks applet).

Tips:
- to make applet more usable you can put it on panel with enabled option "Windows can cover" or similar;
- you can use theme with panel background similar to that of dock (for example Sabre Tiger) or modify current one using Desktop Theme Details;
- you can add launchers to applet by drag and drop of URLs and desktop files when Plasma is unlocked or using configuration dialog;
- to show only launchers you need to remove tasks area item from arrangement;
- to show application jobs you need to add jobs area.

Hidden options:
You can set them in applets configuration file (usually located at ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc), in group containing line plugin=fancytasks or plugin=fancypanel;
- initialZoomLevel - initial zoom level for zoom move animations (value ranging from 0 to 1, default: 0.7);
- paintBackground - decides if background should be painted or not (true or false, default: true);
- paintReflections - decides if icon reflection should be painted or not, note that it won't change icon size because of space allocation for drawing task indicators (true or false, default: true).

Features:
- manages your tasks, launchers and application jobs;
- tasks filtering, grouping (including manual) and sorting;
- keyboard navigation (Tab and Shift+Tab);
- launcher to task transition with custom connecting rules (icons of launchers with running tasks are hidden if sorting other than manual is enabled);
- tool tips with live preview of windows when KWin Taskbar Thumbnail effect is enabled;
- highlighting windows when hovering cursor over task or window preview when KWin Highlight Window effect is enabled;
- dropping files on launchers runs command with parameters or gives option to move, copy or link them (if target is directory);
- visual drop indicator that helps in manual tasks sorting and rearranging launchers;
- possibility to browse directories of directory launchers using context menu;
- possibility to add application menus;
- menu with list of all icons shown after activating keyboard shortcut;
- configurable animations (zoom, jump, bounce, highlight, etc.) and appearance (optional thumbnails and text label);
- fully animated icons (including animations of starting applications, tasks needing attention and application jobs progress).

If you have found bugs or have suggestions you can contact me via email, message or using comments, before you will vote bad.
And remember that not everybody has enough time for fast replying. ;-)

Don't be silly, don't vote bad just for fun!

Last changelog:

8 years ago

1.1.2 (10.06.2012):
- increased task light size a bit;
- fixed label position for zoom animation;
- avoid hijacking of icons with launcher connected to task group (if grouping by program);
- clear thumbnail when launcher looses connected task.

1.1.1 (01.06.2012):
- reuse launcher icons by tasks also when using manual sorting;
- let startups connect to launcher icons (when there is no sorting or it set to manual);
- do not lose connection with launcher when group is created (if grouping by program);
- enable Apply button when configuration values are changed;
- do not propose to drop icon in place which equals its current index;
- enable Add / Remove action buttons;
- many other fixes and changes.

570 comments

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Comments/Ratings

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Emdek
9 years ago

This is totally weird.
You are compiling newest version or the older one (1.0)?
Can you attach these errors somewhere (some online text pasting service would be best)?
You may have unsatisfied dependencies or Arch requires some changes and there is patch included, I've no idea now.

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fatino
9 years ago

OMG Im so sorry. I didnt know this is translated. Icon is really confusing and name "Eleganckie Zadania"... It works now...

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Emdek
9 years ago

No problem. :-)
Icon maybe is not beautiful but is best from those available...
I'm still interested in that compilation error, unless it was caused by some missing dependencies.

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buschmann23
9 years ago

The current version 1.0.96 only compiles on KDE SC 4.7 series. It's not a big problem for recent distributions. :) I wanted only to mention it. On KDE trunk the compilation fails, because of changes in the Typedefs from libtaskmanager.

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Emdek
9 years ago

That's possible, they again started to break it more frequently. ;-) I hope to find some time to reevaluate my initial work on own task management system, started long time ago (last touched more than year ago...). Maybe it will be better to use standard task data engine (however I'm afraid that it is quite new and I'm not sure in which version it was added...), anyway hardest thing to do will be implementing filtering, sorting and grouping (some initial research done). Also there is need to rewrite GUI part, which most probably will need to increase requirements, so it will be done later (probably 2.0 milestone).

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brucew
9 years ago

Any reason the Ubuntu repo doesn't contain the latest version? It's sitting at v1.0.94. I really don't want to install it using a package manager only to have to manually install the update later.

Thanks for all the work on this excellent project. Great job!

For Repo Managers: Dealing with dual-side carpal tunnel syndrome, it hurts to constantly have to manually compile the updates to these packages when all the work can be done by the package manager. Some of us require ergonomic adjustments as required disability accommodations. The use of automation, especially, for installations and updates is the reason why so many people with disabilities are moving to Linux over the other two main OS's.

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Emdek
9 years ago

Probably they will update it only for new distribution release...
But maybe I'll soon finally try to create own packages and distribute them using PPA. ;-)

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abelau
9 years ago

using fancytasks 1.0.94 from the gentoo repository on KDE 4.6.5. Thanks for the great work. I like the choice of either being a normal plasmoid residing inside my normal task bar, and also have the option of having it as a separate panel!

a little glitch: the centered panel/plasmoid will have all application icons reflow from left edge of the screen to center whenever I open (new icon appearing) or close an application (icon disappearing). It would be great if it could just reflow more elegantly. I also found that the parabolic zooming animation isn't as smooth(ok, I am picky haha). Is it because the thing isn't using OpenGL acceleration or??
I crashed it quite easily with combinations of app grouping,closing etc.

Keep up the great work! once again thanks :-)

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Emdek
9 years ago

There will be soon next small update with further adaptations to changes in libtaskamanager (the main source of crashes, which still cannot be replaced...), but it probably won't work (at least without small changes in sources) on older KDE versions (that library keeps breaking API compatibility).

And no, currently there is no OpenGL, maybe after (planned) porting to QtQuick it will be better.

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abelau
9 years ago

Thanks for your update! Definitely looking forward to it.... more stable and OpenGL... would be awesome! yay!
While the "panel" version of your plasmoid may not be the focus, I am still wondering if there maybe a vertical version of it. Currently, dragging it to the vertical screen edge will create a big mess on the screen haha. The individual panel is still different to plasmoid added to an existing panel.

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Emdek
9 years ago

Well, it worked fine as vertical panel in the past (probably around KDE 4.4 / 4.5) but even if they don't change API then behavior changes sometimes. :-/
Also panels were designed mostly to fit needs of default panels, there is nearly no room for customizations (biggest one being own background probably, it is not even possible to replace or modify that stupid "configuration dialog") and that would need not only breaking API but also changing some concepts.

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abelau
9 years ago

I see. The reason why I am still interested in the panel version is that I was trying to get a transparent background (so windows could go under nicely with the icons floating)

This is so hard when fancy tasks is added as a plasmoid onto an empty kdepanel. Even if one could find a theme with transparent panel background, one would have to apply that to all kde panels(not just the fancy tasks kdepanel)!

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Emdek
9 years ago

That custom background thing is the only advantage of panel. ;-)
As far as I know it's possible and not so difficult to made such as modification, so only panels on selected side will have transparent background.

http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials/Plasma/Theme

Still, that should be option of default panel, it's biggest loss of configuration options from KDE3 but it would be hard to fit in this strange configuration interface. Only one useful part of it is that horizontal size / position tool, more options button should open normal dialog.

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jfilipe
9 years ago

Great Job ! lol
Finaly ! loool

But at somme weeks ago i experiment cairo dock, with kde integration and i like so mutch this ! loool

So its rarely crash, i had properly no problems with this ! ;-)
And has so mutch effects ! ;-)

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suppenkaspar
9 years ago

can you please update the plasmoid for KDE 4.7

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Emdek
9 years ago

Update should be released soon, for now you can follow these instructions:

1. open file applet/FancyTasksApplet.cpp
2. find method Applet::removeTask()
3. replace:
icon->deleteLater();
using:
delete icon;
4. recompile
5. restart plasma-desktop

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jfilipe
9 years ago

Hi !

I Think that Fancy Tasks, after 2, 3 weeks, that the widget is so so buggy ! :-(

See the reported bugs in bugs.kde.org
A little list:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=204976
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=205845
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=216498
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=230490
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=230790
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235789
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=268944
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=275646
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=275841
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=271878

As you see, the list are so so long ... !

When you release a new version that fixes these bugs, and others ?

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Emdek
9 years ago

Most of these bugs are not relevant, some of them are not related at all but Plasma generic bugs, some are duplicates or are no longer valid...
Only #275646 (but no debug data) and #268944 (related to libtaskmanager) have useful information.

Most of crashes (but I didn't see any for very long time) are related to libtaskmanager which I'm intending to replace by own solution (already started, but I'm still busy working on other projects etc.) and refresh the UI, maybe using QML (including changing defaults, it was never intended to be a MacOS X dock clone anyway ;-)).

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jfilipe
9 years ago

Fancy tasks are so very, very good ! lool

I'm using Fedora 15 and KDE 4.6.3 :-)

But i discover a lot of bugs:
- i center the widget, and after a logoff / logon, it appears on the left edge

- if one lancher has a amount of tasks, when over it show these windows, and clicking in one window, do not focus this window, but ask again, showing a window list (without thumbnails), asking where you wish open !
Suposed if i click in one of these thumnails, it should focus this window

- in previows situation, in the windows list, if i choose cancel, it opens all the launchers !

- cannot resize the widget !

Bye

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Emdek
9 years ago

Are you using plasmoid or panel?
Most of these issues indicate that you are suing panel with is still experimental and buggy.
That thumbnails issue is strange, did you changed something in actions settings?

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jfilipe
9 years ago

Hi !

Im using Fancy Tasks as plasmoid, and i do not change action settings !

Bye

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Emdek
9 years ago

I think that some of these problems could come from subtle changes in KDE 4.6 (last changes in applet were done when I was still using 4.5), at least resizing problem on desktop and clicking on tool tip (it might be problem with determining which window is active when it is shown - it's also kind of window - as other actions like closing task with for example middle button works).

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jfilipe
9 years ago

Congratulations ! :-)
Thats a good job !

Yesterday i research in google to a dock similar to mac, and i found fancy tasks !

Its very, very good, and very similar to mac :-D

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Sagittarius
9 years ago

Great plasmoid.

But it crashes plasma-desktop on my KDE 4.6.3 just after login:

Application: Outil de gestion de fenêtres Plasma (kdeinit4), signal: Aborted
[KCrash Handler]
#6 0x00007f7841b1cff5 in raise () from /lib64/libc.so.6
#7 0x00007f7841b1e786 in abort () from /lib64/libc.so.6
#8 0x00007f7841f184bd in __gnu_cxx::__verbose_terminate_handler() () from /usr/lib64/libstdc++.so.6
#9 0x00007f7841f166d6 in ?? () from /usr/lib64/libstdc++.so.6
#10 0x00007f7841f16703 in std::terminate() () from /usr/lib64/libstdc++.so.6
#11 0x00007f7841f16856 in __cxa_rethrow () from /usr/lib64/libstdc++.so.6
#12 0x00007f784317ead2 in QEventLoop::exec(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /usr/lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#13 0x00007f7843182e9b in QCoreApplication::exec() () from /usr/lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#14 0x00007f783320dead in kdemain () from /usr/lib64/libkdeinit4_plasma-desktop.so
#15 0x0000000000406cc9 in _start ()

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Sagittarius
9 years ago

It crashes after installation and then logout / login when Fancytasks is used as a simple plasmoid.

But it does not crash when Fancytasks is used as a panel.

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