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.

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Comments/Ratings

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jiuren
10 years ago

emm, I think I've made a mistake here. The launcher will move to running task part. However, I need to open many instances of one application sometimes, e.g, konsole, so how can I config this plasmoid in order to keep the launcher there?

another piece of advice, when I enable kwin's desktop's effect like magic lamp & minimize animation, the animation gets messed. when I click on the running task, the window sometimes get out from the fancytasks at the bottom of my screen, but sometimes it get out of the default taskmanager of KDE.

anyway, thank u for your great job!
Best regards!

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Emdek
10 years ago

I'm not sure if there should be options to disable such as things (there are already many options...) but there is another solution. You can configure action for activating launcher, for example by using middle click on task icon.

I'm not sure if it will be possible to do something with that problem, both applets tries to stole and set own location of rectangle into which window should minimize or from which it should become visible again.

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doochik
10 years ago

Hello!
I have a little problem. I can't decrease size of the plasmoid, but can make it bigger.

Gentoo ~amd64
fancytasks 1.92
kde 4.4.1
qt 4.6.2

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Emdek
10 years ago

It's known problem.
I'm working on new interface for applet which should solve this and some other problems.

For now you can try to change it's geometry in plasma-desktop-appletsrc file (backup first), search for line like plugin=fancytasks and change geometry property in that group (probably fourth number - height), then restart plasma-desktop.
Not tested but mihgt work. ;-)

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prasadae
10 years ago

Hi, I just wanted to comment on your panel implementation. It is really brilliant. I know that it is not ready for prime time yet, but discovering it made my day.

If I could add widgets to it, it will my year or decade! :-)

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prasadae
10 years ago

Hi,

I could not wait :-), so I added capability to fancypanel to add widgets (Add as in copy code from the panel source and hack on it till it looked presentable).

You can get my changes from a git repo:
git://github.com/amithash/fancytasks.git

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toadhall
10 years ago

Hi,

this is driving me crazy...

I put a nice list of apps together for my fancy panel like in OSX and it invariably resets itself to the default of konquerer, systemsettings and dolphin.

Which file stores that info so I can just restore it?

Many thanks in advance!

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Emdek
10 years ago

It's strange, but possible (this is why panel is still marked as experimental).

These settings should be stored with all other Plasma settings in ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc.

You can also try to use standard panel with replaced background - manually or using Desktop Theme Details KCM.

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toadhall
10 years ago

Ah, cheers!

Interesting, I've got three different instances of fancy panel configuration in that file - there may be more, it is one hell of a long file...

Might just delete the lot and take it from there.

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FSchulz
10 years ago

Hey!
I use fancypanel every day and I found something like a bug. When I go with the mouse over the panel and the parabolic zoom shows up, my cpu-load goes up to 60%. Is this a bug or is it not possible to fix the performance?

Best regards!

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Emdek
10 years ago

Can you reproduce this using applet on standard panel?

I'll rewrite interface when library will be done, or maybe earlier, so it should be better (more things handled directly by Qt).

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FSchulz
10 years ago

Tested it and yes, its the same effect when I try it in a normal panel.

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Emdek
10 years ago

Not good. :-/
I'll start working on that new UI concept as soon as possible, I've created initial design some time ago, now I need to test it and implement. But I can't promise that it will be done soon. Anyway, I'll try to find workaround earlier.

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FSchulz
10 years ago

Don't stress yourself! Its not a big deal... I can work with the actual version! Take the time you need to make a good new release!

Best regards!

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Emdek
10 years ago

This is the role of developer. ;-)
Developer should always take care of users.

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SlantNGo
10 years ago

Hi, great task manager! My only complaint (running 1.0.91 on Kubuntu Karmic with KDE 4.4) is that the taskbar previews are misplaced when Fancy Tasks is added to the panel. They're fine with the Fancy Panel.

To reproduce: place panel at bottom, add Fancy Tasks to panel, and hover over icon. The taskbar preview shows up at the top of the screen rather than at the bottom by the panel.

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Emdek
10 years ago

Thanks for report. :-)

You are talking about tool tips with previews?
If yes then it looks like Plasma bug, starting from v1.0.90 applet uses standard tool tips from library, only sets data, rest is done by Plasma (including calculating position).
If not tool tips, then please add screen shot.

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SlantNGo
10 years ago

Yes, I'm referring to the tooltips. That's unfortunate that it's a Plasma bug. What can be done about it then?

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Emdek
10 years ago

I can try to ask Aaron Seigo.
I remember that sometimes, with custom tool tips, there was similar bug, but only on few systems (probably all running Kubuntu).
Which version of kdelibs and Qt you are using? And which distribution?

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SlantNGo
10 years ago

Update: I just performed a clean install of Kubuntu Lucid and find that this problem is related to the height of the panel.

To reproduce: add fancy tasks to panel, and play around with the height of the panel. I have the panel at the bottom of the screen. For some panel heights, the tooltips appear properly, and for other heights, the tooltips appear at the top of the screen.

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Emdek
10 years ago

OK, I hope that it will fixed soon.

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Emdek
10 years ago

Uhm, thats totally weird, I've no idea what can cause it if it behaves this way. :-/

As far as I know how tooltips position is calculated in Plasma (I've created a patch that enables setting alignment) it uses item location on the view, includes rotation and other transforms, then checks tooltip size and calculates it's position using that data. In this case an item is icon in applet, so tooltip should be always shown immediately above it's edge...

It happens with default zoom animation or with other?

I'll work on new UI (some experiments already started) that will use Graphics View in different way (one of the benefits should be much improved sizing), maybe then it will be fixed finally, but I can't promise that it will be ready soon (I've many different projects to work on and soon I'll have exams again).

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SlantNGo
10 years ago

Yes, it's with the standard zoom animation. Take your time with the redesign--this is not a critical issue in my view, just a bit of an annoyance!

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Emdek
10 years ago

So it's possible that it's something wrong with applet resizing in panel. So sometimes after changing panel height applet height doesn't match new panel height?

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SlantNGo
10 years ago

Right--but if I log out and back in, the applet will be the correct height.

However, when the applet is the correct height, the tooltips are in the wrong location. When the applet is the wrong height, the tooltips are fine.

That's been my temporary workaround whenever I feel like I really need those tooltips--resize the panel until the applet is proportionally smaller.

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